Overview
In 1920s–30s Shanghai the qipao (cheongsam) was reshaped into the slim, high-collared, side-slit dress now seen as iconic, its golden age. Men wore Western suits or the Zhongshan suit, promoted as modern national dress and associated with Sun Yat-sen, while students and new women adopted a simple jacket-and-skirt. The queue was cut off.
Key garments and style
Western tailoring, department stores and film stars spread the new looks, and Shanghai became China’s fashion capital.
Transition
The People’s Republic would turn to plain, utilitarian dress.