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A FASHION SHOW IN NEW CHINA
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The Clothing Development in China from 1950 to 2010
MATERIAL CULTURE IN MODERN CHINA EXHIBITION PROJECT
1.0 Introduction
As one of the most important elements in material life, garments could be seen as the truest and the most straightforward reflection of cultural context for the society in any given time. The politics in China probably had a more pronounced effect on national dress than the politics in any other country. In modern China, the vicissitudes of garments vividly displayed the development of culture and national politics. A study of the change in clothing culture in modern China delivers information about the social life and political climate in Chinese society. This project analyzes the process of vestimentary change in China from the middle of the twentieth century to the present. It illustrates the impacts of certain political and social events on civilian’s dress.
Several objects are selected for this project, and each of them represented a major fashion trend for a specific period of time. These objects are the Lenin suits, the Red Guard military uniform, the Mao suits, and the Mao products. During the period covered in this project, the trajectory of Chinese garments development is toward “freedom,” and the national politics began to have a decreasing influence on people’s clothing as time goes by. Till today, most of the political or social meanings behind the clothing have lost. But using garment as a symbol of social status has been a common phenomenon throughout Chinese history.
2.0 New China
During the Republican era (1911-1949), long robes or changpao and cheongsams were highly prevalent, maintaining their status as daily wear for the commoners. The influence of Western culture brought a mix of Western and Eastern fashion elements into Chinese dress in this period. Men began to wear blue...
