Preface

In Chinese literary classics, references to feminine beauty are common. Famous verses depicting a 'Soft gentle waist and luxuriant attire' and declaring 'Her robe is a cloud, her face a flower; Her balcony glimmers with the bright spring dew' reflect the general conception of feminine beauty since ancient times. Indeed, the image of a woman is characterised by a charming appearance and beautiful attire. Renowned modern fashion designer Christian Dior once expressed his model of an ideal woman, 'I designed clothes for flower-like women, with rounded shoulders, full feminine busts, and hand-span waists above enormous spreading skirts.' It is remarkable that similar viewpoints on feminine beauty can exist in different historical times and cultures. Does this correspondence indicate an eternal standpoint for timeless feminine beauty? Perhaps 'The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947-1957' exhibition will shed some light on this topic.

The touring exhibition, organised by the Victoria and Albert Museum, has enjoyed overwhelming success in London and Australia. Hong Kong is the first stop in Asia where the Hong Kong Heritage Museum has the honour of presenting over 100 fabulous dresses and other exhibits on loan. This is an extremely rare opportunity as all the exhibits are of highly iconic works by internationally acclaimed masters in fashion design. The 'golden age' described by Christian Dior had far-reaching influence that rewrote the development of the world fashion industry. We hope to showcase the creativity and socio-commercial qualities of haute couture, a sector built on glamour and workmanship. We also seek to reveal the lesser-known domain of the couture houses, and to take the audience on a trip to the glorious period of fashion history. The Hong Kong Heritage Museum is launching the 'A Salute to Masters' Programme Series in 2009. With this exhibition, we pay the highest tribute to the fashion masters of those times.

The Hong Kong Heritage Museum has organised many design exhibitions and events since its opening in late 2000. Playing a vital role in Hong Kong's creative industries, 'design' is one of our key collection themes. Since late 2004, the museum has organised the 'Hong Kong Design Series' intent on displaying diverse and impressive achievements of local designers. Events of this series include the 'Fashion Attitude - Hong Kong Fashion Design' exhibition held in 2007 which showed works by a number of established Hong Kong fashion designers. The exhibition explored the future development of fashion design in Hong Kong and shared the designers' hard-earned success with the general public.

We are pleased to continue this aspect of our mission by bringing this monumental fashion design experience to Hong Kong. We owe the successful organisation of this event to many parties. First and foremost, our gratitude goes to the Victoria and Albert Museum - a most highly regarded authority on art and design - for the loan of valuable exhibits. We are also grateful to its staff for their dedication and professional expertise. While promoting cultural exchange, the exhibition broadens the vision of fashion design for the Hong Kong public and brings great inspiration to local fashion designers. I would like to take this opportunity to extend our thanks to the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau for designating this significant event as one of the major programmes of Le French May 2009. Our appreciation also goes to Christian Dior for their generous sponsorship and to the celebrated fashion designer of Hong Kong, Mr William Tang, for his invaluable advice on the translation of the exhibition texts.

Belinda Wong Sau-lan
Chief Curator
Hong Kong Heritage Museum