The World of Mei-Ling Chan

A Fashion Coordinator Helps East Meet West

Designed by the local firm of Palmer and Turner, the gleaming white, modern Hong Kong Hilton opened in April 1963, declaring itself “the largest, most luxurious hostelry in the Far East.” With 1,000 air-conditioned rooms and suites, five restaurants and bars, a top-floor supper club, convention facilities for groups of up to 2,000, and a 50,000 square-foot shopping arcade, it was almost a world unto itself—a modernist escape amid the chaos and intermingled cultures of the city. Eager to attract wealthy British colonial settlers (the United Kingdom had a 99-year lease on Hong Kong Island from 1898 to 1997) and any American and European travelers, the Hilton sought to host a constant parade of events across its many hotel venues. Among the first people they hired to help was a twenty-one-year-old Chinese Singaporean model named Mei-Ling Chan.

The Hong Kong Hilton, left, in the early 1960s. Courtesy of the “Old Hong Kong” Facebook group.

As fashion coordinator, Mei-Ling organized luncheon fashion shows in The Eagle's Nest, a 25th-floor supper club renowned for its panoramic views of the harbor. Rich housewives would gather there every Wednesday from noon to 2.30 pm, to eat “authentic Chinese cuisine” amidst a symphony of pink—light pink tablecloths, deep pink velvet seats and carpeting, magenta silk lampshades—while surveying the city below from a wide sweep of almost floor-to-ceiling windows. A pianist, Lito Maba, would play as models slinked through the tables, showing off the latest designs to women eager for the latest fashion news. When Chan started these events in October 1963, they were monthly, showing “garments made by boutiques in the Hotel’s premises, suitable for Western and Eastern tastes.” By that December, “Fashion in the Clouds” was a weekly occurrence with Chan bringing in designs from all over the world and all different price points; with Hong Kong so far away from the fashion centers of Paris and New York, events like these were a key way for ex-pats and locals to see and keep up with foreign trends. These clothes would be available either for pre-order or to purchase in one of the in-hotel boutiques or stores around town. Some weeks, “Hong Kong’s Top Fashion Houses” might show, followed the next week by Racine of Paris or beachwear by Cole of California—always with Mei-Ling Chan describing each look that weaved through the dining room.

The Eagle’s Nest at the Hong Kong Hilton, looking south-east, c.1965–66. Courtesy of the “懷舊中•半•山 Reminiscing Old Central, Mid-levels & The Peak” Facebook group.

An ad for Mei-Ling Chan’s weekly fashion luncheon, South China Morning Post, April 1, 1964.