The Empress's Court Skirt

Function within ceremonial clothing

The empress's court skirt (*chaoqun*) was the inner skirt component of full Qing ceremonial dress, worn for important state sacrifices and grand celebrations. It should not be confused with an ordinary skirt or with the robes that belonged to the separate category of auspicious dress.

The Palace Museum describes the empress's court attire as a combination of court crown, robe, overcoat, and skirt, together with prescribed neck and head ornaments and earrings. Its order of dressing clarifies the skirt's role: the *chaoqun* was put on first, the court robe was worn over it, and the court overcoat completed the upper layers. This explains why a court skirt viewed in isolation may be difficult to interpret without knowledge of the whole outfit.

Material evidence and dating

Dress regulations varied according to status, season, and occasion. To attribute an individual *chaoqun*, its textile, color, embroidery, structure, and workmanship should be compared with the applicable historical provisions and museum records. Surviving garments may also have lost pieces or undergone repairs during later conservation. Consequently, neither a decorative color nor the appearance of a modern historical-drama costume can establish original palace ownership. Understanding the skirt as one layer of a documented ritual ensemble is more reliable than assessing its ornamental qualities alone.

Related encyclopedia entry: The Empress's Court Robe.

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