Although women are the main group who enjoy wearing Hanfu today, men's love for Hanfu is no less than that of women. Most boys have a martial arts complex from their childhood, greatly admiring the heroes in ancient costume dramas. The men's Hanfu we see now has a similar style, looking both cool and handsome. Wearing it can make one feel very dashing and transform the wearer into a handsome gentleman. Moreover, these styles of Hanfu can also be worn by women to achieve a similar effect.
The market is predominantly focused on women's clothing; stores specializing in men's Hanfu or those dedicated to men's clothing account for only 35%, children's clothing for 0.98%, and wedding attire for 0.37%. Among the top 10 online stores, most specialize in women's Hanfu. In the online Hanfu market in 2018, women's clothing still holds a significant share in terms of quantity and value, and this proportion is increasing. On the other hand, men's clothing has a much smaller share but remains relatively stable. The market share for unisex clothing is low and declining. Therefore, among Hanfu merchants, those operating women's clothing dominate, while those focusing on men's and unisex clothing are much fewer. Data source: Publicly available information. Among Hanfu enthusiasts, the age group of 19-24 years old has the highest proportion at 52.4%. Compared to 2017, the proportion of all age groups under 8 years old has increased, especially the 16-18 age group.
Let me recommend some elegant and ethereal men's Hanfu! The recommended men's styles in this issue are all traditional and correctly styled, but they tend to be more expensive. (Men's clothing is not as popular as women's clothing, which is produced and sold more widely, so men's clothing is indeed more expensive). It's not that there is no men's Hanfu, but due to market demand, fewer merchants produce men's clothing. Additionally, personal attention to men's clothing is also less, so recommendations for men's clothing are fewer (plus, there are fewer male fans, so it gets postponed).
There are many descriptions of the styles during this period. The ruqun (upper garment and skirt) was generally very short, reaching only to the waist, while the skirt was long, extending to the ground. The ruqun is one of the main forms of women's clothing in China. From the Warring States period to the Ming dynasty, although the length and width varied over time, the basic style remained unchanged. Starting from the Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties, the differences between men's and women's Hanfu gradually became more pronounced, so the following discussion will focus separately on women's and men's clothing. The zaju (mixed skirts) for women began in the Han dynasty and flourished during the Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties. At that time, the traditional deep clothing style was no longer used by men but was still worn by some women. This type of clothing had significant differences compared to the Han dynasty, with the addition of “xian biao” (decorative elements). “Xian” refers to decorative items fixed at the bottom of the garment, usually made of silk, characterized by being wide at the top and pointed at the bottom, and layered. “Biao” refers to the ribbons extending from the skirt, which were often quite long.
Fei Yan Jing Long (The Swallow and the Dragon) is adapted from the famous novel by Wo Long Sheng. It is also the original version of Xin Xian He Shen Zhen. Zhu Rulan, played by Shi Si, was a romantic figure in martial arts for many. Her dashing men's attire and elegant women's attire left a deep impression. Back then, Er Dongsheng's youthful face had yet to be marked by time, and many hoped that the handsome couple in the drama would end up together. However, the plot ended abruptly just as they subtly expressed their feelings for each other. Although the special effects and costumes in this martial arts drama may seem poor by today's standards, it still retains its former glory.
In summary, I believe that these two styles can be worn together or separately, depending on personal preference. The revival of Hanfu aims to preserve and develop, with practicality in mind, rather than strictly adhering to all the inner layers of traditional Hanfu. One can wear ordinary home clothes underneath, making it convenient and practical, treating it like an outer coat. Also, why do most references come from women's clothing? The reason is simple: women's innate love for beauty has led to the most diverse development of women's clothing styles. This is true even in modern times, where there are far more women's clothing stores and styles than men's. Historically, women's clothing has been less influenced by external factors. Therefore, I believe that fashion changes originated from men's clothing but developed more extensively in women's clothing, with men's clothing seeing very little change.
The Hanfu Travel Day has just passed, and according to my understanding, most Hanfu events are concentrated on Saturdays and Sundays. We can imagine how many men wearing women's Hanfu will be seen on weekends. In fact, the development and revival of men's Hanfu have led to a significant number of men's Hanfu available in the market. However, excluding non-Hanfu Wei-Jin styles, the number of men's styles that young people like is very limited. I still want to recommend some directly purchasable men's styles, providing more options beyond women's clothing.
The banbi, also known as banshou, evolved from the Wei-Jin period and transformed into a waistband by the Ming dynasty. Its cultural name is a vest, which can be paired with a long dress. Ming Hanfu styles are divided into men's and women's, with many variations. Ming Hanfu refers to the clothing of the Ming dynasty, specifically the Hanfu of that period. The Ming dynasty was a significant period for the development of Hanfu. The following styles are divided into men's and women's, featuring characteristic long dresses and upper-lower clothing forms of the Ming dynasty. Ming women often wore a short waist skirt over their skirts for convenience, and there were also other styles such as waist-length skirts, double-breasted skirts, bags, and capes throughout history. Men's clothing includes pre-Qin period styles, various Ming-style deep clothing imitating Qin and Han, and round-necked robes inherited from the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties.
Compared to women's clothing, men's clothing has been more directly borrowed. In the past, men's clothing in Korean dramas was very loose, as seen in Dae Jang Geum. However, some men's clothing in Dae Jang Geum was simpler and imitated martial arts dramas, though it appeared less frequently. Dae Jang Geum is considered to respect local culture in terms of costumes. In contrast, the Korean drama Mother, contemporary to Dae Jang Geum, had more severe imitation of Chinese martial arts dramas, including the concept of martial arts movements, which were heavily influenced by Chinese martial arts dramas, such as bamboo forest fight scenes and the posture of exerting power with both hands behind the back. I haven't watched Mother, but even a brief segment revealed heavy imitation.
The banbi, also known as banshou, evolved from the Wei-Jin period and transformed into a waistband by the Ming dynasty. Its cultural name is a vest, which can be paired with a long dress. Ming Hanfu styles are divided into men's and women's, with many variations. Ming Hanfu refers to the clothing of the Ming dynasty, specifically the Hanfu of that period. The Ming dynasty was a significant period for the development of Hanfu. The following styles are divided into men's and women's, featuring characteristic long dresses and upper-lower clothing forms of the Ming dynasty. Ming women often wore a short waist skirt over their skirts for convenience, and there were also other styles such as waist-length skirts, double-breasted skirts, bags, and capes throughout history. Men's clothing includes pre-Qin period styles, various Ming-style deep clothing imitating Qin and Han, and round-necked robes inherited from the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties.