Ming Elegance @ Blanc de Chine 2010

Blanc de Chine, a luxury brand with a flagship store on Fifth Avenue New York, began in 1986 as a concept workshop in Hong Kong. The idea was to bring together eight principles with three classic Chinese garments. The guiding principles were simplicity, sensuality, purity, functionality, comfort, harmony, subtlety and serenity. The three garments were the women's Qipao, the man's Zhongshan suit and the Dudou undergarment for men, women and children of all ages.

Named after precious white porcelain from the Ming Dynasty, Blanc de Chine was the first Chinese luxury brand that has mad a serious effort in transforming traditional Chinese culture into modern lifestyle. It distinguished itself with its amalgamation of the richness of China- its philosophy, history, art and culture, with luxurious but simple, modern clothing. 

This jotter was invited to the exclusive editor’s show of Blanc de Chine’s spring summer 2010 collection a couple of months ago. From the front row seats, one observed that the new collection consistently drew inspiration from the cultural aesthetics of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). This period enjoyed orderly government and social stability in China and therefore, nurtured one of the most significant eras of art and cultural development in the history of China.

The collection reflected the high level of refinement in design, sleek, simple, and sensuous silhouettes that characterized the art and the cultural elements of the Ming Dynasty. Objects of design from this period are often stripped of elaborate ornamentation, emphasizing the materials used, and the inherent beauty of the subject matter and Blanc de Chine’s 2010 Spring/Summer collection design concept epitomized this aesthetics of minimalistic refinement in design and presented an elegant collection that is pure, simple and functional.