Red Veils: the Splendor of Ming Dynasty Wedding Dresses [Dragon's Amory] #fashion

A Ming dynasty lady in bridal dress. Her delicate cup is ceremonially tilted forward as a sign of honor. The dress is scarlet to mark the occasion of marriage. She wears a prominent blue phoenix crown over her head with three descending pheasants. It is decorated with tassels of pearl and red jade. The distinctive blue phoenix crown was worn since the Song dynasty and was prominently depicted in Song imperial artworks. Though the tradition of elaborate phoenix crowns was excavated as far back as the Sui and Tang dynasties, the privilege of wearing the phoenix crown is reserved for the empress, imperial princesses, imperial concubines, and Mandarin officials' wives. Most of the commoners would wear the red veil over their faces. The shoulder and arms of the lady's robe is marked with embroidered animals, marking her to be a woman of high stations. Phoenix and kilans marked women of imperial households and high officialdom. Commoners' bridal sleeves would have embroidered flowers. Similar to many cultures across the world, wedding ceremonies were massive public occasions, and often extended families would be invited to attend. Thank you for your interest. Please consider supporting Dragon's Army and subscribe.