The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) will present "Fashioning Chinese Women: Empire to Modernity" from June 14 to October 12, 2025. The exhibition features over 70 garments from LACMA's permanent collection, tracing the evolution of Chinese women's dress from late Qing Dynasty robes to 1930s qipao and 1950s cheongsam. The show is based on a collection amassed over 45 years by Berkeley-based artist and designer Chere Lai Mah, who preserved clothing from her mother, mother-in-law, and the broader Chinese American community. The exhibition includes custom 3D-printed mannequins by fashion designer Jason Wu and a design concept by Los Angeles architecture firm Chu-Gooding, inspired by the traditional siheyuan courtyard house. Guest curated by Michaela Hansen with support from LACMA curators Clarissa Esguerra and Nicole LaBouff, the show is organized thematically into three sections.
This exhibition matters because it marks the first 21st-century study by an American museum to celebrate Chinese women's fashion on its own terms, rather than framing it solely through its influence on Western design. By highlighting the creativity, resilience, and sartorial heritage of Chinese and Chinese American women, the show addresses a significant gap in museum narratives. The donation of Lai Mah's collection transforms LACMA's holdings of Chinese fashion and underscores the role of community-driven archiving in preserving cultural history. The collaboration with contemporary designers and architects also bridges historical craftsmanship with modern presentation, making the exhibition relevant to both local and global audiences.