'Once everything is over, let's go travel the mountains and rivers.' This line truly paints a vivid picture, so taking advantage of this photoshoot, I donned this Xishi look to first embrace that carefree and relaxed mood. The outfit features a Traditional Chinese style dress in a red-and-blue color palette; the frog buttons and tassels on the top required careful arranging, while the pleated skirt on the lower half has great layered volume, accented by auspicious cloud ripple patterns on the sides.
Because I prefer natural realism, I specifically chose an indoor Mirror selfie approach this time, using the mirror to observe the dynamic flow of the garment. In particular, holding this candied Tanghulu prop made the whole movement feel more lively and playful rather than stiff. The trickiest part of the shoot was actually the crouching pose in the third photo: because the skirt hem is relatively short with a fluffy flare, I had to continuously adjust my balance and leg angles to reveal the floral knot details along the sock cuffs and the red shoes, highlighting better leg lines.
The lighting was soft afternoon side light, which deepened the rich red tones of the top and created a comfortable visual contrast against the white inner layer. I really love this genuine way of documenting—not forcing complicated poses or sacrificing garment neatness for exaggerated movement, striving instead to preserve the original design's aesthetic charm. The red cord knots, hair accessories, and overall styling fit this ancient-style theme seamlessly. Sharing these photos is my way of capturing this moment—daydreaming through costume before actually setting out on the journey.