The Arrival of Fantastic Garb

(chinaculture.org)
Updated: 2009-09-09 13:04

Dress in China underwent a drastic change after the "cultural revolution." In 1979, French designer Pierre Cardin held a fashion show in Beijing. His bold and futuristic designs excited Chinese audiences, most of whom were still wearing simple cotton-padded jackets. At that time, clothing different to common apparel was known as "fantastic garb." One example was flared trousers. These items were looked down upon from the high plane of ethics and politics, and wearers of flares were regarded as hooligans. It was not unusual to see teachers take a pair of scissors to students' bell-bottomed pants at that time.

Suits became all the rage in China in the 1980s.

Gradually, people came out from under the shadow of class struggle. State leaders began to wear Western-style suits in the 1980s. Soon after that, suits became all the rage in China. But some people cut a sorry figure, since ignorance of dress etiquette ran high. Suits were often worn with cloth shoes, or with shirts hanging out over people's belts.

Suits became all the rage in China in the 1980s. In 1984, a film named Red Dresses Are in Fashion, telling the story of a female textile worker, rectified the attitude towards so-called "fantastic garb." The model worker in the film put on stylish red skirt like other girls on the street. This was the mainstream media's affirmation of beautiful clothing, and red skirts became the most popular female clothing item that year. In 1986, the media again led the trend: a report Yellow Skirts Are Prevalent in Beijing from China Textile Newspaper, meant yellow skirts were soon popular across the country. In the late 1980s, short skirts were gradually embraced by Chinese women, who later became accustomed to wearing them with sweaters during spring and autumn. At that time, copying styles was the way to stay in fashion, and girls were not embarrassed to all dress the same.

During the late 1980s, fashion shows became a major component of people's cultural life. As well as professional models, people were deeply interested in organizing amateur teams for the elderly and children. Chinese fashion gradually became integrated with global trends.