Constance Wu’s ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Dress Is Going Down in History

For fans of Crazy Rich Asians, the blue Marchesa frock that Constance Wu (who played Rachel Chu) wore to Colin Khoo and Araminta Lee’s over-the-top Singaporean wedding is the stuff of dreams. Now, the design is taking its proper place in history. 

In fact, the ethereal gown is headed to Washington, D.C., in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Marchesa is donating the much-lusted-after dress to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History for the first annual The Party: A Smithsonian Celebration of Asian Pacific Americans, which will take place this Saturday.

The Grecian-inspired design originally made its debut in the Marchesa fall 2016 collection. Costume designer Mary E. Vogt, who won a Costume Designers Guild award for her work on Crazy Rich Asians, opted to have the dress’s long sleeves removed for the movie.

The film's director, Jon M. Chu, spoke to the Los Angeles Times about the cultural significance of the Marchesa piece.

“It became a Cinderella dress for people,” he said. “I remember seeing moms make it for their little girls, I remember seeing women wear it with a sense of pride. It became literally a fairy-tale dress for people. We talked about how this would make her feel and how powerful it would be for her—and that it’s also her choice to wear.”

But this isn’t the only historical milestone celebrated by Crazy Rich Asians. The film was the first Hollywood movie in 25 years to feature an all-Asian cast. It subsequently earned two Golden Globe nominations and raked in $238 million globally. Sequels are even in the works.

Now, if only the dress would make a quick pit stop in our closet first…