“Fashioning Chinese Women” brings a variety of garments together in one space to highlight their history and diversity. (photo © Jason Wu, © Museum Associates/LACMA)

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art presents “Fashioning Chinese Women: Empire to Modernity” running from Sunday, June 14, through Monday, Oct. 12, in BCAM, Level 2.

The exhibition charts the evolution of Chinese women’s dress, from loose-fitting embroidered robes of the late Qing Dynasty to the iconic sleek silhouettes of 1930s qipao and the global style of 1950s cheongsam. Bringing together over 70 rare looks from LACMA’s permanent collection, “Fashioning Chinese Women” illuminates a seldom-seen story of how Chinese and Chinese American women used dress to negotiate their changing identities amid profound societal and cultural transformations.

In early 2020, Berkeley-based artist and designer Chere Lai Mah approached LACMA seeking a permanent home for her expansive collection of 19th and 20th century

Chinese women’s clothing. Over the course of more than 45 years, Lai Mah meticulously researched and preserved the wardrobes of her mother and mother-in-law and in the process, became a de facto archivist to family, friends and the broader Chinese American community. Drawing from that network, her collection grew to include items made in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Singapore, Taiwan, Bangkok, Tokyo, San Francisco and New York City. Joined by other recent LACMA acquisitions, the garments have transformed the museum’s holdings of Chinese fashion and formed the basis of the exhibition.

“Fashioning Chinese Women” features original, 3D-printed mannequins with faces, hairstyles and finish customized by fashion designer Jason Wu. The specialized mounts underscore the bespoke tailoring practices that have long characterized Chinese women’s fashion. Further complementing the artwork is the exhibition design concept by Los Angeles architecture firm Chu-Gooding, inspired by the traditional siheyuan, the Chinese courtyard house. The exhibition is guest curated by Michaela Hansen, with support from LACMA curators of costume and textiles Clarissa Esguerra and Nicole LaBouff.

“Until now, curatorial examinations of Chinese women’s fashion have largely been framed in terms of its influence on Western design,” Hansen said. “This exhibition marks the first 21st century study by an American museum to celebrate the creativity, resilience and sartorial heritage of generations of Chinese women whose lives – and wardrobes – spanned the globe.”

“The story of Chere Lai Mah and her remarkable collection reveals extraordinary intersections of tradition and innovation across time,” added Michael Govan, LACMA CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director. “We are grateful for her generous gift, without which we would not be able to tell these stories of Chinese women’s fashion. What is most exciting about this exhibition is how it brings together the artistry and histories of these garments for a new generation of local and global audiences, thanks to our collaboration with Jason Wu and Chu-Gooding.”

“Fashioning Chinese Women” is organized thematically and presented in three sections. The entryway and first gallery introduce late Qing dynasty textile craftsmanship. The show’s central gallery examines the emergence of the one-piece qipao in the early 1920s as a defining innovation in modern Chinese dress, and its rise to dominance by the mid-1920s. The final two galleries explore how new textile technologies transformed Chinese fashion from the late Qing Dynasty through the mid-20th century.

LACMA is located at 5905 Wilshire Blvd. For information, visit lacma.org.