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November 21, 2024

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Chinese wedding gowns make a splash

By Wu Huixin | 00:00 UTC+8 November 21, 2024 | Print Edition

WEDDING dresses, which evolve in tandem with fashion trends, have been essential to wedding ceremonies and a reflection of society’s shifting demographics.

The China National Silk Museum is holding an exhibition featuring wedding outfits dating back to the 1950s. Visitors can see the changing aesthetics and how designers have drawn inspiration from ancient culture before incorporating modern features to produce a series of costumes that represent the lifestyle of a new era.

In ancient times, brides wore fengguan, or phoenix crowns, at weddings. However, when women were repressed and denied the right to choose their own marriages, such ornate accessories were seen as the epitome of feudalism.

When the government enacted the first marriage law in 1950, traditional wedding dress and etiquette changed. Freedom of love and autonomy in marriage became the norm. People gradually preferred dresses with simple, uncomplicated designs that did not reveal gender identities.

During the transition, brides continued to dress in traditional qipao during ceremonies. The figure-hugging one-piece garment, usually made of brocade, gauze or embroidered silk, has long been regarded as the embodiment of femininity.

The style at the time included stand-up collars, trumpet sleeves, straight lines and little slide slits. The designs were loose and did not conform to the contours of women’s bodies.

Since China implemented the reform and opening-up policies in the late 1970s, wedding dresses have seen significant modifications as Western bridal gowns became more prevalent throughout the country.

Designers even began to combine Western fashion aspects with Chinese aesthetics, producing body-hugging gowns with large sliding slits that highlighted body shapes.

Western-style fur jackets and cloaks have been mixed in with traditional qipao. Sleeves were often puffed with folds, as in the West, but collars, sliding slits and buttons were made traditionally, as the exhibits demonstrate.

As the fashion industry evolved, more avant-garde designers began to incorporate contemporary trends into traditional gowns. In recent years, Chinese imperial-style gowns with phoenix designs and intricate peony patterns, as well as traditional auspicious clouds, have been popular.

These motifs were reserved for empresses in ancient times because they symbolized supremacy. Now, they are frequently seen at weddings.

Some Chinese brides today prefer a ceremonial wedding dress with phoenix embroidery rather than a modern Western outfit.

A dress designed by Guo Pei is an example. Guo, a well-known haute couture designer who is popular among Chinese actresses, adapted an old wedding gown to create a dress with phoenix tail-shaped hems, a nipped-in waist that emphasizes the woman’s body curves, and a voluminous skirt that reaches below the ankles.

Compared to other embroidery styles in the Yangtze River Delta, Guo’s design uses vividly colored thread and brocade, which shares certain similarities with equivalents around the country but is distinguished by gold and silver thread outlines.

Many ethnic minorities have maintained their customs for generations, regardless of changing tastes. The display also features bridal outfits by Tujia (土家), Miao (苗), Dong (侗), and Yi (彝).

Tujia, who live primarily in Hunan, Hubei and Guizhou provinces, are known for weaving thick cotton strands into brocade. The boldness of the threads makes the garments appear to be made of thousands of pixels. Animals, flowers and everyday objects serve as inspiration for Tujia craftmakers.

Miao-style coats feature a mythology about the genesis of humans. Butterflies and birds are popular totems connected with life. Some symmetrical embroidery depicts birds and butterflies combining to incubate humans.

Dong, another minority in southwest China, has its own style of wedding dresses. Local artisans etched immortals, flowers and auspicious designs onto the silver accessories and garments. The garment jingles and glows as the person moves.

The Yi people in Sichuan Province wear sheepskin bridal capes. Whether it’s winter or summer, such capes help individuals deal with extreme temperatures in hilly areas. Ceremonial gowns not only reflect a minority group’s culture but also highlight the surrounding natural landscape.

 

Date: Through February 28 (closed on Mondays)

Address: 73-1 Yuhuangshan Rd

Hangzhou


 

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