The National Museum of Singapore has opened what is shaping up to be one of its most visually arresting exhibitions in recent years. "Dressed in Stories: Peranakan Fashion Through the Decades" runs until late July and charts 150 years of Baba-Nyonya dress culture through more than 200 garments, accessories, and archival photographs drawn from private collections and the museum's own holdings.
The exhibition occupies the museum's glass rotunda and a series of adjoining galleries on the first floor. Curated by Dr. Chung May Khuen in collaboration with the Peranakan Association Singapore, it opens with a room dedicated to the kasot manek — the intricately beaded slippers that remain one of the most distinctive markers of Nyonya craftsmanship — before moving into the core narrative of how Peranakan dress evolved in response to colonial influence, trade, and cultural exchange.
What sets this exhibition apart from previous explorations of the subject is its focus on living makers. A dedicated section features contemporary Peranakan designers who are reinterpreting traditional motifs — the phoenix, the lotus, the peony — for modern silhouettes. Designer Priscilla Shunmugam, whose label Ondine has long drawn on the Straits Chinese visual vocabulary, contributed three new pieces created specifically for the show.
The archival material is extraordinary. Letters, order books, and ledgers from Penang and Malacca merchants document the trade in beads, silk, and gold thread that fed Nyonya needlework from the late 19th century onward. Several garments on display have never been exhibited publicly — they were loaned by families in Malacca and Penang who had preserved them in storage for generations.
Audio stations throughout the galleries feature oral history recordings from elderly Nyonya women describing the garments they wore on specific occasions — weddings, funerals, New Year visits — anchoring the material culture in lived experience.
Admission is free for Singapore residents. Guided tours run on Saturday mornings at 10:30 AM and must be booked in advance through the museum website. A companion publication with essays and full-colour plates is available in the museum shop.
National Museum of Singapore
93 Stamford Road, Singapore 178897
Opening Hours: Daily, 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Exhibition runs until 27 July 2026
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