Li Xiaolu in a popular Tang-styled shirt and a breast-height dress

The upcoming drama Beauties’ World about pre-Empress times of China’s only female ruler Wu Zetian also sheds light on a type of dresses now rare on screen – the then popular style of  breast-height dress + shirt combination. The few times they’re seen, they’re often mistaken for the Korean Hanbok that is more similar to the styles of the later Ming dynasty. Although this style is definitely not on the list of my favorite styles of traditional Chinese styles, Yu Zheng’s costume designers does a beautiful job of making them look good.

Below is some of my favorite outfits in the drama, and a short discussion of my limited knowledge of the traditional elements behind them. It’s a bit unfortunate that some of my favorite ones, especially Zhang Meng’s sparkly pink and Yang Mi’s bright yellow outfits, aren’t photographed, but you can see them in the trailer here. Which dress is your favorite?

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