Fashion items favored by ancient beauties

Females tend to be loyal followers of fashion, in either ancient times or today. The beauties in the ancient royal court were more of fashion insiders, compared with common people. Let's take a look at fashion items females donned in ancient royal palace.

A gold buyao in the shape of a horse head with deer horns from the Northern Dynasty (386-581), collected by the National Museum of China. [Photo/Official Wechat account of Palace Museum's Taobao]

Buyao hairpin

Buyao, literally translating to "swing by step", was an exquisite hair ornament denoting noble status. The buyao hairpin was generally made of gold in the shape of a dragon or phoenix, and decorated with pearls and jade. The main feature of a buyao was its pendants that swing as the wearer moved, which requires the wearer to walk elegantly. Buyao was popular mainly in Han (206 BC-220) and Tang (618-907) dynasties, and only concubines with high status in the royal court were eligible to wear buyao.