Tang Dynasty Women Rocking Men’s Clothes

It’s not weird for women to wear men’s outfits these days—think “unisex” vibes. Back in the Tang Dynasty, tons of women were obsessed with men’s wear, so let’s dive into the world of these stylish Tang ladies! This article highlights Tang Dynasty female attire, showing how social roles and Tang Dynasty fashion trends shaped their style.

Tang artifacts often show women wearing men’s robes. They’d slip into round-collar robes, some with open collars flipped up like lapels, while rocking female hair buns or even wrapping their heads in official hats like putou. This side of Tang Dynasty clothing reveals how outfits blurred gender lines in unexpected ways.

1. What the Records Say

Digging into old texts, we find palace staff often dressed this way, called “wrapped-head inner servants.” “Wrapped head” just means they wore putou hats. Zizhi Tongjian notes in the Xingyuan Year 1, with Hu Sanxing’s comment: “Wrapped-head inner servants were palace helpers. All inner servants wore hats, hence the name.”

If you ignore the headgear and focus on the outfit, they’re dubbed “robe-pants” folks. These women usually wore split robes and long pants. In other words, they were women wearing men’s robes for practical purposes.

Tang poet Xue Feng’s Palace Poem goes: “Peeking from afar, curtains part at the main hall, robe-pants maids sweep the emperor’s bed.” “Robed-pants maids” and “wrapped-head servants” were just palace girls doing odd jobs. The robe-pants combo? Purely for convenience. Outside the palace, maids in wealthy homes also wore men’s clothes, earning the same “robe-pants” label.

Chaoye Qianzai mentions: “Zhou, leader of Lingnan, hosted guests, with a robe-pants servant pouring wine.” Tang tale Li Canjun (Taiping Guangji Vol. 448) describes an old man “in a purple Shu shirt, leaning on a staff, flanked by two robe-pants helpers.” Li Tao (Taiping Guangji Vol. 333) tells of a maid in robe-pants, stunningly beautiful, waking him from sleep.

2. What the Artifacts Show

Checking out Tang Dynasty tomb murals clothing, line drawings, silk paintings, and clay figures, it’s clear Tang Dynasty female attire included women in men’s styles from early Tang—super common by Emperor Gaozong’s time. But the style evolved across periods:

Early Tang (Gaozong Era): Hair buns out or wrapped in putou/headscarves. Robes hit below the knee, not the floor, with narrow striped pants, slip-on shoes, or tall boots. A leather belt with pouches or dangling ornaments was a vibe.

Martial Zhou to Early Kaiyuan: Carried over early Tang styles. Later, you’d see fancy patterns on collars, sleeves, and flaps. Round-collar robes hinted at half-sleeve layers like men’s wear.

Mid-Kaiyuan to Late Tianbao: Women’s men’s outfits got roomier and longer, with robes brushing the floor by the end—those decorated collars from Martial Zhou faded out. Half-sleeves stood out more, shoulders got broader, belts stayed leather but lost the ornaments.

Mid-to-Late Tang: Rare finds in tombs. Dunhuang art shows women in men’s wear ditching putou and boots, swapping leather belts for woven ones.

These artifacts highlight the flexibility of Tang Dynasty fashion, blending practicality and elegance in unexpected ways.

3. The Big Picture

Men’s clothes weren’t the mainstream beauty goal for Tang women, especially the noble ones. The main reason? Convenience—perfect for work or serving others. Records like Princess Taiping rocking men’s wear surprised Emperor Gaozong. Xin Tang Shu • Vol. 34 • Records 24 • Five Elements 1 notes: “At an inner banquet, Taiping Princess wore a purple shirt, jade belt, and black silk folded hat, with a full set of tools, dancing before the emperor. He and Empress Wu laughed, ‘Women can’t be warriors—why this outfit?’ It’s a strange trend.”

Zhonghua Gujin Zhu adds: “In Kaiyuan and Tianbao eras, wives of scholars wore men’s boots, shirts, whips, and hats—blurring indoor and outdoor styles.” Tang’s Yao Runeng in An Lushan’s Deeds writes: “Early Tianbao… women sported hairpins and split dresses with narrow collars. Observers found it odd, hinting at chaos (Anshi Rebellion).”

In the broader sense, Tang Dynasty female attire included both traditional women’s robes and women wearing men’s robes. This wasn’t only about convenience but also tied to the rising female status, allowing them to take part in activities once reserved for men. The versatility of Tang Dynasty clothing reflects not just fashion but also the shifting roles of women in society.