#stylized hanfu

[fouryearsofshades]

山河诗长安, 2024 CCTV New Year's Gala from Xi'an.

[icancdramahanfu]

Is there a full picture from the pattern book to see and what pattern book are you using?

I have been using the first edition of this pattern drafting book (in English units); Hanfu Pattern Making by TT Duong. I have not been posting full info from the book since 1.) I paid for the book 2.) I'd like others to pay for the book (at least ebook).

There is also a paperback version as well, and apparently a second edition now. Here is the metric version.

I would highly recommend the ebook since there are varying quality issues with the paperback versions. This book assumes a lot of things, so it helps to have a base level of sewing knowledge. You have to read between the lines and make some calls yourself to have things fit better. Hence, I blogged a lot of my changes as I went here.

This group based in Toronto has a free guide, but as stated previously, I suspect this was written by an engineer without prior sewing knowledge. https://torguqin.wordpress.com/hanfu/hanfu-tutorial-list/

Youtube has some more resources as well: Claire Yuxian Zhang hardcore historical sewing techniques!

Avenue X (though not at detailed as CYZ, her focus is on cdrama land)

And even though his are Korean, a lot of the techniques are similar like sewing the sleeves and whatnot. Plus, fashion is never in a vacuum and different countries and styles influence each other all the time. I'd suggest checking out;

Cheon-Shik Yang 천식 양

Keep in mind a lot of the xianxia/wuxia outfits are very whimsical and not historically accurate so looking at a lot of resources that are different would help. The pattern making book is most helpful when it comes to estimating the yardage.

[icancdramahanfu]

hello! Id like to ask if you can describe what are the layers Luo Binghe (thai version) from SVSSS are wearing? Im having troubles the one with the collar im on a budget and I wanna cosplay him thanks a bunch!

Hello, 

Happy to hear you are looking to cosplay LBH!  Ah, the very pretty but complicated Thai cover artwork. . . this one makes me groan at how intricate it is.  I screen shot this from the SVSSS carrd.

There is a lot of layer action going on.  Kityone, an amazing soul, did great work to remove text from more official artwork for the Thai editions.

This is the only full length shot of Binghe’s outfit I could find.

kityone, did a spectacular job; when you click on the image you can zoom in!

Layers 1.) Zhong yi layer 1- innermost layer - black.  I’d pick a cotton or linen fabric for this.  You are looking at one that is very slim fitting. The Hanfu Story sells them as well to give you an idea for cut; see here

2.) Zhiju layer 2 - straight hem robe - black with narrow sleeves.  It has what I think is an ‘artistic/anachronistic’ high Mandarin-ish style collar.  The Erha manhua/artwork does this all the time.  It seems to be a thing for xianxia attire.  It is hard to find info on this in English, so, I could totally be wrong.  I can only find that type of collar on vintage patterns - think cheongsam/qipao or maybe Qing historical garments.  I’d personally copy the cheongsam/qipao collar as a base pattern and then modify it to match the hanfu style.  I know this is a huge shortcut but it makes sense in my mind.  Do a mock up with scrap fabric. 3.) Zhuji layer 3 - straight hem robe with red neck placket and red sleeve cuffs.  I think this has shorter sleeves that fall just past the elbow (3/4 length?) and are super wide.  [cries in sheer yardage]  The sleeve looks like it almost reaches mid-calf or lower.  I think it is supposed to be imperial/royal level - like the looooong sleeves you see in Nirvana in Fire worn by the princes when they attend court.  The neckline is a deeper V and I think a good reference for the cut is from the cdrama My Heroic Husband with the MC, Ning Yi.  His outfits frequently have this style which makes a clear X across the chest.  The blue/teal one in the middle is the best match and seems to fall in the right spot on the chest.

4.) Belt with long fabric strip/accent.  I have no idea what the large silver belt buckle is supposed to look like - we don’t have good enough detail and resolution.  However, we can see that there is a long strip of red fabric that falls from the waist down the front to the feet almost.  On top of the red fabric is a fancier accent piece in black with silver trim and tassels.  I think it is a mix of these accessories from LBH and SQQ in the Korean cover here.  With the shape of SQQ’s being a slightly better match - minus the tasseled pendant.

5.) Banbi jacket/coat - white with red trim and “artistic” choice collar.  The jacket is a short sleeve one with a red cuff/trim that is clearly an under layer but I would attach it to the white jacket to make my life easier and less sweaty.  The popped collar baffles me - is it sort of like a jacket with a lapel-ish collar?  It gives me vibes of the jackets that Sakamoto and Takasugi wear in Gintama and shogunate officials which are also anachronistic by design in a series like Gintama.  Or maybe a better comparison is the donghua for Thousand Autumns and Yan Wushi’s open collar layer?

It looks like the neck placket itself is thick in the middle and normal on the outside.  I’ve attempted to make a quick example of what I think this looks like here.

I think this is what I would do to sew it onto the jacket and make sure to add interfacing and iron it well. I would do these five layers if I wanted to cosplay this LBH outfit.  The zhong yi layer is really important since that is where you are gonna sweat the most, I found it worked well with my 13 hours of WKX with a wig in LA having to stand outside in lines in the summer temps. Good luck!

[icancdramahanfu]

Anime Expo pics!

I ‘successfully’ made it to Anime Expo.  I had no travel issues going to LA and even had a day to visit the Getty (note, the building is super cool - the art is meh).  Much delicious food was had and I bravely cosplayed on Day 2/Saturday of the con.  All in all, the cosplay held up very well and was comfortable despite having to wait outside and stand in the famous lines of AX.  Thankfully, most of them were in the shade but I did stand a bit in the sun and it was not roasting.  Hoping to get some easy pics on the set in the Entertainment Hall, I still had to wait 30 minutes for a chance to pose - after 9pm!  This con is bonkers crowded man.  I would have preferred to have gone to Anime Central but my moving schedule prevented it.  I’m thinking ACen or Katsucon next year already.

This is me trying to look thoughtful.  I had the wrong color and size of fan since I’d packed the white one in my moving boxes by accident - along with the hairpin.  I used a post it note taped around a pencil as my hairpin hack and just used the green fan to have a fan.

Here is a nice full shot of the outfit.  I am very picky about shoes and walking around a con so I just wore plain black boots which were what I wanted.

The different layers were quite comfortable and I’m glad I used the cotton for the white/red layers.  Here, I’m still miffed about the wrong color fan so I’m trying to look serious or something with it closed.

Of course, I still had to pose with it open - maybe if I’m really dedicated I’ll try to photoshop it.  Gotta look all sly and mysterious . . .

When I checked my mailbox today I found this - oh the irony!  You were supposed to be delivered before I left!

It isn’t an exact match but I’ll have to cosplay this at least one more time with better accessories!  It turned out that I put on the cosplay before 8am, and wore it until almost 10pm!  Thus, I died after all of the nerdy things I partook in all day.  Turns out I put in ~16,565 steps that day.  The wig also held up decently with my friend’s constant assistance when I had to put my bag on and off. 

I really like messenger bags for crowds but, it was hard to put over the long haired wig.  Going to the bathroom wasn’t difficult but tedious - I did not wear pants underneath for two reasons: 1.) it was hot outside 2.) shorts are much easier to work with than a regular pair of pants under all those layers.

I was also excited the the first person I spotted that day was Ah Xu!  I’m so short ;_;

As far as I could tell, we were the only WOH cosplayers - unless someone else was hiding in the massive crowds (totally possible).  I saw tons of Hualian and the MXTX cosplayers were huge.  TGCF first, MDZS second, SVSSS third.  I was happy to find a Liu Mingyan on Friday in the artists alley and we were excited to be SVSSS fans.  I also found one Ranwan couple with great details - the matching red stone necklaces, and whips in red and gold. . . .  but that was it.  Maybe after the 2ha novel comes out in the fall, cons will have more 2ha cosplayers in the future.  I know my next one is SQQ, but other series should have cosplayers as well.  SPL would be great with Gu Mang and his single eyeglass or Yuwu.

[icancdramahanfu]

TL;DR - getting back to SQQ project likely by mid-September

You may be wondering why I posted after AX and then radio silence.  Several things have happened that have made it difficult to be 100%.  I’ll be checking things weekly to respond to comments but it will be here and there. 1.) I broke my right wrist - bad enough it warranted surgery a week after the brake.  I now have a 2mm titanium plate and a bunch of screws in it to put everything back into place to heal properly.  I am 3 weeks post-surgery and have a splint that I have to wear all the time (but I can finally get it wet in the shower and the sutures were removed earlier this week).  Physical therapy starts next week.  I’m left-handed, but I’m noticing all the things I do with my right hand.  Scissors - on man, I’m old enough that my formative years in kindergarten and primary school where still in the times of right handed scissors.  All I can say is it is very very difficult cutting with my left hand!  2.) The movers finally delivered my stuff!  Note, I arrived at my current location on June 13th.  All of my fabric, sewing machine, patterns, tools, thread etc were in boxes.  Boxes which were chilling in a warehouse somewhere in LA from ~June 10th to ~August 6th. It finally made it here and unpacking has been slower than usual, you know, with only one functional hand.  The orthopedic surgeon told me nothing more than a full coffee cup/can of pop to lift with my right hand.   Yep, I slept on an Ikea mattress on the floor for almost two months and over three weeks with my broken/healing wrist. 3.) Typing with one hand is slow.  That’s right, with the splint, I can’t type with my right hand at the moment.  I think once PT starts and I lose the splint, I’ll be able to type again.  My fingers are good, I just can’t turn my hand the right away.  Maybe 4 more weeks on the splint?

4.) New sewing room set-up to come.  As I heal, I’ll have time to work on a proper sewing/bike/guest room. I have been fangirling/jealous of all those sewing youtubers with their sewing rooms.  Having a proper cutting table/workbench with storage under it is just - sighs - so logical.

[icancdramahanfu]

Staring at swatches and deciding on final fabric.

After ordering my fabric swatches, I went ahead and waited for them to determine which ones gave me the 1.) best Shen Qingqiu vibes and 2.) felt good in my hands.  I forgot to mention in the previous post, but the white bamboo jersey fabric I ordered was for the zhong yi layer for this outfit.  I chose that because I wanted a natural fiber that would breathe and be machine washable and whatnot.  And so soft and comfortable.  I have a bamboo jersey dress shirt which I love, and it also makes for nice tight sleeves with that little bit of stretch.  This will come into play when I make the very tight sleeves for this top, which go all the way past the wrist.

To best show you what the fabric swatches look like, I took a photo of them in direct sunlight and then illuminated by indirect natural light.  And yes, my cat always needs to know what I’m up to.

You can’t quite read the labels, but from left to right there is the twill organza, 3 different silk shantung and then the silk crepe de chine (they did not have a swatch of ivory).

Here are the swatches with indirect natural light.

First, off the left most swatch is the twill organza which is sooooo thin and lightly woven that you can see right through it.  It is also very stiff and the only reason I ordered this swatch was due to the color and the thought I might be able to get away with it.  It is a hard no.  Note to self, don’t even bother with organza in the future.

The three in the middle are all silk shantung; iridescent blue green, waterfall iridescent green blue and then mint.  As soon as I saw these, I knew my winner was number two, the iridescent green blue.  The mint is too pale and has more of a yellow undertone than blue.  Since Shen Qingqiu’s color scheme is translated as teal, we know it leans more to blue than yellow.  However, the blue green is far too dark and has a strong emerald tone.  If you were going for the Korean artwork for him, I could see using it, but I’m not.

I also want to note that these silks feel great - they are lightweight but have a crispness to them - sort of like cotton which makes me think they will sew rather easily and ironing will really help with pressing seams and giving it real structure.

Therefore, my winner for the zhiju layer was the waterfall iridescent green blue silk shantung. Here is the original info for reference.

With only one crepe de chine sample, I could only feel it for a good idea.  It is light enough and the dewkist color was too yellow and too dark to consider for the beizi jacket.

I thought about ordering more of the silk shantung but then felt it might be too stiff for the outermost layer.  The jacket has a very fluid look to it and I don’t want it to be too stiff. 

I compared some of the lighter colors including the white, ivory, antique white, whisper white, cream and tapioca.  The antique white really seemed to be the best fit matching the warmer tone of the original artwork, it has just a slight bit of yellow.

The last thing I needed was some gold piping for the border of the jacket and the edge of the sleeves.  I pulled out my WKX jacket and quickly measured the sleeves and edge.  It was just short of 200″, at 192″ and I decided on 6 yards of gold ribbon, also in the antique gold.

With that I put in all of my amounts and then dryly laughed at the cost.  Unlike my previous project, where I ordered the fabric direct from China, these are all available domestically, and with a wide range of colors for each fabric type AND are able to be reordered due to the supplier constantly producing these for Mood.

It really didn’t make sense to try to order this silk from the supplier that I’ve previously bought from, b/c once you add in shipping and time, this particular fabric is the same cost and I can’t get a swatch easily.

With that now ordered, I have some time to figure out what I want to do for the patterns and if there is something I’d like to alter from my existing patterns.  I get the feeling that the zhong yi and the zhiju are both a little bit more ‘tight fitting’ or slender than my WKX ones.  The only garment that really emphasizes the light, airy and elegant feel is the jacket.  The teal zhiju isn’t too wide at the sleeves and the zhong yi is skin tight all the way past the wrist.

The illustration also gives a feeling that it isn’t too opaque either.  I found this additional artwork associated with the Vietnamese releases which really seems to show that the beizi jacket is much looser and has less structure than the zhiju.

The one detail that I just couldn’t match is the teal fabric’s bamboo pattern.  I had to decide if I wanted to do a pattern match or color match and I will always go with color over pattern.  This is what I did with the WKX outfit.  I found a blue that most well matched it and with a plant pattern but couldn’t find grass and had to go with bamboo (which is technically a grass, being a member of the Poaceae).

The only think would to purchase the same fabric here:

but to get it in the green.  Which holy crap, that green is far too bright!  The dusty blue was perfect for WKX, but that bright spring green with a strong yellow tone.  No way.

I have been playing with the idea of doing a Spoonflower print in a thin fabric and then using it as an overlay.  I’ll see how I feel about that.  I need to put things together first. My next post will likely focus on the zhong yi layer and how I will modify the current pattern.  I will need to draft some super tight sleeves.

[icancdramahanfu]

Anime Expo sooon!

As I stated previously, my next SQQ project has been on hold since I recently moved over 1,100 miles to start a new job.  Moving sucks - the vast majority of my things are currently in the process of being moved and or stored and then delivered; so. . . . . I’m sitting in a mainly empty apartment.  Yay - sort of.  Apparently, b/c I’m in an apartment complex that can’t be easily approached they have to charge me extra to deliver my things and they’ll charge me for the stairs to my place as well.  Thank goodness my new job is paying for it but still - I’m in this weird window of your stuff may be delivered between X date in June to X date in July within 30 days.  Um - yay.

The good news is that I was neurotic enough to toss my Wen Kexing cosplay in my suitcase that got shoved in my car.  Thus, I have the entire outfit, wig, and my plain black boots (I know not matching, but I need comfy shoes for a con).  However, I did not pack the fan and hairpin so, I’m currently hoping Amazon can deliver me a replacement fan by tomorrow!  You have no idea how much swearing occurred when I found a fan for my future SQQ in the suitcase and not the white one for WKX. I really don’t have a way to whip up the hairpin quickly so I’ll just have to do without -_- unless I can find one in the artist’s alley on day one.  Or I steal some label tape from work and make a paper one reinforced with a pencil or something  . . . ‘cause I got pretty much nothing in my place at the moment.  The label tape is a pretty good dupe for the color of the hairpin. . . .

There is no danmei cosplay meet up. Therefore, I’m gonna crash the MXTX one!  I have to admit I’m both excited and nervous to be around so many people.  It is apparently on July 2nd from 4:00pm to 5:30pm at site 7.  I’ve never been to AX so sure . . . outside meet up spots or something.

 The full cosplay meet up schedule is here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VgI5KYDxDBTS-v3qStWOfK7nA3RV4TjuNkglX9fqkB4/edit#gid=558568385

Anyhoo!  That’s all for now.  If you want to say hi, feel free to do so if you are inclined and we can talk nerdy sewing things or about various fandoms.