黃巧嫻撰文：在女性與時代之間，尋找被記住的優雅

黃巧嫻撰文：在女性與時代之間，尋找被記住的優雅

Written by Chantelle Huang：Finding the Grace That Time Chooses to Remember

在當代藝術的敘事中，旗袍似乎總被放在一個容易被浪漫化的位置。然而，在陸梅的筆下，它並不是歷史的象徵物，也不是女性氣質的刻板符號，而是一個真正有生命、有情緒、有思考的存在。翻開《旗袍時尚情畫》，讀者能感受到的不僅是服飾文化的視覺記錄，而是一段關於女性如何被看見、如何被理解的長長呼吸。

In contemporary artistic discourse, the qipao is often placed in a space too easily romanticized. Yet in Lu Mei’s work, it is neither a nostalgic emblem nor a stereotype of feminine delicacy. It becomes something alive—emotional, thoughtful, and breathing. Opening Elegance of the Qipao: Fashion and Sentiment feels less like revisiting a period style and more like entering a slow, steady inhalation about how women are seen, and how they are understood.

陸梅畢業於廣州美術學院服裝設計專業，後取得藝術碩士學位。服裝背景讓她熟悉布料的語言，也使她對身體與衣裝之間的關係具備特別敏銳的直覺。這些養分延伸到她的藝術創作，使她筆下的旗袍女性既帶古典韻味，又具有當代美感；她們安靜卻不退縮，雅致卻從不脆弱。

Lu Mei graduated from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts with a major in fashion design and later earned a Master of Fine Arts from the same institution. Her background in fashion equips her with a refined sensitivity to textiles and to the intimate dialogue between clothing and the body. These sensibilities flow naturally into her art. The women she paints carry the grace of the past while embodying the clarity and confidence of the present. They are quiet, but never retreating; elegant, but never fragile.

《旗袍時尚情畫》收錄三十餘篇文字與近一百五十幅圖像，從民初的生活片段到現代女性的日常姿態皆有呈現。書中的女性形象大致形成兩個世界：一個屬於民初女子，柔、雅、靜、韻；另一個屬於當代女性，俏、亮、脫、酷。看似迥異的兩種風格，其實共同展示了女性在不同年代中以自身方式呈現出的獨立與優雅。旗袍之所以能穿越時間，是因為它承載的從來不是某一種固定美感，而是一種與自我和解、與生活同行的方式。

With more than thirty essays and nearly 150 images, the book spans scenes from early twentieth-century China to the gestures of contemporary womanhood. Two distinct yet connected worlds emerge: the early-republic woman—gentle, poised, serene—and the modern woman—bright, bold, effortless, and cool. Though seemingly different, both embody the independence and elegance women cultivate across eras. The qipao endures not because it represents a fixed

陸梅筆下的女性姿態——整理領口、扶簾看窗、低頭沉思——是日常、是瞬間，也是與自身對話的動作。這些片刻在她的畫中被細緻捕捉，轉化為能讓人共鳴的情緒節奏。她並不把女性塑造成被動的凝視對象，而是讓她們以自然的姿態存在於畫布上；美不是被構造的，而是從生活中逐漸生長。

The postures she depicts—adjusting a collar, lifting a curtain, lowering the gaze in thought—are ordinary gestures, yet they hold deep interior resonances. In her paintings, these fleeting moments become emotional rhythms that viewers instinctively recognize. Her women are never passive subjects; they exist on their own terms. Their beauty is not manufactured but grows quietly out of life.

《旗袍時尚情畫》也呈現了陸梅的書寫。她的文字溫和而含蓄，不追求說教，也不刻意詩化，而是一種源自觀察與生活經驗的安靜敘述。她談旗袍文化，談女性成長，也談生活中的細微變化。這些文字與她的畫作互相呼應，使讀者在閱讀之間感受到她對女性、對時間、對生活方式的柔軟理解。

The book also reveals Lu Mei’s writing. Her prose is gentle, understated, and quietly observant—never didactic, never ornamental. She writes about the culture of the qipao, about the evolution of womanhood, and about the subtle shifts that shape everyday life. Her words echo her paintings, allowing readers to perceive her tender, steady understanding of women, of time, and of how one chooses to live.

在作品之外，陸梅亦活躍於多個藝術展覽領域，她的創作走入不同城市與展場，受到觀眾與收藏者的注意。雖然不同展覽的資訊隨著時間而有所更替，但可以肯定的是，她的作品在跨界與跨文化的藝術場域中持續受到關注，使更多人得以從不同角度理解旗袍與女性形象之間的深層美學。

Beyond the pages of the book, Lu Mei’s work has appeared in various exhibitions across different cities, drawing the attention of audiences and collectors. Though exhibitions evolve over time, it is clear that her visual language continues to resonate across disciplines and cultures, opening new pathways for understanding the layered aesthetics of the qipao and the women who wear it.

最終，《旗袍時尚情畫》留給人的不是強烈的視覺衝擊，而是一種被細膩包覆的確信。這本書提醒我們，女性的美不是外界加諸的定義，而是在她們如何生活、如何選擇、如何走進自己人生節奏的方式裡逐漸呈現。陸梅以畫筆與文字，為旗袍賦予了新的當代語境，使它成為連結過去與現在的橋樑；她的創作讓人明白，優雅並不是舊時代的遺跡，而是一種仍可被找到、被穿上、被活出的生活態度。透過陸梅的藝術語言，我們得以重新理解何為柔軟、何為堅定，何為值得被記住的美。

Ultimately, Elegance of the Qipao: Fashion and Sentiment does not overwhelm the viewer with spectacle. Instead, it offers a quiet certainty—one that reminds us that feminine beauty is not imposed from outside but revealed through the way a woman lives, chooses, and walks at her own rhythm. Through her paintings and words, Lu Mei gives the qipao a renewed contemporary language, turning it into a bridge between past and present. Her work shows us that elegance is not a relic of another era, but a way of being that can still be found, worn, and lived. Through her art, we come to understand what it means to be soft, to be steadfast, and to embody a beauty that time chooses to remember.

作者介紹

Introduction of the author

黃巧嫻

Chantelle Huang

香港國際青年藝術家協會會長暨公共事務營運總監

Society President Chief Public Affairs and Operating Officer of HIYA

畢業於知名藝術學院，醉心於藝術，致力幫助本地有潛質的藝術創作者，讓藝術家和社會大眾來探索藝術價值，成就不同事業。

Graduated from a well-known art institute, she is dedicated to helping local artists with potential to explore the value of art and the community to achieve different careers.