Wu Zetian (624-705) was the only woman to ever rule as Empress of China. We show three depictions of her above: on the left is an antique portrait, on the right is a photo of an actress in a historical pantomime, and the center sketch shows Wu Zetian in the typical dress of the period. That’s the effect we’re going for—Tang Dynasty style, strapless underdress, flowing transparent robe with huge sleeves.
A simple way to approximate that look is to pair a strapless gown with a big kimono-sleeve robe, the gauzier the better. Use solid colors or Chinese-style fabrics; avoid any modern prints. You can also try using hanfu costume pieces from the internet, as listed below.
The items we suggest:
1. Tang Dynasty-style gown. The gauzy over-robe with this dress is wonderful. If the inner gown is too small, you can substitute your own strapless maxi dress.
2. Phoenix crown. This is a modern bridal crown, but it will work fine for Wu Zetian.
3. Optional wig. If you need help creating a big poufy Tang Dynasty hairstyle to support your crown, these wig pieces might help.
Makeup: Tang Dynasty ladies had some serious eyebrow action going on, as you can see from the photo of Carina Lau made up as Wu Zetian for the movie Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame. She looks awesome.
Carina Lau as Wu Zetian.
Wu Zetian was said to be ruthless, but there’s probably a lot of lurid male hysteria in the stories about her. She was definitely a very, very effective ruler, and China prospered under her reign. She—well, hang on, let her tell you herself:
That’s her character in Civilization 5. Don’t know about that cleavage, but the costume is right.
