辛亥革命後，一九一二年清王朝宣統皇帝溥儀被迫退位，結束清朝封建統治，舊有的中國步入新的民主體制。二十世紀初，世界經濟、文化、意識形態都發生空前的變化，新的生產方式和新的生活節奏帶動了各領域裏的革命；自十九世紀末期到二十世紀初期，在中國的上海已有男性開始穿著西式紳士套裝（根據記載最早穿著西式套裝的中國男性是大清帝國時期與洋人做生意的上海買辦），同時也有部份男性採以中式長袍馬褂搭配皮鞋以及西式紳士帽的中西合璧裝扮；而中國女性也開始藉由結合東西方服飾風格的穿著來體驗現代化與新社會生活。 冬皇孟小冬自小學習老生，在舞台上扮演帝王將相，雖為女兒身，但對於穿著男裝一事也是司空見慣，由於其長時間扮演、揣摩戲裡男性角色，因此實際生活裡個性上或多或少帶著男性的霸氣和剛烈。當一九三一年孟小冬與梅蘭芳分離後，其心境大幅度轉換，從梅孟之戀時的幸福美好，到梅孟分離後的跌落谷底，孟小冬進而產生了想靠自己站起來的自覺，正如一次世界大戰後，女權運動影響女裝的革命；孟小冬選擇暫時逃離女性身分，改頭換面改穿男裝，由外在宣示自己不再是「某個人的女人」，而以獨立自主的個體面對外面的世界。 對應到二十世紀初期的西方服裝發展史，女性意識抬頭，穿著男性化的西裝與西褲已成為西方女性自主的象徵；而當時的孟小冬受到西風東漸的影響，加上其京戲伶人的身分，對外來文化和新知的高接受度，借此選擇改著西式男裝，一來用以代表對自己的自主權掌握，再者順應摩登的時尚趨勢。像文化一樣，服裝是表達思想情感的媒介，反映了社會現實。本研究探討二十世紀初期，東西文化交流對於孟小冬角色形塑之影響，以及從劇本分析到京劇歌唱劇《孟小冬》服裝設計手法的分析整理。

After the Revolution of 1911, the Xuan Tong Emperor, Pu Yi, was forced to give up the throne. Feudal governance of the Qing Dynasty ended and old China stepped into a new democratic system. In the early twentieth century, global economy, culture and ideology changed unprecedentedly. New production methods and style of living triggered the revolution in different fields. From the end of the nineteenth century to the early twentieth century, men in Shanghai started wearing western style suits (according to the record, the earliest Chinese who wore western style clothes were Shanghai compradors that traded with foreigners during the Qing Dynasty). Some men wore Chinese robes and vests, leather shoes and western gentlemen’s hats; Chinese women began experiencing modernization and new social lives by wearing mixed, eastern and western style clothing. Meng Xiao-dong, also known as Emperor Dong, had studied playing male roles in Chinese opera since her childhood. On the stage, she acted as emperors and generals, and was used to wearing men’s clothing. Although she was a girl, she was relatively aggressive and as tough as men because of her study and acting of male roles. In 1931 when Meng Xiao-dong and Mei Lan-fang separated from each other, she experienced a drastic change in her psychological state as she lost her happiness. Thus, she decided to stand on her own. After the First World War in 1918, the feminist movement influenced the revolution of female clothing; Meng decided to temporarily disguise herself by wearing men’s clothing and declared that she was no longer “someone’s woman.” She faced the external world as an independent individual. Regarding the history of western costume in the early twentieth century, with the emergence of feminism, wearing masculine western style clothes and pants symbolized western women’s independence. At the time, Meng was influenced by the spread of western influence to the east. As an opera actor, she was open-minded about accepting foreign culture and new knowledge. Therefore, she decided to wear western men’s dress to demonstrate her control of decision-making power, and to follow the fashion trend. Similar to culture, clothing is a medium to express thoughts and affection, and it reflects social reality. This study probes into the influence of exchange between eastern and western culture in Meng’s role creation in the early twentieth century, and analyzes the text as well as design techniques of Meng’s costumes.