[Xishi Cosplay] Honor of Kings Old Design: Cool and Aloof Memories Amidst Light and Shadows of Ancient Windows

On the day of shooting this old design Xishi, teacher Hehe led us to find an old building full of Chinese garden atmosphere. Pushing open that heavy wooden door, the entire space was almost too dark to see clearly, with only sunlight filtering through the windows cutting like a sharp blade against the white wall, perfectly matching the cool, aloof, and slightly melancholic temperament of Xishi that I imagined.

The blue and white color scheme of the outfit actually tests the details quite a bit; white fabrics easily overexpose under harsh light, but this time the light and shadow preserved the texture layers of the cloth instead. The deep blue wide waistband combined with the metallic ring buckle gave this ethereal outfit a bit more firmness and strength. What gave me the biggest headache was actually the metal crown on my head; although it brought great visual effects, when the wind blew I really had to hold it with my hand the whole time for fear of it dropping onto the wooden floor.

Striking poses on the window sill, sunlight struck from the side and back, nicely outlining the contours of the person and the window frame. In my mind, the line \"The person the young lady yearns for has turned into a memory\" kept revolving; this slightly regretful atmosphere was actually what I wanted to express through the lens. Teacher Hehe was very skilled at capturing these natural, relaxed moments—many jumps, leans, or raised-leg actions were snapped while chatting and adjusting props.

The contrast between indoor and outdoor light was huge. To ensure the face wasn't too dark, we used a reflector to lightly fill face light, so you can see in these photos that the light in the eyes is clear and translucent. The lines of the window frames and the blue ribbons on the outfit formed a great geometric harmony in the frame. Although shooting that day was tiring, climbing the window sill repeatedly and getting my cuffs scraped by wood splinters a few times, seeing the final photos made all that fatigue disappear.

My favorite part of this old design was the sleeve design. That translucent white gauze layered together—if actually walking in the wind or leaning one hand against the doorframe like in the photo, the sleeves flutter with the movement, looking extremely lively. Sitting on the window sill caused the skirt to scatter naturally, making the white cloth strips and blue bandage details on the legs key points in the composition. When light hit the legs at an angle, the overall colors became very transparent—glowing white and deep blue.

During shooting, we actually tried many ways to interpret this character's reservedness and sorrow. For example, staring blankly out the window wasn't a deliberate pose, but genuinely feeling the character's thoughts in that quiet environment. The scent of the wooden window, the cicadas outside, and the occasional breeze passing through instantly immersed you into that story-filled setting. Sunlight came in from the left window; to give facial features more three-dimensional structure, I deliberately raised my head slightly to avoid direct glares, forming soft light-to-dark transitions across the face.

For Xishi cosplay, reproducing appearance is only the first step; more importantly, it's about capturing the emotions the character exudes. The old design of Xishi didn't have as many gorgeous special effects as current versions, possessing instead a charm of returning to simplicity. The tailoring of this outfit fits the body nicely without overemphasizing fleshiness, expressing classical elegance through interweaving blue-and-white color blocks and special pattern textures. The shots of me sitting on the window edge were not just camera angle variations, but an effort to give the image a storytelling feel of \"opening the window and letting sunlight shine into the gloom.\"

Additionally, that close-up shot didn't come easily because the light was extremely strong; if the camera faced the face directly, it would easily create unsightly highlights. Controlling the light's angle was necessary so rim light just leaked through the edges of the hair. Me reaching forward with a slight virtual grasp was to guide the audience's gaze, making people feel as if I were touching something invisible—be it yearning, memories, or fleeting time.

The final full-body compositions were captured under fast shutter speeds. Because light was precious, a single gust of wind might mess up the bangs or alter the sleeve curvature. We continuously adjusted sitting postures and foot placements—sometimes flat, sometimes resting lightly against the window frame edge—wanting to record the most comfortable state of this costume under natural light. Although tedious, the final photos possess a quiet strength that doesn't feel like rigid posing, but a flesh-and-blood person filled with real emotion.

Regarding overall color tone, we didn't use too many post-processing filters this time, relying more on shaping natural light and shadow. The dark wooden frame pillars and vivid, bright green window scenery formed a sharp warm-cool contrast, while the character in white and blue stood in the middle—not overly detached yet steadily standing out from the background. Looking back at this set every time, I feel that in Ancient style cosplay, environments aren't just backgrounds, but extensions of the character. The conflict between the square rigidity of window frames and the soft curves of the body created a visual tension we pursued.

Speaking back to headwear and hairstyles, to achieve accuracy, the wig was specially trimmed into straight bangs aiming for natural rather than stiff edges. Although the silver crown on top wasn't heavy, finding the optimal gravity distribution point during shooting so it wouldn't easily slide off was a small invisible challenge. In close-up shots, the blue hair ribbon became the soulful touch—light blue popping out against dark black hair, nicely echoing the colors of the top and waist cincher for a cohesive feel.

Overall, this was a very comfortable yet fully immersive shooting experience. No grand narrative, just being quietly immersed in that afternoon breeze and dappled sunlight, faithfully portraying that lively figure in my mind. Seeing the shutter press down and capturing photos of a self both familiar and slightly unfamiliar is probably one of the most charming aspects of doing Cosplay photography and Chinese-style photography.