Woman's pleated skirt

Toward the late nineteenth century, as China began to modernize, some urban women began to wear clothing that allowed for freer movement. These women wore a thigh-length jacket over trousers or over a full-length skirt like this one for both formal and informal occasions. The jacket and the skirt were usually made of the same material and sometimes were embroidered with matching designs. Because the jacket covered the upper part of the skirt, that area was often made of durable cotton, and the ornamentation was concentrated in the lower part, as seen here.

This yellow silk fabric is woven with patterns of auspicious symbols among flowers. The central panels and the trims were embroidered with motifs of butterflies amid flowers, a traditional design associated with harmonious unions, such as happy marriages and joyful family reunions.