Riches and Stitches

Vietnamese Title - Chiec Ao Dai Thuong Hai
No. of Chinese Episodes - 30
No. of Vietnamese Tapes - 22

Some Spoilers

The Cast:
Moses Chan
Kwong Wa
Anne Heung
Gigi Lai
Melissa Ng
Marco Ng
Michael Tong
June Chan
Eileen Yeow

TVB has recently produced some fresh topics in their series and “Riches and Stitches” is a great example, featuring a storyline of a legendary tailor and his obstacles in creating the famous chipao. With some of TVB’s top actors and actresses, combining with a unique storyline; “Riches and Stitches” deserves to be a grand production!

Brief Summary:
Moses Chan is gifted as he’s incredible with sewing and stitching. An incident involving Anne Heung forces him to transform his mother’s costume during the Qing Dynasty to the first chipao. At first, the chipao is accepted to some extent by the people of Shanghai. However, accidents after accidents with women wearing the chipaos lead to a boycott and Moses is out of business. Despite the obstacles that lie ahead, he continues to make chipaos, in hope that they will be accepted again. The love triangles are between Anne-Moses-Kwong Wa, Gigi-Moses-Michael, Melissa-Kwong Wa-Marco.

Opinions on the Cast :
Moses Chan – Moses is always consistent with his acting, but it seems like there’s a barrier blocking me from liking him. Despite how likeable his character is in “Riches and Stitches,” I wasn’t really looking forward to his scenes.

Anne Heung – Originally, this role was offered to both Maggie Cheung and Sonija Kwok. However, Anne managed to get the role in the end. Honestly, I am glad that Anne got this role, because even if Maggie were a better actress or Sonija is better-looking, I don’t think either could bring out the high-class, elegant side of this character as well as Anne.

Kwong Wa – I think TVB made the right choice in casting Kwong Wa for this role. The gangster who appears ruthless and cool but actually is very kind-hearted requires the poise that Kwong Wa possesses. However, if not for this character’s artifices and lack of concern towards people around him, Kwong Wa’s character is what I would call perfection.

Gigi Lai – Throughout the series, I find Gigi’s character the most likeable. She’s so sweet, naive, cute, and most importantly, she shows concern for everybody. Being such an ideal character, Gigi is still the most miserable among the characters. Despite liking this character, I didn’t see much development nor did this role challenge her performance.

Melissa Ng, Marco Ng, and Michael Tong bring much excitement to the series. Each of these characters reminds me of one another; they all want to rise up and shine at one point in their lives. Being quite experienced in the industry, they all portray their characters adequately.

So Who’s the Lead?
The main focus of the series is obviously the creation of the chipao; therefore, Moses is no doubt the leading male. However, Kwong Wa’s role has as much significance to the plot, so it’s hard to say who’s truly the first leading male.

As for the females, it’s obvious that Anne is the leading lady. She’s in a love triangle involving both Moses and Kwong Wa (the two leading actors).

My Thoughts
“Riches and Stitches” is such an enjoyable series, because it carries many issues and conflicts that really have suspense. Also, the fact that it’s almost impossible to predict who will end up with whom brings even more tension to the series. The chemistry among the characters is also a highlight, considering most of them have worked together in numerous series.

My Final Comments
“Riches and Stitches” is highly recommended if you want to get away from typical, light-hearted TVB series. You will be entertained with Gigi and Melissa performing on-stage in the series. Gigi provides her own vocal, which is quite pleasing. The combination of Moses, Kwong, Anne, Gigi, Melissa, Michael, and Marco is a must-see. Furthermore, the series has a very nice length (30 episodes). Therefore, it isn’t rushed nor is it draggy!