#minguo

Quickly turning our attention to menswear. I’m not a menswear expert so feel free to add info or references. In the 1910s, menswear collars followed a similar development. After looking at more photos from the period, I figured out that in the late 1900s, men’s collars still had rectangular edges and were pretty low. This was also echoed in the formal dress code issued by the republican government in 1912. You can read more about the formal dress code in this article, it’s a great guideline for understanding ceremonial clothing in the republican era. 

Source here (I’m probably gonna pull most of the menswear photos from the photo album in this article cause they are conveniently dated)

1907 photograph of a certain Mr Ye Jinglv, a legend who preserved his photographs from the 1900s to the 1960s, wearing a 短衫 duanshan short robe and pants.

I have no idea where this collar type came from but the three main suspects are European military uniform collars, Japanese uniform collars (also inspired by European military uniform collars) and Qing Dynasty officials’ collars (now attached to the tunic itself). 

As the 1910s progressed, men’s collars gained rounded edges and grew taller just like women’s collars, but they were never so tall to the point that they could not be closed in the front. They were still closed by one plain pankou at the base (men’s pankou has always been plain). This is likely the collar style 6 I identified in part 1 but wasn’t sure about. These collars don’t appear to be stiffened, but rather just constructed of heavyweight fabric similar to the robe itself. Oh and sometimes in photographs you can see men wearing two collars, that is because both the 长衫 changshan, long robe, and 马褂 magua, riding vest, had standing collars in the 1910s, so when both are worn at the same time there will be two collars.

Source here

1916 photograph of Mr Ye Jinglv in a changshan and magua, collar style 6.

1920s

Summary of 1920s Han women’s fashion 1, 2, 3

Going into the 20s collar style 7 went out of fashion completely. The 20s was a wild decade and everything went, but overall collars usually ranged from medium height to tall. There is a wide variety of collar designs in the 20s, women’s dresses with no collar or Western collars like sailor collar, shawl collar or no collar at all etc. all existed, I’ll just list the most common standing collar designs of Chinese origin.

Early 20s collars decreased in height slightly but were still tall standing collars, with rectangular edges, binding and two to three pankous. Let’s call this collar style 9 because it has a will of its own. It’s weirdly reminiscent of collar style 4 from part 1 but the difference is that collar style 4 was unstiffened and had rectangular edges. I don’t think designers in the republican era ever really consciously referenced any historical collar shapes prior to the 19th century... Fashion history was a non-existent academic discipline at that time.

Source here

Calendar painting from 1920 showing collar style 9. It is unstiffened and moderately tall. It has slightly rounded edges, two pankous and a thin row of binding/piping.

Source here

Calendar painting from 1920-21, showing similar collar style 9 with thin binding and two pankou.

Toward the mid 20s both wide and thin binding could be used and the number of pankou ranged from one to three. I’ve seen multiple times collars with only one pankou at the bottom but still could close completely at the front, which means stiffening was likely used to keep the shape of the collar; I’ll number this collar style 10. The decorations of the mid 20s pursued a tacky aesthetic and were heavily inspired by the 19th century. Alternatively, collars could be decorated with scalloped edges or geometric Western trim. The overall aesthetic was still very 19th century Chinese though. I feel like internal hooks and bars could’ve been used to close these collars, like Western or Japanese military uniform collars, but this is pure speculation.

Source here

Watercolor ca. 1926 showing a medium height collar style 10. It closes with only one pankou but holds its shape very well.

Source here or see watermark

Mid 20s artwork showing a similar collar, albeit with thin binding.

Starting from 1928-29 there was this huge trend of using tall, side closing collars. This collar was stiff and structured, tall and closed at the side or back with either pankou or hooks and eyes/bars. It covers the wearer’s neck completely and doesn’t have any openings. This kind of collar was frequently applied to the newly developed cheongsam, which was a one piece dress, to emulate a Western flapper look. The art deco aesthetic was en vogue in the years 1929-31, so there were many cheongsam with innovative closures instead of pankou. I personally really love this look it’s very underrated. This would be collar style 11; it was truly one of a kind since it was never seen again in Chinese fashion history. Rest in Power.

Source here

Painting ca. 1929 showing collar style 11. This is probably closed at the back? Anyway the pankou were not emphasized at this time.

Source here

Kong Sang Hong ad from 1929 showing collar style 11 without visible pankou.

Now menswear again. In the 20s, the tall collar style 6 went out of fashion, following trends in womenswear. The new collar was medium height and still closed by one pankou at the base. It could have either rounded or rectangular edges but rectangular or mostly rectangular edges seem to be more common. I’d say this is similar to collar style 10.

Source here

1925 photograph of Ye Jinglv wearing again changshan and magua.

1930s

Summary of 1930s Han women’s fashion 1, 2

Returning to Han women. Collar 11′s popularity continued to around 1931, when it began to be replaced by a revived version of collar style 8. Collar style 8 with three buttons dominated the majority of the 30s, and these buttons didn’t necessarily have to be pankou; any kind of decorative loop button, clasp or frog closure could be used. 30s collars emphasized the roundness of the buttons, so beads or pearls were commonly used as buttons.

Source here

Calendar painting from 1932 showing collar style 8. 

Source here

Mid 30s advertisement showing collar style 8 with bead buttons matching those on the cardigan.

Source here

1932 cover of The Young Companion showing collar style 8 with pearl/bead buttons. Oh collars on a transparent cheongsam would usually be opaque because the interlining/stiffening needs to be hidden.

Men’s collars of the 30s decreased in height again, this time becoming really quite short. Round and rectangular edges coexisted but round edges were still more common. Still closed by one pankou. Not many changes otherwise (gosh, menswear always changes at a glacial pace, y’all men need to step up your game). This foreshadows 40s Han women’s collars so let’s label this collar style 12. Men’s changshan and magua collars stayed this way well into the 40s and 50s.

Source here

1935 photograph of Ye Jinglv in changshan with collar style 12.

In the late 30s/early 40s collars dropped in height significantly, regressing to collar styles 9 or 10. It was usually closed with one or two pankou (because there was only enough space for two maximum). 

Source here

Late 30s/early 40s artwork depicting the revived collar style 10.

1940s

Summary of 1940s fashion here

As the 40s progressed collars became even shorter, eventually so short that only one pankou could be attached. This developed from collar style 9 but since it was so low and so distinct to the 40s I’d say this is also collar style 12. It may appear similar to collar style 3 from the 19th century but it has rounded edges and is also stiffened and slightly taller.

Source here

Early to mid 40s artwork showing collar style 12.

19th century trims became fashionable again in the early 40s, especially collars with multiple rows of binding/piping. However because of scarcity of materials during the war, that style was only ever seen on actresses and celebrities; cheongsam collars for the average woman were plain.

Source here

40s Indanthren fabric ad, showing low collar style 12.

In summary:

Collar style 7: cursed belle époque (ca. 1890-1918) women’s collars that touched the wearer’s face. Extremely tall, stiffened, both rounded and rectangular edges existed. Closed by one pankou at the bottom but sometimes had more pankou for ornamental purposes. Worn by Han women and the plain version for men.

Collar style 8: first appeared in the 1910s, popular in the late 10s and throughout the 30s. As tall as possible without restricting the wearer’s neck movements, stiffened, rounded edges. Closed by two to three pankou. Decorated with wide binding or Western trims like lace in the 10s, multiple rows of binding in the 30s. Worn by Han women. 

Collar style 9: developed from collar style 8, popular in the early 20s and late 30s/early 40s. Slightly shorter (medium height), stiffened, rounded edges. Closed by two pankou. Thin binding. Worn by Han women.

Collar style 10: developed from collar style 9, popular in the mid 20s and late 30s/early 40s. Slightly shorter (medium to low height), stiffened, rounded edges. Closed by one pankou at the base. Both wide and thin binding. Worn by Han women and a similar version by men.

Collar style 11: distinctly Western collar, popular 1929-1931. As tall as possible without restricting the wearer’s neck movements, stiffened, rectangular edges. Closed at the side or back with pankou or hooks and eyes. Often plain or of the same fabric as the dress. Worn by Han women.

Collar style 12: developed from collar style 10, popular throughout the 40s. Very short, stiffened, rounded edges. Closed by one pankou at the base. Commonly had thin binding. Worn by Han women and men.

This was quite an impulsive watch for me because I kind of flung aside all my other dramas and finished it in just two days (you can clearly see how addictive it was).

𝖕𝖑𝖔𝖙 - 7

The plot was super enjoyable, and the mystery did exactly what it should; it was thrilling. There were so many twists and turns, and the logic kept up fairly well. In some smaller parts it didn’t flow so well. Idk, it just felt a little bit cartoon-y at times? For example, I guess, Yan Wei’s underground gun storage and her various lethal mechanisms she casually set up in her house. The scene when Youyi almost sees them was funny, but it didn’t exactly fit the whole mood of the drama. The reasoning wasn’t completely ‘watertight’ either. But besides that, the mystery is good. 

The plot was also very contained within the fictional world and the lives of the characters, and there was very little mention of forces such as foreign powers that were in Shanghai at the time. So if you're looking for something that was very centred on politics and war, you wouldn’t find it here. Instead, it focuses on character building. 

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 - 7

omg- guys, listen guys, Yan Wei and Xu Youyi are literally so cute- I can’t with them. Yan Wei is such a tsundere kitty- she's so cool- and Xu Youyi is the sweetest little cinnamon roll. They’re literally the perfect “I hate everyone except you” trope. I wish they had more screen time together though T-T, I felt like the screenwriters were trying to play it a bit too safe by focusing so much on Youyi’s relationship with her exes, probably to dodge censorship or something.

I absolutely LOVED Youyi’s character building and her story the most, her character arc and how she felt suffocated and controlled was explored so so well- it was so good, it was so beautifully written- I found myself so attached to her, like T-T.

I also liked Zhou Heng’s role as the villain, I found his motives super intriguing and he would have been so much more exciting his character building was less ‘blurry’ around the edges. The scriptwriters could have delved more into his psychology through things such as peeps into his childhood or more obvious things like more emotionally sincere soliloqies. But nevertheless, I thought he was a fantastically hateable character ;).

𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 - 8

ZHANG NAN- MY GOD. SHE KILLED IT. 

It was so fun to watch her switch from the cutest cinnamon roll into the straight-backed, hardened woman when she found out what her husband and best friend did. She was super expressive and fitted into her role perfectly. The last character I watched Zhang Nan play was Han Qionghua- and she was probably as different from Xu Youyi as anyone can get. The duality of this woman.

Moving on, I heard people had criticised Sun Yihan’s acting before, and to be honest, I don’t have that much to find at fault with her. I think she played Yan Wei well, and she had plenty of duality.

The side characters were also very good, they all acted in a very natural, believable way, nothing was overdone or overdramatised.

𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖉𝖚𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 - 7

The production was great, the sets were all very good and well done. Yan Wei and Xu Youyi’s costumes were well thought out and reflects their personalities. I’m not entirely sure how historically accurate to the time period it was, but nevertheless the costumes looked alright. 

There was one thing that irritated me though, and it was how smooth everything looked, making it appear plastic-y and unreal. The buildings, the character’s skin and the flat lighting- they were just too smooth and didn't feel quite right. However it is my own opinion, but it is something that bothered me. 

BUT GUYS THE SHOTS- the cinematography, the story-telling and the camera work and everything was so good and so unique, I enjoyed it a lot.

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and now… my favourite part….!

✨ 𝖋𝖆𝖛𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖊 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 ✨

xu youyi [ it is literally impossible to hate her, she is such a cinnamon roll and a queen in her own right. she's kind and forgiving, but she won’t let anyone step on her if she can help it ] 

yan wei [ who doesn’t love yan wei? murderous yes, cold, yes, but an absolute cinnamon bun at heart ]

hong mei [ such a sweetie <3 ]

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E⃣   X⃣   T⃣   R⃣   A⃣

Adapted from the manhua "Couple of Mirrors" (双镜) by noftB (福特)

 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖉𝖚𝖈𝖊𝖗 - Yu Zheng ( producer of Story of Yanxi Palace )