LOOK2: Original ethnic costumes are not for daily wear but for the impressive visual effect in photographs. Therefore, in ancient costume dramas, besides Hanfu, there are also some excellent original national costumes. These modern ancient costumes designed under the influence of Eastern aesthetics and classical styles have the main feature of meeting the requirements of TV series while exuding classical charm. The costumes in “Knowing Whether or Not” come from classical Chinese painting designs, with styles derived from Hanfu. The combination presents a clean and refreshing yet classically flavored appearance. The silhouette is neat but full of Eastern charm, the fabric has texture, and the style is high-end.
Ancient and elegant summary of costumes in ancient costume movies: Hong Kong and Taiwan's ancient costume dramas interpret the cheap studio style. After seeing the makeup photos, netizens instantly understood the gap between Taiwanese and mainland ancient costume dramas today. The leading actress Shao Yawei's red costume looks more perfunctory, as if it was bought from a special sale on Taobao, just a thin layer. Taiwanese idol God He Junxiang also started acting in Taiwanese ancient costume dramas last year, starring in the ancient romance drama “Heavenly Patrol” with Shao Yawei. They play Zhong Kui and Meng Po respectively, but looking at their makeup photos, it's hard to tell their character settings. Their costume photos together look more like cheap studio photos. He Junxiang's hairstyle seems to be inspired by Mei Changsu from “Nirvana in Fire.” Although the design is simple and the colors are similar, the texture of their costumes is far apart. He Junxiang's wig is also a low-quality version, with a very obvious edge of glue.
“Women dressing as men” is an old trope that appears in many ancient costume dramas. There were quite a few in 2020's ancient costume dramas, such as “The Lady's Book of Luminous Insects,” “Sweet Wife Medical Examiner,” and “Pretty Scholar,” all of which revolve around “women dressing as men.” However, most of them can be easily identified as women; only the heroine's male disguise in “Lady Prince” makes people think she is a “man.” Below are nine heroines' “women dressing as men” transformations in 2020's ancient costume dramas! Ju Jingyi in “Pretty Scholar” looks fake, while Tan Songyun in “Under the Armor” is handsome and cute!
Lan Di was criticized by many after starring in the ancient costume drama “Dreaming Back to the Qing Dynasty” because her ancient costume did not make her look beautiful, and she seemed to have gained a lot of weight. This Lan Di looked completely different, bearing no resemblance to the goddess she once was, and she looked even uglier in candid photos. Therefore, many people felt that among all the heroines, Lan Di was the only one without the protagonist's halo and that she was not suitable for ancient costumes. But recently, netizens discovered that Lan Di, after wearing Hanfu, successfully made a comeback, beautiful beyond bounds.
With the improvement of people's living standards and aesthetic appreciation, the television industry has also ushered in a scene of flourishing flowers. Ancient idol dramas have become the audience's favorite due to their high-quality content and beautiful costumes and makeup. Although there were no particularly popular ancient costume dramas this year due to the pandemic, previous well-received dramas such as “Knowing Whether or Not, It Should Be Green Fattening and Red Thinning” and “Glory of the Tang Dynasty” still remain fresh in the audience's mind thanks to the good Chinese-style Hanfu costumes worn by the protagonists in the dramas, even being exported overseas. So how did the Hanfu costumes of the heroines in these two dramas amaze the audience and make them unforgettable?
The recently popular ancient costume drama “Springtime Dreamer” stars Peng Xiaoran and Ding Yuxi, both of whom are highly compatible with ancient costumes. Especially Peng Xiaoran in “Eastern Palace” was so beautiful that it left a lasting impression. However, the costumes in “Springtime Dreamer” have been criticized. Netizens criticized the heroine Peng Xiaoran's costumes in the drama, even saying they were not as good as the costumes of maids in the neighboring drama “Flower Liuli Chronicles.” Below are nine highly praised “ancient costume heroines” costumes in 2023! Yang Chaoyue in “Heavy Purple” is beautiful, Yang Mi in “Huyao Xiao Hongniang” is dreamy, Zhao Lusi and Tian Xiyi are sweet and lovely, Liu Shishi in “Yearning for Guanshan” is truly ancient!
In recent times, the phenomenon of South Korean ancient costume dramas copying Chinese ancient costume elements has become increasingly serious, with frequent reports about it online. Recently, netizens exposed that the upcoming large-scale South Korean ancient costume drama “Korean Demon Hunter” has copied the Hanfu costume design, almost replicating the costume design of “The New Legend of White Snake” starring Ju Jingyi. The flowing headbands tied in the hair of the heroine in ancient Korean dramas always seem out of place. Traditional Korean headwear also includes headbands, but they are usually thicker. Now making them like the flowing headbands seen in Chinese ancient costumes is really too incongruous.
“Women dressing as men” is an old trope that appears in many ancient costume dramas. There were quite a few in 2020's ancient costume dramas, such as “The Lady's Book of Luminous Insects,” “Sweet Wife Medical Examiner,” and “Pretty Scholar,” all of which revolve around “women dressing as men.” However, most of them can be easily identified as women; only the heroine's male disguise in “Lady Prince” makes people think she is a “man.” Below are nine heroines' “women dressing as men” transformations in 2020's ancient costume dramas! Ju Jingyi in “Pretty Scholar” looks fake, while Tan Songyun in “Under the Armor” is handsome and cute!
Although costumes in current ancient costume dramas have become increasingly exquisite and props can vary widely, actors' appearances still significantly influence a drama's impact, as we live in an era where appearance matters. Besides appearance, acting skills are also crucial, as relying solely on appearance alone is difficult to support a work. The word “beautiful” is often used to describe actresses in ancient costume dramas, but when male actors “become beautiful,” their appearance can sometimes surpass that of the heroine or supporting female characters. For example, male actors with curly hair in ancient costume dramas are still “alluring,” with unmatched beauty.
Popular idol Lu Han also has works in ancient costume dramas. Everyone surely cannot forget Chen Changsheng, a gentleman with a gentle demeanor. This Beijing native also surprises us when he acts in ancient costume dramas, showing no less charm when acting opposite the heroine. After Chen Changsheng, Lu Han has not filmed any ancient costume dramas, but we are still looking forward to his performances. Recently, “Rebel Lu” has been busy with Audemars Piguet's journey and watching Manchester United. Regardless of whether he will act in ancient costume dramas in the future, we always look forward to every role Lu Han plays.