paisley yasmine creative | Live A Designer's Life

The traditional Chinese Cheongsam was a looseÂ fitting dress designed to de-emphasize and conceal the figure of the wearer.

The modern version of the cheongsam was first developed in Shanghai around 1900, when the Qing Dynasty came to an end and people were looking for a more westernized style of dress. This modernized version of the Cheongsam was more form fitting and designed to accentuate the female figure, in sharp contrast with the traditional styles.

Vintage Photos from Cultural China Tours website.

I bought this Cheongsam style dress from Woo Vintage in Vancouver. Â It was the colour that drew me to it, and the fact that it wasn’t too shiny or cheap looking. Â On the contrary, the colour was a turquoise blue and the fabric has a subtle pattern of gold and silver. I have always loved these Asian style dresses and was thrilled to find one that met my strict criteria. Â I have worn this dress open as a jacket many times. Â I wear it ‘for good’ because I feel really special when I wear it. Â I had the pleasure of attending an Asian themed party recently and was very happy to have an excuse to pull out my Cheongsam.

Photos by Paisley Yasmine Creative

We have lived in our English Cottage style house for 15 years. Redoing our front garden was a longstanding dream that has only recently been realized. The garden design was a collaboration between Smith Architecture Â and DB Gardens. The stonework was done by Organic Matters Landscaping. The planting is still new but the transformation is dramatic and extremely gratifying.Â We are so happy with the way it turned out.

Our recent purchase of the vintage metal table and chairs definitely influenced the direction of our garden design.

The masterful stroke of the design was that it harmonized disparate existing planting, fence and trees in a way that made them all work together as a cohesive, attractive and organic whole. In other words it feels like it was always meant to look the way it does now.