Description
Book SynopsisCheryl Sim is Managing Director and Curator at Phi Foundation for Contemporary Art, Montreal, Canada.
Trade ReviewProvides a thorough and nuanced analysis, of both the cheongsam's place in a globalized world, and what the garment represents to and on the bodies of women of Chinese descent all over the world. * The Journal of Dress History *
By skillfully stitching race, gender and identity onto the cheongsam, Sim reveals the craft of the diasporic community and the multiplicity of this ethnic garment. * Wessie Ling, Northumbria University, UK *
In the first study of its kind, Cheryl Sim adds original and valuable insights to existing knowledge of the cheongsam. Weaving a path between personal and national histories, she establishes the garment as a signifier of identity, belonging and agency. * Hazel Clark, Parsons School of Design, The New School, USA *
Wearing the Cheongsam pulls a wily thread on this traditional Chinese dress, unravelling its complexity as exquisite adornment and cross-cultural signifier. Its power to encode women’s bodies is seamlessly explored by Cheryl Sim. * Monika Kin Gagnon, Concordia University, Canada *
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgements 1 Introduction:
One size does not fit all 2 Determining the 'fabric' 3 The Cheongsam: A complex garment 4 Wearing practices in Canada: Ambivalence, Authenticity, and Agency 5 Getting inside
The Fitting Room 6 Conclusion: Cheongsam 2.0 / Making alterations Index
