“Fashion shouldn’t just be about the present,” says designer Guo Pei. “I care more about the meaning behind the details. Therefore, the embroidery and motifs you see on my clothing all have stories behind them.”

Even if you have been to the Vancouver Art Gallery once to see the Guo Pei show, it’s worth a return visit to  peer into the remarkable detail work in her pieces. You’ll see traditional Chinese symbols – the mountain and waves that royals had sewn into their hems, thunder and clouds to signify abundance and rain, the lotus for purity of mind and spirit. And the five-toed, Emperor-worthy dragon – Guo Pei’s favourite symbol, distinct from the four-toed dragon used in day to day goods.

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Guo Pei @ the VAG

Written by Elizabeth Newton
www.creatorsvancouver.com