Blue sleeveless cheongsam

This is a blue sleeveless cheongsam decorated with stars all over. It has a nipped-in waist, which was popular in the 1950s and 1960s. The flap on the right-hand side is secured by press studs. The collar, sleeves, flap on the right bodice, and hems are lined with white piping to serve as contrast. This cheongsam belonged to Mdm. Wu Chuen Chuen, who enjoyed wearing it to work and parties, often with a corset underneath to achieve the desired hourglass figure. A leading businesswoman of her time, Mdm. Wu ran the former Stamford Café at Bras Basah Road for 30 years before it closed in the 1970s.