Dress Evolution in the Republic of China

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In 1911，the first bourgeois revolution in Chinese history-the Revolution of 1911，broke out.The last dynasty of the Chinese feudal society was overthrown andthe monarch system that had a history of more than 2，000 years was abolished.TheRepublic of China，the first capitalist society in China，was founded in 1912.Sincthen，the government of Republic of China had issued a series of orders，including Queue-Cutting Decree，which required the citizens to cut off their queues and make the haircut/hairdo they like.With the end of the wearing-queue order that had lasted for more than 280 years in China，the Chinese traditional dress system began to be reformed to a large extent.The central government completely abolished the o1d clothing system，people could wear whatever they liked.Then，the central government，based the dress systems in some European countries，issued its new dress statutes.These new statutes were endowed with many new characteristics，but due to the unstable situation at that time they were not able to be carried out.

Dress Evolution in the Republic of China

In the first year of the Republic of China，the government made provisions on the types of the male and female full dresses.The male full dresses consisted ofmorning dress and dress suit.The former had two types，one for day wear，the other for evening wear，and both in black and matched with a bow tie；the latter also had two types，one was the Western style，the other was the traditional Chinese style.

The female full dress was with collar and pleats，designed to be knee-length and front-opening.

In the late 1920s，the government reissued a dress code.This code mainly prescribed the male and female full dresses and the civil servant’s uniforms，but no specific regulations on plain dress.In the 1930s，the male dress didn’t have much change，while great changes happened to the female dress.In this period，having a closer contact with other nations，China imported dress materials continually，which greatly enriched the dress materials market and promoted the development of Chinese dresses.The city of Shanghai，thanks to its large population，advanced commercial and cultural industries and the achievement of female dresses，gradually developed to be a dress culture center in China.The”dress column”began to appear in main newspapers and magazines，which invited many famous artists to design fashions.

Fashion shows and fashion conferences were often held by department stores，textile companies and dress companies to show the latest and the most popular fashion styles to their consumers.

Although the bannermen’s splendid attire disappeared，the Manchu attire，as ordinary dress for the women of Manchu nationality，still existed.The gown made of blue cloth，which usually worn by schoolgirls，was a main pattern and gradually became popular.Due to the advent of movies，the movie stars became celebrities.

Shanghai became the headquarters of women’s wear in China；Guangzhou and Hong Kongbecame its branches.In the early years of Republic of China，women’s life began to change.Influenced by the western thoughts，ladies living in big cities stepping out of their home，were engaged in the movie，commercial and handicraft industries.Some of them even became actress，teachers and government officials.As there were special dress requirements for each occupation，the women’s wear in that period had a wide range of varieties.