"Chinese foreign attire,Foreign Chinese attire";
"Men dress like women, women dress like men";
"Poor and rich, rich and prostitute, boudoir celebrities do not shy away from the eyes of demons, high-ranking noblewomen sometimes have eye-catching clothes"
……
Borrowing these images from the old press,
In the early years of the Republic of China, the costumes of Guangzhou women came lively and lively.
They left behind the thousand-year-old taboo of fine clothing,
Abandon the traditional aesthetic standard of "shoulder shaving, thin waist, flat chest",
Bravely show off the pink neck, snow wrist and proud curves.
A history of the change of women's clothing fashion in modern Guangzhou,
It is that they get rid of the shackles and gradually gain the history of their personality and self-growth.
Among them, Miss Xiguan, who was born in the room of the rich family,
Because of the earlier acceptance of the European wind and rain,
Therefore, it has always been able to stand at the forefront of fashion.
And let us slowly open this Miss Xiguan changing clothes,
Relive that vivid history.
Changes in women's clothing in the late Qing Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty (from right to left). The costumes of the two women on the left are common women's clothing in the early Minchu, in the words of Zhang Ailing, "When the Republic of China was established at the beginning of the Republic of China, the fashion also showed unprecedented innocence, lightness and pleasure." The 'flared tube sleeve' fluttered, revealing a large jade wrist. The waist of the short jacket is extremely tight and small. (Source: Information Times)
During the late Qing Dynasty
The decoration is rich and personalityless, and the woman is more like a hanger
Looking at the pictorial newspapers of the late Qing Dynasty, I found that rich women on the streets were big news that could make headlines. For example, the "Current Affairs Pictorial" in the twelfth issue of Guangxu 32 published a news entitled "Scrambling to See the Woman in White", a rich lady wearing a white dress and holding a handkerchief but bought something in the eighteen-year area, which actually attracted a large number of onlookers, and finally the soldiers and police went out to relieve the siege for this young lady, which shows that it is not easy for the rich lady to go out.
Compared with this shocking woman in white, more Miss Xiguan was still "not out of the door, the second door is not out", paying attention to "quiet and chaste, knowing the book and etiquette", and her clothing and decorations also followed strict etiquette norms. After the founding of the Qing Dynasty, because "men do not follow women", until the late Qing Dynasty, the dress of Han women still maintained the legacy of the Ming Dynasty. The export paintings that flourished during the Thirteen Elements period are an excellent source of information for us to observe the clothing style of Miss Xiguan in the Qing Dynasty. Under the painter's pen, these ladies wear shirts with plackets, up to the knees, under the long shirts are long skirts, rich pleated skirts are extremely common, and each fine fold is also embroidered with gold thread to elaborate patterns, which shows the luxury of workmanship. Zhang Ailing once said in her famous article "Changing Clothes": "The fine pleats on the skirt are the most stringent test of a woman's manners, and the tutored girl, Lotus Step Shanshan, the pleated skirt is not moving, but it is limited to the slightest sway." The little family jasper who is not accustomed to wearing a skirt gives people the impression of frightening waves when they walk. "Come to think of it, those who are hidden in the boudoir behind the door of the Xiguan House, stand up from the desk embroidery case, and the pleated skirt on their bodies must only sway slightly, and it will not be like a terrifying wave."
Old photographs taken by foreigners at that time. The photographs reflect women's costumes in the late Qing Dynasty. (Source: Information Times)
The most profound impression of Miss Xiguan's clothing in the late Qing Dynasty is that the decoration is intricate and elegant. Placket, cuffs and collar have piping inlaid embroidery, the flower and bird patterns on the top are all lifelike, exquisite and dazzling, it is said that this kind of roll embroidery process is more and more magnificent, on the export painting, wearing a "few inlaid several rolls" Chinese dress, the skirt is also embellished with tassel streamer Miss Xiguan is not uncommon. Surprisingly, the protagonists of these paintings appear to be clothes, not people. The expressions of the girls in the painting are similar, and the wide long shirts and long skirts are deeply hidden in their bodies. Originally, according to the traditional aesthetic standards, women always take chastity as beauty, shoulder cutting, thin waist and flat chest is the king, even miss Xiguan who knows the book, she must strive to become an "invisible person" to be successful.
First year of the Democratic Country
It is not unusual for Chinese and Western to dress up in a chaotic manner, and it is not unusual for men to dress up as women
Because Xiguan was a rich place where foreign trade flourished, even in the late Qing Dynasty, when the clothing hierarchy was strict, some more curious and brave girls began to accept the smoke of european wind and rain, and their clothes became foreign. According to the memories of an Englishman who visited Guangzhou in the mid-nineteenth century, he saw many girls wearing European shoes and brightly colored Manchester-style turbans wrapped around their heads, in the shape of handkerchiefs, folded diagonally. "I think the Europeanization fetish of Guangzhou girls is noteworthy." Sigh said.
After the Xinhai Revolution, the strict clothing taboos of the Qing Dynasty were swept away, and as the atmosphere opened up, Miss Xiguan began to step out of the deep boudoir, take to the streets, walk into church schools, into department stores and dance halls, they took off their wide robes and long robes, put on a fitted skirt jacket, showing a slender waist, and some of the more daring ones put on cloaks, vests, coats, and suits. For the first time, they gained the right to choose clothing, and through these choices, they expressed their aesthetic taste and enthusiasm for life, and the "hanger" became a person with a distinct personality.
Old photos from the early years of the Republic of China. The tops of the two girls were all narrow and slender high-necked shirts, and underneath were long skirts, which was the most popular style of tops and skirts at that time. This high-neck women's clothing style is said to have been influenced by the students studying in Japan at that time, and in order to distinguish the qing dynasty clothing before the Republic of China, it was called "civilized new clothing". (Source: Information Times)
In feudal society, women's pants could only be worn inside the skirt, and it was disrespectful to wear pants to see people. After the Xinhai Revolution, Miss Xiguan put on her pants. In September 1911, the Ministry of Education promulgated the "School Uniform Regulations", stipulating that female students should "wear skirts above secondary school, and the skirts should be black", but it was not convenient to wear skirts to practice gymnastics, and many schools used short jackets and narrow pants as "exercise clothes". Such tights are not only easy to walk, but also more able to outline the curves of the body, and soon gained favor. As the first girl to obtain the right to education, Miss Xiguan has led this fashion trend uncompromisingly. Many people not only wear it in class, but also after class, and even wear tight clothes and pants, and walk out of the school door with dignity, even if they are accused of "good manners, scarlet stockings, and pants that don't hide their shins", they don't care. The popularity of leggings was so widespread that officials panicked that the education authorities issued an edict to rectify them, but with little success.
"Equal rights for men and women" is one of the most popular imported concepts in the early years of the Republic of China, and it is easiest to realize this ideal in clothing, so women's wear of men's clothing has become another fashion that cannot be ignored, tuxedo, duck tongue hat, civilization battle... All have become the new favorites of the radicals. For a time, women dressed as men were frequently seen on the streets, making the conservatives shake their heads and lament that "women are like flowers without skirts, and they are confused and even undivided", Zhang Zhujun, who was born in the family of the official eunuchs of Xiguan, was one of the first women to enroll in Western medical schools, and later became a very good educator and social activist. She herself is a typical "men's clothing enthusiast", often wearing suits and shoes, appearing in various public occasions to show the courage of "who says women are inferior to men".
Around May Fourth
Civilized new outfits are widely popular, and high-heeled leather shoes are the new favorite
In that era when imported concepts and inherent traditions were fiercely colliding, "civilization" became a fascinating word, and weddings that abandoned old etiquette and adopted Western etiquette were called "civilized new marriages", while leaving behind the rich and cumbersome decorations of the past, simple and elegant short jackets and black dresses, were called "civilized new clothes".
Turning over the old photos of some church middle schools in Guangzhou in the 1920s, the girls inside washed lead, and the golden hairpin beads that Miss Xiguan used to wear disappeared, the large placket of the upper body was not long but hips, the waist was narrow, and the flared sleeves exposed fibrous wrists. In early old photographs, black skirts were mostly ankle-length, but over time, skirts gradually became shorter, and some barely covered the knees, boldly exposing the calves.
In 1921, the girls of Lingnan Middle School took a group photo, wearing the same civilized new clothes.
In terms of jewelry, Miss Xiguan, who abandoned the hairpins, rings, bracelets, and earrings, soon had a new favorite, that is, fountain pens and glasses. Inserting a fountain pen obliquely on the placket is not only the need for learning, but also a fashionable decoration, and their fascination with the new fashion of glasses has made some newspaper reporters issue a sarcastic voice: "Try to see the optical shops in the province, men and women are mixed, and their doors are like the market, and they are very profitable." The speaker said that the new teenager has good glasses, and his vision can know the clouds. (Current Affairs Pictorial, No. 7, 1912).
Miss Xiguan in the 1920s.
Stockings are another imported product that is deeply favored by Miss Xiguan. In department stores such as Xianshi, Zhenguang, and Daxin, there are all kinds of color stockings, and even transparent, and the beauty and lightness of the stockings are obviously beyond the reach of cloth stockings. As a result, since the "invasion" of Guangzhou in the early 1920s, it has quickly become popular. Since the stockings are worn, the embroidered shoes of the past will look earthy, and the high-heeled leather shoes can show the style of the new woman. Therefore, "the sound of women's boots is bridged, and the road is flying like a fly", people have to sigh: "How soft and smooth women used to be, how heroic and refreshing women are today", the old shadow of "lotus petals silent" behind the Xiguan House has long been untraceable.
The 1930s
The cheongsam is curvy and beautiful, and the higher the slit, the more fashionable it is
When it comes to the qipao, we will naturally associate it with the "curvy beauty of oriental women", and Maggie Cheung's attack on the bright or light cheongsam in "Fancy Years" makes many people yearn for the femininity and style of the women of the Republic of China. As everyone knows, this femininity and style is the product of the improvement of the qipao in the mid-1920s, before that, the qipao was also long and wide, thick and clumsy, almost comparable to the face pocket.
Stills from "The Wonder Years". In the play, Maggie Cheung attacked or bright or light cheongsam, I don't know how many people yearn for the femininity and style of the Republic of China women.
At the beginning of the last century, the reason why women set their sights on the qipao was not to love beauty, but out of the psychological need of "equality between men and women". The original sense of the qipao was originally the Manchu national costume, there is little difference between men and women, are "one-piece" robes, has been covering the heels, the Qing court promulgated the clothing regulations, "men from women do not follow", Han women can only "top and skirt", can not wear robes like men. When the west wind is gradually blowing and feminism is rising, urban women naturally have to try on robes and coats to challenge men's authority.
The value pursuit of "equality between men and women" is ultimately too abstract, and soon gives way to the girls' love of beauty and fashion. In the early 1930s, Fashion Stores in Guangzhou began to design tight-fitting cheongsam with waists, which could be tailored to the needs of customers, and the straight-barreled qipao began to withdraw from the jianghu, and the material of the qipao was also more and more, bright brocade, fine velvet, light cloud yarn... And so on. Miss Xiguan once again stood at the forefront of fashion, and on them, the collar of the cheongsam gradually opened down, the length gradually shrunk to the knees, and the sleeves became narrower and narrower. Originally, the slit of the cheongsam was only a few inches, but who said exactly what was fashionable? In less than two years, the neck opened higher and higher, the waist became thinner and thinner, the sleeves became shorter and shorter, and finally it was simply cut off, and the sleeveless qipao became popular.
A fashionable woman in a cheongsam in Guangzhou in the 1930s. At that time, the cheongsam could perfectly outline the curves of the body.
By the mid-1930s, Miss Xiguan, dressed in a low-necked cheongsam, had become a sight to behold on the Commercial Street of The Long Beach. At that time, the young grandmother of Huang Baojian, a famous doctor in Xiguan, often let her private rickshaws pull her to the Aiqun Building to dance and skate. And Yan Miaofang, known as the last "Miss Xiguan", also drove a Ford car to the Aiqun Building to dance for recreation, and the feminine cheongsam on their bodies became the most vivid memories of old Guangzhou.
Text/Guangzhou Daily, Xinhua city reporter: Wang Yuehua