Mazzario Cheongsam on ZaoBao Now

Bow-tied Cheongsam

A cheongsam for a black tie event. The usual would be a full length in luxurious fabric.

Cheongsam is an honest creature. It fits snugly, and very close to the body, presents its wearer just as she is. Cheongsam, without a doubt, shows the best side of a proportional voluptuous body, but it was our challenge to pair it with the athletic body-type.

Our solution is a halter cheongsam cut low at the sides, and plunges to a very low back. A contrasting trim extends from the mandarin collar, and increases in width up to floor length, sitting atop a short train. The thick trim is then tied to form a neat 2-tone bow, introducing curves where necessary.

Chrysanthemum Dress

It is a dress for designed for a green-themed dinner. Save for few lucky souls, green simply looks odd on Asian complexions.

I knew we needed the final touch of green embellishment right from the start. We worked backwards.

A simple close to skin-tone off-shoulder shift dress was the chosen canvas.

The client nominated chrysanthemum as the flower of choice for the custom embroidery dress. Chrysanthemum is not to be generalised as petals in tea, but come in varied shapes and colours. I must have embarrassed myself for not concealing my excitement at the perfect excuse for spending time in the garden on a lazy afternoon.

On closer observation, chrysanthemum only got more interesting. I was especially eager to interpret the petals of the delicate flower. Each petal has life of its own. It reaches high for the sky, yet refrained, reminding one again of the ephemerality of a flower.

I must be thinking to much. Anyway what we have is a green chrysanthemum flower dress.

Poppy Dress

The brief was a cheongsam with red & black floral embroidery. We weren't too sure what the client was expecting, but we gave it a shot.

We begin by tailoring a crisp cheongsam ( or so it was supposed to be ). The stiffened fabric ( which we do not use on ready-to-wear ) made the look very clean, very modern, and we knew instantly the collar should be done away with to preserve it's simplicity.

Flowers. Red. Roses. Boring. What about poppies? I have been very blessed with an open-minded client for her openess to my varied experiments. Disregarding poppy's sometimes negative connotations, she expressed sheer delight with a different kind of embroidery.

The result is avant garde, but very wearable. A happy dress.

Lazy Dress

Some of you asked, and many would have guessed, we are currently preparing new designs for our beautiful ladies.

Above is a kimono inspired dress. Side-zipped for convenience. Flattering and comfortable. Be unexpectedly oriental chic on a lazy summer day.

Knot Babydoll Dress

Babydoll-style dress dates back to the Tang dynasty, in which women wore clothes with less coverage than the dynasties that that preceded or followed. Them, fabric is cinched directly below the bust, one of the earliest forms of empire-style.

We adapted the idea and introduced slight gathers on the 2 tiered dress, creating a slight flounce, and end off with a double layer Chinese knot on the panelled bodice.