Huishan Zhang can dress a socialite anywhere, be it China, Mayfair or the Middle East, all of which are key markets for his business.
This season focused on the quintessential socialite, Song Huai-Kuei, also known as Madame Song, Pierre Cardin's agent in Beijing and patron of international fashion and the arts in the late '70s.
She was the subject of the exhibition “Madame Song: Pioneering Art and Fashion in China,” which closed on April 14 at the M+ museum in Hong Kong. More than 320 fashion and art items were on display, and among them was a cheongsam dress or mandarin dress by Huishan Zhang.
For resort 2025, the designer reconstructed and reinvented the minimalist and strict form of the cheongsam and turned it into an A-line dress with a fitted bodice; a fitted jacket with a cut neckline and various outerwear.
“Whenever I work with the idea of bridging the gap between East and West, Madame Song is always my reference. She is a Chinese fashion icon and a cultural legend,” Zhang stated.
The color palette came from the soft shades of pink and blue that she liked to wear, and Zhang also incorporated bold floral prints, something she rarely wears.
A rose-print pleated dress had a sash secured with a red brooch, while a dusty pink tweed skirt suit had jingling pearl fringes. The yellow rose print on a jacquard dress and coat combo looked like brushstrokes if she looked closely.
Zhang does his best work when obsessed with a single character, and Song offered just the right amount of elegance and whimsy.
