User:Xiang Jianning

Traditional dress: Horse -face skirt

Introduction The horse-faced skirt was one of the most popular and representative Chinese traditional clothing in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Its main features are as follows: Firstly, it shares a skirt waist, with two pieces overlapping in the middle, and the shape of the skirt front is a rectangular "horse face". Secondly, In the Ming Dynasty, the middle encircled pleats part of the horse-faced skirts are facing each other with two moveable pleats. Thirdly, the patterns of the horse-faced skirt are mainly concentrated at the hem of the skirt, and are gradually simplified from the bottom to the top. The pattern themes are all patterns with auspicious meanings and the patterns are combined with each other. The embroidery on the horse-face skirt is primarily concentrated on the skirt panels. The outer panels commonly feature auspicious beast patterns such as dragons, phoenixes, and qilin, symbolizing good fortune, nobility, and power. Floral motifs like peonies and lotuses represent beauty and purity, while geometric patterns such as key patterns and cloud motifs embody traditional aesthetic ideals.

1 History The horse-face skirt evolved from its rudimentary form in the Song Dynasty, through its standardization and peak in the Ming Dynasty, to its fusion and transformation in the Qing Dynasty. After experiencing decline in modern times, it has now witnessed a cultural resurgence in the contemporary era. Its developmental journey profoundly mirrors China’s social transformations, ethnic cultural exchanges, and the evolution of traditional aesthetic values in clothing.

1.1 Xuan Skirt of the Song Dynasty Meng Hui points out in The Slit Skirt that the xuan skirt (旋裙, xuánqún) of the Song Dynasty shares a developmental connection with the horse-face skirt. Its split-crotch design (缺胯结构, quēkuà jiégòu) is considered the prototype of the horse-face skirt's structure. The fundamental construction of the Song Dynasty xuan skirt—characterized by overlapping front and back panels that mutually cover each other—closely resembles the panel arrangement of the horse-face skirt, thus establishing it as the latter's precursor. 1.2 Horse-Face Skirt of the Yuan Dynasty By the Yuan Dynasty, the form of the xuan skirt had become relatively standardized. As clearly discernible in the simplified drawings of female attendant figurines unearthed from a Yuan Dynasty tomb in Baoji, key design elements of the Yuan xuan skirt included being wrapped and fastened at the waist-high position, featuring overlapping front panels, a split-crotch structure, and pleated side sections.

1.3 Horse-Face Skirt of the Ming Dynasty Early Ming Dynasty: The form of the horse-face skirt, inheriting the legacy of previous dynasties, began to take definitive shape. Both its artistic expression and stylistic features exhibited a sense of rustic simplicity and naturalness. From the perspective of motifs and decoration, the patterns on Ming horse-face skirts were exquisitely intricate, with diverse designs arranged in orderly horizontal band-like formations. The Formative Period: The Ming Dynasty marked the formative period of the horse-face skirt. Building upon the foundation of the Song and Yuan xuan skirt, Ming women's skirts retained the central "mamian" panel structure. This evolved into a style featuring functional pleats on both sides and smooth, unpleated panel surfaces at the front and back centers. The number of pleats typically numbered in the dozens, and these pleats were characteristically wide and functional (活褶, huó zhě). Ming Dynasty clothing followed the upper-lower garment system (上衣下裳制, shàngyī xiàcháng zhì). As a quintessential lower garment within this system, the horse-face skirt manifested in distinct categories and styles. Zhongguo Fushi Shi (History of Chinese Costume), co-authored by Chen Zhihua and others, documents lower garments of the Ming era. Among them, Phoenix-tail skirts (凤尾裙, fèngwěi qún), Moonbeam skirts (月华裙, yuèhuá qún), Happiness-union skirts (合欢裙, héhuān qún), and Hundred-pleated skirts (百褶裙, bǎizhě qún) are all recognized within modern classification as variations of the horse-face skirt.

1.4 Horse-Face Skirt of the Qing Dynasty Upon entering the Qing Dynasty, the horse-face skirt became daily wear for women. While inheriting Ming traditions, Qing horse-face skirts placed greater emphasis on border craftsmanship, incorporating lan-gan decorative borders (襕干边) or multi-layered trims to enhance visual depth and richness. The skirt reached its zenith during the Qing era, establishing itself as both the quintessential and iconic garment for women in daily life. Furthermore, Qing horse-face skirts exhibited remarkable diversity in form, with styles such as Moonbeam skirts (月华裙), Fish-scale skirts (鱼鳞裙), and Hundred-pleated skirts (百褶裙) showcasing exceptional innovation and technical mastery. In terms of color and ornamentation, these skirts featured intensely vivid hues and elaborate decorative motifs, creating visually dazzling and intricate presentations. Structurally, the skirt consisted of two identical panels. When worn, the waistband’s buttons or ties were fastened at the front. Notably, the waistband was predominantly white—a color symbolizing the marital blessing of "lasting union" (白头偕老, báitóu xiélǎo).

Terms and Expressions

The horse-faced skirt 马面裙  Moonbeam skirts  月华裙 Fish-scale skirts  鱼鳞裙 Happiness-union skirts 合欢裙 Hundred-pleated skirts 百褶裙 xuan skirt 旋裙  lan-gan decorative borders 襕干边 the upper-lower garment system 上衣下裳制 reached its zenith 盛极一时 border craftsmanship 镶边工艺 symbolizing the marital blessing of 'lasting union 白头偕老之意 functional pleats on both sides 两边打褶 Split-crotch design 缺胯结构

References

[1]BAO Shuyi,Guo Tianjiao 鲍殊易，郭天娇《传统马面裙形制结构考释及其现代设计思辨》【An analysis of the traditional horse-face skirt structure and its modern design】，丝绸2025(02) [2] JIA Xizeng 贾玺增《中国古代马面裙研究——兼论清华大学艺术博物馆藏马面裙》【Study on ancient Chinese horse-faced skirt——on the horse-faced skirt in the Art Museum of Tsinghua University】，东华大学学报（社会科学版）：2023（01） [3] CHEN Zhihua陈志华, 朱华.中华服饰史[M].北京：中国纺织出版社, 2008.

传统裙装：马面裙 引言： 马面裙是明清时期流行最广泛、最具代表性的中国传统服装之一，其主要特征为：第一，共用一个裙腰，采用中间交叠的二片式结构，裙门外形为长方形的“马面”;第二，明代马面裙裙身中间打活褶，活褶中间为“合抱褶”。第三：马面裙的纹样主要集中在裙摆的位置，下部花样繁复而向上逐步简化，纹样题材都是具有美好寓意的纹样并且纹样间相互组合。 马面裙的刺绣主要集中在裙门处，外裙门的刺绣常见的有龙凤、麒麟等瑞兽图案，象征着吉祥如意、权力尊贵;也有牡丹、莲花等花卉图案寓意着美好、纯洁；还有一些回纹、云纹等几何图案体现了传统的审美观念。 1马面裙的历史起源与发展 马面裙从宋代的雏形，到明代的定型与鼎盛，再到清代的融合演变，经历了近代的衰落，最终在当代迎来了文化复兴。它的发展历程深刻反映了中国社会变迁、民族文化交流以及传统服饰审美的演变。 1.1宋代旋裙 孟晖在《开衩之裙》中指出，宋代的旋裙与马面裙存在着渊源关系，其缺胯结构被认为是马面裙结构的雏形。宋代旋裙的基本结构与马面裙裙门前后交掩、叠搭的结构类同，故被视为马面裙的雏形。[1] 图1 宋代黄褐色绢印靛蓝小点花裙

1.2 元代马面裙 至元代，旋裙的形制已相对固定，从宝鸡元墓出土的女侍俑简图中可以清楚地观察到元代旋裙围系、交掩、缺胯、打褶设计元素（如图2）。 图2 陕西宝鸡元墓出土的女侍俑

1.3明代马面裙 明代初期，服饰制度承袭前朝遗风的马面裙形制初具雏形，无论是艺术形态还是款式特征都展现朴素自然之感。从纹样与装饰的角度，明代马面裙的纹样精妙绝伦，各式纹样以横向带状的形态有序铺陈。 明代是马面裙的成型期。明代女裙在宋元时代旋裙的基础上保留了“马面”,出现了两侧打褶前后中部为光面的款式，褶裥数目大多在数十条，且褶裥较为宽大的活褶。[1] 明代服饰在形制上沿袭上衣下裳制，马面裙作为下裳中的典型服饰，有着不同的种类及样式。陈志华等编著的《中国服饰史》中有提及明代下裳服饰。其中，凤尾裙、月华裙、合欢裙和百褶裙都是如今所说的马面裙。[3] 图3《明宪宗元宵行乐图》中身穿马面裙的后妃们

图4 驼黄色织金暗花缎凤穿牡丹斓单裙

1.3清代马面裙 进入清代后，马面裙成为清代女子的日常着装。清代马面裙在继承明代传统的基础上，更加注重镶边工艺，增加了襕干边或多重镶边，增添了视觉的层次丰富性。马面裙到了清代盛极一时，成为清代女性日常和标志性服装款式。此外，清代马面裙的形制也是琳琅满目，出现了如月华裙、鱼鳞裙、百褶裙等形制，展现了颇为高超的创新性与工艺水平。在色彩和装饰纹样方面，清代马面裙的色彩与装饰纹样浓重艳丽、纷繁复杂，在视觉呈现上极为绚烂繁目。它由两片相同的裙片组成，穿着时需要将裙腰上的扣子或绳系好。清代马面裙裙腰部分多用白色，取“白头偕老”之意。[2] 图4 清代杏红暗花绸地绣牡丹蝴蝶纹马面裙

图5 清代酱紫缎地三蓝绣侧裙