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Home , Attitude (heraldry), Mandarin collar, Mandarin square

\ ,,.. ADAPTATION OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE DESIGN DETAILS

TO MODERN WESTERN ,WORLD APPAREL

A THESIS

SUBHITTED IN PARTil\L FULFILL~'!ENT OF THE REQUIRE!v1ENTS

FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN CLOTHING

AND TEXTILES IN THE ·GRADUATE SCH.OOL OF- 'rHE

TEXAS WOHAN'S UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF NUTRITION,

TEXTILES, AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

BY

SOPHIA CHING-HSIN CHANG, B.A.

DENTON, TEXJ.\.S

MAY, 1982 @ All Rights Reserved Copyright, 1982 Sophia Ching-Hsin Chang The author wishes to extend her sincere appreciation

to those whol, made this study possible:

To Dr. Clarice Garrett, chairman of her committee, for

her patience, guidance and assistance throughout the devel­

opment and completion of this study;

To Dr. Charles Riggs and Mrs. Winifred Williams for

serving on the committee;

To her parents for their love, support and encourage- ment.

',,

iii TABLE OF CO~TENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. . . . ~ ...... iii LIST OF FIGURES...... v LIST OF PLATES • ...... viii Chapter

INTRODUCTION ...... i 1 Historical background

Purpose

Review of literature

Limitation

Definition of terms used II. PLAN OF PROCEDURE ... . •. . 14 III. PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION OF RESUL'rS 16

Historical background

Portfolio of selected Chinese designs

Illustration of original design

Garment construction ;

Photograph of finished garment

IV. SUr1 ..\1l.P.Y AND RECOHI1ENDATIONS. 108

1\.. PP:CNDIX A . • ...... 111 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 113

iv :I LIST OF FIGURES

1. u Shen .... yi" was Worn in Chou . Dynasty.· ~- • · . • 25

2. ''Pao n and Hood vJere Worn in Han Dynasty · · • 26

3. The Dancing Dress of T 'ang Dynasty. • • • 27 4. Ladies dress in T • ang Dynasty.,...... • 28 5. Ladies' Dress and Cape During the T'ang Dynasty . 29

6. Short Jacket and Pleated Skirt During the T'ang . 30

7. "Pei-tzu" Windbreaker \

8. and Skirt of the Ch'ing Dynasty ..•. • 32

9. Ladies' dress of the Ch'ing Dynasty . 33

10. "Shen-yi" of Chou Dynasty Depicting Garment Cut . 34

11. "Pao" of Han Dynasty Depicting Garment Cut. ~ 35

12. Lower Class Work Garments and Trousers of Han

Dynasty Depicting the Garment Cut. . . 36

13. The Robe and the Twelve Symbol Robe of

Ch'ing Dynasty Depicting the Silhouettes ... 37

14. Jl.ien's ",Chi-fu" and Surcoat. . • . . • • . . . 38

15. Men's formal "Chao-fu" of Ch'ing Dynasty. . . 39

16. Three Hen's "Chao-fu" or Court Robe of Ch'ing

Dynasty . . . . . • • 4 0 17. Women's "Chao-fu" and Sleeveless embroidered

Coat of Ch'ing Dynasty •. . . 41

18. Women '.s Embroidered Coat of Ch' ing Dynasty . 42

v 19. (a) "Chi-pao 11 (b) Surcoat and Skirt' of Ch' ing

Dyna'sty • ...... 4'3

20. Women's Informal Robe and Waistcoat of Ch ~ ing . . 44

21. Two theatrical warrior's Robe . . . . 45

22. Men's '~leeveless Coats of Ch'ing Dinasty. . 46

23. Women's Sleeveless Coats· of Ch •'.fng 'Dynasty. . 4 7

24. Women's Paired' Sat1n Apron. 48

25. "Wei-tou" or Apron. . ~ . . . 49 26. Various Chinese Collars and Necklines • . 50

27. Various Flared . • • ~ .. • t • . 51 28. Two Flared Collars .. . . . 52 29. Four Waist Treatments . 53

30. The "Lung" or Dragon Motif •. . 54 31. The "Feng-h\vang" or Motif ...... 55 32. The "Chi-ling" or Unicone Motif . . . . . 56

33. The "Shih ~t·zu 11 or Motif...... 57 34. The "Yuan-yang" or Duck...... 58 35. The "Pa-kua" or eight mystic trigrams • • 59

36. The Four Accomplishments •...... • • 60

37. ·,The "Pa-pao" or Eight Precious Things . . 61

38. The Eight Symbols •. • • • 6 2

39. The Buddhist Symbols ... . 63

40. The Twelve Ornaments. . 64

41. Decorative Motifs . . • 65

vi 42. The "Ssu Chun-tzu" or Four Gentlemen Motifs •.• 66

43. Four Symboli~ Motifs. . 67 44. Four Patterned Motifs ...... • • • 6 8 45. Four Blessing Word Motifs • . 69

46. Various Types of "Hsi" or Happiness Motifs. . 70

47. Various Types of "Shou" or, Longevity Motifs •.. 71

48. Face Motifs, Adapted from Chinese Opera Painted

Face...... • 72

vii LIST OF PLATES

1. Evening Wrapper. 77

2. Eveningwear:. . . . . ~ ...... 78 3. Evening . . 79

4. Evening Tunic Suit 80

5. Eveningwear. . . 81 6. Evening Dress. . . . . 82 7. Eveningwear·. . . 83 8. Evening Dress ...... 84 9. Daytime Suit ...... 85 10. Tunic Suit • 86

11. Daytime Suit . 87

12. Daytime Citywear . 88 13. Daytime Dress .. 89 14. Daytime Dress ...... 90

15. Asymmetrical Dress . . ' . 91 16. Quilted Silk Jacket .. 92

17 . Sportswear ...... 93

18. Junior Sportswear. 94

19. Daytime Dress. . 95

20. Loungewear . 96

21. Loungewear . 97

22. Loungewear . . . • ...... 98 viii 23. Loungewear 99

24. Pajamas. 100

ix CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Historical Background

Traditionally, many facets of the lives of ·western

people have been influenced by Chinese culture for thou~

sands of years. However, when the Communists came to power

in China in 1949, Chinese society was changed as a whole

(39) • All relations with other countries ceased and no

information was allowed to be sent out of China. Thus, the

western world had no knowledge of the conditions and activi­

ties within the People's Republic of China nor did the

Chinese people have knowledge of happenings outside.their

country.

In 1972, Mainland China opened her door which had been

closed for 23 years. In 1975, the enormously popular tour­

ing exhibition of Chinese Art was presented by the People's

Republic of China. This exhibition delighted viewers in the western hemisphere with Chinese objects rarely seen outside of China (37). After a lapse of 30 years and ex­ change visits by high ranking officers of the United States, diplomatic relations between the two countries were estab­ lished on January 1, 1980 (56). China is again the focus of the design world. Chinese motifs, clothing and art have

1 2 entered the market place through a new influx of Chinese

goods and their resulting inspiration to western designers

( 37) •

Through the years a number of famous designers have

incorporated Chinese design details in their collections.

Traces of Chinese influence have been observed in fashions

of the following designers: Yves Saint Laurent, Bill

Blass, Giorgio Armanis, Charlotte Ford, Donald Brooks,

Valentino, Chanel, Osca De La Renta, Piere Cardin, David

Chow and Phyllis Sues (57),

Numerous examples indicate how Chinese culture has

~· been the source of inspiration for western design and how

traditional Chinese design details have been utilized in

the fashion for a long period of time~ A review of

literature revealed that little research has been conducted

relative to the incorporation of ancient Chinese details in contemporary western apparel. Also,.histories

including descriptive and illustrative information of the design details of Chinese dress are not easily available.

The utilization of only a few Chinese design details such as the mandarin collar, frog closure, quilted jacket and asyrnetrical by those designers who have incor- porated Chinese ideas in their apparel designs was due no doubt to limited availability of historical records and reported research relative to Chinese costume. However, 3 with China's 5,000 year old culture, civilization and successive dynasties, thousands of costume styles and ideas are available for utilization in contemporary ~ppa~el design.

Thus, the primary objective of this study is to in­ vestigate and demonstrate the adaptation of additional

Chinese design details to contemporary fashion apparel.

Information gained from this study would be beneficial to apparel manufactures, designers and persons involved in academic pursuits by revealing an expanded source of inspi­ ration gained from the endless number of Chinese details available for adaptation to current fashion,

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate typical

Chinese design ideas, motifs, embroidery techniques and their adaptation to contemporary apparel designsp

The specific objectives were:

1. To conduct a historical survey of ancient Chinese

motifs, embroidery techniques, styles, special

design details and style changes according to

successive Chines dynasties.

2. To design and illustrate contemporary western

apparel utilizing Chinese design detail through

fashion sketches. 4 3. To select and translate into actual garments six

of the ap_parel designs illustrating the adaptation

of Chinese design details to contemporary western

apparel.

Review of Literature

Literature that was related to different cultures,

countries, textile design adaptation and apparel inspira­

tion was reviewed.

Harris (18) studied the art expressions of a number of

countries in to incorporate their historical tradi~

tions into creative textile designs. After a historical

review of eight visual traditions in art, symbols and

motifs were selected for adaptation into textile designs.

Eight different processes for applying designs to fabric~

were utilized in creating original textiles. After study­

ing the various art expressions of a number of countries

and creating and producing original textile designs, Harris

concluded that the desire for artistic expression exists

among all peoples of the world.

Clark (10) utilized early historical Hawaiian ,

fabrics, island flora and fauna ideas as inspiration sources to create modern fabrics and modern apparel designs for women. The geographical location, historical background and sociological conditions, which prevailed in early Hawaii 5 were studied in order to understand and appreciate the

Hawaiian people. Sources of inspiration gained from the

costumes, fabrics, artifacts flora and fauna of Hawaii were investigated also.

Twelve representative sources were chosen as inspira­

tional materials~ Six of them were used as inspiration for

fabric designs and six for apparel designs. Six original

fabric designs were created and achieved by using stencil­

ing, block printing, batik printing and silk screen print­

ing processes. Clark also created and sketched six origi­

nal designs for modern women's dresses based on inspiration

from source materials. Two of the illustrated dress designs

incorporated two of the created fabric designs, thus demon­

strating the utilization of Hawaiian artifacts and garments

as inspirational sources for modern day dress.

Haden (17) investigated the ancient Peruvian textile

designs, motifs and colors in order to adapt them to speci­

fic purposes of modern fabric designs. The fabric con­

struction methods, equipment, favorite colors, popular motifs, symbols, and the geographical, historical and

cultural aspects of the ancient Peruvians were reviewed.

This was done to gain an understanding of the lives of these early people and their beautiful and unusual textiles.

Fifty questionnaires were sent to textile manufactures and letters were sent to hand weavers of fabrics to 6 determine if modern textiles had been created using ancient

Peruvian fabrics as source materials for designs. A number

of modern fabrics with ancient Peruvian inspirati~n motifs

were obtained from Peru and the United States and studied

relative to design, color, fiber and fabric construction.

Fabrics from both Peru and the United States showed that

adaptations of ancient motifs on exact replicas were uti­

lized in modern colors.

Five original designs were created, sketched and

executed on fabrics, suitable for use in apparel, rugs and

draperies by using colored tempera paints and adapting

motifs from book illustrations and actual ancient Peruvian

fabrics. Photographs were made of the finished creative

designs and were included in the study.

Goethalis (16) created twenty designs that were in­

spired by West African art and craft items. This research was performed in order to study current methods and pro­ cedures that could be utilized in creating modern textiles and paper designs. Inspirations were obtained from African carvings, fabric decorations, leather items, metal articles, pottery, weavings and basketry.

Six wall hangings, three screen decorations, ten printed fabrics and one wall-paper design·were executed by using batik, screen printing, printing, tie-dyeing, stitching, a photography process on a silk screen and drawing 7 techniques. The finished designs were exhibited in three

college showcases during April 1969.

Campbell (5) studied the fabric. designs and production techniques of the Ashanti tribe of Ghana, then translated and interpreted five selected design motifs from their traditional textiles into contemporary fabric designs which would be appealing and appropriate for American tastes.

A historical background was reviewed and five selected single design motifs were repeated or combined to develop the ne~ fabric designs~ These designs were applied to seven­ teen fabrics by using methods of tie-dye, batik, block print, screen print and weaving techniques. Fabrics utilized were cotton cloth, cotton twill, corduroy, rayon velvet, uphol­ stery velvet, linen, drapery linen, wool, silk surah, silk crepe and silk organza.

A self-evaluation was conducted to assess the processes and achievements used in producing the contmeporary fabrics.

Campbell concluded that design is a continuing, constantly, on-going process, and that the volume of Ashanti m6tifs, found in traditional Ashanti textiles, could provide mater­ ials from which one could spend a life time in developing variations for contemporary textile designs.

Fu (15) conducted a study in which symbolic motifs, appearing on ancient Chinese art objects, were used as 8 inspiration for modern textile designs. Selected textiles

in the Seattle Art Museum were visually examined as were

illustrations appearing in library volumes. The symbolic meaning of a large number of ancient Chinese motifs was

discuss~d in order to gain an understanding of their ~alue

and to stimulate a greater appreciation of the Chinese heritage.

Six creative projects were undertaken to demonstrate ways these ancient symbolic motifs could be used as inspi­ rations for modern textile designs. Various processes utilized were weaving, batiking, block printing, textile painting and screen painting. Fu concluded that vitality, mood and inspiration can be acquired from the rediscovery of Chinese art motifs. Also, artistically used, ancient

Chinese symbolic motifs can serve as stimuli for creative modern textile designs.

Beckham (3) studied the ancient technique of Coptic interlinking for the purpose of designing contemporary-wall hangings utilizing this method. The history-review re-, vealed a lack of explicit instructions thus causing diffi­ culty in actually performing this ancient technique.

Six designs of contemporary three-dimensional wall hangings were created and woven in order to record explicit instructions for the ancient Coptic technique which 9 included interlinking, plaiting, twisting and wrapping.

Prior to weaving the wall hangings, each technique Mas.

mastered on a practice set-of-elements stretched on a ·small

frame. Beckham concluded that although the techniques

were ancient and the tools and materials simple, the artist

can utilize this method to create art forms that are meaning­

ful and relevant in the contemporary art world.

Merriam (30) studied the San Blas Indian Culture with·

emphasis on the "mala", a reverse applique blouse, in order

to understand the development of the motifs, color selections

and techniques employed. The primary purpose of this study

was to adapt these designs into contemporary fabrics·to

be used in apparel and interior decoration.

The history review and examination of museum art objects were conducted concurrently with the designing ·of textiles.

Mola designs were analyzed and selected motifs were adapted to textile designs created by Merriam. The final textile fabrics were produced through the use of five textile design processes. These fabrics were then utilized in interior design and apparel projects. Merriam concluded that mola · motifs will continue to be fruitful sources of design motivation.

Kim (25) used Korean traditional costumes as a source of inspiration to develop western fashion design ideas 10 which were illustrated and constructed in fashion fabrics.

After a historical review, Kim divided Korean history into four stages·in order to get inspiration from the successive

Korean traditional costumes. A number of original contem­ porary garment designs were created and illustrated on fashion plates that included the inspirational costume detail. Five of the designs were chosen by customers to be custom made in order to see the design effect in fashion fabrics. The finished garments, worn by customers, were photographed and attached to the study.

Shepard (40) created a number of apparel designs using

Italian arts as inspirations. The purpose of this ·study was to utilize early classical Roman costumes and Italian decorative arts as inspiration in designing nine American evening wear garments. Sources of inspiration included apparel designs, architectural structures and visual arts inherent in the Italian culture. Motifs of classical

Roman and Italian designs were utilized in creating original contemporary American garment designs. The designs were sketched and then translated into actual garments. The de­ sign lines were kept simple in order to accentuate the beauty of the fabric used and to allow for flowing, functional and comfortable fashions. 11

Richer (37) investigated woven silk patterns of th~

Chinese Han Dynasty and their adaptation to contemporary

textile design. The research was executed in three parts~

First, a historical overview of pre-Han and Han Dynasties

were conducted, second, a catalogue of Han Dynasty figure

patterns on silk was compiled and third, contemporary de~

sign adaptations were rendered on MASA paper and fabrics.

The historical review furnished a background for 1)

the understanding of conditions that affect textile produc­

tion and 2) a wider knowledge of Chinese sericulture,

weaving and dyeing. The Han Dynasty woven silk-catalogue

provided an easy reference source of Han Dynasty patterns

to be utilized for contemporary adaptations.

Richer utilized Han woven silk patterns and motifs

as inspiration fer creating repetative textile designs.

These designs then were applied to MASA paper and fabrics.

Screen printing, Xerox and perfect darkroom techniques were used in order to render the designs into MASA papers and textile fabrics.

Based on geometric motifs, geometric with animals, pictorial, and cloud bands with animals, Richer success­ fully produced a number of original printed textiles through the contemporary adaptation of Han Dynasty textile patterns.

Harris (19) conducted a study in which she illustrated ways that handcraft techniques and construction details 12 could be incorporated into contemporary clothing design.

Possibilities and limitation of four handcraft techniques

including quilting, fagoting, macrame and drawnwork were

studied. Several original samples were created then gar­ ments were designed and sketched in which the original hand­

craft designs were incorporated.. This was done to suggest different uses of the handcraft designs. Eight garment designs embodying one of the handcraft techniques were

selected to be constructed. Commercial patterns that had similar lines to the original sketches were utilized in the garment construction. Necessary changes were made by using the flat pattern method of drafting patterns. Records of original garment plans, changes made in the commercial patterns to incorporate handcraft techniques, fabric selec­ tion and changes made during the construction process, were kept in order to guide others in this type of development work. Instructions of the design experiment were composed and written for testing in a classroom situation.

The eight finished garments were photographed on live models, then presented in a fashion show to the public and a panel of judges. The judges evaluated the garments for appearance, effectiveness of design, compatability of motif and technique to structure and fabric, and construction quality and fit. A five point scale was used for ranking 13 the finished garments. At the completion of the classroom testing period the students evaluated the experience by expressing their attitude regarding the use of the hand­ craft techniques in garment design.

Limitations of the Study

This study was limited:

1. To the analysis of Chinese design details appearing in

literature available to the investigator.

2. To the creation of six fashionable garments illustrat­

ing the adaptability of selected Chinese design details.

Definition of Terms Used

Pau - Long gown or garment covering.

Chi-pau - Long or short mandarin dress with mandarin collar·

and asymmetrical closing on the right side.

Western World - Includes North and South America and Europe. CHAPTER II

PLAN OF PROCEDURE

This study was designed to investigate typical Chinese design ideas, motifs, embroidery techniques and styles, and their adaptations to contemporary western garment designs.

Chinese dress through twenty-two ancient dynasties was re­ viewed. Results of this review showed that actual Chinese costumes were scattered all over the world, so, secondary sources were utilized for visual references which included photographs and drawing illustrations.

One hundred and forty-four details of these ancient costumes were selected as design ideas that could be adapted to contemporary Western dress (Figure 1 through 48).

~lenty-four original contemporary Western garment designs were created adapting one or more of the selected design ideas and illustrated on fashion plates. (Plate 1 through

24). Fabrics thought most appropriate for each design were suggested. These original designs encompassed five contem­ porary apparel categories, namely: evening wear, , dresses, sportswear and loungewear.

Six designs were selected from the twenty-four illus­ trated on fashion plates to be rendered in fashion fabrics.

Suitable fabrics for the selected designs were obtained 14 15 from retail stores in the United States and Taipei, Taiwan,

Republic of China~ Patterns were drafted in size eight

for these six designs using both flat pattern and draping techniques. Necessary adjustments were made and the gar­ ments were then constructed in the fashion fabrics using custom techniques.

The finished garments were modeled and photographed in order to demonstrate the adaptability of ancient design details to contemporary apparel. CHF.. PTER III

PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION OF RESULTS

Historical Background

Recorded history reveals that Chinese women's costumes

are about 5,000 years old; the time when the silkworm was

discovered by "Lei-tsu" (~»...-tiL), wife of the famous mythi­ cal yellow-emperor "Huang-ti" ( -fo_ '1* ) (37) .. This was known as the colored pottery age. Due to a lack of written

history and archaeological proof, costumes before the Chou

Dynasty were hard to verify, Therefore, this review will

cover only the period from 1100 B .. C .. to A.D. 1911, when

China became a Republic (Appendix A) •

During this period, emperors of twenty-two major

dynasties reigned over China. Chinese dress changed little

during parts of this period.. The most noticeable changes

in Chinese dress occurred during the following dynasties:

the Chou, Han, T~ang, Sung, Ming, and Ch'ing Dynasties.

·Chou Dynasty ( J~ _$]:1 ) 1100 B.C. - 722 B.C.

The most popular style worn during the Chou Dynasty

was the "Shen-yi" ( ;·;Jt.;f''-) (Figure 1 & 10), profounded

dress, cut in two separate parts, a bodice and skirt, joined

together at the waistline to form a silhouette like the

"Pao" { ....im...... ) • Different colors represented different 16 17 social ranks that were represented by blue, red, yellow,

white and black, Linings were made of white, loosely woven

raw silk fabrics. The Queen's formal dress, during this dynasty, was the "Liu-fu" ( i\ Jlfi_) , which was embellished with the exclusive pheasant motif embroidered in very color­ ful yarns. Her informal dress included the "Pao 11 or long gown and the "Fan Shen-yi" ( ::1:...~3?... ~ or semi-profounded dress,

Chinese embroidery techniques may be traced back to the Chinese legendary ·period between 2698 and 2598 B.C.

During this time, only royal emperors and official officers could wear garments with embroidery that distinguished their ranks~ After the Chou Dynasty, Embroidery became popular in the decoration of urban and rural people's costumes.

Han Dynasty ( ~~ ~)3 ) 206 B.C. - A. D '! 221

The "Shen-yi" was the most popular dress before the

Han Dynasty, but during the Han period, the "Pao" became much more in evidence. The "Pao" was cut in two pieces, each piece allowing for the full sleeve and skirt of one half of a gown. The two pieces were then stitched together forming underarm and center back seams. The half side front overlapped the right side front to form the asyrnetrical closing and t.-1as tied with ribbon ties which later were replaced by loops and knots. The "Pao" was worn by both 18 men and women for centuries and became the characteristic

Chinese dress.

Formal garments of women of nobility were trimmed with

double banding around the neck, sleeves, cuffs and hemlines.

Color combinations for this trim could be selected from a

list of twelve colors, The number of colors from which

combinations could b~ selected decreased with class rank. )' The common people wore trousers and a short "Pao" that

terminated at the calf.

During this period, hoods began to appear with women's garments to serve as protection from wind and rain (48).

The Confucian emphasis on modesty was reflected in exten­ sively decorated, ribbon-girdled gowns that flowed loosely about the feet and hid the hands in wide and long sleeves.

Han embroidery motifs were related to social needs and customs. Scenic motifs such as mountains, clou~-capped peaks, the phoenix, animals and hunters were the most popu- lar embroidery motifs used during this dynasty, Chain stitch was common and usually filled out both motifs and background parts (21) ,

T' ang Dynasty ( _rn ffj:} ) 618 - 907 A.D. From the Han to the T'ang Dynasty, the robe-like "Pao" was the formal Chinese dress, However, during the Sui

Dynasty, the skirt began to appear slowly. During the 19 T'ang Dynasty an emperor decreed that the skirt dress became

a fo~_formal occasions. So, women could wear

either a short blouse or jacket, just three inches below

the waistline, with the skirt or robe-like a "Pao" for

formal occasions, while the empress still wore the "Hue-yi"

( ~~-R ) as the most formal ceremonial dress~ The skirt was more prevalent during the T'ang Dynasty. The round

collar, the low neckline, the sleeveless or short sleeve

blouse, the short jacket which was three inches below the

waistline, the sleeve that fitted close to· the arm and the

robe with the embroideried dragon motif first came into

existence in women's dress during this dynasty, The

silhouette of the women's dress was close to the body with

a fitted waistline jacket blouse or high waist empire look~

(Figure 4-6) All these changes were due not only to a combination of the Northern and Southern Chinese cultures with that of the western world during the T'ang Dynasty but also to the opening of silk trade between China and the western world. People exercised more freedom to wear what­ ever they chose during this period than in previous periods.

The T'ang Dynasty was the golden age in Chinese em­ broidery when techniques were improved tremendously, Any­ thing that related to the Buddhist religious belief or any subject that could be painted were motifs used in embroi­ dery. These motifs included flowers, birds, phoenix, 20 , animals, mountains, waves, scenes and people. Most embrcidery utilized a simple chain stitch to articulate both the design and the background, (24' 21)

Sung Dynasty <5R~) 960-1127 A.D.

Generally, during the Sung Dynasty, the skirt-dress was more popular than before, but the empress still wore the "Hue-yi" as the most formal dress for ceremor..ial occa- sions, and the robe or "Pao" was only worn by a few rural people. A ne-v1 style, the "Pei-tzu" (~1§-a--) or windbreak

(Figure 7) appeared and became very popular. This style was a loose open coat with or without sleeves and was worn over a tunic or long gown. The upei-tzu" is still in existence today.

Both T 1 ang and Sung Dynasties were known as the Golden

Age in the history of Chinese embroidery, The total design was executed in satin stitch with floss, metal and/or colorful yarns or in combination with textile painting.

Only the figures were articulated and the backgrounds were left unembroidered. Not only was embroidery just for decoration in clothing, but was applied also to purely ornamental embroideries such as wall hangins of landscapes, calligraphy and screens as a means of decoration. 21

Ming Dynasty (S..,El ~ ) 1280 - 1368 A .. D.

The was the last pure Chinese dynasty

before China became a Republic. Dress during the Ming

Dynasty followed that of the preceeding dynasties with only

a few changes.· The skir-dress became more and more pre-

valent while the robe or "Pao" -v;as less and less in use.

Women in this period preferred to wear the "Pei-tzu" or

to add a pleated skirt under the "Pei-tzu" when attending

formal occasions~ This style was designated later by the

government of the Republic of China in 1912 to be worn as tl " formal dress.

The Twelve~syrnbol robe was introduced during this

period and consisted of the twelve symbols that appeared on

specific parts of the robes (52). These symbols were: sun,

moon, constellation, mountain, dragon, flower, bird, cups,

water, weed, millet, fire, axe and symbol of distinction (34).

The robe had a round neckline and was fastened at the

shoulders and underarms. A jade girdle was worn over the

robe at the waistline position and sleeves hung over the

hands. Age and rank were shown by color and decoration on

the robe and headdress. The official court dress of the

Ming Dynasty was red and the embroideried motif in the

I-1andarin square designated rank (52) •

The Ming Dynasty was known as the Renaissance of Chinese embroidery which showed a highly accomplished technique and 22 a great tendency to use more luxuriant colors. Famous,

gorgeous and delicate embroidery techniques included: the

"Ku hsiut' (~ ~ ) or Ku family embroidery, an embroidery

technique discovered by madam Han Hsi-meng (~4>~), wife of Ku Shou-chien

embroidery technique from Kwangtung Province. The embroi­

dery materials included velvet yarns, silk thread, gold

thread, tail feathers of Siamese fighting cocks, sequines,

pearls and human hair (21).

- ::1=.. iS~ Ch' ing Dynasty ( :;:.gJ~ ) 1644 - 1911 A.D

The Manchurians, who occupied the territory North of

' ' ''~ the Great Wall, conquered China and ruled over the greatest

Chinese empire from 1644 to 1911. This was known as the

Ch'ing Dynasty. The Manchurians modified the traditional

Chinese costume by incorporating some of the Hanchurian characteristics in order to develop new styles which were tubular in shape and fitted the body with the skirt slit at the sides. The long narrow sleeves ended with hoof cuffs which almost covered the hands and indicated status.

The "Lung Pao" ( {tl.-if'L.,) or , achieved its greatest status in Chinese dress as a formal part of the 23 official costume. The robe had been altered by cutting

for less fullness- and the front and back were slit for

convenience in action. At first the dragon robe was deco~

rated randomly with dragons, cloud bands, flowers, arabeques

and other motifs. Then, gradually the robe was formalized

and the cut, colors and design motifs were specified to be

worn by different official ranks. The most common dragon

robe had a bordered hem striped with wave and surf motifs;

above which were mountains, dragons, the sun, moon and

stars on a floating cloud background.

The Mandarin robes, with hoof-cuffs and wide, flared

collars, had two large embroidered squares at the chest and

back to distinguish the office and rank. Bird

were used to designate civil officials, while animal designs

were used for the military ranks. Women in the Ch'ing

Dynasty like to wear a long or short sleeveless -jacket,

fastened with cord loops, ribbon ties, or knots over long

gowns. The Mandarin collar appeared during this period and

became popular world-wide by being adapted to modern gar­ ments. The "Ta-chin" (f, rR.., ) or left front panel which overlapped asymmetrically the right side, that heretofore had been cut on a straight diagonal, began to assume a curved shape during the Ch'ing Dynasty.

During the Ch'ing Dynasty, Chinese painting, western painting and embroidery were combined and heralded a new 24 lock in Chinese embroidery history. Sometimes the embroi­

dery was highlighted with painting to add emphasis and at

other times embroidery was added to emphasize parts of the

painting. The most famous, delicate and advanced embroi­

dery technique was from Hu-nan Province and was called

"Hsiang hsiu" {~t-l§l,~~ } • The thickness of the silk yarn

used was only one-twentieth that of ordinary silk thread.

Due to the color graduations and fineness in "Hsiang hsiu"

embroidery pieces were so smooth that they looked like they

had been painted rather than embroidered. {24)

Portfolio of Selected Chinese Design Ideas

One hundred and forty-four Chinese design ideas were selected and compiled into a portfolio (figures 1 through

48}. Most of the illustrations were drawn by the author, some are tracings from pictures or illustrations in books.

Figures 1 through 9 are typical costumes which were worn during the period from 1100 B.C. to 1911 A.D. while figures 10 through 12 depicted garment cut. Figures 13 through 25 show interesting silhouettes worn throughout

Chinese history. Various selected Chinese collars and neck­ lines are shown in figures 26 through 28 and figure 29 pre­ sents four waist treatments. Also seventy-eight typical Chinese motifs were drawn or traced and are depicted in figures 30 through 48. 25

Figure 1.--"Shen-yi" was worn in Chou Dynasty. (Source: Wen-v7ei Weng. The Portrait Painting of Wen-wei Weng. Taipei: Cheng chung Book­ store. 1980.) 26

i I l J

Figure 2.--"Pao" and hood were worn in Han Dynasty. {Source: Wei-wen Weng. The Portrait Painting of \'len-wei Weng. Taipei: Cheng Chung Bookstore. 198 0.) 27

Figure 3.--The dancing dress of T'ang Dynastyp {Source: Y. C. Wang. The Research and Examina­ tion of Chinese Women's Gown in Successive Dynasties. Taipei: Chinese Chi-pao Research Association. 1977. pp: 66.) Figure 4.--Ladies dress in T'ang Dynasty. (Source: Wen-wei Weng. The Portrait Painting of Wen-wei Weng. Taipei: Cheng Chung Bookstore. 1980.) 29

Figure 5.--Ladies' dress and cape during the T'ang Dynasty. (Source: Wen-wei Weng. The Portrait Painting of Wen- wei Weng. Taipei: Cheng Chung Book- store. 1980,) 30

Figure 6.--Short jacket and pleated skirt during the T'ang Dynasty, (Source: Wen­ wei Weng. The Portrait Painting of Wen­ wei Weng. Taipei: Cheng Chung Bookstore, 1980.) 31

I I j ____ \

Figure 7.--"Pei-tzu" or windbreaker was worn during Sung Dynasty. (Source: Y. C, Wang. The Research and Examination of Chinese Women's Gown in Succes­ sive Dynasties. Taipei: Chinese Chi-pao Research Association. 1977. pp: 67.) 32

Figure 8.--surcoat and skirt of the Ch'ing Dynasty. {Source: Y. C. Wang. The Research and Examina­ tion of Chinese Women's Gown in Successive Dynasties. Taipei: Chinese Chi-pao Research Association. 1977. pp: 68.) 33

Figure 9.--Ladies' dress of the Ch'ing Dynasty. (Source: Y. c. Wang. The Research and Examina­ tion of Chinese Women's Gown in Successive Dynasties. Taipei: Chinese Chi-pao Research Association. 1977. pp: 71.) 34

FRONT

BACK

Figure 10.--"Shen-yi" or profounded dress of Chou Dynasty depicting garment cut. (Source: Y. C. Wang The Research and Examination of Chinese Women's Gown in Successive Dynasties. Taipei: Chinese Chi-pao Research Association. 1977. pp: 61.) 35

FRONT

BACK

Figure 11.--"Pao" or robe of Han Dynasty depicting garment cut. (Source: J. E. Bo1lmer. In the Presence of the Dragon Throne. Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum. 1977. pp: 19.) 36

FRONT BACK

FRONT BACK

FRONT BACK

Figure 12.--Lower class work garments and trousers of Han Dynasty depicting the garment cut. (Source: Wen-wei Weng. The Portrait Painting of l·Jen-t.vei Weng. Taipei: Cheng Chung Bookstore. 1980.) 37

Figure 13.--The dragon robe and the twelve symbol robe of Ch'ing Dynasty depicting the silhouettes. (Source: J. E. Vollmer, In the Presence of the Dragon Throne. Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum. 1977. pp: 64 & 65.) 38

{a)

(b)

Figure 14.--{a) Men's Chi-Fu with contrasting band­ ing of Ch'ing Dynasty, (b) A surcoat with em­ broidered~ Mandarin square was required as insignia to be worn over Chi-Fu after 1759. (Source: John E. Vollmer, In the Presence of the Dragon Throne. Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum. 1977. pp: 46.) 39

(a)

(b) (c)

(d)

Figure 15.--Men's formal chao-fu of Ch'ing Dynasty: {a) basic silhouette of Chao-fu (b) surcoat with identical cut of men's Chao-fu (c) basic long sleeved coat (d) paired aprons. (Source: J. E. Vollmer. In the Presence of the Dragon Throne. Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum. 1977. pp: 32 & 33.) 40

Figure 16.--Three men's Chao-fu or court robe of Ch'ing Dynasty. (Source; (a) J. E. Vollmer. In the Presence of the Dragon Throne. Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum. 1977. pp: 34. {b) Edmund Capon. Chinese Court Robes in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: Victorian and Albert Museum. 1970. pp: 4. (c) Alen Priest. Costume from the Forbidden City. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1945. pp: 54.) 41

Figure 17.--\vomen's Chao-fu of Ch'ing Dynasty and sleeveless embroidered coat, added after A.D. 1750. (Source: J. E. Vollmer. In the Presence of the Dragon Throne. Toronto: Royal Ontario Musuem. 1977. pp: 35.) 42

-.... I .. ___ ,. I ·.. ___ / .

...... :· ······ ... . 'I . . I .. I ···-· . --·.

Figure 18 "--Women's embroidered silk coat -v1ith con­ trasting borders and bindings of Ch'ing Dynasty. (Source: J. E. Vollmer. In the Presence of the Dragon Throne. Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum. 19 7 7 • pp : 18 • ) 43 ;/ I // I! !1 (0.)

Figure 19.-- (a) "Chi-pao" (b) surcoat and skirt of Ch'ing Dynasty. (Source; L, c. Arlington. The Chinese Drama from the Earliest Until Today~ New York: Benjamin Blom Inc. 1966. (a) fig. No. 2 6 (b) fig . No. 21 • ) 44

(a)

(b)

Figure 20.--Women's informal robe and waistcoat of the Ch'ing Dynasty: (a) embroidered~ silk satin informal robe, {b) waistcoat. {Source: J. E. Vollmer. In the Presence of the Dragon Throne. Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum. 1977. pp: 78 & 56.) 45

<0.)

Figure 21.--Two theatrical warrior's robe. (Source: (a) L. c. Arlington, The Chinese Drama from the Earliest Until Today. New York: Benjamin Blom Inc. 1966. fig. No. 3 (b) Alen Priest. Costumes from the Forbidden City. New York: The Metro­ politan Huseum of Art. 1945. No: 53.) 46

Figure 22.--Men's sleeveless coats of Ch'ing Dynasty. (Source: M. E. Starr. A Study of Chinese Costume. Master thesis, University of Washington. 1936. pp : 9 9 & 1 0 0 • ) 47

Figure 23.--Women's sleeveless co~ts of Ch'ing Dynasty. (Source: (a) & (b) L. C~ Arlington. The Chinese Drama from the Earliest Until Today. New York: Benjamin Blom Inc. 1966. fig. No. 24 & 25. (c) M. E. Starr. A Study of Chinese Costume. Master's thesis, University of Washington, 1936. pp: 112. {d) J. E. Vollmer. In the Presence of the Dragon Throne. Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum. 1977. pp: 7 9. ) 48

Figure 24.--Women's paired satin apron. Only the lower section that is exposed below the three­ quarter length coat was embroidered. (Source: J. E. Vollmer. In the Presence of the Dragon Throne. Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum. 1977. pp: 26.) 49

Figure 25.--''''Vei-tou" or apron, (Source: (a) L .. c. Arlington. The Chinese Drama from the Earliest Until Today. New York: Benjamin Blom Inc. 1966. fig. No. 33. {b) Ju-shan Chi. The Illustrated Costume, Face, Hat, Stage Properties, Beard and Musical Instrument of Chinese Opera. Taipei: Youth Culture Enterprise Co., Ltd. 1977. pp: 61.) 50

Figure 26.--Various Chinese collars and necklines. (Source: Ju-shan Chi. The Illustrated Costume, Face, Hat, Stage Properties, Beard and Musical Instrument of Chinese Opera. Taipei: Youth Culture Enterprise Co., Ltd. 1977. pp: 47-60.) 51

(a)

(b) (c)

(d) (e) (f)

Figure 27.--Various flared collar. (Source; (a) Alen Priest. Portraits of the Court of Ch'ing. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1942. pp: 3 (b, c, d, e, f) Ju-shan Chi. The Illustrated Costume, Face, Hat, Stage Properties, Beard and Mus1cal Instrument of Chinese Opera. Taipei: Youth Culture Enterprise Co., Ltd, 1977. pp: 40-41, 56-60.} 52

(b)

Figure 28. --T\'lO flared collars, (Source: (a) ~ven Keng. "Chinese Embroidery, Part I: A Short History." ECHO Vol. 6, No. 5, pp: 3. (b) J. E. Vollmer. In-the Presence of the Dragon Throne. Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum. 1977. pp: 37.) 53

(a) GIRDLE GIRDLE

(c) JADE GIRDLE (d) WIDE SASH

Figure 29.--Four waist treatments. (Source: (a) & (b) L. c. Arlington, The Chinese Drama from the Earliest Until Today. New York: Benjamin B1om Inc,, 1966. fig. No. 31 & 32 ~ (c) & (d) Ju-shan Chi. The Illustrated Costume, Face, Hat, Stage Properties, Beard and Musical Instrument of Chinese Opera. Taipei: Youth Culture Enterprise Co., Ltd. 1977. pp: 61 & 62.) 54

Figure 30.--The "Lung" or dragon motif. (Source: Nan-shan Ni. The Designs of Dragon and Phoenix. Hong Kong: Nan­ shan Publisher. pp: 41.) 55

Figure 31, --The ''Feng-hvJang'' or Phoenix motif. (Source: Nan-shan Ni. The Designs of Dragon and Phoenix. Hong Kong: Nan-shan Publisher. pp: 78.) 56

Figure 32.--The "Chi-ling" or motif. (Source: Nan-shan Ni. The Designs of Dragon and Phoenix. Hong Kong: Nan-shan Publisher. pp: 151.) 56

•

Figure(Source: 33 ·--The N" Shlh-tzu". or . Dragon a n d Phoan-shan · Ni • Thellon D motif · s an Publisher. en1x. pp Hon g Kong·esigns N of h : 154.) • an- 58

Figure 34. --The "Yuan-yang'' or mandarin duck. (Source: Post card of The Metropolitan Huseum of Art.) 59

.... M

Figure 35.--The "Pa-kua" or eight mystic trigrams. (Source: C,A.S. Williams. Outlines of Chinese Symboli~m. 2nd revised ed. Shanghai: Kelly and Walsh, Ltd. 1932. pp: 148.) 60

THE LUTE THE CHESS

THE PAINTINGS THE BOOKS

Figure 36,--The four accomplishments. (Source: Mei-wan Fu. Creative Visual Directions for Contemporary Text~le DeSign Based on Ch1nese r·lot1f. Master's thesis, University of Washington, 1972. pp: 17.) 61

THE LOTUS THE FLUTE

THE PILGRIM'S GOURD THE BAMBOO TUBES

THE S~'>JORD THE FAN

THE BASKET OF FLOWER THE CASTANETS

Figure 37.--The "Pa-pao" or eight precious things. (Source: Nan-shan Ni. The Collection bf Chinese Motifs. Tainan, Taiwan: Central Publisher. pp: 204.} 62

THE PEARLS THE GOLDEN COIN

THE THE HIRROR

THE STONE CHIHE THE BOOKS

THE HORNS THE LEAF Figure 38.--The eight ordinary symbols. (Source: M. E. Starr. A Study of Chinese Costume. Master's thesis, University of Washington. 1936. pp: 124.) . 63 t. .

THE LOTUS THE SHELL

THE CANOPY THE UMBRELLA

THE Y'JHEEL OF THE LA\-V THE VASE

THE KNOT THE PAIR OF FISHES

Figure 39.--The Buddhist symbols, (Source: Nan-shan Ni. ed. The Collection of Chinese Motifs. Tainan, Taiwan: Central Publisher. pp: 80 & 81.) 64

I I I I \

THE SUN THE J.VIOON THE CONSTELLATION

THE MOUNTAIN THE DRAGON THE PHEASANT

THE CUPS THE WATER WEED THE HILLET

THE AX THE FIRE THE SYHBOL OF DISTINCTION Figure 40.--The twelve ornaments. (Source: Alen Priest. Costume from the Forbidden City. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1945. pp: 18 & 19.) 65

(a) SEA SURFS (b) WAVES

(c) MOUNTAIN CLIFFS (d) CLOUDS

Figure 41.--Decorative Motifs. (Source: Alen Priest. Costume from the Forbidden City. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1945. (a) Sea surfs. No. 3. (b) wave border. No. 10. (c) mountain cliffs. No. 13. (d) clouds. No. 1.) 66

THE PLUMS BLOSSOM THE ORCHID

THE BA1JJBOO THE CHRYSANTHEMUM

Figure 42. --The ''Ssu Chun-tzu" or four gentlemen motifs, (Source: Nan-shan Ni. ed. The Collection of Chinese Motifs. Tainan, Taiwan: Central Publisher. pp: 212.) 67

THE COIN THE BELL

THE SCEPTRE THE

Figure 43.--Four symbolic Motifs. (Source: Chinese picture post cards.) 68

THE TAO TIEN ~ffiSK THE TAO TIEN f.1ASK

THE THUNDER PATTERN THE FISH-SCALE PATTERN

Figure 44.--Four patterned motifs. (Source: Nan­ shan Ni. ed. The Collection of Chinese Motifs. Tainan, Taiwan: Central Publisher. pp: 67, 2 3 3, and 6 6.) 69

THE FU OR BLESSING THE LU OR 'VJEALTH

THE SHOU OR LONGEVITY THE HSI OR HAPPINESS

Figure 45.--Four blessing \•lord motifs. (Source: Chinese picture post cards.) 70

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

Figure 46.--VArious types of "Hsi" or happiness motifs. (Source; (a} & (b) from Alen Priest. Costuroe from the Forbidden City, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1945. figure No. 6. (c) & (d) from Nan-shan Ni. The Designs of Dragon and Phoenix. Hong Kong: Nan-shan Publisher. pp: 2 & 3.) 71

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

rigure 47.--Various types of Shou or longevity motifs. (Source: (a) & (b) Nan-shan Ni. ed. The Collection of Chinese Motifs. Tainan: Central Publlsher. pp: 250, (c) & (d) Shu-hsin Lin. ed, Chinese Costume * Brocade * Embroidery, Taipei: National Museum of History. 1977. pp: 15.) 72

·-......

Figure 48.--Face motifs, adapted from Chinese Opera painted faces. (Source: Ju-shan Chi, The Illus­ trated Costume, Face, Hat, Stage Properties, Beard and Musical Instrument of Chinese Opera. Taipei, Taiwan: Youth Culture Enterprise Co., Ltd. pp: 7 5, 7 6, 7 7 and 8 2. } 73 Illustrations of Original Designs

Twenty-four original garment designs were created and

illustrated on fashion plates (1 through 24). Thses origi­

nal designs encompassed five contemporary apparel categories,

namely: eveningwear (Plates 1-8), suits (Plates 9-12), dresses (Plates 13-15), sportswear (Plates 16-19), and

loungewear (Plates 20-24}.

A description of each created design follows:

Plate 1. Black evening wrapper with big flared collar

trimmed in sequined surf motifs, inspired by

figure 28 and 4la.

Plate 2. Eveningwear: sheer black lace blouse with

ruffled neckline and cuffs. Gold beaded thunder

patterned motif outlined the black jacket that

topped a black satin skirt. Inspiration for this

ensemble came from figures 3 and 44.

Plate 3. Evening suit: a jacket of black brocade fabric

with gold jacquard chrysanthemum flower motifs

is matched with a black satin skirt. The jacket

is embellished with gold lame border in the con­

figuration of figure 20b.

Plate 4, Evening tunic suit: the tunic was made of pink

charmeuse with a colorful hand embroidered dragon

motif and may be worn either with a black charmeuse 74

skirt or pink silk pants. Inspiration from

figure~- 7 and 30.

Plate 5. Eveningwear: the jacket, of green brocade fabrics

with gold longevity motifs and edged with beads,

is combined with a skirt of red broacde with the

same motifs as that of the jacket. Inspiration

from figures 19a ?nd 47.

Plate 6. Silk evening dress with beaded embroidered dragon

head, bead loop scale body motifs and dragon

ruffle fins defining both sides. Figures 25, 30

and 44 served as inspiration for this design.

Plate 7. Soft eveningwear made of layers of silk organza

and matching crystal pleated skirt. Inspiration

from figures 5, 6 and 27.

Plate 8. Peach charmeuse evening dress with embroidered

plum flower and bird motifs inspired from figure

3, 40 and 42,

Plate 9. Little bolero with braided surf motif border and

longevity motif pockets, is combined with a

matching bordered skirt and an expanded silk hoof

cuffed blouse. Adapted from figures 9, 16, 41

and 47.

Plate 10. Tunic suit, inspiration from "Pei-tzu" with side

border and knife pleated skirt for daytime wear,

figures 6 and 7. 75 Plate 11. Daytime suit, raw silk peplum jacket with asymmetr-

ical closure and thunder patterned binding and

narrow skirt trimmed with the same binding.

Inspiration from figures 4, 19a, 26 and 44.

Plate 12. Black and white jacket with quilted fish scale

motifs and black and white knickers for daytime

citywear. Inspiration from figures 12 and 44.

PLate 13. White silk daytime dress with black border

adapted from figures 18, 29d and 42.

Plate 14. Daytime dress of silk crepe de shine with printed

coin and bell motifs. The silhouette and prints

were adapted from figure 43.

Plate 15. Asymmetrical dress of silk crepe de shine with

hoofed cuff and thunder patterned trimming.

Inspiration from figures 13 and 44.

Plate 16. Quilted silk jacket with contrasting colored trim

and colorful face mask applique on the back.

Inspiration from figures 14b and 48.

Plate 17. Turquoise sportswear with white collar and "Pa­

Kua'' motif applique, adapted from figure 35.

Plate 18. Junior sportswear, tunic and pants with embroi­

dered trim, adapted from figures 12 and 16.

Plate 19. Big loose sleeve and flared collar with typical

Chinese embroidered skirt belt, inspiration from

figures 1, 3 and 27. 76 Plate 20. Loungewear or at-home robe with contrasting

colored border in Chinese ''Sceptre" motif.

Inspiration from figures 18, 26 and 43.

Plate 21. Loungewear, in one piece red charmeuse and held

together at the shoulders with four Chinese

flower frogs, The front is emblazoned with an

elaborately embroidered dragon motif. Inspira­

tion from figures 14 and 30.

Plate 22. Loungewear with empire waistline, pleated shoulder

decoration and crystal pleated skirt adapted from

figure 6.

Plate 23. Loungewear with sheer voluminous sleeves, color­

ful embroidered flower decoration, and soft

pajama pants. Inspiration from figures 11, 25,

27 and 29.

Plate 24. Pajamas with lace, fringe and decorative banding,

adapted from figure 27. 77

Plate 1. 78

Plate 2. 79

Plate 3. 80

\ '· J

I \

\I \ !

Plate 4, 81

Plate 5. 82

Plate 6. 83

Plate 7. 84

Plate 8. 85

Plate 9. 86

Plate 10. 87

Plate 11. 88

Plate 12. 1

1

1

1

1

1 89 1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1 plate 13. 1

1

1 90

Plate 14 91

Plate 15, 92

Plate 16. 93

/ ' )~

Plate 17. 1

1

1

1

94 1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1 18. plate 1

1 95

Plate 19, 96

i I i I /

Plate 20. 97

Plate 21. 98

Plate 22. 99

, ...... · ......

Plate 23. 100

\ I ~ • f .. 101 Garment Construction

Six garments were selected from the twenty-four created designs and rendered in fashion fabrids. · Suitable fabrics for the selected designs were obtained.from retail stores in the United States and Taiwan, Republic\of China. Patterns were drafted in size eight for these six designs by·utiliz­ ing both flat pattern and draping technique~~ Shells were cut in muslin for fitting and adjustrn~nt ~o the model.

Necessary corrections were made and the garments were then constructed in the fashion fabrics using:custoci te6hniques.

Photographs of Finished Garment

The six finished garment designs,· were :·modeled: and photo­ graphed in order to demonstrate the adaptability 6f ancient

Chinese design details to contemporary apparel·. 102 103 104 105

107 CHAPTER IV

SU.lf1Iv1ARY AND RECOMMENDATION

Summary

Traditionally, western people have been influenced by

Chinese culture for thousands of years. During recent years, this Chinese impact seems even more obvious in many facets of the lives of western people, especially in fashion design.

Although a number of famous apparel designers have incorpo­ rated Chinese design details in their collections, the 5,000 years of Chinese culture and costume still provide endless ideas and inspiration for the world of design.

The purpose of this study was to investigate typical

Chinese design ideas, motifs, embroidery techniques and their adaptation to contemporary apparel designs. Original con­ temporary garment designs were created and constructed to illustrate this adaptation.

A historical survey of ancient Chinese motifs, styles, embroidery, special design details and style changes that occurred throughout six successive Chinese dynasties was made. A total of 144 Chinese motifs, design details and gar­ ment styles were selected and either drawn or traced for inspirational and adaptative purposes. Twenty-four original garment designs were created by incorporating and adapting

108 109 some of these Chinese ideas into the contemporary designs.

These garment designs then were sketched in ink on fashion plates. Six of these original designs were selected to be rendered in fashion fabrics in order to demonstrate the adaptation of Chinese design details to contemporary western wear.

Suitable fabrics for the six selected designs were ob­ tained from retail stores in the United States and the

Taiwan Republic of China. Patterns were drafted in a standard size eight by utilizing flat pattern and draping techniques.

Shells were cut in muslin for fitting and adjusting to the model. Corrections were made and the garments then were cut and constructed in the selected fabrics by using custom techniques. The six finished garments were modeled and photographed in order to illustrate the adaptability of ancient Chinese design details to modern western.world apparel and for inclusion in the manuscript. 110 Recommendations

Suggestions for further research that evolved from the

study are as follow;

1) More studies should be made to explore the history of

traditional Chinese costume and their adaptative and

inspirational usage;

2) Conduct more intensive historical research relative to

Chinese costume. APPENDIX A

PERIODS OF CHINESE HISTORY APPENDIX A

PERIODS OF CHINESE HISTORY

LEGENDARY The Five Emperors (Huang-ti)2698-2598 B.C. PERIOD Yao Yu-shun

THREE ANCIENT Hsai 2205-1500 B.C. DYNASTY Shang or Yin Kingdom 1500-1100 B.C. Chou Dynasty 1100- 221 B.C.

CHOU DYNASTY Early Chou Period 1100- 722 B.C. {Feudal Age) Ch'un ch'iu Period 722- 481 B.C. Period of the Warring States 481- 221 B.C.

FIRST EMPIRE Ch' in Dynasty 221- 206 B.C. Han Dynasty 206 B.C.-A.D. 221

Three Kingdoms (San Kuo) A.D. 221 - 265 FIRST Tsin Dynasty 265 - 316 PARTITION Northern and Southern Empires 316 - 589 (Nan-Pei Chao)

SECOND ErJ!PIRE Sui Dynasty 589 - 618 T'ang Dynasty 618 - 907 Five Dynasty Period (Wu Tai) 907 - 960 Sung Dynasty 960 -1127 SECOND Kin and Southern Sung Dynasties 1127 -1280 PARTITION

Yuan (Mongol) Dynasty 1280 -1368

Ming Dynasty 1368 -1644

Ch'ing {Manchu) Dynasty 1644 -1911

Republic 1911 -

112 BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY

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2. Ball, James Dyer. Things Chinese. 5th ed., London: John Murray and Company, 1926.

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12. Evans, Mary. Costume Throughout the Ages. New York: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1938.

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