Hello :), I have a question, in Mo Dao Zi Shi donghua Hiang Cheng and Wei WuXian wear a sleeveless type of overgarment, what is this called? It doesn’t show up a lot when you look for men’s hanfu, and I can’t seem to get the name of this overgarment.
Hi! I haven’t read/watched Modao Zushi, but I think I know what you’re talking about – the sleeveless overgarments depicted here, right?:
So….to be honest, I’m not completely sure what they are ^^;;; The closest type of hanfu they resemble (to me, anyway) is Banbi/半臂 (half-sleeve jacket). Banbi can be worn open in a parallel style, and the shortness of its sleeves can vary. Some examples:
It’s very possible that this particular sleeveless garment (which appears quite often in historical Chinese dramas as well – see below: examples from Cdrama “The Legend of Dugu”) is not based completely on historical clothing, but is rather the product of the artists/designers taking some creative liberties with fashion.
Perhaps some other knowledgeable folks can shed more light on the matter (@Fouryearsofshades)?
Hope this helps!
Update: It seems the second option was correct – as both Fouryearsofshades and Vietphuc pointed out in the replies, this particular type of sleeveless overgarment is inspired by Kataginu/肩衣, Japanese men’s vests with broad, wing-like shoulders, historically worn by Samurai and courtiers:
As I’ve mentioned before, it’s very common for Chinese shows set in the ancient past to take fashion inspiration from different dynasties and occasionally even different cultures ^^;;
Ziseviolet 