Samfu means shirt and trousers, also called samku in mandarin, is based on traditional female costumes worn in ancient China. Some of the most popular samfu styles are from the Song, Ming, and Qing eras.
Those who have studied China traditional clothing say it is a turning point in history and reflects the change of ancient Chinese women's life and social status, before the appearance of samfu, women rarely wore pants outside.
Traditional Samfu Suit
Now we know that it's a traditional light suit consisting of a shirt (or a jacket) with a high collar and loose trousers/pants, worn by ancient Chinese women.
It's the first time that Chinese people has been able to create samfu suit in Song dynasty. The traditional samfu's top, inheriting the style of Tang dynasty clothing, dignified and retro style, beautiful and pure, which makes ladies feel extremely comfortable and natural. Put on this exquisite shirt, decorate the charming woman, show an unspeakable beauty of graceful.
Traditional samfu's pants consist of colorfully embroidered patterns and peplum; not long afterwards, loose-fitting, solid color simple style pants became popular nationwide – is very similar to the current wide-leg pants
Samfu vs Hanfu
Hanfu, also known as Hanzhuang, is the historical dress of the Han Chinese people. Over thousands of years, the Han people created brilliant Hanfu culture with their wisdom.
So, does samfu belong to hanfu?
The early style is indeed come from the songku style of hanfu costume. The Song dynasty was a big one for samfu; researchers in the field believe that industry enters a new phase in this era.
The songku suit of Hanfu has a light, thin shirt, and casual pants. Unlike samfu, its top is also loosely designed, and the front of the shirt is tied with two straps.
Modern songku hanfu is very popular today
“I cannot say enough about how awesome hanfu songku is! It fit absolutely perfectly! The first time, I wore this to my office and got so many compliments. Although it has a long history, I didn't have to do any alterations. The design is perfect, fits well, casual and fashion. I will gladly buy different versions of this, and wear them every day; it's beautiful clothing!” – Saki, a fashion media worker, live in Shanghai.
Samfu vs Cheongsam
Cheongsam (also call Qipao, a Chinese-styled long gown), slim cutting design with stand collar, was a typical dress for women in last century. Wearing Chinese silk dresses with their hair pulled back tightly into neat buns, the hostesses are beautiful and elegant, Reuters commended.
To wear one-piece cheongsam instead of skirts, it is undoubtedly a marvelous revolution in the wearing history of neoteric China. As Western fashions changed, the basic cheongsam design changed too, introducing high-necked top, and the black lace fabric.
There is no doubt that cheongsam has the most important influence on samfu. A cheongsam-style top and casual pants make up the most classic form and become the daily clothes of Chinese women in the past 100 years.
Vintage Chinese elements, classic binding of the sleeve design, not only more delicate sense but also let the arm look slimmer. Besides, with the design of small vents on both sides, combined with the silhouette of nipped waists, it implicitly reveals the beautiful curve of waistband. The silk fabric exudes a soft luster, showing a little luxurious quality of life.
Samfu vs Tang Suit
The integration of classical and modern taste creates today's popularity of Tang Suit. The feature of national clothing embodies its culture, Tang Suit, along with the thoughts and self-identity of the nation that it contains will be everlasting.
Although Tang suits were originally designed for men, this is not the reason why girls can't try new styles. In this case, according to the figure of Chinese women, they made a slim cut, and the women's version, tang-style samfu showed up, suddenly been loved by many women.
Like hanfu, it has become part of the bridal vernacular. Many brides who opt for traditional gowns for the ceremony switch up their look for the reception with chic, modern samfu suit.
“It's to propagate China's traditional culture,” said a young girl, at an event to mark the Chinese equivalent of Valentine's Day in Beijing last month.
Where to Buy Samfu?
Looking like she has just stepped off the set of a Chinese historical drama, in this samfu photography, the model is wearing an ancient dynasty-style dress with Beautiful makeup and jewelry.
Except admire, when we see these gorgeous oriental beauty pictures, there is always an idea in our mind to try this style.
As we know from the previous content, samfu is not unchangeable and doesn't have a standard form.
So it's easy to try one – you only need a traditional Chinese top, such as Hanfu shirt, Qipao, Tang jacket, Zhongshang suit, and then put on a daily wide-leg pants, it's done. You can even pair it with jeans, which may look more fashionable.
You can find different kinds of style in the nearest Chinatown. These Chinese style clothing store can customize a suitable suit according to your size. Or you can buy samfu online, sometimes you could get many new arrivals on sale, and they will ship it to your door quickly, and its price is cheap.
What does Samfu Mean?
Samfu is not only a traditional Chinese women's clothing but also a typical combination of Chinese and Western culture.
From the historical development of Samfu, we can see that the influence of western culture makes this kind of clothing form constantly innovate and keep up with the times.
The younger guys are treating various garments more as an integrated part of their wardrobe – pairing jackets or pants with traditional elements for distinctly personal looks.
Fashion samfu has come closer to people with the introduction of social media that can reach the youth of the world. It brings a different experience to people's normal life.