Woman's skirt

This formal skirt represents a new style worn by Chinese women in the nineteenth century. The decoration on the skirt is concentrated below the knee because the part from the waist to around the knee was unseen when worn with a knee-length top. This pleated skirt is a good example of the refined quality of silk garments of its era.

The embroidered design includes phoenixes amid clouds and flowers; this classic theme emphasizes feminine power. By the early seventh century, if not earlier, the phoenix was an emblem worn exclusively by noblewomen. The golden motif is framed by wide bands with blue butterflies among plum flowers.