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C o l l e c t i o n
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Clothes from the Yip Sang Collection Yip Sang and other merchants in Vancouver's Chinatown catered to the needs and tastes of the Chinese community. Judging from photographs of Vancouver’s Chinatown, it seems most residents owned a mixture of Chinese-style and Western-style clothes worn for different occasions. Families might dress in their best traditional Chinese clothing for formal portraits to send back to relatives in China. In the portrait of Yip Sang, seen at the beginning of this web site, he wears a suit and tie. We know from his grandson’s recollections, however, that Yip Sang also wore traditional Chinese clothing. And of course the different generations of his family may have dressed very differently. The following images show a variety of clothes in both Western and Chinese styles worn by members of Yip Sang's household. They will give you an idea of the diversity of clothing seen on the streets of Vancouver’s Chinatown in the early 1900s. Yip Sang's Clothes
This is a black linen knee-length gown that was probably worn by Yip Sang. Longer gowns like this one were worn for dress-up occasions. Narrow band collars like the one on this gown were common in China before 1900, but after that time were usually replaced by stand-up style collars. This gown was imported from China and probably dates from between 1885 and 1900. The gown is closed at the front neck and sides with Chinese-style fabric knob and loop fasteners. The gown has a pocket on the inside front panel.
This tunic was probably worn by Yip Sang, and dates from around 1900. It has very deeply cut sleeves. The tunic was closed at the front neck and side with Chinese-style fabric knob and loop fasteners.
Children’s Clothes
This vest appears to be the one worn by children in photographs of Yip Sang and his sons as well as of Yip Sang's three wives and their daughters. In this case girls and boys wore similar kinds of formal clothes. This vest is made of purple silk edged in black, with blue silk lining. The vest probably dates from about 1900 to 1910.
This blue and white cotton tunic was an every-day garment. From its size we judge this was worn by a child. This tunic has Western-style buttons and button homes. These are much easier to do up than traditional Chinese-style fabric knob and loop fasteners.
This is a Western-style sweater made from machine-knitted cotton fabric, probably sized to fit a child. The sweater has a Western-style, brightly colored image of an Asian fisherman flanked by bamboo. Western clothing designers were interested in adopting designs and scenes from Asia. As on this sweater, the designers often accentuated the exotic character of Asian scenes. The sweater probably dates from the 1930s or 1940s.
Men's Clothes - Chinese Style
Both men and women wore this style of pants. The pants were worn with an upper garment or tunic, which usually matched the pants. The pants were held in place with a cord or sash tied around the waist. The fabric is heavy cotton with thin blue stripes.
This tunic was a Chinese-style garment for everyday wear. The tunic was fairly long, coming down to the wearer's thigh. It closed at the centre front with Chinese-style fabric knob and loop fasteners. There are no pockets in this tunic. Often small items were tucked into sleeves or suspended from a belt around the waist. The tunic is made of the same cotton fabric as the pants described here, with thin stripes of blue and white.
This jacket is made from denim, a hard-wearing fabric favored in the West for work clothes, such as jeans. The jacket is cut much like a Chinese-style tunic. However, it closes at centre front with metal buttons and hand-bound button holes.
This tunic is made from very good quality linen. It is closed at the front neck and side with Chinese-Style fabric loop fasteners and small brass buttons. The tunic has pocket on the inside front panel. It was probably very expensive, and would have been worn for special occasions.
This tunic was a type of Chinese-style jacket worn for everyday work. It is made of heavy white cotton with black pinstripes. The tunic is closed at the front neck and side with Chinese-style fabric knob and loop fasteners. There is a pocket on the inside front panel. It was long enough to reach down to a person's thigh, and was very practical.
This tunic was a type of Chinese-style jacket worn for everyday work. It is made of heavy gray cotton. It is fastened at the centre front with Chinese-style fabric knob and loop fasteners. There are no pockets in this tunic. Small articles were tucked into the tunic’s sleeves or hung from a belt.
This style of pants was worn by both men and women. The pants were worn with an upper garment or tunic which usually matched the pants. The pants were held in place with a cord or sash tied around the waist. This pair is made of cream-coloured muslin, a strong, plain-woven cotton cloth.
This wadding jacket is typical of the clothes that the Wing Sang Company sold in its retail store. The cotton jacket is green and brown with a bright green flannel lining. There are no tags inside the jacket to indicate where it was manufactured. Like many other goods at the Wing Sang Company, the jacket was probably imported directly from China for its Vancouver market.
This navy blue wadding jacket is made of cotton lined with a light blue cotton fabric. Wadding jackets were common for people to wear in Vancouver’s Chinatown as well as in China. This style of wadding jacket dates from sometime between 1900 and 1940. and was probably directly imported from China for the Vancouver market.
Women's Clothes - Chinese Style
This style of narrow, side-fastening Chinese dress was known as a "cheongsam" or long gown. This one is made of wool with a blue silk band edging the neck and top side panel. It closes with metal snaps at the front neck and side. The dress probably dates from the 1930s.
This style of narrow, side-fastening Chinese dress was known as "cheongsam" or long gown. It is made of silk in a floral design. It was probably worn for dress-up occasions. The dress has a stand-up collar. It closes with a combination of Chinese-style fabric knob and loop fasteners and metal snap fasteners. The dress is patched, demonstrating that the owner did not quickly replace clothes, but repaired them. The dress dates probably from the 1930s.
This style of narrow, side-fastening Chinese dress was known as "cheongsam" or long gown. It is made of a vivid silk print, with orange silk edging on the stand-up collar and top side panel. The dress closes with metal fasteners at the front neck and side. The sleeves have been shortened, perhaps to keep up with changing fashions. It dates from the 1920s or 1930s.
This style of narrow, side-fastening Chinese dress was known as "cheongsam" of long gown. The dress closes with metal fasteners at the front neck and side. The dress was patched, and the collar altered, possibly to keep up with current fashion. This dress probably dates from the 1920s or 1930s.
This flared tunic with flared three-quarters-length sleeves was like the traditional Chinese "ao". But unlike them, it fastened with metal snaps at the neck and along the side. The striped wool fabric is banded with machine embroidered tape in a floral pattern.
This flared tunic with flared three-quarters-length sleeves was like the traditional Chinese "ao". But unlike them, it fastens with metal snaps along the side. It is made of silk with a woven floral pattern.
This blouse has qualities of both Western and Chinese clothing, and shows how fabrics and ideas from China and Canada were combined to create styles. The blouse has the loose cut and slightly flaring sleeves of Chinese-style shirts. But it is made of a favorite western-style fabric often used for winter pajamas -- cotton flannel. The bottom is trimmed with machine-embroidered cotton edging. The blouse closes at centre front with buttons and button holes.
This shirt has qualities of both Western and Chinese clothing, and shows how fabrics and ideas from China and Canada were combined to create styles. The shirt has the loose cut and slightly flaring sleeves of Chinese-style shirts. But it is made a Western-style fabric -- fine cotton lawn in a floral pattern.
Men's Clothes - Western Style
These pants, made of a heavy blue wool cloth are fastened with a buttoned fly in front. The button fly, a series of buttons fastened up, was common on men's pants prior to the invention of zippers.
This is a Western-style man’s shirt typical of those worn for office work in Vancouver from about 1900 to 1920. It was worn with a detachable collar. Collars get especially dirty and worn. With detachable collars, a man could change his collar everyday, even if he didn’t change his shirt that often. The collar is attached to the shirt using collar pins and the button-holes in the shirt’s neckband. The shirt is made of fine wool.
This is a Western-style man’s sleeping shirt. The voluminous cut made for comfort and warm during the night. This nightshirt is made of luxurious silk. Ordinary one were made of sturdy cotton.
Women's Clothes - Western Style
These red leather pumps have a rounded toe, and do not appear to have been worn very much. The style was very fashionable in the West around World War II. The heels are exceptionally high for that time. Perhaps the shoes’ owner was eager to appear taller.
These orange-coloured stockings were probably made in the 1920's. They show that some Chinese Canadian women adopted the Western fashion of wearing hosiery.
This is a Western-style woman’s day dress. It was worn for everyday activities out of the house, such as shopping or visiting. It probably dates from the 1930s or 1940s.
This day dress is made of light green chiffon-like material trimmed with machine-made lace. The dropped waist, very loose fit and relatively short skirt were the fashionable in the West in the 1920s.
These are standard Western-style coveralls worn by men doing rough jobs in the 1930 through the 1960s. The coveralls protected clothing underneath from dirt and tears. This pair is "Goodhue Star Brand".
This is a Western-style woman’s evening dress from the 1940s. It is made of a synthetic fibre. It has padded shoulders, and is decorated with sequins.
This Western-style dress and jacket outfit date from the 1930s or the 1940s. The dress with thin shoulder straps has pink, purple, green and yellow designs on a navy blue background. The jacket is short-sleeved and made of a sheer, chiffon-like material. It was a very fashionable Western-style outfit.
This is a Western-style dress worn during the day for everyday activities. It is made of a lightweight cotton fabric with yellow, green and blue flowers, and has a round collar and turned-up organdy sleeve cuffs. This style was popular with girls and young women in the 1940s.
This is a Western-style woman’s day dress worn for activities out of the house, such as shopping or visiting. It is made of a man-made or synthetic fabric, and dates from the 1940s.
Chinese Opera Clothing
This beautifully decorated robe reached to the floor. It closed on the right side of the robe's front. The front and back of the robe are made of lavender silk edged with bands of turquoise. The robe was so hot and heavy to wear that vents were included under the arms that cooler air passed through to cool the performer.
This elaborately decorated sleeveless robe reached mid-calf length. It closes at the centre front with a pink satin tie. The heavy robe is decorated with mirrored disks, embroidery and bands of contrasting fabric. The mirrors would have glittered as the character moved about on stage.
This beautiful, floor-length robe was worn by a singer in the opera. The designs on the front and back are identical and called "rank badges". Rank badges were common in China in the middle of the last century. They were worn on clothes to indicate what class a person belonged to, or what rank they held in society. The robe is white and has a light blue trim. The geometric shapes around the sleeves, neck and bottom lining are inverted swastikas that represent longevity.
Photo, top: Detail, Wing Sang Building with Yip Sang and Family, c. 1905. Vancouver City Archives, CVA689-9.
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