Overview of Song Dynasty Clothing

The Song Dynasty Clothing largely continued the clothing traditions of the Tang Dynasty. During this time, headwear such as the futou evolved: instead of the soft-tied style of early Tang, the Song version had wooden frames inside and was called the “futou hat,” easy to wear or remove. The emperor and high-ranking officials wore the flat-footed futou, with long wings stretching out horizontally for several feet, while lower-ranked servants or attendants often wore simpler, footless futou.

In 2016, an intact Southern Song tomb was discovered in Huangyan, Zhejiang, belonging to Zhao Boyan (a seventh-generation descendant of Zhao Kuangyin, founder of the dynasty).

This tomb, dated around 800 years ago, preserved more than 66 artifacts, mainly silk textiles, offering valuable insight into Song Dynasty clothing.

Women in the Song Dynasty also wore Song Dynasty clothing such as skirts and jackets. The jackets were usually cross-collared and worn over skirts. The skirts were narrower, often pleated. Archaeological finds in Fuzhou even revealed open-crotch and closed-crotch pants, showing that women often wore trousers beneath their skirts. The custom of foot-binding, which began in the Five Dynasties period, became increasingly popular by the late Northern Song.

The Song Dynasty preserved much of the hierarchical official dress system from earlier dynasties. Court attire was divided into categories: ceremonial robes, sacrificial robes, Song Dynasty official uniforms, military attire, mourning garments, and seasonal wear. Court robes, known as Song Dynasty robes, typically featured red garments with white underlayers, large sashes, embroidered knee coverings, and accessories like jade pendants. High-ranking officials were distinguished by patterns on their sashes or the presence of specific garments such as the chan yi. Officials wore lacquered hats like the jinxian guan, diaochan guan, and xiezhi guan.

Everyday official wear, also called gongfu or “administrative attire,” had wide sleeves, curved collars, and leather belts. Colors indicated rank: ninth rank and above wore blue, seventh rank and above wore green, fifth rank and above wore vermilion, and third rank and above wore purple. In later reforms, purple and crimson became restricted to higher ranks, with distinctive fish-shaped pouches of gold or silver marking official positions. Seasonal attire included robes, jackets, and trousers, richly decorated with bird-and-beast patterns, distributed to both court officials and military officers.

Common Garments of the Song Dynasty

Beyond official uniforms, Song Dynasty men’s clothing also included distinctive casual wear, which showed little difference between officials and commoners except in color restrictions.

The common garments of the Song Dynasty Clothing included:

Robes (pao): available in both wide-sleeved and narrow-sleeved styles. Officials typically wore brocade robes, while commoners wore plain white cloth robes.

Ru and Ao: essential daily wear for civilians, usually short jackets (ru) and lined coats (ao).

Short hemp coats (duanhe): coarse and short garments, commonly worn by the poor.

Shan (long shirts): long garments with an added horizontal hem section.

Chang (skirts): continuing the ancient “upper garment with lower skirt” tradition. Skirts were worn in both ceremonial attire and casual settings, often paired with long shirts edged in black.

Another notable garment was the zhiduo, a straight-cut long robe without side slits but with a back seam. The hechang, made from crane feathers and other bird down, was an extravagant fur robe that symbolized wealth and prestige.

Other male attire included cloth and gauze shirts, inner sweat-absorbing garments, and lined coats made of silk, brocade, or damask. Popular colors included white, blue, black, apricot yellow, and tea brown. For lined jackets (ao), fabrics ranged from plain cloth to luxurious silk and fur, dyed in shades of blue, red, dark green, goose yellow, and more. Noblemen’s trousers were particularly refined, often crafted from gauze, silk, or brocade, with patterns such as floral weaves, large or small geometric motifs. Main trouser colors included camel yellow, brown, and darker tones.

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