The overall story is interesting, talking about famous traditional Chinese dress called Cheongsam or in other term Qipao (long dress).
It’s taking the event of the fall of Qing Dynasty and the start of China revolution to become the republic. This also describes the rise of Chinese fashion during that era where women fight for a more equal right to men and has the right to “show” their body more (in a positive way) to express independency and a new era generation.

The production is good where you can see lots of beautiful dresses made. Kudos to the wardrobe team. The cinematography also good – they uses kind of sepia color in some part to emphasis on the condition of that particular era. Not using full white bright light.

The set also well-chosen the old Beijing part of town. The imperial palace. The old Shanghai area. In Beijing during late Qing dynasty era, the use of horse cart, rickshaw, and car blend in showing the transformation era from old to modern world. The depiction of Shanghai as fashion city in that era.

The plot was two family of tailors, The Su family of Triple Cutting House, Su Jing An and The Bai family of Sihe House, Bai He Nian. Both are well known tailor during late Qing Dynasty due to their workmanship and beautiful design embroidery. Both competing each other to become official imperial tailor.

Initially, Su Jing An and Bai He Nian came from the same grand master of tailor. The Bai should have been inherited the legendary Seamless Stitching technique for his grand master. Bai He Nian was sent by his master to out of town for business trip, unexpectedly before Bai return, the master passed away, with no chance of passing the technique to Bai. There is a manual book of Seamless Stitching technique and when the master passed away, it was given to Su Jing An without actually teaching it, just handing over the book. This event creates severe rivalry between the two for many years.

The Su family has 2 main disciples Lu Yuan Zhi and Jiang Mo Sheng. These two grew up together and create strong brotherly bond. Su also has a daughter, Yao Yao and the three of them grew up together, taking care each other and cares for each other. In the coming age of adulthood, the relationship become complex and starts the triangular relationship.

The Bai family is kind of unfortunate in terms of family linage and only has a god son as sole disciple of Bai He Nian.

Lu Yuan Zhi is a more carefree character but with strong principles to hold justice and an upright person. Jiang Mo Sheng is more reserved and calculating person with high ambition to become the best tailor. Both actually compliment each other and Su Jing An put more hope in Jiang Mo Sheng because he is seemed more talented while Lu Yuan Zhi character which is more playful is never been taught how to make dress. Yuan Zhi secretly learn from Mo Sheng. But with his natural talent, open minded, carefree, intelligence, full of ideas, he is actually a better tailor.

The rivalry between two person, Su Jing An and Bai He Nian spreads through out the family as well between Lu Yuan Zhi/Jiang Mo Sheng and The Bai’s god son. In one instance these disciples involved in street brawl where Bai’s god son unexpectedly died. With rage, Bai He Nian want to use this event to take down Su Jing An and his Triple Cutting House by putting Yuan Zhi in jail and demand a life for a life payback.

To save Yuan Zhi, Mo Sheng agreed to become Bai’s god son to replace his late god son.

Since this event the rivalry now not only between Su Jing An and Bai He Nian but also between Yuan Zhi and Mo Sheng, the so called brothers, forcedly become opponent and rivals.

And the story developed and revolve around this brotherhood rivalry.

The first part of this drama talks about the late Qing dynasty and how the two tailor houses fight each other to gain favor from the imperial court, i.e., the Empress Dowager. In this part the story is very interesting on how both families strive their best to create ultimate wardrobe to pleases the Empress Dowager within the limitation of palace rules and taboos. This is when Yuan Zhi meets with love of his life, princess Kang Ning. They create bond and start helping each other and then falls in love. But along the way, they face lots of hurdles and challenges.

Second part is when Yuan Zhi was running away to Shanghai due to failed attempt in helping Kang Ning run away from her forced marriage. Here Yuan Zhi struggles to gain footing in the tailoring industry in Shanghai to become a renown Cheongsam tailor.

Third part is when Yuan Zhi back to Beijing to reopen Triple Cutting House and to find Kang Ning and save her from Opium addiction.

Last part is when Japan trade commission trying to rub on brotherly rivalry as their way too dominate the tailor and clothing business in China. In this part, conflicts between Yuan Zhi and Mo Sheng is inevitable, where Yuan Zhi is anti-Japan while Mo Sheng works together with Japan.

First part is very good and interesting. Second part starts to become long winded. Third part is even worse and bit boring because the pace is slowing down. Last part starts peaking up again.

Personally, I don’t really like Yuan Zhi character – though he is smart and lots of ideas, having principals, upright and hold justice, he rarely think of the consequences of his action that always causing him or his family trouble that needs to be resolved by sacrificing others. All the conflict in this drama started with Yuan Zhi challenging Bai’s god son and have street brawl which ends up being used by Bai He Nian to crush Su family. If that didn’t happen, we don’t have this drama. That single event creates this 40-episode drama.

To my surprise, I personally admire Bai He Nian character. Despite of being a villain between Su and Bai rivalry, Bai He Nian is actually man of principle and fight for his right. His hatred toward Su Jing An is understandable, his emotion to crush and destroy Su’s Triple Cutting House is justifiable. He took Mo Shen as god son and stick to his decision, love him, nurture him, give him confidence to compete with Yuan Zhi, inherit him the Sihe House and strive to make Sihe House flourish. He burry his hatches once he has fulfill his wish in crushing Su Jing An and not dragging the hatred towards Jing An wife and daughter. He rejects Japan clothing and loyal to his Chinese heritage. Really awesome character.

The chemistry between Yuan Zhi and Kang Ning also not developed well. In the first part of the drama where they interact quite often – it is just a transactional relationship. He helped her, she helped him. Even when the romance between them developed, it is not clear when it is developed and progressing. Seems like after several interaction then Yuan Zhi madly in love with her.

So overall it starts good but then become a bit dull and boring. You just want to skip and find out what next and what will be the ending. If you patient enough, you press fast forward. If not then it’s okay to skip some episodes just to find out about the ending.

The side stories, although related to the main story – they are just adding some complication and make the drama longer.