High-Slit Jacquard Cheongsam Nightdress

Jacquard weave makes its own pattern without a print — the design sits in the structure of the fabric, which is why it photographs the way it does under low light. On a cheongsam nightdress the effect is doubly useful: the silhouette supplies the tradition and the weave supplies the texture, with nothing printed on top to date either of them.

The cut runs to the standard cheongsam points — mandarin collar, diagonal front, fitted waist — and then adds the one flourish the style is famous for in lingerie form: a high slit at the leg. The slit is the moving part of the design; standing still this is a nightdress, walking it becomes something else.

Black and white versions of the same jacquard run in opposite directions — the black reads as evening, the white as boudoir morning — and both are polyester, which in jacquard means machine-washable texture.

The rundown:

• Fabric: Polyester jacquard
• Style: Cheongsam nightdress with high slit
• Colors: Black, white
• Fit: One size, recommended 40–60 kg (88–132 lbs)

Pattern woven in, slit cut in, nothing printed anywhere.