Fashion Expert Fact Checks Mulan's Wardrobe | Glamour

this is Mulan you know her from Disney's Mulan you know this outfit and this one but are they accurate we got this fashion historian hi I'm Beth Charleston and I teach fashion history at Parsons The New School for Design - walk us through what the movie got right and what they got wrong about these looks first let's establish the setting Milan takes place in northern China somewhere between 420 and 589 and how do we know this we knew this because of the ballot of fama lon the source for disney's animated film which is a short poem traced to served up 422 589 during the Northern Wei period of the northern and southern dynasties of China Milan the ballad was passed down verbally until it was recorded in writing in the 12th century are there any other clues the mountainous scenes lead us to believe this could be the northern part of China there's an even bigger head here and here I will take the main troops up to the tongue shall pass and stop Xiong nu before he destroys this village this doll came from a village in the town shall pass the Tung Shao pass was located here let's get into the looks first up Mulan's everyday look when the movie opens we see Milan in her everyday clothes the garments she would have when she's doing her chores or working around the house let's draw Milan's everyday wear from the under garments up first up the underwear punctual undergarments for women during Milan's time consisted of two layers Zhang Yi middle clothes and nay even her clothes the first layer would consist of two parts a pamphlet and emotion the pamphlet covered the body from waist to knees or longer it tied around the waist via attached ribbons the garment could be open seamed at the crotch in order for a woman to relieve herself discreetly or it could be closed seemed like modern undergarments an emotion covered the upper part of the torso both the breasts in the stomach and was open in the back it was shaped in a triangle or a diamond and tied around the neck and back like a halter decorative embroidery appliqué or patchwork could be added to personalize this intimate garment Milan's plain-looking pamphlet in a subdued color looks historically accurate though as an intimate piece of clothing worn next to the skin and not meant for public viewing she might have had more leeway to wear bright colors let's move on to the second layer the second layer of clothing called Zhang Yi or middle clothing would consist of an under jacket and possibly an underskirt these were usually left plain and the collar and sleeves of the second layer of clothing would be visible adding color and interest to the ensemble the outer skirt might be shorter than the underskirt for the same reason the under jacket would have been asymmetrical closing left / right with side tie closures or small buttons to secure it the underskirt would tie around the waist the way that Milan's upper chest is visible in this outfit would not be considered proper since it showed too much skin also her under jacket cuffs are not visible moving on to the third layer route chin is an ensemble of traditional Chinese attire once worn by both sexes but by Milan's time was worn only by women it consisted of a blouse Rou and a wraparound skirt the chin unhhhh is shown wearing a wide sash in blue that covers the point where the blouse is tucked into the waist of the skirt these are her everyday clothes and wore clothes in which she needs to be able to move easily I'm here dyes used for coloring yarns and lengths of textile were derived from natural sources indigenous to the region and also available via Silk Road trade various shades of brown and rust were common amongst laborers and farmers because they effectively had dirt and where color yellow derived from safflower would be reserved for the royal household in later years in China down to the shoes since she is doing chores such as walking outside to bring her father tea and feeding the chickens her shoes would have been somewhat rough her everyday shoes would have leather soles and wool uppers for the harsh winters in northern China shoes would be padded with additional layers of wool that would be held in place by quilting quilting also provided minimal decoration shoes would be symmetrical with no designated left or right side even today when specific shoes for the left and right foot are the norm in China ethnic groups produce symmetrical shoes this simplifies the shoe making process and also reduces the difference in abrasion between the two sides now the hair a woman's hair was a point of pride for herself and her family it was going long and put up in a variety of styles overall Milan's everyday outfit is somewhat accurate so here's what Milan's everyday wear it would have looked like compared to the movie let's move on to Milan's matchmaker outfit during this time period it was very important for your family to marry well [Music] which is why Milan's matchmaking outfit which he also wears while seeing reflection is so elaborate let's take a look at this outfit from the undergarments up first up the undergarments again her undergarments would have consisted of a motion and pamphlets perhaps made a finer material such as silk now the middle clothes here we see an image from a Han era woman wearing a red motion with the white collar of an under robe next up the main garments this outfit is a more elaborate version of ruching with trailing or broad sleeves that cover Milan occasions these are called Guangzhou the idea of wearing two pieces of clothing as opposed to one main garment like a robe appealed to the Chinese idea of harmony and unity and is symbolic of the relationship of order between heaven and earth moving on to the shawl since it is a somewhat small piece of fabric mulan sha might be silk during the northern wei dynasty the silk industry had grown far beyond household production to organize factories and subsidized mulberry farming silkworms the source of all natural silk depend on mulberries for their diet next the shoes we do not see Milan shoes in this ensemble Ezzor hem is so long but if we did they would be handmade the shoes of this outfit would have silk uppers instead of hemp or wool Milan might also wear a shoe called the Chou Tolu which is more of a slipper type shoe with an upturned toe women wore these shoes with long gowns so that they would not trip over their hem or have to hold it in addition to Jade being thought of as a symbol of beauty in Chinese culture it also signifies goodness preciousness and purity Milan's family would not have been able to afford this necklace the matching size and color of the beads indicative of copious amounts of stone editing and shaping would have made this necklace cost prohibitive for a farming family niklas seen here is from the tomb of far wrong a magistrates wife from northern China who lived circa 500 AD approximately at the same time as mulan it consists of gold pieces crystals and 42 pearls but the green beads are made from glass next the hair the hair ornament that Milan wears is also known as zhang hua and would have been made of silk thread wire and copied from a style worn by women at court she was made from silver or gilded metal with Kingfisher feathers and a semi-precious stone in the middle Milan's hair is styled in a simple bun wrapped with fabric and accentuated with a comb a more elaborate double bun worn side to side or front to back was also popular at the time when Milan leaves the comb on her parents bed table before leaving for the army it is slightly different from the one her mother fixes to her hair lastly the makeup powder used to whiten the complexion was made by grinding rice into a fine flour consistency Rouge to color the lips is believed to have been made from the extracted juice of leaves from red and blue flowers animal fat was then added until the desired consistency was achieved eyebrows which the Chinese believed were linked to a woman's fate were a focal point of the face they were darkened or reshaped using soot from burnt willow branches from Milan's matchmaker outfit the clothing is pretty accurate so here's what Milan's matchmaker outfit would have looked like compared to the movie though Disney took liberties with the accuracy of Milan's outfits the theme of empowerment still rings true and here's what Milan's outfits would have looked like if she had lived in history [Music]

Channel: Glamour

Views: 411,236

Keywords: fashion expert, fashion fact check, fashion historian, fashion history, mulan costumes, would they wear that, mulan movie wardrobe, mulan disney, mulan dresses, mulan dress scenes, mulan hair, would they wear that glamour, beth charleston, fashion professor, beth charleston fashion, chinese fashion, chinese fashion history, mulan style, mulan cartoon vs real mulan, disney mulan vs history, would mulan wear that, mulan clothes, mulan movie, mulan, glamour, glamour magazine

Id: TqD8GJsTFXY

Length: 10min 15sec (615 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 13 2019