Chinese women’s fashion in Singapore underwent drastic changes in the early decades of the 20th century, keeping in line with the changing trends in mainland China as well as the fashion capitals of Europe and Asia. The woman in the photograph is wearing a jacket-blouse and loose-fitting pants, otherwise known as a ‘samfoo’. By the 1920s, this ensemble was already viewed as being rather dated and conservative by younger, fashion-savvy women who were keen to keep up with the latest trends of tighter-fitting clothes with shorter sleeves and hemlines.
