For spring 2025, Huishan Zhang is in the mood for seduction as he took cues from Wong Kar-wai’s highly stylized erotic short film “The Hand” from the “Eros” anthology.
In the film, Chinese actress Gong Li plays a high-end escort who gets her cheongsams made by a tailor who is drawn toward her, played by Chang Chen, now an ambassador for Gucci.
“I feel like every woman has an invisible cheongsam in them. It represents the contrast between demure and provocation,” the designer said.
On the demure side, the designer offered ’50s-inspired daywear ensembles with beaded fringes, a common embellishment in cheongsam design, according to Zhang. Cardigans came unbuttoned, showing the bra underneath. His embellished scuba gowns, shirtdresses and trenchcoats looked great in the mix as well.
As for provocation, Zhang broke down the elements of Gong’s looks in the film and reinterpreted them as cocktail dresses with peach blossom-shaped sequins, as well as bright gowns in blue, red, lime, orange and pink with intricate cutouts, some embellished with cubic crystals.
For a more direct reference, there was an electric blue dress that looked like an exact replica of Gong’s cheongsam seen in the film’s poster, but done with a modern touch.
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