The ‘Rosebud look’ is in!

Years ago, I remember my father telling his soldiers, Made in China ka yata," when they would be sickly. He was in the military and was a health buff. He expected his soldiers to be strong and healthy, like him. Then, anything "Made in China" was considered mediocre and of low quality. I remember that products "Made in the U. S. A." would be the only ones considered excellent. We would look forward to relatives coming home from America with all the loot in their balikbayan boxes. Well, look who’s laughing now? Most, if not all, the products used all over the world are now "Made in China."

Everything from China seems to be hip these days. This was further acknowledged when the all-Chinese movie, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon not only hit the blockbuster charts, but also gained acclaim worldwide. Then just recently, China won the bid to host the Olympics in 2008. Chinese actors from Jackie Chan to Chow Yung Fat, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh now enjoy lead roles in Hollywood. In the early Nineties, Joan Chen would settle only for stereotypical Asian roles. Times have changed. Joan Chen directed the movie Autumn in New York featuring Richard Gere and Winona Ryder. Asian talent is already experiencing international recognition, with female actors Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi, musician Vanessa Mae and singer Coco Lee, to name a few, hogging the limelight.

Just when everybody is raving about Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, in comes In the Mood for Love by Wong Kar-wai. The time is 1962 in Hong Kong and in a series of gorgeously textured shots, Wong creates a world of crowded but friendly living conditions, formal stylish attire, darkened hallways, all-night mahjong games, soft ballads playing on the radio, steaming noodle stalls, narrow alleys bathed with dim lights and shadows – a past era of fading images and sweet memories. It centers on two neighbors (played by Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Maggie Cheung) who realize that their respective spouses are having an affair. Maggie’s character, Mrs. Chan, is always dressed in high-neck, strikingly patterned, tight-fitting cheongsams designed by William Chang. Wong’s latest work is about pure mood – pure nostalgia – pure loss and longing. It’s about a love affair but he only allows the audience to view these images from a distance.

Even in fashion, chinoiserie has become a major influence. For the second year in a row, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council brought the best of Hong Kong fashion to the spring/summer 2002 runways in Bryant Park, the official show venue for the New York event. This year’s show highlighted an Asian Chic theme. On Sept. 8, designers and brands from Silvio Chan to Flora Cheong-Leen, Dorian Ho, Michael Hui, Cecilia Yau, Blanc de Chine, Bleu de Chine and Shanghai Tang showed Chinese-influenced ensembles for modern living. The HKTDC has been promoting Hong Kong talent to the international fashion arena. Similar promotions have been staged in Sydney at the Mercedes Australian Fashion Week and Japan’s Tokyo Collection. The government’s full support of the industry brings worldwide popularity to the Chinese influence in fashion.

The Chinese inspiration was seen when fashion icon and Marc Jacobs image model, Sofia Coppola introduced her Milk Fed line in late 1994, German designer Jil Sander interpreted the traditional costume in classic black, Madonna wore one in deep red at the Grammy Awards in March 1995, Michelle Yeoh appeared in the recent Oscars in a Barney Cheung version and Blanc de Chine at Cannes and Nicole Kidman sported a vintage burgundy cheongsam in one of the openings of Moulin Rouge. The New York-based department store chain Barneys started carrying authentic Chinese-made cheongsams together with designer versions. The distinctive Oriental dress has enjoyed a growing influence in the international world of high fashion. Even designers from John Galliano to Jean-Paul Gaultier, Helmut Lang, Donna Karan, Anna Sui and Paul Smith had Asian-inspired collections in the past. Of course, who doesn’t know designers Vera Wang and Vivienne Tam, both of Chinese descent?

Meanwhile, at the Museum of the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan, more than 100 garments were displayed at "China Chic: East Meets West," an exhibit that opened last February 16, just in time for Chinese New Year. "Asian styles are particularly important because the world is becoming more international and multicultural," said Valerie Steele, chief curator at the museum and author of eight books on fashion. "Economies and cultures are much more inter-penetrated now, so we’ll be seeing more influences from other parts of the world incorporated into what’s no longer Western fashion [but] international fashion," according to the article, "China Chic: From Dragon Robes to Mao Suits" by Amy Yee of the New York Times.

Name me a city that doesn’t have a Chinatown. This is another reason for the strong power of this culture. The Chinese stay together and support each other in whatever foreign country they choose to live. Even in Manila right now, we are caught up in the "Chinese mood." Two weeks ago, one of the key witnesses of Colonel Victor Corpus, ISAFP chief, Mary "Rosebud" Ong, testified against Senator Panfilo Lacson in the Senate wearing a traditional cheongsam. She first appeared last year before Joseph Estrada’s fall from power when she accused the PAOCTF, then headed by General Lacson, of recycling drugs. She claims that she had been writing to several senators about it but nobody made a move.

"I never thought this would become an identity," says Rosebud, when asked about wearing the traditional Chinese costume. "I only bought some cheongsams when I ran out of clothes and gained weight when I helped the government look for a kidnap victim witness in Xiamen, China. I got them at a bargain alley at Thung San Road," says Mary Ong. The ones she uses every day cost only P200 while her most expensive pieces are P1, 500. She wore one of the pricier ones to the first Senate hearing, a purple "Shanghai Tang" inspired style. "Once I went out just wearing a T-shirt and no one recognized me but every time I am in a cheongsam, people remember me," says Ong. Since then, she has returned to China and has bought more pieces. "I have about 30," she says.

The cheongsam – simply translated as "long clothes" – is now an icon of China. A clothing du jour for celebrities all over the world, it began as a form of rebellion. Western influence was criticized during the Cultural Revolution. It experienced a resurgence during the post-Mao period. Cheongsam is derived from the southern Cantonese (and Hong Kong) dialect, while qipao actually translates to "banner gown" in Mandarin. Cheongsam and qipao are the same. It made its first appearance during the mid-1920s in Shanghai. Since the turn of the 20th century, the Chinese have been slowly trying to modernize and westernize it. A progressive, educated middle class was developing, and the women who went to universities overseas no longer wanted to wear the heavy robes of the Manchu. The cheongsam was originally a loose-fitting, ankle-length sheath with a high mandarin collar, and side slits. It was cut closer to the body than the traditional Manchu robe. This basic shape changed to reflect the signs of the times -–hemlines rose and fell, fabrics showed the trends and zippers and snaps sometimes took the place of frogs (traditional closures used).

In the West, the cheongsam became a popular eveningwear option during the late 1950s to the 1960s, hitting its peak with the movie The World of Suzie Wong, where Nancy Kwan played a prostitute. Today, women don the cheongsam not only for traditional Chinese weddings but also to parties, event openings and work. It has become a classic dress form and designers have drawn inspiration from it. The key to Chinese-inspired fashion today is subtlety. Don’t overdo it, as a touch of it is trendy enough. Now more than ever, we are experiencing a comeback of Orientalism.

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