[Ruan Mei cosplay] The detached traditional Chinese style beauty in Honkai: Star Rail

The Qixi Festival celebratory photoshoot this time selected Ruan Mei from Honkai: Star Rail, and the entire shooting process from costume preparation to lighting adjustments took a lot of thought. The color scheme of this outfit is mainly blue and green, paired with golden line piping. The white detachable wide sleeves on the shoulders have a great texture, and the cloud patterns and tassels at the cuffs have a natural drape when moving. The black sheer perspective design on the chest and the dark long gloves are key highlights of this styling; the edges of the gloves feature metal decorations, making the hand lines look very sharp after wearing them. The multi-layered pearl necklace on the neck and the dark neck ornament embedded with a ruby in the center required careful adjustment of angles to fit the neck while also ensuring that the necklace wouldn't flip over during movements. The high-slit design of the costume requires special attention to the direction of the skirt hem when posing, using perspective differences to present leg lines while ensuring elegant movements without accidental exposure, which actually tests the instant candid capture during the shoot.
For the props, the round fan and the pipa are crucial. The body of the pipa is mainly black and blue with golden patterns and blue strings, and it has a certain weight. When lifting or holding it, you need to find the right force-bearing point, otherwise, it is easy to look stiff and cause shoulder soreness. The floral patterns and pink long tassels on the round fan can play a brightening role in a dimly lit environment. The shooting scene was decorated with wood-carved screens and lattice window lattices, with pink flowers dotted around interspersed. To highlight the character, we used cool-toned blue light in the background, while casting warm-toned rim light on the character's face and side. The warm and cool contrast makes the layers of the frame richer. A white plush blanket was spread on the wooden daybed, creating a great contrast in color and texture. To create that quiet midnight atmosphere, we intentionally placed a warm-toned light source in the background lantern, forming a counter-clash with the cool light from the front.
In terms of action design, to fit the temperament of this styling, there were no overly exaggerated poses. The character Ruan Mei gives a relatively calm and restrained feeling, so both the gaze and limbs need to be restrained without overly dramatic ups and downs. Holding the round fan to half-cover the face and communicating with the lens through the gaze; or letting the sleeves and tassels drop naturally when looking back; or lying sideways and flat on the daybed to showcase the lines of the waist, abdomen, and legs. Shooting lying down positions actually tests physical stamina a lot, especially lying on hard wooden boards or the plush-blanket-padded ground, which requires core strength to maintain body lines while keeping facial expressions natural. As for the hairstyle, the blunt bangs needed to be trimmed just to cover the eyebrows, and the sideburns on both sides needed to be permed with a natural arc to serve the purpose of framing the face shape. The metal flowers of the hair accessories needed to be carefully fixed on the coiled hair to prevent poking the head or shifting when lying down. The makeup emphasized the reddish-pink smudging of the eye area and lip color, and the elongated treatment at the outer corners of the eyes made the gaze look more expressive. Because this costume has quite a few accessories, a lot of time was spent on preparation work beforehand. From the styling and trimming of the wig to the maintenance and assembly of props, every step required patience. Especially the pipa prop; holding it for a long time makes hands shake, so resting must be seized during shooting breaks. The switching between indoor and outdoor locations also required quick adjustments of states. Overall, this shoot, from styling to set design, strived to present a steady and detached classical fantasy style. From the adjustment of costume details to the continuous polishing of light and shadow, everyone put a lot of effort into every link. Thanks to the photographer and logistics partners for their hard work, and thanks to everyone for patiently reading through these records behind the shoot.