Tang Dynasty Fashion and Clothing

"Her gorgeous clothes are like flowing clouds, and her beautiful appearance is like a blooming flower. The spring breeze blows over the railing, and the dewdrops moisten the flowers and make them more colorful.(雲想衣裳花想容，春風拂檻露華濃)”.This poem reminds me of the beautiful women's clothing during the Tang Dynasty, with rich styles and vibrant colors. Its overall style was graceful, luxurious, rich, and elegant. The early Tang Dynasty was politically stable, well economically developed, and traded frequently with the Western Regions. Under the influence of west culture, it brought many new ideas, and "the original ancestors of the Tang Dynasty came from barbarians." Therefore, the Tang Dynasty was relatively open-minded. At that time, the weaving, printing, and dyeing industries, sewing, and embroidery technology were all very developed. This created a variety of women's clothing in the Tang Dynasty and laid a strong foundation, as shown in the "Picture Scroll of Ladies with Hairpin Flowers."

Most women's clothing in the Tang Dynasty consisted of a top and bottom. The upper body comprised undergarments, shirts, gowns, half-arms, shawls, etc., with different caps, hair buns, head ornaments, hairpins, etc. The lower body consisted of skirts and trousers, plus shoes, belts, etc. The fabrics were rich and colorful, and the color palette was increasingly brilliant and bright! However, this is not enough to understand fully Tang women's clothing. Today's cosmetics include "poisonous makeup(中毒妝)", "thin lip makeup" ,"blood halo makeup(血暈妝)" ,matching colors, contrasting colors, two-tone colors, shaded patterns, jacquard, printing, batik, tie-dye, clip-dye, stripes, floral, patchwork, multi-layered wearing, "Cross-dress as a man," and many more.

It may surprise you that women in the Tang Dynasty pursued fashion and beauty over a thousand years ago. They showed off their cleavages, trimmed their eyebrows, put on bloody makeup, wore wigs, and blackened their lips, among other things. They had their unique styles and created a wonderful scene in the history of Chinese women’s fashion. Tang clothing was influenced by the evolution of the social situation, and the style changed accordingly. Let us discuss the characteristics, evolution, and aesthetic value of Tang Dynasty women's clothing and its craftsmanship.