Currently, there is no definitive definition of modern hanfu. Many people believe that any clothing that incorporates elements of traditional hanfu into contemporary fashion can be considered modern hanfu. In my opinion, this fusion is not simply a matter of combining elements; do you agree? Nowadays, modified versions of the Mamianqun and Ruqunhave become popular overseas. All of these are derived from meticulous design and conception, enabling the perfect integration of Hanfu elements and modern fashion, complementing each other.
Modern Hanfu is more in line with consumers
Traditional Hanfu has great difficulty in meeting the needs of modern lifestyles and scenarios, the main reason is its overly cumbersome structure and decorations. Traditional Chinese garments such as long robes and large-sleeved shirts are not suitable for wearing. For the fast-paced modern life and some specific jobs, innovative designs need to be made for Hanfu to make it more convenient for modern people to wear in daily life.
Elements like crossed collars, rightward lapels, wide gowns with large sleeves, embroidery, and patterns, which are representative of traditional Hanfu, are often skillfully extracted and applied to modern Hanfu, creating a great many modern garments that meet the needs of consumers.This can be seen in many modern outfits, such as incorporating the cross-collar design of hanfu into modern shirts, using the skirt design of hanfu in modern dresses. Many bags and shoes feature hanfu embroidery patterns, some fashionable hair accessories are modified from hairpin designs.
Tips for Buying and Wearing Hanfu
After decades of development, modern Hanfu has a wider variety of production materials, such as common natural fiber fabrics and chemical fiber blended fabrics. Natural fiber fabrics have good breathability and hygroscopicity. However, their disadvantages are that they are prone to shrinkage and wrinkling. Chemical fiber blended fabrics are resistant to wrinkling and easy to clean.
Additionally, one must consider the style of the hanfu. There are many styles of modern hanfu, each representing different styles. For example, the curved-hem robe is dignified, the high-waisted is graceful, and the kasaya is dashing. After having a clear understanding, select a suitable style according to your body shape. For those with broader shoulders, you shouldn’t choose the beizi (a traditional Chinese garment). If you have a thicker waist, you’d better not choose the shenyi (a traditional Chinese garment), and so on. Otherwise, you will look really unattractive when wearing it. When making a purchase, you should also comprehensively consider comfort, aesthetics, and practicality.
As we all know, the matching of hanfu varies by dynasty. When going out in hanfu, one should consider hairstyles, accessories, and shoes. For example, The ages in which the curved-hem shenyi was most popular were the Qin and Han dynasties, You need to create a hairstyle of Qin and Han dynasties. For women, the simplest option is to style a flat bun. If you want to look more beautiful, you can style a pendant bun and match it with a hairpin. As for shoes, you can choose those made of silk.
For modern men, since their hair is too short, they need to wear a wig, and they can choose shoes made of leather.Take the chest-length ruqun as an example. You need to create a hairstyle of the Tang Dynasty. Women can style a complicated coiled bun, or even two ring-shaped buns. You can accessorize with a hairpin with pendants. For shoes, you can choose those with phoenix patterns on the shoe head, or those with cloud-shaped shoe heads. Men also need to wear a wig, and they can choose shoes with flat shoe heads.
In short, modern Hanfu inherits the basic characteristics of ancient Hanfu. At the same time, it has been innovated in terms of style, color, material and production process.Because it has a stronger sense of modernity, is suitable for occasions such as going to work, dating, and going on trips, it is becoming increasingly popular among young people and has become a fashion trend.
