So, I’ve been totally obsessed with those gorgeous cheongsams from the movie “In the Mood for Love.” I mean, who hasn’t, right? Maggie Cheung looked absolutely stunning in every single one. I spent hours online, just scrolling through pictures, and I decided I had to try and find out more about them.
First, I searched a whole lot, hoping to track down the tailors who made these amazing dresses. Sadly, no luck. It looks like there’s no real list of them anywhere online, which is such a shame! But I didn’t give up. I read that Wong Kar-wai’s movie basically made the cheongsam a fashion icon, and honestly, I can see why. So, that was my next move: watching the movie again. It was like seeing them for the first time, each one more beautiful than the last. I took so many notes, trying to count how many times she wore each dress.
Then, I stumbled upon this book, “In the mood for cheongsam” by Chor Lin Lee. It was published in 2012, and it was exactly what I was looking for. I found a copy and ordered it right away. It was fascinating! The book goes into the history of the cheongsam, especially in Singapore. Apparently, the style came over from Shanghai, and the book explained how it changed over almost a hundred years. It’s not just about the dresses in the movie, but it helped me understand the whole context of the cheongsam a lot better.
Next, I tried to dig up details about the movie’s costume design. It turns out the designer looked at tons of cheongsams from the 1960s for inspiration. No wonder they felt so authentic! They really captured that vintage vibe, and Maggie Cheung just carried them off so perfectly. It was like she was born to wear them. It’s crazy how much detail went into each dress. The colors, the patterns, the way they fit her – everything was just spot on.
Here’s what I did next. I started to make my own list.
- Watched the movie: Multiple times, of course. And focused on every scene with a cheongsam.
- Took notes: I described each dress, the color, the pattern, when she wore it.
- Read that book: “In the mood for cheongsam”. It helped me understand the history.
- Made my own list: I wanted to have a complete record of each cheongsam in the movie.
It was a lot of work, but it was so much fun. I felt like a fashion detective, piecing together all the clues. I’m still adding to my list, and I’m planning to start sketching the dresses, too. It’s a whole project, but I’m loving every minute of it. I even considered designing some of my own, but that’s a story for another day. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll even try making one myself! Wouldn’t that be something?
