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[Costume Restoration] Late Eastern Han and Three Kingdoms Period – Women’s Attire
“Great rivers flow eastward, washing away thousands of ancient heroes.”
During the era of the Three Kingdoms, while various regions inherited the attire of the Eastern Han, they also integrated new artistic styles, giving birth to a unique aesthetic landscape.The restored Eastern Wu women’s costume in this article references artifacts from the Jiangdong region during the late Eastern Han to Three Kingdoms period, such as the lacquered case with the “Court Banquet Scene” unearthed from Zhu Ran’s tomb, as well as stone carvings from the same period. The overall structure consists of a half-sleeve skirt and ru (jacket): the upper garment is a green patterned ru decorated with paired beast motifs, with collar and sleeve edges made from brocade featuring tiger-dragon and vermilion sparrow checkered patterns; outside is a half-sleeve jacket made from zhuyu geometric patterned brocade. The lower garment is a red skirt with diamond-shaped beast patterns and brocade edging, with a front-hanging knee cover (bixi) featuring Immortals, twin disks, and tiger-dragon patterns, fastened with a zhuyu geometric patterned brocade belt.
Its uniqueness lies in the wide collar opening: the curved collar, ru, and half-sleeve layers are displayed successively, like a budding flower, rich in layers. The half-sleeves are broad and hang down to the elbows; the tongue-shaped bixi evokes ancient charm. In contrast to the flowing softness of the clothing, the hairstyle is a high fan-shaped bun, adorned with inserted gold hairpins, exuding both nobility and heroic spirit.
Another set of Shu Han women’s attire references pottery figurines and stone carvings unearthed from the Sichuan-Chongqing region dating from the late Eastern Han to the Shu Han period. The upper garment is a light yellow ru with linked-disk beast face patterns, with collar and sleeve edges of auspicious beast and cloud brocade. Outside is a vermilion ground jacket embroidered with scrolling grass patterns; the lower skirt is green with geometric auspicious beast motifs and brocade edging. In front of the waist hang three strands of gui hui (decorative streamers), made of floral brocade, tied with a brocade belt bearing the pattern “The Five Stars Rise in the East, Benefiting China.”
Its distinct feature is the simplification of the robe-style gui yi from the Eastern Han into short front-hanging gui hui, which, paired with the wide skirt hem, adds a sense of lightness and grace. The hairstyle follows the popular Sichuan style: a high bun adorned with flower hairpins, full of everyday life flavor.
These two sets of Three Kingdoms women’s attire, rich in era and regional characteristics, present contrasts of complexity and simplicity, drooping and uplifted lines, strength and gentleness. From them, one can glimpse the aesthetic taste and fashion pursuits of the Three Kingdoms period—shining brilliantly in the river of art history.
