Tang Dynasty Attire: Blouse and Shawl

Tight-Sleeved Blouse and Long Flowing Shawl
In the early Tang Dynasty, women’s short blouses were tight-sleeved and paired with close-fitting long skirts. The skirts were waist-length, tied above the waist or below the armpits. The half sleeve was born out of short blouses. Normally they were short sleeved, open in the middle of the front. Its length reached one’s waist and was bound with a ribbon in front of the chest. There were pull over styles of the half sleeve blouses that were pulled on over the head. The lower part of the blouse could be put outside the skirt or bound inside like a normal short blouse. The silk shawl, also called paint silk, was normally made with light and thin yarn. Decorative patterns were printed or painted on it. It was usually more than two meters long. Women draped it on their shoulders between the two arms. The silk drape flows nicely when the woman walks. The above picture shows a maid wearing a tight-sleeved, collarless, slipping-on short blouse, a long skirt, and a silk shawl.

Source: http://www.pureinsight.org/pi/articles/2002/10/21/1161.html