Chinese woman's pleated skirt

The specific style of this skirt is called a "fish-scale one hundred pleat skirt" (yulin baizhe qun) because the small steps of a woman with bound feet caused the many narrow pleats on the sides to swing uniformly in a manner like rippling fish scales.

The blue damask ground has a woven pattern of bats amidst clouds, a motif conveying a blessing for good fortune or luck (fuyun). The embroidery on the front (and back) flat panel, done in Peking knots (also known as knot stitch, referring to small knots made on the fabric surface), depicts women engaging in various virtuous pursuits similar to those found in the robe above. The remaining decoration on the skirt includes flowers, fruits, butterflies, and bats.