Manchu qipao

Unknown designer, China

CFTC #193, #215

Gift of Beulah Blackmore

Modern qipao

Unknown designer, China

CFTC #196

Gift of Olivia Wu

Initially worn by Manchu women during the Qing dynasty, the qipao is a one-piece floor length dress with side-slits, a round collar, and a curved asymmetrical closure. The modern qipao became fashionable during the interwar period and drew inspiration from the voluminous floor-length gown worn by Manchu women. Compared to previous iterations, the modern qipao was typically made out of lighter materials and decorated with abstract embroidery. The use of Western construction techniques like darts and set-in sleeves also impacted the shape and silhouette of the modern qipao so that it fit closer to the body. The traditional qipao was collected by Beulah Blackmore while visiting Peiping, China in 1936, whereas the modern qipao was donated by Olivia Wu ‘39, a Chinese graduate student. Both garments allowed Blackmore to portray the qipao as a source of inspiration for design research as well as its importance within twentieth-century Chinese culture. Here, we see Wu wearing her own qipao while holding a qipao Blackmore purchased in 1936. Both garments were featured in the 1938 installment of “Costumes of Many Lands.”