Recently, the new drama styling of Meng Ziyi has sparked quite a controversy. This large neckline design that reveals the collarbone, which we seemed to only see in early costume dramas, is popular again. In fact, this design isn't just in TV dramas but also in ancient - style photo studios everywhere. Some people even deliberately lower the collar to show their collarbones and camisoles. This somewhat revealing image is more like 'border - crossing' rather than creating an ancient - style atmosphere.
Does this way of dressing really exist? First, there were indeed wide - necked robe designs in the Qin and Han dynasties, used as outerwear when layering. Later, during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, it was mainly applied to ruqun (a traditional Chinese women's clothing style), a transition from the shallow cross - collar to the front - closing collar similar to that in the Tang Dynasty. However, this way of dressing was revealing but not alluring, having nothing to do with border - crossing.
How wide could the necklines be in the Qin and Han dynasties? The side width of the neckline of the straight - skirted robe N10 in the Mashan Chu Tomb was 43 centimeters, quite open. But when worn, it was for layering, showing the collars of the inner layers one by one. Also, the upper garment piece would be pulled down and backward to facilitate the wrapping of the front flap. The actual effect was still closer to the regular neckline. The necklines of the ruqun (robes) in the Northern and Southern Dynasties also had such a width and sometimes just exposed the inner body armor, similar to the large necklines in current TV dramas, but this was limited to the upper - and - lower - separated ruqun, not the full - length robes. Earlier, the background dynasty of Ju Jingyi's Flower in the Mirror was relatively close to this style, but the pattern was not very good.
Regarding the origin in TV dramas, the way of wearing open necklines first appeared in TV dramas with a Tang - style background. Later, similar large - open necklines also appeared in dramas with a Qin and Han - style background. Since then, the 'large - open neckline' has been continuously reused and mixed in the styles of different dynasties in TV dramas and has become a 'trend'. Compared with the 'Qin and Han - style' in early TV dramas, the aesthetics were relatively on - point. Although there might not have been as many choices of materials and craftsmanship as now, at least the structure reflected the solemn and rigorous dressing principles of the Qin and Han styles.
TV dramas have directly affected the photography industry and people's understanding of clothing culture. Now, in some photo studios offering Warring States - style robes and Qin and Han - style shoots, merchants will do anything to achieve the effect. They can pull the necklines of the robes to almost the same level and even expose the camisoles inside. This is probably to cater to the public's taste influenced by TV dramas, resulting in a style that is neither Han nor Tang. It's obvious how much TV dramas can affect daily life. Now, some merchants even bring out the old style and forcefully add words like'restored/Hanfu/Warring States - style robe' to the product names, misleading the public.
Besides being influenced by popular TV dramas, this way of wearing with a lowered neckline actually destroys the structure of the robe. Although Hanfu has a large allowance and can be adjusted and reshaped, to some extent, pulling the upper garment will definitely affect the shape of the hem, making it easier to create a visual effect of wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. When wearing it front - opening, it's also easy to expose the underskirt. In some Hanfu photography, forcing a robe with a normal pattern to look like a bathrobe not only lacks the classical charm but also seems a bit border - crossing.
Of course, everyone has the freedom to dress as they like. After reading this, I hope everyone won't think that the Qin and Han style is all about wearing open necklines to expose the collarbones. This article is to let everyone have some understanding of the original way of wearing. After all, costume dramas are just costume dramas. If you want to deeply understand clothing culture from them, you're very likely to be misled and need to have the basic ability to distinguish. So, next time you see those trendy necklines, take a step back and think about the real traditional clothing styles.
