Fashion And Clothing Regulation Based On Women's Costume (1912-1929)

The research object of my thesis is about the women's fashion during the early republic of China and I try to explore the relations among the clothing regulation, the May Forth Movement and the women's fashion. The regulation reflects the ruling class's will, while fashion can reflect the will of the folks. The thesis tries to explore the relations and conversations between them.Because at that time the government just pay attention to the formal dress of the clothing regulation and it doesn't refer to the informal dress, so it is the first time for Chinese to be fashion. After the liberation from clothing regulation, women want to show their understanding of aesthetic and express their independent personality by changing clothes as they want. Simplicity costume of students is very popular at the period of May Forth movement. At that time the robe of women begin to appear and it represents a sense of equal rights. At the very beginning, Qipao is a deliberated imitation of man's long gown. In addition, the evolution of Qipao is deeply under the influence of western aesthetic. In a word, we can find women's basic understandings of equal rights and democracy both from the evolution of women's costume and the amelioration of Qipao.There are different contradictions during the period of the May Forth Movement, both nationalism and westernism coexists, both cosmopolitanism and anti-imperialism combines. It is also a period of traditional clothing being westernized and also the western dress being nationalization. Both Qipao and Zhongshan suit experienced a process of nationalization and modernization. These two kinds of costumes which keep the dress features of both national traditions and modernization were being bought into the clothing regulation of Nanjing government.