Her Lotus Year: Qipao Inspiration

How inspired was Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor by her year in China? Well just consider these two images of her from the later 1930s – a decade after her China sojourn and still regularly wearing qipao/cheongsam-inspired dresses (even if designed by Mainbocher!)… Sketch by Cecil Beaton, 1937; sorry, not sure who took the pic, but such full length portraits of Wallis are relatively rare)….

Her Lotus Year: China, the Roaring Twenties and the Making of Wallis Simpson is available everywhere in hardback, e-book and audiobook now….