Shanghai 1929: Rare 1920s Fashion Film Brought To Life

Shanghai 1929: Rare 1920s Fashion Film Brought To Life

Time travel back to Shanghai of 1929 for a 1920s fashion and hairstyle show. AI frame by frame colorization and upscaling with added sound.

Presented purportedly by a niece of Alfred Sao-Ku Sze, China's first ambassador to the United States. 

We hope to properly identify this amazing multilingual woman in time. Her extended family is an interesting read. ( see below). She also bears a strong resemblance to Madam Sze, ( Yu-hua "Alice" Tong) the wife of Alfred and mother of Yuen Tsung Sze ( Mai Mai Sze).

The stunning woman to Miss Sze's right (in gold) we think is Pauline Hsiao ( Xiao Baolian ). She was married to famous art deco architect Robert Fan Wenzhao.

Miss Sze talks in English about how both the western bobbed hair and more traditional bobs are worn by Chinese women. Models Mrs Kum and Mrs Fan speak in Chinese (possibly Mandarin and Cantonese, with Miss Sze providing translation. She also points out in the latter sequence, the prevalence in China for a high collar, even in western style dresses.

You will note that Miss Sze's silhouette has a flattened bust which was very much in vogue during the roaring twenties. By 1929 in the USA and Europe, the gamine flapper look had fallen out of vogue for more womanly curves. 

Look out for the blooper / out-takes reel at the end!

Published by GlamourDaze by kind permission of the University of South Carolina.

Their generosity and support in this restoration project is hugely appreciated.

AI restoration by GlamourDaze.