This is number 146 in the blog series, “My Writing Life.” I encourage you to join my Patreon community to support my writing.
This is actually just some things I learned about clothes from Chinese short dramas. I’m back on that subject because I’m about to start writing my second short drama and have been watching dozens of them to learn all about what makes them so addictive. Research, you know.
One of the prime ingredients in the Chinese short drama is the costuming.
Of course, the first thing that comes to mind when we mention costuming is the period costume drama. I have to say I’m stunned by the beauty and elegance portrayed in these dramas. Most have a degree of royalty involved and everyone in the royal court is elaborately dressed. Layers of robes and dresses in bright and festive colors. Hats that define a person’s occupation or status. And even underwear that can be shown at the appropriate time. One would think, in fact, that no one ever completely undressed, even to bathe.
The warriors are always in leather armor. The martial artists in robes or gis that represent their rank in the school. The old masters dressed in unsoiled white, no matter how many battles they are in. And even the beggar’s rags looking freshly laundered.
When we move into contemporary dramas, all janitors and cleaners dress alike. All maids dress alike. All prisoners are dressed alike—and just happen to dress in the same kind of striped pajamas as patients in a hospital. Always clean and neatly pressed, even after a brawl.
Gangs are of two varieties. First are those who run around in open short-sleeved shirts and dungarees. No pretense of being formal in any way. The second are those in black. Usually, these are posing as bodyguards for a woman in black shorts, black leather crop top and various weapons strapped to her legs. Her guards wear ill-fitting black suits, white shirts, black ties, and usually sunglasses, no matter the time of day or night. Seeing one of these guys in a short drama is equivalent to seeing a red shirt in a Star Trek episode. They aren’t going to end well. They aren’t necessarily all villains. Many are bodyguards for main characters on either side of the law.
That brings us to the hard-working protagonist who may be a hidden martial arts god, a secret billionaire, or a delivery guy with a magical system or x-ray vision. Might even have mystical healing powers according to traditional Chinese medicine. He will wear jeans or slacks, a clean white T-shirt, and a colored or patterned shirt worn as if it were an open jacket. He’ll go to all kinds of events and businesses dressed like this, no matter how fancily everyone else is dressed. Eventually, someone will convince him to get dressed up for an event—his unveiling as a person of incredible power—and he’ll wear an elegant dark suit that will show off exquisite tailoring and style. He’ll have a lapel pin of a style that is connected by gold chains to a breast pin, but actually has no significance.
The tailored suit is significant in indicating an important man. If an elder or patriarch, it will be a mandarin cut with fancy embroidery. An older adult will wear a good suit and coordinated shirt and tie. The younger men who are on the ‘good’ side will wear dark and elegant suits unlike anything commonly seen in men’s stores in America. They might have an interesting button closure, a vest, coordinated panels with different patterns or textures, but always dark and sophisticated.
When you see a flashy red suit, patterned suit, or bright color with piping, that is your principal villain. These are usually worn with a bright or patterned shirt, open at the collar, often with some serious jewelry. These are the guys about to be beaten up or dismantled by the hero.
I think the only time I’ve really focused on clothing in one of my novels is in the Living Next Door to Heaven series. The family gis came about with the establishment of the clan and houses in Book 4, Deadly Chemistry. The four main houses or casas each adopted a color and the girls sewed gis and belts in that color. The unhoused wore white. Brian’s casa wore red. Other houses wore blue, green, and yellow. More were added as the story progressed.
The outfits were significant in telling which house was which in the large gatherings, but also because nearly everyone practiced some form of martial arts. Most of the time, when they were working out, they went naked. But even though the colors were unrelated to any martial arts belt ranking, when they were seen all together—or even individually—they were an imposing sight.
This, coincidentally, is often how the Daoist who has just come to the city from his mountain retreat is dressed in the short drama.
The Living Next Door to Heaven 10-book series is available in eBooks at ZBookStore or in three long serials on SOL.
Lest you think I am ignoring the women in these short dramas, let me say you will seldom ever see more consistently elegant clothing on display in any kind of movie. It seems that American movies since at least the mid-1960s have relegated suits and well-tailored looks to the likes of James Bond. But the Chinese dramas really dress up their women.
There is a range of plebeian clothes for women which are used for labor and poverty. Then there is the schoolgirl—a very popular look, but seldom seen on a girl that is younger than in the final year of high school. These uniforms feature a white blouse, buttoned to the neck, a blue jacket with a pocket patch indicating the school, and a plaid skirt that is at least ten inches shorter than is actually allowed in Asian schools. Bobby socks and Mary Janes are the completion of the outfit. A popular alternative to the jacket and blouse is a navy-style blouse with a square back collar and tie.
I’ve already mentioned the female martial artist or gang leader as one dressed in black short-shorts, leather crop top, and various weapons strapped to her legs. She usually wears black ankle-length boots. Very intimidating. Then we move to the different levels of female character. A popular character is the ‘country bumpkin.’ She has been abandoned by her wealthy family and raised in the country where she was taught extreme martial arts and can lift a car with one hand. Her outfit us usually an embroidered vest and blousy top with a full skirt that is somewhat less than ankle-length. It looks like a nod to folk wear and is often an object of ridicule, even though it is lovely and charming.
The second major female is the vain society girl—sometimes a CEO—who wears expensive clothes, no matter if they are tasteless. It’s usually a form-fitting dress even shorter than the high school girl uniforms. All the upper class and corporate women wear hose and garters. Evening wear for the vain society girl is usually also form-fitting, though longer and slit up the side.
The office worker is often depicted in a short black skirt and white blouse. There are a few variations. They are only extras. The boss lady wears a tailored suit, once again with an ultra-short skirt. When she heads for the big gala that nearly every short drama has, she wears an elegant evening gown, often off the shoulder with beads artfully draped from her neck across her shoulders. If there is a type of elegant evening wear, you will find it in a Chinese short drama—even gowns with a train on characters who can kick an opponent in the chin.
As a result of watching these short dramas, I’ve become more conscious of how my own characters are clothed. I don’t dwell on it too much—I don’t think—but I’m always aware of what kind of image my character is portraying through the way he or she is dressed. The exercise in visualizing the characters is very valuable and makes each character more real to me.