CalisL

Definitely the fabric

Warning: For anyone who's reading this comment and is going into this drama with a blank slate and no previous impressions, this costume is great, especially for the typical xuanhuan genre in cdramas! :)

Thanks @ScrapGod for notifying us about the new costume :), but ... it seems I've sunk into more of a deflated bun with an upside down smiley face hahahaha I'm consciously trying to stop myself from adding to the pessimism in the comment section. But can I also hang onto the tinnny possibility that this m-i-g-h-t not be the final costume? XD I'm just fooling myself at this point.

Wait, omg I almost mistook his eye patch for a huge piece of rock, and was so confused for a second. *facepalm* I mean why would anyone stick a rock hanging out of their face.

I've edited this a few times I know, each time I look back at the photos with new revelations, but since you asked for our take on his costume, please be prepared for a little rant where I will follow up on the above comment from @LysonP, with how the material looks flimsy and gauzy,

-That is, it also looks very baggy, directly impeding any ability to conjure a sense of mystery about him, the very opposite of his slick but confident image.
-This isn't helped by the basic colour of red chosen.
-His arm braces aren't sliver adorned with decorations *cries* I mean that is an essential part of HuaCheng's description in the novel!

Honestly, why is it that HuaCheng's cosplay by fans manage to pay better attention to design his costume in a way to actually exude the distinct vibes from his character, but this... this is passable *sigh*.

Have a look at this (the third post from the top): https://twitter.com/_meuud/status/1422819824334303232/photo/1
What struck me the most when I read the novel and manhua, was the LACK of decorations and subdued flamboyance which allowed his costume do more of the 'talking' and exude a certain aura of quiet confidence and the lurking absolute authority he commands as the one and only Ghost King, one of the four supreme demons. It is precisely because he doesn't need all the flashy depictions of an emperor like status with a multitude of symbols woven in their clothing, which one usually attributes to such characters in folklore or historical cdramas to convey their status to the audience, that he seems all the more powerful.

This isn't the level of effort I expected from this production, given that it was promoted to be held in high regard. Regardless, it's a good outfit, I should say that much *sigh*.

Lol guys, a funny thing just happened; I can't even search #吉星高照 on Twitter after trying multiple times, because I keep getting blocked by this - "Twitter is over capacity. Please wait a few moments then try again." I can't begin to imagine how many people are inundating this tag with comments or images XD

OMG same thing happened to #EternalFaith as well!

:O You're right! That's a crucial detail! But doesn't XieLian only wear them for the ceremonial parade? I'm assuming those clothes are his everyday clothing, because they don't seem glamorous enough for a dance, as in the overall mix of cream colours, save for the striking inner red, seem more subdued and more suitable to everyday princely wear.

Thank youuu so much >_<

Hahahah you certainly strive to carry XieLian's brand of optimism , so fitting you're currently named scrap god. But back to your point _"it's not the actors who's the biggest letdown, but the production team itself", I feel exactly the same way >_<

I totally missed that when I was reading the novel, thanks for the reminder! ^^

Rightly so!

Wait Xie Lian had a new costume (is it in the Photos section of this page)?! Or maybe because they look really similar with the same blinding white colour, that I couldn't distinguish it the first time around?

Argh this is taking a toll on me XD

The producer and script writer definitely played pivotal roles for their respective dramas! I was also kind of let down by the Dance of the Phoenix, but who knows, mayyybe, just maybe they hired a mediocre script writer? Hahaha, I must maintain a tiny ray of hope in the director, or else there really isn't anything to keep me anchored down during our arduous wait for TGCF to finish filming and be released. *exasperated cry* Like how you said, the drama has only just begun filming, so we shouldn't judge too quickly.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! ^^~

Speaking from my personal preference, I would have liked to see some stains or smudges on a slightly worn out piece of clothing for Xielian. There's a really poignant lyric line in TGCF's donghua's opening song, conveying the weariness he endured throughout the years was reflected in his already ashen clothing although his visage still seemed young and hasn't change at all since the last Huacheng saw him. And also, he is a humble beggar/trash collector so I would have hoped to see that experience leave at least some obvious marks on his character curation, whether that's through his clothing for example.

I totally agree!

Hmmm for me, it took one month to read though all the chapters until ch150, after that the mtl chapters lead me to slow down (because I had to cross check with the meaning in chinese) and I guess I've tried to delay it after a year and a half, mainly because I'm scared of the long period of pain that will pop up later. XD

Thanks for pointing that out XD, I've made the edit, citing the incorrect name at the top of my comment. And I definitely hope its just a baseless rumour, I was kind of depressed when I got the impression this project wasn't doing well.

Edit: As @Naria corrected below, I should've typed iQiyi instead of Tencent, sorry!

Guys, just have a sudden thought about the rumours currently circulating on TGCF drama social media platforms, on how the costume director, art director (Rise of the Phoenixes and Zhang Ziyi's The Rebel Princess) and the CGI team (Eternal love/Ten miles of Peach Blossoms) suddenly dropped this project as soon as the funds provided by Tencent were revealed to be too low (250 million I think) - I repeat this isn't verified, but I'm sure most of us reading the comments are already aware of this rumour.

So I was thinking, these people and teams that have left are all very well-known for working on famous projects with high production qualities (with high expenditure as required), but I'm getting the sneaking feeling that it's only because Tencent marketed this big IP drama as "S+" with a lot of money thrown behind it (which doesn't necessarily translate into a well-made story that loved by fans), that these people begrudgingly agreed because it was worthy of leveraging value to their name in the industry.

I personally think there isn't any sincere passion or care for this story compared to the producer behind CQL who spent around three or two years thoughtfully going over how the world building and characters from the novel should be presented with not just the directors of CQL but with every entity in the production team, from details in the furniture to the clothing and everything else. She was so inspired by the story that she was gripped by the DESIRE to set out to deliver the story to a wider audience and bring the story its full potential regardless of how little funding they had. (This is from an interview she did after CQL was aired, you can watch it on YouTube.)

Even though TGCF drama is helmed by one of the directors from CQL, it doesn't necessarily mean he will spend the time and effort he took to train the young actors and actresses before filming started, like he and his other co-director previously did in CQL.

Sorry for anyone who comes across this tedious block of meandering text, I just had to get this off my chest and see if anyone else was struck by the suspicion that that the production team behind this drama hasn't taken the time to understand TGCF as a story and has no love for its characters, which is why the art and costume director and CGI team took off when the funding was less than ideal or below their expectations. On the upside, I'm glad to see the enthusiastic actors and actresses brought along the novel with them in their script reading sessions. And I know this hardworking director must be under a lot stress and pressure to carry on with this drama right now, with a lack of resources possibly (even their filming site permit wasn't properly filed), I hope he pulls though, good luck to him.

Have a great day you guys, we have a long journey ahead of us of incessantly waiting on this and all the rest of danmei dramas to air. XD

Thank you so much for providing much needed info!

Oh don't worry, the title change is official :) Saw posts about it on Twitter yesterday.

Yes! That's the video I saw :D