Wednesday, April 8, 2009

My Chinese Kwa or Dragon and Phoenix Bridal Dress

As promised, I will show you my chinese kwa that I wore during my wedding twenty five years ago. Look at the collar, you can see how small my neck was 25 years ago...lol. I think I grow one size bigger now...hehehe.

Take a good look at the blouse, the dragon is alway on top of the phoenix. The dragon represents the male who is the head of the family while the phoenix the female.

The kwa is still in a very good condition and they were embroidered and the threads are still intact and the material is made of good quality unlike the one I show you yesterday, the material is of poorer quality. There are not many of this design on sale now . Geez now I sounded very antique...lol.

Closer look at the embroideries of the dragon and the phoenix.


This is the back of the blouse with a dragon on the left and the phoenix on the right. Dont you agree this is just like a piece of beautiful artwork?

This is the long skirt to go with the above blouse.
Do you still have your wedding dress tucked in some corners of your house?

19 comments:

Shannon said...

Such intricate designs with beautiful colors. My wedding dress is at my moms house. It needs a good cleaning, been years since we've taken it out.

XUE said...

I still have my yellow kwa-like top. I didn't wear a predominately red one as I don't look nice in all red.

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh Alice..That is just beautiful. It is a piece of art and so much more interesting than our traditional white wedding dress. Do I have my wedding dress? No, when I married my husband, we didn't have a fancy wedding. But I do have the flowers that I carried dried....Michelle

Unknown said...

My wedding sari was worn on 4 April at my husband's nephew's wedding. It was time to take it out and go down memory lane , a little, with it. Well, it tore a little as silk saris do not keep for very long and they become 'brittle'. Anyway, everyone liked the colour and the wearer! S

alicesg said...

Thank you all for dropping by again to view my KWA. :) I love to wear it again but cant fit into the top anymore...lol. The skirt is pullstring type so I still can get into it...hahaha

alicesg said...

Glad that some of you are also still keeping your wedding dress. Sometimes it is nice to take them out again and all the memories come back to us again. :)

alexander said...

That's a very pretty dress!

Alex
Alex's World! - http://www.kakinan.com/alex

Anya said...

OMG Alice its BEAUTIFUL :))))))
I want MARRIED again in that dress LOL
Thanks for sharing your privat collection HEHE
My weddingdress is also one size to small ...... :(

ninja said...

That's incredible! Requires so much more craft then the boring all white dress.

monkey girl said...

It's beautiful Alice, just gorgeous!

Anonymous said...

great artwork. i would love to have one of this as a present for my wife. very beautiful photos. and greeting to your hubby and many thanks for kind comment

Sukhipanna said...

Wow, Alice, this kua must have bring you lotsa good, sweet memories of your wedding day!! It's so beautiful even after 25 years!

Gordon said...

Your wedding dress is so beautiful Alice; exquisite and ornate. Your detailed photos really show it off.

by Danie said...

I also still have my beautiful white wedding dress in a dressing room in my house in France, a bit too small though, and soooooooooo old.
Your kwa is truly a magnificent piece, symbolism is always strong in Chinese culture and I love it, it so full of meanings.
Even if you are one size bigger, I think you are still slim this kwa is so small!

alicesg said...

Thank you all for admiring my kwa. :) I am so proud of it especially it is a gift from my late mother. I actually wore the white wedding dress (rented) for my wedding day and this kwa is for the tea ceremony and the night dinner I wore this kwa and another evening gown (which I still have but it has turned colour...lol).

LadyFi said...

Oh Alice - that is just stunning! So gorgeous! You must have made a stunning bride!

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

Are you keeping it for your daughter or daughter in law for their wedding?

Your mum must have paid a lot of money to buy it.

I was pleasantly surprised that Singapore brides wore them, because people in Sarawak are too poor to have them?

I borrowed my wedding gown, so I only have my photos to look at.

Cheers,

Ann

alicesg said...

Ann, I dont have daughters(have 2 grown up sons 22 and 20) and I dont think my future daughters in law like to wear them...lol. Nowadays they prefer the modern type of "KWA". Yes, mom did not get a chance to wear them when she married so she like me to wear them to fulfil her dream of wearing a KWA. She is so proud of it. But my mom had a black kwa (for mother in law) when my brother married. I wont have photo of the black kwa cause it is cremated together with mom when she died.

Vivienne Atelier said...

What a captivating article! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your Chinese kwa and the symbolism behind the dragon and phoenix wedding dress motifs. It's incredible how rich and meaningful Chinese culture is, and your personal connection to the kwa adds an extra layer of authenticity to the story. I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn and appreciate the beauty of these customs.