Today we bring you a Hanfu dressing tutorial on wearing a Hezi. The Hezi (诃子) is one of the ancient Chinese women's undergarments, popular in the Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties.
Total Time: 10 minutes
What is a Hezi?
Before the Tang dynasty, undergarments had straps on the shoulders, but in the Tang dynasty, there appeared a kind of undergarment without straps, called “Hezi”. This was also determined by the shape of the outer garment: women in the Tang dynasty would tie the skirt high up at the bust, and then tie a wide belt at the lower part of the bust. The shoulders, upper chest and back are bare, and the undergarments are covered with a transparent veil, which makes the undergarments look like they are made of delicate and colorful fabrics. In order to accommodate such wearing habits, the underwear should be strapless.
According to the legend, the “Hezi” was invented by Yang Yuhuan when a general accidentally scratched her chest, and Yang Yuhuan feared the Emperor would find out. Then, Yang covered chests with a piece of embroidered cloth. Later, slowly, the Hezi also became popular among the people.
Step 1
Put the Qixiong dress on first.
Step 2
Take the front of Hezi and put it in the back.
Step 3
Pull out the inside lacing first and tie it to the other side of the edge.
Step 4
Then tie the remaining edge lacing to the other outer lacing.
Step 5
Take a deep breath, then start spinning the Hezi, turn the front of the Hezi to the front of your body.
Step 6
There is a little bit of displacement because of the rotation, and do some fine-tuning.
Tang Dynasty dress: Hezi Qun, Qixiong Shanqun.