For designer, art is her mother tongue

Guo looks particularly petite standing next to her works, which exude grandeur through towering structure, intricate craftsmanship, or both. The designs speak of her exuberantly expressive inner world.

"My urge to create is sometimes too strong for my limited skills," Guo said. Many of her gowns are famous for the jaw-dropping number of hours they took to make. Guo said her studio spent 50,000 hours constructing her first couture piece Da Jin, or Magnificent Gold, redoing the details time after time to bring her vision perfectly to life.

The strapless gown shaped like an upside-down lotus flower has a metallic gold finish because its entire surface is embroidered with Indian gold threads using traditional Chinese techniques like the couching stitch.

To Guo, Chinese cultural elements are like her mother tongue.

"I can't express myself by means other than my mother tongue," she said, seeking to leave her own legacy by rendering the pieces in the best materials.

For Lanfeng, or Blue Phoenix, Guo sampled crystals in over 1,000 shades of blue to use for the beading. She constructed the skirt The Gold Boat using traditional bamboo-weaving techniques in collaboration with artisans from Anhui province, an area renowned for bamboo production and basketry.

The heart and soul she poured into her works makes it impossible to put any price on them. She once declined an offer of 5 million yuan ($680,000) for Da Jin, even though she could well have used the sum to purchase a few condos in Beijing at the time.

Guo has since created distinguished merchandise and artworks — the couture she created for museums are works of art, while clothes tailor-made for clients are products.

"I never sell my artworks, because they are priceless," Guo said. To fund the creation of artwork, Guo has to put most of her energy into making and selling products. The distinction has helped Guo compartmentalize her focus. Whenever she switches off the money-making mode, she sketches new designs to be turned into exhibits at museums.

Guo has preserved over 1,500 pieces of her artwork over the years, and has decided that she will ultimately donate them to museums around the world.

"I hope the light they radiate will reach future generations," Guo said.

Xinhua