The Chinese-style cheongsam sheath dress is made of lightweight cotton fabric with shortened, dropped sleeves and a round collarless neck. It is also calf-length with a straight hem. According to the Museum of Vancouver, the owner of this cheongsam may have tried to alter the collar and add patches to make the dress look more fashionable and “westernized” at the time. By the end of the 1930s, cheongsam dresses generally adopted a shorter length that reached the wearer’s lower mid-calf, and the edges of the dress were usually outlined with narrow piping. The war impacted women’s fashion (1939-1945) in the West. Thus, clothes prioritized utility and comfortability over elaborateness. This dress is part of an extensive collection from the Yip Sang family and was removed from the Wing Sang building at 51 East Pender Street in Vancouver in 1989 before the building went through a renovation.