The meaning behind the Cheongsam - In The Mood For Love (2000)

The cheongsam in "In The Mood For Love" is not simply a costume; they were intentionally used by director Wong Kar-wai as a tool to tell his story in an artistic way.

     Cheongsam is a traditional Chinese costume, in a sense, the cheongsam is also a symbol of traditional thinking in the film. Mrs Chan (Su Lizhen) is conservative and dependent on her husband, Mrs Chow is loose and arbitrary, wanting to break free from the shackles of her family and start a new relationship. Therefore, Mrs Chan's cheongsam is always high-necked and her hair is parted inward, while Mrs Chow's is always collarless or low-necked with her hair turned outward. This highlights Mrs Chan's adherence to tradition. After all, it is because of her "noble" personality and the influence of traditional moral ideas that she cannot overcome herself - the cause of the two main characters' "silent love". Su Lizhen's cheongsam colour also often blends well with the background colour, showing that Su Lizhen is reserved and is used to hiding her personality.

    Su Lizhen covers her longing for love under the cheongsam, each change in colour and style is a metaphor for her passionate calling and pursuit of love.

• Several times in the film, when Su Lizhen buys food, she wears a very dark cheongsam. The colour amplifies the loneliness inside her; when she knows that her husband is having an affair.

• When Mr Chow and Mrs Chan are together at the hotel, Mrs Chan wears a red cheongsam, somehow opposite of her usual style. Yet red is often known as the symbol of love and passion. This use of colour deepens their relationship, thus, adding to the lust tension in the atmosphere.

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The logic behind the choice of costume in my media product

     I think what the character wears should aid in conveying the mood of the scene. In my media product, for the scene that the two characters are having a conversation , I want the clothes of the character to somehow psychologically amplify their emotions. I plan to have the characters wear dull and dark-coloured clothes, which make them blend into the background - giving the impression that they are confined in a gloomy chamber, sort of symbolizing the fact that they are somehow trapped in their own personal issues.