Looking to get into the Taobao shops? These are some good jumping-off points!
For those starting out in hanfu, looking for your first set or first few sets can be kind of intimidating. There are so many options, and so many place you can get them from—how do you choose something trustworthy and in your budget? hanfuhouse is a great place to start, but for those who want to expand to looking for hanfu on the taobao market, fear not, for I've compiled a list of what I think are the best taobao shops for beginners to start shopping at!
– Luo Shen Ji ($)
Full of classic silhouettes and light, flowy patterns with vibrant pastel color schemes and layers of sheer fabric, is a great option for someone's first or second hanfu, if you want to start out with something a bit more basic. You can find lots of great ethereal and cute choices in this shop with some pretty hard-to-beat price points, and it's a perfect place to get some foundations down with the most basic silhouettes—ruqun, aoqun, yuanlingpao, etc.—before you start expanding into the more niche kinds of hanfu.
Some sets are more expensive than others, but I put it at the lowest price category because they also have some beautiful sets below 200rmb. They also have a wide selection of children's hanfu, if anyone wants to dress up with their child.
– Hua Shen Ji ($)
Perfect for those on a budget, offers a variety of colorful designs from the Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties with incredible prices. Also a great place to find basics, their fabrics are surprisingly good quality for their price points and feature some beautiful prints with really colorful designs on them. Great for the inner girly girl, there's plenty of shimmery pleats and flowing sleeves to go around here!
– Liu Yan Xi Ling ($$)
This shop offers a variety of styles in a range of colors, often classy yet ethereal. Many of their pieces are either cool-toned white or pastel with light accents or black with bolder colored details. The ombre on a lot of their skirts, as well as the many-layered style and delicate details in the patterns on their fabric, are an absolutely beautiful trademark. They sell everything from more traditional women's Ming dynasty hanfu to men's modified hanyuansu, and have a massive variety of selections for everyone.
– Chi Xia ($$)
is probably best known for its hanyuansu, or modified hanfu, but it's got such a variety of them that range between extremely modernized and still mostly traditional, plus it's so popular and unique, that I had to include it on this list. Many of their designs feature bright, contrasting colors with very nice color schemes and intricate edge embroidery paired with simple base layers.
Lots of Song-style sets and very easy to move around in for those who aren't as used to handling life through meter-long sleeves or floor-length skirts, these make great entry-level hanfu for those just wanting to try out the style and see if they like it.
– Nan Ya Ji ($$)
If you're more interested in traditional-looking hanfu, is perfect for you. Filled with Ming dynasty styles with some Song and Tang dynasty flair, these stick pretty close to the traditional silhouettes and give off a very prominent elegant-lady-in-ancient-China style.
This is also a great place for cute accessories like embroidered bags and underskirts—they're offered in a lot of different shops, but buying hanfu and accessories from the same one can sometimes get you discounts.
– Bai Lu Shi ($$)
Another really popular shop for ethereal designs in more natural-looking colors, lends itself to elegant, angelic womenswear with smooth silhouettes and lots of layers. Most of their clothing is pretty well-priced and most closely resemble Song dynasty styles, though there are also quite a few chest-high ruqun that they offer that look closer to Tang dynasty styles.
They also have a great selection of unique hanyuansu. Most of their designs feature simple colors with embroidery and lots of layers, and it's a great choice for those looking to start incorporating hanfu into daily wear or those looking for their second or third set.
– Chong Hui Han Tang ($$$)
This is one of the most popular hanfu shops on Taobao, but one with what I think are more bold and unique designs. These are in the higher price range, and probably count as brand-name hanfu, but occasionally they do release a few lower-priced pieces that can be bought for under $50USD. The distinctiveness of their designs also make individually ordered pieces that can be incorporated as an accent piece into other outfits a choice.
This shop features a lot of darker colors, with a slightly edgier style and a good selection of men's hanfu as well as hanyuansu. This shop is a good choice for those a little more experienced with hanfu who want something bold and fashion-foward to stand out against the crowd.
– Ting Lan Song ($$$)
One of my favorite shops, this one is great for people looking for more down-to-earth or realistically styled hanfu with more natural-looking fabric and textures. Earthy or jewel toned colors and thicker fabrics in clay red and moss green are abundant in this shop. Some products again run higher in price than others, but offers a good range of low priced products as well, and individual pieces are perfect for incorporating into outfits, either other hanfu or just daily wear, inconspicuously.
These are only a few examples of reputable shops on Taobao, and there are plenty more out there—the sky's the limit. Remember to share on hanfuhouse when you get your first step, wherever it's from, and good luck to you on your shopping journey!
