Join Jung Chang, the best-selling author of Wild Swans, Mao: The Unknown Story and Empress Dowager Cixi, as she talks about her interest in Chinese costume history and her own passion for fashion.
Growing up during the Cultural Revolution, when any interest in personal appearance was condemned, she found the sight of Western fashions when she arrived in London in 1978 both uplifting and liberating. Fashion became a way of expressing her individuality and an escape from the conformity of Mao’s regime. She says “for me, glamour is not about being frivolous, it’s about freedom”. Hosted by Rosie Goldsmith as part of her Fashion and Fiction series.
Wednesday 2 December 2015 18:30 – 19:30
Victoria & Albert Museum, The Lydia & Manfred Gorvy Lecture Theatre
Tickets £10 (£7 concession). Book online or via the bookings office +44 (0)20 7942 2211, 9.00-17.30, Monday – Friday (closed Bank Holidays).
This is the third Fashion and Fiction event, after the first one with Margaret Atwood and second with Linda Grant. Photos from the evenings with Margaret Atwood and Linda Grant can be found on Flickr. Both evenings were filmed by London Video Stories, and the films are available on YouTube (Margaret Atwood; Linda Grant).