Dating a vintage qipao

2BeeOrNot2Bee

2BeeOrNot2Bee

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qipaofront.jpg
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s-l1600-2.jpg s-l1600-3.jpg s-l1600-4.jpg s-l1600-5.jpg s-l1600-6.jpg s-l1600-7.jpg s-l1600-8.jpg I have just acquired a vintage qipao stated to be from the 1920s, but I am not well-versed in this genre of vintage fashion and need help determining the date. It feels like silk on the outside as well as the lining, and the sequins may be gel sequins (but I haven't water-tested). There are no bust darts, it is long, and the sleeves are not set-in, so it is probably Deco era. Below the label it is written "Shanghai 1924," which doesn't guarantee authenticity in any way. Does anyone have any info on how to authenticate the date and origin of this dress? Thank you.
 
Hi Linn. Thank you so much. It was because of that thread (and your helpful posts) that made me decide to join the VFG thread and see if you or anyone could offer help with this garment. I did a lot of online research, and couldn't find any references to 1920s qipaos with sequins. No images or anything. What do you think?
 
I agree with Barbara that it is really lovely! I looked very quickly through "Shanghai Girl Gets All Dressed Up" by Beverley Jackson and she shows similarly shaped Qipaos - with the same sleeve as late 1920's and C. 1930's and comments that the longer length and shorter sleeve indicates late 1920's or 1930's. 1924 is probably not the correct date. There is one long sleeved qipao shown in the book with metallic sequins, dated 1920's which she said would have been made for the stage or for a courtesan. However it is very different from your dress - the pattern is a traditional print and the sequins are embellishments not the main design. Some of the qipaos in the book are rayon - are you sure that yours is silk?

Perhaps you can get a translation of the Chinese characters on the label.
 
Hi,

Great insight there, Linn. To answer the question that "2Bee" asked, the sense of 1940s is due to the fabric, which looks like a rayon crepe that was so popular at that time. Of course, it could be silk as you say. Also, the color of the crepe is a shade of green which was popular then. Lastly, the look of the sequins themselves and also the way they are sewn to the dress just give me a sense of 1940s. But like I said I cannot be sure from just a photo.
 
Wow, this VFG is indeed a great resource. Thank you so much! I am not completely sure it is silk. I have a lot of vintage silk and vintage rayon. The feel of this is silk to my touch. It is smoother and shinier on the inside, maybe a silk crepe? Also, it has this certain grab to the touch when you rub it, which is how silk threads often feel to my hand. Yet, I cannot be certain. Now I am wondering if maybe this dress was used for a film in the US, maybe something with the name of Shanghai in it...will go look to see what I can find.
 
Thank you everyone for your interest and help so far. My Taiwanese-American friend tells me that the label is written in traditional Chinese - which she says means pre-Communist China - so we know it is at least as old as the 40s. She cannot translate it herself, unfortunately.
 
Assuming that the Shanghai that was written in is meaningful, and the dress is from Shanghai, I think the quipao is no later than 1937 when Shanghai was attacked by Japan. From 1937-1945 China was at war. While continuing to research this subject - I just came across a fantastic website devoted to the history of quipao's:

http://www.thepankou.com/about-qipao/qipao-history/

The section about the quipao in the post-war 1940's and (1945- 1949) describes the quipao's from that short time period as more fitted and shorter; made from various fabrics, more embellished (even with sequins) - and zippers were first used.

http://www.thepankou.com/history-of-the-qipao-shanghai-to-hong-kong-1940s-and-beyond/

Tara, maybe you can get someone who reads Mandarin to translate the label and if you have a dress form and can show it on or have someone model it we can tell how fitted it is and how long. It looks more 1930's' in shape and length to me than later.

Obviously, I love researching this subject! I'm so glad you asked about it!
 
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This is truly a delightful experience! I love researching clothing and costume, and it is nice to find other enthusiasts who can offer such great advice. Linn, I'm heading off right now to look at those sites. Thanks everyone for your thoughts on the colors and era. I couldn't find any film listing with the info written on the inside of the dress. Wish I knew why it is written there and what it really means. I have run across vintage pieces from movie costume departments that have the name of the movie or actor/actress written inside like this. Same with stage productions. It could also be written in by a family member to note the origins of an estate piece.
 
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Hi ladies, I'm Miranda from thepankou in the links that Linn cited above (thank you so for mentioning my site and visiting!). Everyone has provided such good input so far, and hopefully I can add on what has already been said.

The Chinese label which I am able to read indeed is in traditional Chinese, and it does not in fact say the qipao is from Shanghai. It reads "Guangzhou costume export, Huangsha Taiyun Road". I researched the location of Huangsha and Taiyun Road online, and was able to find some information in a few Chinese websites. It seems that it is part of an area that was very popular for producing Southern Chinese opera costumes in the early 1900s (the most popular area was in fact called Zhuangyuan Fang, but there were a few production facilities also in nearby Taiyun Road), however was shut down largely in 1938 when Japan invaded, and re-established post the Japanese occupation in the late 1940s.

So my estimate is very similar to what others have said above, that the dress is from the latter part of 1930s but prior to 1938. The reason is that the qipao is long (I assume from the pictures, although difficult to know exactly without someone wearing it), and a colour that was very common in that era due to the indanthrene dye (more info in my write up of the era, but basically a very affordable dye that could produce blues and greens). It is in fact true that sequins and zippers were more popular in the 40s, so I don't think we can rule out the possibility of late 40s, but from what I read this particular location was more productive in the 30s, as the re-location back from HK tended to be in Zhuangyuan Fang.

The pen written label of "1924 Shanghai" is almost certainly incorrect that this qipao is definitely not from Shanghai.
 
Fascinating discussion. After I got over my internal rant about people who write on clothing itself, instead of on an attached label, I had wondered if "1924 Shanghai" referred to a theatrical presentation. It's thrilling that Miranda is such a knowledgeable resource willing to share. Thank you.
Marian
 
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