So the Mamianqun, or 馬面裙, or horse-faced skirt, has been blowing up lately especially because of the Dior controversy—here's an in-depth dive into the history, construction, and features of the famous horse-face skirt.   A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MAMIANQUN The mamianqun or horse-faced skirt is a skirt that first originated somewhere close to the Song dynasty worn by high-class courtesans (who were like celebrities and fashion icons tbh) in the form of colorful pleated silk. It’s named this way because of its resemblance to the mamian fortress, which has stairs on either side (like the pleats) and a door in the front and back (like the skirt doors). The ‘doors’ sides of the fortress were known as the *horse faces* or mamian/ because these were the faces of the fortress where the horses would pass through. It became extremely popular in the following Ming dynasty and stayed popular through the Qing dynasty through Manchurian rule—it’s been around for a long, long time! Mamianqun are more convenient for movement and offer a regal, classy aesthetic as well as a very recognizable and unique silhouette. Even Princess Diana wore one once! BASIC CONSTRUCTION OF A MAMIANQUN The Skirt Doors From the…

The fusion of tradition and fashion is making waves in China, and the Mǎmiàn skirt, a quintessential piece of traditional Chinese attire, is at the forefront of this trend.  On May 17th, "China’s Most Beautiful Costumes Series – The Five Colors of Mǎmiàn Skirts" was released in Shanghai, published by Donghua University Press. This groundbreaking scholarly book delves into the origins, evolution, and aesthetic significance of the Mǎmiàn skirt through literature, images, and physical artifacts.Jia Xizeng, the author of the book, an alumnus of Donghua University and a professor at Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts & Design, explained, “The Mǎmiàn skirt is a classic and highly representative style in traditional Chinese attire. Its history is long and distinguished, its appearance unique, its craftsmanship exquisite, and its functionality well-thought-out. It embodies the integration of beauty and utility in traditional Chinese dress, as well as the humanistic philosophy of expressing culture through clothing.” He clarified that the term “Mǎmiàn” does not refer to a horse’s face but to defensive structures like watchtowers and bastions that extend from city walls, forming T-shaped angles to eliminate blind spots and allow for multi-directional defense. The skirt’s pleated design resembles these structures, hence the name Mǎmiàn…

Recently, the popularity of Mamian Qun (horse face skirt) shows no sign of waning. On November 23rd, at the opening night of VOGUE Forces of Fashion, Tong Yao's appearance in a Mamian Qun caught the attention of netizens. Mamian Qun are gradually integrating into our vision and lives. In light of this trend, I believe many people are eagerly longing to own a horse-face skirt, so let us follow the Hanfu Shidai explore the details to consider when selecting and styling a horse face skirt.   I. Selection Stage Step 1: Size First and foremost, a suitable size that fits and contours to the body curves is crucial for a perfect outfit. Similar to a suit, one can choose to follow the size chart or opt for made-to-measure when selecting a Mamian Qun. Whether based on the size chart or personalized tailoring, the primary measurements to consider are height, waist circumference, and hip circumference. These factors will influence the choice of skirt length, waist length, and hem circumference. If we choose to purchase online, merchants often provide a size chart for customers to make their selection. By referring to the table, one can choose accordingly based on their own size…

Nowadays, the Mamian skirt is increasingly integrated into our sight and life. Under such a trend, many people are eager to own their desired Mamian skirt. Let's follow Hanfu Shidai and take a look at the details to consider during the process of selecting and styling a Mamian skirt. 1 - Selection Stage Step 1: Size Firstly, choosing the right size that fits the body curves is crucial for the perfect outfit. Like a suit, a Mamian skirt can be chosen according to a size chart or customized. Whether you are selecting from a size chart or opting for customization, the main standards to measure are height, waist, and hips. These measurements will influence the choice of skirt length, waist length, and sweep circumference. If we choose to shop online, sellers often provide a size chart for customers to make their selection. By comparing the chart, you can choose according to your size information. If opting for customization, you can first provide the seller with your waist, hip, and height information for reference. Then, based on your needs, negotiate with the tailor to decide the width of the skirt door, the length of the skirt waist, and the skirt length. Generally,…

Among the numerous garments of Hanfu, the most popular one is probably the Mamian skirt. As a clothing item full of ethnic style, the skirt is characterized by vibrant colors and unique patterns. Wearing it seems like traveling through time and experiencing the charm of traditional culture. In fact, the Mamian skirt is not a completely new design, its history can be traced back to a hundred years ago. Also known as Mamian pleated skirt, it was one of the main skirt styles for ancient Chinese women. It consists of four skirt doors, both front and back, overlapping in pairs. The outer skirt door is adorned with decorations, while the inner skirt door has fewer or no decorations. The Ma Mian Qun is pleated on the side, and the skirt waist is often made of white fabric, symbolizing a lifelong union. It is fastened with a rope or button. The design of the Mamian skirt highlights symmetry and streamlined shapes, emphasizing the curves of women and creating an elegant and dignified image for the wearer. The charm of the Mamian skirt has actually transcended national borders. At the banquet where Princess Diana was announced as the future royal bride in…

The Mamian Qun, or the horse-face skirt, is a traditional Chinese dress that has a long history and a rich culture, and its elegant and graceful style. However, in recent years, the Mamian Qun has undergone some changes and innovations, thanks to the creative efforts of some designers who have given it a modern twist. In this article, we will introduce you to eight modern Mamian Qun that are stunning and fashionable. These dresses combine the essence of tradition with the elements of innovation, creating a new trend of Chinese dress that you don’t want to miss.   Style 1 It features a simple design with a piece of leather buckle, which not only adds to the aesthetic appeal but also helps to keep the dress in place. The fabric used in this Mamian Qun is not prone to wrinkles, making it an ideal choice for those who prefer a neat and polished look. The pleat style is stable, ensuring that it retains its shape even after multiple washes. Furthermore, this Mamian Qun particularly striking in the way it reflects light, displaying a golden sheen that catches the eye and adds a touch of luxury.   Style 2 This Mamian…

The Mamian skirt pattern, as a traditional cultural element, is leading a new trend in the fashion world today. Its unique design and patterns showcase the elegance and temperament of ancient Han women, while also incorporating elements of modern fashion, making it a highly regarded focus in the fashion industry. Let us explore the structure, content, and trends of the Mamian skirt pattern in the fashion world. 01 Diversified Material Innovations In modern fashion, designers have applied the Mamian skirt pattern to various materials such as silk, cotton, chiffon, and blended fabrics. The Mamian skirt exhibits diverse styles and characteristics through material innovation, combining vintage flavor with a contemporary sense of fashion. This diversified material innovation injects new vitality and fashion trends into the Mamian skirt pattern.   02 Innovative Styles and Diversification Modern designers have retained the traditional Mamian skirt's basic structure and introduced many innovations. For example, the Mamian skirt can be paired with other garments such as t-shirts, shirts, or jackets to create a unique fashion style. Additionally, the Mamian skirt pattern can be incorporated into accessories such as handbags, shoes, or jewelry, adding unique highlights to the overall look.   03 Perfect Fusion of Tradition and…

Recently, the popularity of Mamian Qun (horse face skirt) shows no sign of waning. On November 23rd, at the opening night of VOGUE Forces of Fashion, Tong Yao's appearance in a Mamian Qun caught the attention of netizens. Mamian Qun are gradually integrating into our vision and lives. In light of this trend, I believe many people are eagerly longing to own a horse-face skirt, so let us follow the Hanfu Shidai explore the details to consider when selecting and styling a horse face skirt. Contents   I. Selection Stage Step 1: Size First and foremost, a suitable size that fits and contours to the body curves is crucial for a perfect outfit. Similar to a suit, one can choose to follow the size chart or opt for made-to-measure when selecting a Mamian Qun. Whether based on the size chart or personalized tailoring, the primary measurements to consider are height, waist circumference, and hip circumference. These factors will influence the choice of skirt length, waist length, and hem circumference. If we choose to purchase online, merchants often provide a size chart for customers to make their selection. By referring to the table, one can choose accordingly based on their own…

The Mamian skirt pattern, as a traditional cultural element, is leading a new trend in the fashion world today. Its unique design and patterns showcase the elegance and temperament of ancient Han women, while also incorporating elements of modern fashion, making it a highly regarded focus in the fashion industry. Let us explore the structure, content, and trends of the Mamian skirt pattern in the fashion world. 01 Diversified Material Innovations In modern fashion, designers have applied the Mamian skirt pattern to various materials such as silk, cotton, chiffon, and blended fabrics. The Mamian skirt exhibits diverse styles and characteristics through material innovation, combining vintage flavor with a contemporary sense of fashion. This diversified material innovation injects new vitality and fashion trends into the Mamian skirt pattern.   02 Innovative Styles and Diversification Modern designers have retained the traditional Mamian skirt's basic structure and introduced many innovations. For example, the Mamian skirt can be paired with other garments such as t-shirts, shirts, or jackets to create a unique fashion style. Additionally, the Mamian skirt pattern can be incorporated into accessories such as handbags, shoes, or jewelry, adding unique highlights to the overall look.   03 Perfect Fusion of Tradition and…

Nowadays, the Mamian skirt is increasingly integrated into our sight and life. Under such a trend, many people are eager to own their desired Mamian skirt. Let's follow Hanfu Shidai and take a look at the details to consider during the process of selecting and styling a Mamian skirt. 1 - Selection Stage Step 1: Size Firstly, choosing the right size that fits the body curves is crucial for the perfect outfit. Like a suit, a Mamian skirt can be chosen according to a size chart or customized. Whether you are selecting from a size chart or opting for customization, the main standards to measure are height, waist, and hips. These measurements will influence the choice of skirt length, waist length, and sweep circumference. If we choose to shop online, sellers often provide a size chart for customers to make their selection. By comparing the chart, you can choose according to your size information. If opting for customization, you can first provide the seller with your waist, hip, and height information for reference. Then, based on your needs, negotiate with the tailor to decide the width of the skirt door, the length of the skirt waist, and the skirt length. Generally,…

Among the numerous garments of Hanfu, the most popular one is probably the Mamian skirt. As a clothing item full of ethnic style, the skirt is characterized by vibrant colors and unique patterns. Wearing it seems like traveling through time and experiencing the charm of traditional culture. In fact, the Mamian skirt is not a completely new design, its history can be traced back to a hundred years ago. Also known as Mamian pleated skirt, it was one of the main skirt styles for ancient Chinese women. It consists of four skirt doors, both front and back, overlapping in pairs. The outer skirt door is adorned with decorations, while the inner skirt door has fewer or no decorations. The Ma Mian Qun is pleated on the side, and the skirt waist is often made of white fabric, symbolizing a lifelong union. It is fastened with a rope or button. The design of the Mamian skirt highlights symmetry and streamlined shapes, emphasizing the curves of women and creating an elegant and dignified image for the wearer. The charm of the Mamian skirt has actually transcended national borders. At the banquet where Princess Diana was announced as the future royal bride in…

Entering autumn, in addition to adapting to the weather, we also should change the style of clothes we wear. Temperatures in autumn are around 60% cold and 40% hot, because the sun doesn't last long and the weather tends to seem dark. It often rains but not heavily, when in early autumn there is a lot of fog that appears in the morning. So, warm clothes are more suitable to wear during this season. Now, the spread of hanfu is getting more and more widespread, and everyone can definitely see many people wearing hanfu in everyday life. Be it male or female, young or old, there are many people who wear Hanfu. So, what kind of hanfu should you wear in autumn? It's early fall, and the weather is a little cooler than summer, but not too cold. Therefore, hanfu worn in summer can still be worn today. For example, qixiong ruqun. In addition, Song dynasty hanfu, such as xuanqun, beizi, baidiequn, and others are also very suitable to be worn in autumn. When autumn is a little deeper, everyone can wear thicker hanfu. For example, the Ming dynasty hanfu which is very suitable to be worn in autumn. Of…

So you’ve built up a little bit of a collection, and you’re having a bit of a dilemma: With all this fabric hanging out in your closet, you’ve begun to run out of space. You don’t even know how to store these properly—and yet you want to buy more hanfu! Never fear; here’s a tried and true system that I and many other hanfu enthusiasts use to store our hanfu in a way that doesn’t harm the fabric and allows you to use your space most efficiently.   Skirts The easiest, most intuitive way to store your skirts is always going to hanging them. Look for these kinds of hangers that have strong clips on them, and try to choose ones that have larger, flatter clips so that they don’t leave marks on your skirt. To hang the skirt, fold the head of the skirt in thirds, then pull the ribbon out from the innermost side of the skirt. Clip the skirt head with the clips on the hanger, making sure that all three layers are clipped in, then pick up the ribbons together and loop them around the hanger’s hook so they don’t trail on the ground and get…

Apart from the traditional Hanfustyle, is there a more fashionable and trendy style of Hanfu? How to wear Hanfu in fashion? In fact, the answer is yes. Some of the styles of Hanfu have the same genes as fashion, so as long as they are matched with the right colors, they are suitable to be worn as fashion; it is also good to mix and match Hanfu items to create a fashionable mix of various styles. Han Time has brought us a few examples of this, take a look. Hottest style: "Song-style Xuan skirt" The Song-style Xuan skirt (宋制旋裙) is the most fashionable Hanfu suit available today. The narrow hem was excavated from the tomb of Huang Sheng in the Southern Song Dynasty, and the wide hem was excavated from the tomb of Zhou in the Southern Song Dynasty. The narrow hem is similar to the common pencil skirt nowadays, and can be easily managed in solid colors and atmospheric floral colors, while the wide hem is similar to pleated skirts and A-skirts, which can not only change the length but also evolve into many playful styles by applying denim and gingham. Easy to match style: "Mamian skirt" The Mamian…

Want to show off your enthusiasm in hanfu without looking too awkward or out of place? Try these tips! So you’ve been introduced into the world of hanfu culture, or maybe you’ve been part of the community for a while now. That’s great! Now, how do you plan to incorporate this beautiful aesthetic into your daily life? For the boldest of us, we might be willing to just directly start wearing full sets of hanfu onto the streets, but most of us probably aren’t willing to step so quickly into the deep end. Here are a few ways to show off this aesthetic in your daily life—unobtrusively enough that you won’t stand out too much, but definitely stylish enough to draw some appreciation! Hanyuansu / Modified Hanfu ( 漢元素 / 改良漢服 ) The first, most obvious option is hanyuansu. Hanyuansu or gailiang hanfu is the name given to modified hanfu—hanfu that has been modernized or changed in some way to match mainstream fashion more closely, whether just for the thrill of blending aesthetic or for practicality (i.e., pockets, shorter skirts, shorter sleeves). They resemble traditional hanfu (though technically all hanfu is modified a bit since we only have historical records…

Quju Robe This style of Han clothing comes from the Qin Dynasty to the Han Dynasty, also known as the round Lapel robe, which is usually defined as the robe made of deep clothes. It is characterized by a right Lapel with a cross collar. The end of the lapel is usually triangular in shape and is fixed by a tie around the back. So far, the unearthed objects are the Shan Rao Qu Ju robe from the Han Dynasty tomb of Mawangdui in Changsha, and its shape needs further study. Qixiong Ruqun Qixiong Ruqun is generally composed of a short upper Ruqu and a long chest skirt. It is also a variation of Ruqun, which is usually defined as a clothing system.Qixiong Ruqun is characterized by that the skirt is usually tied above the chest, and the chest strap can be tied in the center or the front and sides of the chest. Qixiong Ruqun was mainly popular during the Sui Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, and Five Dynasties. Today’s common forms are generally made with reference to the styles of the middle and late Tang Dynasty. In addition, the collar type of Qixiong Ruqun can be divided into two types:…

Since some time ago, Hanfu design has also gradually become templated, and most of the Hanfu we see now are classic color schemes coupled with the more common basic patterns in Hanfu, with less to give people a sense of surprise. But not all Hanfu is like this, in this issue we have found 4 sets of rare colorways Hanfu styles, which we hope will bring you a new visual experience.   The first set is a round neck robe with a Mamian skirt, round neck robe using a relatively light orange, looks very fresh, giving a very gentle feeling, robe collar with pearls around, robe body with gradient color embroidery and gradient color print embellishment. Mamian skirt used beige, in the skirt head is also added pearls, skirt hem to add fallen flowers treasure bead embroidery, walking like walking on flowers like an elegant fairy. In addition, you can add Xiapei as an accessory. The overall shape can set off the wearer more temperament, the two colors are a more soft, strong sense of girlhood.   If you like a more atmospheric style of Hanfu, you can choose this set of yellow and green color scheme Hanfu. The two…

When young consumers have fallen in love with hanfu, traditional culture and trendy fashion are on a collision course, setting off a time-traveling craze. As a carrier of traditional culture, hanfu has continued to spread explosively in recent years, gradually moving from a niche hobby to popular recognition, and creating a new consumer market of tens of billions of dollars. The beauty of hanfu: from a niche hobby to popular recognition Dong Yihan, who returned to Shanghai after studying in France, is an automotive engineer by day and a street performer by night. He is good at playing traditional musical instruments such as Di and Xiao, and even if the summer in Shanghai is hot, he insists on wearing a full set of hanfu when performing. The long robe is fluttering, and he wears it from the Seine to the Huangpu River. "Just as I want people to be able to enjoy a piece of ancient traditional music in its entirety, I also want to be able to present such a set of costumes in its entirety, which together form a 'Hanfu Style' as a whole." He said. Broadly speaking, hanfu is a system of traditional Chinese clothing and accessories…

Fear of cold in winter, but still want to wear beautiful hanfu, add a Pi Ao or Doupeng in your winter hanfu outfit, wind-resistant and warm.   LOOK1 Straight collar half-sleeve Pi Ao Gemstone velvet fabric, relatively soft, several colors are quite suitable for winter, the design is relatively simple, suitable for daily wear, can be matched with fashion dress.   LOOK2 Square/round collar Pi Ao Match with a Mamian Qun to easily reflect the temperament and gentle feeling.   LOOK3 Long square collar Pi Ao This cuffs hairy edge is also very winter feeling. As a jacket to wear inside can also wear thicker clothes, everyday and gentle!   LOOK4 Velvetted straight collar half-sleeve Pi Ao Red color really gives a very energetic feeling in winter. When it snows and New Year's Eve, it's perfect to wear. The cuffs fur edge is also cute!   LOOK5 Straight collar half-sleeve Pi Ao The style design is simple and generous, and can be easily matched with different Ming Dynasty dresses.   Doupeng style is more or less the same, if you feel that the ordinary thickness is not warm enough, you can choose thickened, so that even if it is snowing,…