40年代 - 1940年代海派名店“霞飞女服”出品：藕色地烧花丝绒牵牛花纹印花旗袍（张信哲先生珍藏）| 1940s - A 1940s Haipai Masterpiece by Avenue Joffre Ladies' Wear：Devoré Velvet Qipao with Morning Glory Print (The Jeff Chang Collection)

藕色地牵牛花纹烧花丝绒印花旗袍：四十年代海派风华的织物诗篇

此件旗袍以“藕色地”为基底，其色若初染轻罗，淡雅中透出岁月温润。其上牵牛花纹纷披烂漫，橙红、紫蓝、素白诸色花朵错落交织，间以翠绿枝叶穿插萦绕，宛若将《诗经·陈风》中“视尔如荍，贻我握椒”的烂漫情境织入经纬。牵牛花（古称“荍”），自《尔雅》载“蕦，木槿；蘞，陵苕”始，便以“凌霄展颜”的姿态成为文人笔下“不屈于秋”的象征，而旗袍匠人将其与“藕色”底巧妙相融，暗合《芥子园画谱》“花宜鲜活，地宜清雅”的构图法则，既显花卉之生机，又不失底色之空灵。

更值一提者，乃“烧花丝绒”工艺之绝妙。丝绒面料本为近代上海“洋场”奢华之代表，而“烧花”技法（即通过化学或物理方式局部腐蚀绒面，形成透空或凹凸纹理）更将传统织造与西方印染技术相融合。细观旗袍，牵牛花轮廓处绒面微凹，花瓣中心绒毛挺立，光影交错间如浮雕般立体，恰似《天工开物》所言“织文如画，触手生春”。此种工艺因耗材甚巨、技术难度高，仅见于四十年代上海滩顶级旗袍作坊，存世者寥寥，此为其稀缺性之核心佐证。

此件旗袍的形制与纹样，堪称20世纪40年代上海“海派文化”的缩影。其剪裁紧贴人体曲线，无袖设计与高开衩线条流畅，呼应了《申报》1947年《沪上旗袍新趋势》所载“去繁就简，凸显身姿”的时尚风向；而立领、盘扣（紫色丝绒盘扣缀以橙蕊，如“朱樱点缀紫绶带”）等细节，又固守着传统旗袍的形制基因，正如学者陈建华在《旗袍的意象》中所言：“海派旗袍的精髓，在于用西方剪裁之骨，铸中国审美之魂。”

图案设计上，牵牛花的“写实”与“写意”并存：橙红花瓣以渐变印染技法呈现明暗层次，暗合西方绘画的光影逻辑；紫蓝花朵则以白描线条勾勒轮廓，留白处尽显东方水墨的空灵。此种“中西合璧”的视觉语言，正是上海作为“世界都市”的文化映射——既受西方 Art Deco 风格影响，又扎根于《芥子园画谱》《十竹斋笺谱》等传统画学体系。正如张爱玲在《更衣记》中所言：“旗袍的花样翻新，反映着时代的心境”，此件旗袍的繁花图案，恰是四十年代上海在战乱余波中“苟延残喘的繁华”的物化呈现。

此件旗袍的稀缺性，不仅源于烧花丝绒工艺的濒危，更在于其“双重历史身份”：其一，它是四十年代上海女性“身体解放”与“审美自觉”的见证——藕色地的柔和与牵牛花的热烈，暗合当时知识女性“既守传统闺秀之德，又追摩登新潮之姿”的矛盾与统一；其二，它承载着“张信哲先生收藏”与“上海博物馆展览”的当代叙事。张信哲先生以“歌手”身份介入旗袍文化研究，其收藏的数千件古董旗袍（包括此件）被学界视为“以私人之力保存集体记忆”的典范，而上海博物馆将其纳入“摩登华影：海派旗袍与百年时尚展”，更使其从“私人藏品”升华为“城市记忆的公共载体”。

尤为难得者，旗袍领标“霞飞女服”字样（霞飞路，今上海淮海中路，曾为四十年代旗袍名店聚集地），佐证其出身于顶级服饰品牌，此为考证民国旗袍商业史的直接物证。

当这件旗袍静卧于上海博物馆的展柜中，藕色地上的牵牛花在灯光下泛着微光，仿佛在诉说一个关于“上海”的故事：它是《夜上海》的靡靡之音，是《倾城之恋》的苍凉底色，是张爱玲笔下“华丽而苍凉”的时代注脚。其上的每一朵牵牛花，都是四十年代上海女性在传统与现代夹缝中绽放的生命姿态；每一寸烧花丝绒，都是海派工匠在中西文化碰撞中淬炼出的技艺结晶。如今，它不再是一件“衣物”，而是一部“织物诗学”，以无声之姿，见证着一个城市的百年风华。

Lotus-Root-Colored Devoré Velvet Qipao with Morning Glory Print: A Textile Poem of 1940s Haipai Elegance

[I. Artistic Conception: Weaving a Romantic Landscape] This Qipao features a "lotus-root-colored" base—a hue as delicate as newly dyed silk, exuding a gentle warmth mellowed by the passage of time. Overlaid upon this canvas is a vibrant profusion of morning glories; blossoms of orange-red, violet-blue, and pristine white intertwine with emerald-green vines and leaves. It is as if the romantic imagery of the Classic of Poetry (Shijing)—"I look at you as at the mallow flowers, you give me a handful of pepper"—has been woven into the very warp and weft of the fabric. The morning glory (anciently known as qiao), since its earliest records in the Er Ya lexicon, has been a literati symbol of an "unyielding spirit against autumn," standing tall toward the clouds. The artisans of this Qipao masterfully blended this motif with the lotus-root base, adhering to the compositional philosophy of the Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting: "Flowers should be vivid, while the ground should be elegant." This balance highlights the vitality of the flora without compromising the ethereal tranquility of the background.

[II. Mastery of Craft: The Visual Sculpture of Devoré Velvet] Of particular note is the exquisite "Devoré" (burn-out) velvet technique. While velvet represented the opulence of Shanghai’s cosmopolitan concessions, the devoré method fused traditional weaving with Western chemical and physical dyeing processes. Upon close inspection, the contours of the morning glories are slightly recessed into the velvet, while the centers of the petals stand plush and upright. In the interplay of light and shadow, the patterns emerge with sculptural depth, embodying the sentiment from The Exploitation of the Works of Nature (Tiangong Kaiwu): "Woven patterns like paintings, bringing the vitality of spring to the touch." Due to its immense material cost and technical difficulty, this craftsmanship was found only in the premier Qipao workshops of 1940s Shanghai, making surviving pieces exceedingly rare.

[III. Silhouette and Culture: The Haipai Spirit] The silhouette and patterns of this garment serve as a microcosm of 1940s "Haipai" (Shanghai-style) culture. Its tailoring clings to the body’s curves, while the sleeveless design and high-slitted hemline echo the 1947 fashion trend reported in The Shun Pao: "Simplify the complex to highlight the figure." Simultaneously, details such as the Mandarin collar and the intricate Frog Buttons (violet velvet knots adorned with orange centers, resembling "cherries on purple ribbons") steadfastly preserve the traditional genetic markers of the Qipao. As scholar Chen Jianhua remarked: "The essence of the Haipai Qipao lies in using Western tailoring as the bone to cast the soul of Chinese aesthetics."

[IV. Design Language: The Fusion of East and West] In its graphic design, the morning glories exist in a state of dualism—simultaneously realistic and impressionistic. The orange-red petals employ gradient printing to render light and shadow, aligning with the logic of Western chiaroscuro. Meanwhile, the violet-blue blossoms are outlined with fine-brush strokes, leaving white spaces that evoke the airy void of Oriental ink painting. This "East meets West" visual language is a cultural reflection of Shanghai’s status as a "World Metropolis"—influenced by the Western Art Deco movement yet deeply rooted in traditional Chinese painting systems such as the Ten Bamboo Studio Letterhead Manual. As Eileen Chang wrote in Chronicle of Changing Clothes: "The constant innovation in Qipao patterns reflects the state of mind of the era." The flourishing patterns of this piece are a material manifestation of the "lingering prosperity" amidst the aftershocks of war in 1940s Shanghai.

[V. Historical Identity: From Private Collection to Public Memory] The rarity of this Qipao stems not only from the endangered devoré technique but also from its "dual historical identity." First, it is a witness to the "bodily liberation" and "aesthetic awakening" of 1940s women—the softness of the lotus-root base and the fervor of the morning glories mirror the paradox of the intellectual women of that time, who maintained traditional virtues while pursuing modern trends. Second, it carries the contemporary narrative of "The Jeff Chang Collection" and its exhibition at the Shanghai Museum. Jeff Chang, intervening in Qipao research as a renowned singer, has curated thousands of antique pieces (including this one), regarded by academics as a definitive example of "preserving collective memory through private dedication." Its inclusion in the Glamour in Frames exhibition at the Shanghai Museum elevates it from a "private treasure" to a "public vessel of urban memory."

[VI. Epilogue: The Poetics of Textile] A particularly precious detail is the label "Avenue Joffre Ladies' Wear" (Avenue Joffre, now Huaihai Road, was the hub of elite Qipao boutiques in the 1940s), providing direct material evidence for the commercial history of Republican-era fashion. As this Qipao lies quietly in its display case, the morning glories shimmer under the gallery lights, whispering a story of Shanghai. It is the decadent melody of Night Shanghai, the desolate backdrop of Love in a Fallen City, and the "magnificent yet melancholic" footnote of Eileen Chang’s era. Today, it is no longer a mere garment; it is a piece of "Textile Poetics," standing in silent testimony to a century of the city's shifting elegance.