Yeh-hsien
The Chinese Cinderella Story
Broad Research
Looking at Chinese art was not enough for me to get started thinking about Chinese clothing - I found that I did not have the vocabulary and understanding of either the art or the clothing to glean information from ancient paintings.
I looked at the various ways fashion designers - both Chinese and not - have approached designing garments inspired by China. This is a design by Chinese designer Guo Pei.
Utah teen Keziah Daum sparked controversy by wearing a qipao to prom - many Chinese people showed their support, but many others were offended by her choice, which seemed to be based mostly in aesthetics based on the teen’s responses.
It was even difficult, in some cases, to figure out the gender of figures in ancient Chinese art - I didn’t know enough about the clothing to make judgments about gender, class, or occupation.
Designed by Tom Ford for YSL, Fall 2004, this dress is inspired by the Chinese garment “qipao” or “cheongsam.”
Even contemporary art, which is much clearer by virtue of being new, I found overwhelming. I just did not have the background - words, explanations, contexts - to discern what was important about the garments in paintings and illustrations.
Grace Kelly wearing a cheongsam, 1956. I decided not to use cheongsam as inspiration because of it has been used so much in fashion and appropriated so heavily.
Guo Pei’s Spring 2019 couture collection was inspired by the “Palace of the East.” According to the designer, this is not only a building, but refers to Chinese sayings about women in palaces.
Contemporary Interpretations
Even contemporary interpretations of hanfu - ancient Han Chinese clothing - were hard to interpret without context.
I was very inspired by the use of color and fabric in these interpretations, even if I didn’t know all the details of the design origins.
Design
The silhouette I chose is from a dynasty slightly later than the ones mentioned in the story, but I found it useful because of its reference to bird wings - the ribbons in this ensemble move when the wearer walks, causing the sharp points at the hem to flap like a swallowtail.
Once I understood the 2D drawing of these garments, it was easer to see what was happening in art featuring a similar garment.
The halcyon kingfisher was a major inspiration for the colors as well as the silhouette. In the story, Yeh-hsien wears a cloak of kingfisher feathers to the cave festival. In some medieval Chinese poetry, the kingfisher was a symbol for gentle but persecuted beings - like Yeh-hsien. Medieval poets also linked the kingfisher to unusual objects, like Yeh-hsien’s golden shoe.
This ensemble was draped and constructed by Annie Ulrich. It is almost entirely silk, except for the trims and the white cotton belt at the waist.
Rendering for Yeh-hsien.
I learned after this ensemble was already made, that the center back seam is an essential part of hanfu design - it is a symbol of integrity. Luckily we had included it anyway, in order to lay out the pattern the way I wanted it on the fabric.