‘Kwa’ or ‘kua’ is a traditional Chinese wedding gown. Heavily embroidered, this ‘kwa’ top has a Mandarin collar, frog fasteners as well as a dragon and phoenix design which symbolises success, prosperity and a happy marriage. The donor (Mdm. Chia Wai Ching) flew to Hong Kong in 1953 to get the ‘kwa’ specially made by a tailor and paid HK$800 for it. Tailors in Singapore, at that point in time, were not skilled enough to produce such intricately designed ‘kwas’.
