Fashion Unpicked: Banyan made from a dragon robe | V&A

Watch curators from our Fashion & Textiles and Asia departments as they join forces to unpick the mysteries of this intriguing ensemble...
At first glance we appear to have an 18th-century gentleman's waistcoat and banyan - a popular European style of gown, not dissimilar to a dressing gown - which has been made in Italy. However, a close inspection reveals that the fabric is a luxurious Chinese silk embroidered with peacock feather threads, that was once destined to become an impressive dragon robe for the Chinese Imperial Court.
Join Susan and Sau Fong as they compare the ensemble with historic dragon robes in our collection to understand how the Italian tailor skilfully adapted this piece into a European-style garment, and ponder who it might have belonged to.
More Fashion Unpicked films: • Fashion Unpicked
Find out more in our China and Europe Collections:
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[@hinas_for_life]

Fascinating to see the dragon robe flat before it was stitched together. Thank you for this VERY interesting video!!

[@iagonizante]

the part where it shows a close-up of the peacock feathers woven into the fabric was AMAZING. so great to be able to get so close to it!!

[@londonhodnet4079]

More Fashion Unpicked please, this was wonderful and so informative thank you

[@vamuseum]

Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss! 👗✂

[@nataliechim5227]

So interesting to see the skill of both the Chinese and Italian craftsmen involved in the making of these garments. Being able to see an uncut dragon robe and then seeing how the tailor cut and stitched it to conform to a western silhouette was fascinating. Thank you for this wonderful insight.

[@newchapterasmr]

I can’t even begin to imagine the work that goes into making such a detailed piece with different fabrics. It’s beautiful

[@marge117]

I really appreciate how reduced the music background tracks were in this video- makes it much easier to understand, thank you

[@Vardagaladhiel]

This was so interesting! I really loved the detail about the peacock thread!

[@stardresser1]

Ohhhhhh...such eye candy. As a designer beautiful fabric is like crack to me. So luscious! Thank you.

[@lynnblack6493]

Fabric woven with peacock feather fibres. Such luxury. And such beauty!

[@sternenregen5489]

Stitching with feathers! Amasing!!

[@JaffaCakeGecko]

What a fun construction puzzle to have solved! Thrifty tailor, making the most of the remaining fabric!

[@marvinraphaelmonfort8289]

love the inverted horsehooves and pocket flaps

[@debbiereeves9700]

I absolutely love these videos from the V&A they are fascinating ❤

[@hummersd]

Amazing condition given that the garment was made before 1750. Love the detail on how they're made and insights they found on how it was morphed from the original into its current form.

[@soniatriana9091]

This incredible woven fabric with its beautiful iridescence from the peacock feathers is stunning! But the real feat is the Tailor’s ability to use this panel to its fullest potential, while incorporating the European style of attire!! 10:24

[@jhash9554]

Now that is Fabulously Stunning! I’d wear it everyday if I owned it!

[@jemandjemand2362]

wearing this amazing piece of work for just meeting with friends. compared to what trashy pieces some people wear even for formal occasions nowadays.

[@fishinwidow35]

That waistcoat is just WOW

[@BuriedTeeth]

Wow, i had no idea such cross-cultural gowns existed! Very nice video (and relaxing)

[@marthaanderson2656]

the uncut fabric panel with the pre-woven robe is a fascinating thing. I wonder if the master weavers had looms specific to the person as the fabrics would have to accommodate a varied size of bodies.

[@nelsaf365]

I'm wondering that as well. The yellow robe, shown flat and constructed, seems small. Would it have been a piece in the last emperor's official wardrobe, I wonder? I have seen an operating loom in Nanjing; it was very tall and complex. Weavers climbed around the scaffolding to operate it. The silk and garment constructions of the East have fascinated me my entire life. I hope your question is answered.

[@rsmith6366]

Generally looms can be altered quite a bit depending on what you want to make.

[@joshuaharper372]

I also saw the operating loom in Nanjing, and it was fascinating. I suspect, as the flat panel in this video suggests, the dimensions of the robes would have been carefully planned before the weaving commenced, and two or maybe even three narrow panels woven and seemed together. I would guess that two panels would be sufficient for all but the largest people?

[@AStitchTooFar]

This was so interesting! Thank you very much for sharing.

[@samatiesse]

This is such an incredible and informative video. I hope to be seeing many more on the channel.

[@susquahallasmiley3262]

Transfixed. What amazing skill and beauty. Thank you

[@piedwagtailrameau]

Absolutely fascinating presentation! Thank you!

[@Carolleemakesthings]

Wow… just, wow!

[@Ramazan101072]

It looks so contemporary eccentric.

[@lianefehrle9921]

I to this day wished I still had the silk my dad got from Vietnam.

[@bromance_y]

Amazing video!!! Thank you

[@skirtedgalleons]

Very well done video, thank you!

[@MrMomo182]

George V was wearing what is described as an old Tibetan dressing gown when he died. This garment was reportedly a gift of the 13th Dalai Lama, either from the 1913 diplomatic exchange, or from one of his trips to India. The King was also wearing it when he received PM Stanley Baldwin, during his illness. If true, it must have been a high ranking courtly robe. Interesting to find out whether it still exists.

[@dannil9878]

How much for this, and do they come in different colors?

[@RinpochesRose]

That was great, thank you 🙂

[@oneshotme]

Very beautiful!!

[@trekon2023]

That dragon is so large and prominent on the chest. I can't imagine who would wear this and where they would where this to. Was this an Italian businessman trying to fit in while appearing in front of a Chinese magistrate audience? Was this an Italian who visited the Chinese court or artisans who made court clothing and returned to Italy with some Chinese cloth from his travels and asked his tailor to make something similar?

[@bustedkeaton]

Slaying the homies my morning levee in this

[@sarahwatts7152]

Maybe the most fascinating one yet in this series, wow. I would have liked to hear more form the Chinese historian about the potential sacrilege of cutting up the robe in this way. Plus, if this was worn at the Chinese court, would the European man have had his own tailor with him? Plus, why make such an informal garment out of this material, when its intended use was for official/public occasions? I'm assuming that this banyan/waistcoat was not worn in China, but that wasn't made super clear

[@vamuseum]

The transformation of the dragon robe to European banyan would have taken place in Italy - Italian court dress was very different from Chinese court dress, so it wouldn’t have been possible to make the dragon robe into an Italian court suit. The Italian tailor clearly had great respect for the beautiful textile, so he made it into a European garment that conformed to the woven shape of the dragon robe. Hope this helps 🐉

[@rsmith6366]

When they say 'informal' that covers a lot of things in this time period. The Home had both public and private areas. This would have been worn predominantly in public areas of the home where influential guests would be present. Back then they had much more involved ideas of 'types' of dress. It wasn't just 'home' or 'outside'. There were lots of different types of 'home' wear. Just like how women had a dress especially for visiting friends in. This waistcoat and robe said "I'm rich, influential, cultured, and friends with the king (of Italy)" and he would wear it infront if all his most important friends and colleagues. This mam could even have waited upon the King (of Italy) himself. It was considered an honour yo help the King get dressed in the morning, so only his favourites would be allowed. Over time this turned into just being present whilst he got dressed (had breakfast, etc), which is a good chunk of time with the King and still a big deal. Wearing this if you waited on the King would be a real "get a load of me" move.

[@CrisSelene]

​@@rsmith6366 just to be a stickler, there wasn't a "king of Italy" in the 1700s. There were many kingdoms and duchies (which had evolved from the Renaissance city-states) over which more powerful kingdoms, like Spain, Austria and the Holy Roman Empire, fought. The kingdom of Naples, the kingdom of Milan, the duchy of Tuscany, the duchy of Parma.

[@KellieEverts-ss8uz]

Wow!

[@sa34w]

Beautiful

[@bookofdust]

The asymmetrical waistcoat is stunning, was it radical to do something that wasn’t symmetrical at that time in European clothing?

[@Theater00jock]

It wasn't completely unknown. There was a fashion for "bizarre silks" (inspired by eastern weaving and embroidery) which were often woven with asymmetrical designs. There's a good example of a waistcoat with bizarre silk on wikipedia. But I have definitely seen more examples of symmetrical ornamentation.

[@vamuseum]

Yes! The decoration of European garments like coats, waistcoats and gowns was symmetrical - the right side a mirror image of the left side.

[@KellieEverts-ss8uz]

Interesting

[@ericowensnyc]

OMG 💜💜💜💜💜

[@zapfanzapfan]

Waiting for Xi to turn up in one of those at the next party meeting 🙂

[@singitoutoflove]

looks like a chinese artwork

[@rsmith6366]

The fabric is. It was repurposed for Italian clothing.

[@errgo2713]

Cosplay basically lol

[@rsmith6366]

He's not pretending to be a Chibese official. He's an Italian official in Clothing made of Chinese fabric.

[@carlossardinha8920]

a arrogancia britanica......se achando melhores q os pprios criadores ......apesar de bem pensado e bonito

[@abnormallyfunny]

what arrogance? fabric from china, refashioned in italy, presented by a museum in the UK. the video contains full context. watch it first to avoid appearing so ignorant.

[@jokesNgiggles]

That's a hack job

[@rsmith6366]

It's hundreds of years old.

[@dannil9878]

How much for this, and do they come in different colors?