Until 12 October 2026: FASHIONING CHINESE WOMEN

Fashion has long served as shorthand for the changing lives and roles of women, and it is a particularly useful indicator of the political and social turmoil that Chinese women experienced in the first half of the 20th century, from the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911 to the Cultural Revolution of 1966. Evolving concepts of modernity, morality, and national identity revealed themselves in new textiles and patterns. Films, fashion magazines, and the introduction of Western garments in department stores brought these styles into the wardrobes of Chinese women. "Changing at an unprecedented speed, fashion became a barometer of this dynamic period, encapsulating its creativities, pursuits, and anxieties," writes scholar Mei Mei Rado in the catalogue to LACMA's exhibition Fashioning Chinese Women.