Xushuhe Katherine Zhao

As a child, one of my favorite activities was trying on clothes in my parents’ closet. Wearing my dad’s sepia glen plaid blazer over my mom’s orchid mandarin dress was a magical combination. The clear, straight angle of the shoulder line paired with the shimmering silk was the perfect blend of masculine and feminine, and of Eastern and Western traditions.

My collection, Gentle Women, recreates and redefines classic, fusing Cheongsam details with traditional English tailoring.

While the masculine side of the collection is expressed in oversized suiting, the feminine side draws on elements in my family’s collection of vintage Chinese pin-up girl posters, incorporating pearls, floral prints, and mandarin collars.

In this season-less collection, I experiment with traditional garments by exaggerating proportions, deconstructing forms, and overlaying fabrics. I have mixed traditional Chinese botanical prints with classic houndstooth, and even incorporated graphic prints inspired by the Chinese tradition of tearing old calendar posters from a wooden door.

Gentle Women defines my hybrid aesthetic—sophisticated and eccentric, crossing the boundaries of gender, with fluid and structured silhouettes.