New Tales of The Old Shanghai
Island School , Noguchi , Aika - 14
S hanghai , the largest city in China with a resident population of about 23 million is the most vibrant and fascinating city in the country of China . No other cities in China could beat the unique colonial past of “ Old Shanghai ”.
The term Shanghai in mandarin , 上海 means above the sea . It sits on the south edge of the mouth of the Yangtze River Delta in East China in the middle portion of the Chinese coast . As the city gained its character and personality , it was known as the cosmopolitan city , as it was familiar with many cultures and countries , it is most commonly known with its change of fashion and style and the fabrics used . The French , Americans , British , Germans and Russians arranged their recognizably different Western approach of houses , mansions and fashion which left an unending statement to all the residentials living there . The quick modernization and step up of China during the first 20th century affected the ways how people in Shanghai displayed themselves .
Chinese clothing has roughly 5,000 years of history behind it but unfortunately I will only cover about 100 years back in the fashion timeline .
From foot binding to western yet traditional dresses , in the 19th centuries , Shanghai was the eye opening fashion center or China . As the Chinese National lead the country , the traditional dress developed in a broad style .
In 1911 to 1920 ’ s , Shanghai wasn ’ t the stylish city as it was today . Foot binding was still very frequent and normal . Women ’ s ideal foot size were about 7 centimeters or 3 inches . It was also known as “ lotus feet ” because after wrapping your feet in layers of gauze it was placed inside a lotus shaped shoe . There were about 3 kinds of “ lotus feet ”, the golden lotus with a 3 inch foot , a silver lotus with a four inch foot and the iron lotus with feet larger than 5 inches . Girls with iron lotus feet would usually be dismissed and have a smaller chance of getting married . The golden lotus was considered beautiful and fashionable in that time , it was necessary to have this when finding a husband . One of the theories for getting foot binding was when ladies misshape their feet it would restrict the women from leaving the house so they relied mostly on men which eliminates the possibility of participation in politics and having a social life .
The traditional clothing in 1920 ’ s were very loose fitting and baggy . The design had kept to the same dull style , flat and smooth lines for the chest and a slight curve in the hips . Women either wore Chinese jackets with patterns and closed collar fasting similar to the Qipao , large long sleeves matched with oversized trousers or dresses which resembles the ‘ Qipao ’, originally from the Manchurian but developed into a oversized pajama like dress in 1920 . Towards the end of 1920 pants were replaced with maxi skirts .
From 1920 to 1930 , some western styles were brought into the traditional clothing . For example , the Qipao developed into a form fitting dress to flatter their body shapes . Ladies would get the dress tailored to suit their own taste and sense of style . Sometimes women worn their tailored Qipao dress with a high cut updo waves or a low bun . The unique approach to the Qipao was advertised by Chinese movie stars . As time goes by , the Qipao popularity grew , which meant businesses and shops needed to provide more rare and expensive materials like silk , wool and satin . So as most people and companies were on some budget they found the quicker and cheaper way to provide the consumers the dresses by modifying to a cheaper textile that had still had elegant patterns .
In the Ming dynasties women bound their breasts with snuggly fitted vests as a tradition and when it was 1927 a ban on it occurred , which started a movement named the “ Natural Breast Movement ”, another ban was on earrings because they thought that it was distracting and drew beauty from the natural body . Despite the ban , breasts bound continued in 1930 . By the time it was in the 1940 ’ s the Qipao was turned