This is a white cap-sleeve cheongsam decorated with art deco motif. It is typical of the nipped-in waist style that serves to accentuate the curvaceous figure of women. This cheongsam belonged to Amy Ede nee Laycock, the adoptive daughter of John Laycock who was instrumental in founding the Singapore Progressive Party in 1947 and later the Liberal Socialist Party in 1956. Amy Ede nee Laycock was one of the earliest women in Singapore to join politics. She won a seat in the Municipal Council in the 1949 elections when she was 26 years old. She quit politics in the mid-1950s, and helped John Laycock to run his orchid garden in Mandai. She has 3 orchid hybrids Aerides Amy, Vanda Amy and Dendrobium Amy Ede named after her.
