Models present Nantong blue calico designs at a fashion show in Beijing on Oct 21. [Photo/IC]

A fashion show themed around Nantong blue calico was staged at the Shouhuang Palace in Beijing on Oct 21.

The event, hosted by the Nantong Blue Calico Museum and women’s clothing brand A Life on the Left, was the first large-scale blue calico fashion show held in the palace since it officially opened to the public last November.

The designs on display were inspired by more than 36,000 collections at the museum, according to the design team led by Wu Yuanxin, curator of the museum.

The clothing features classic blue calico patterns and fuses traditional techniques with new materials and modern concepts.

The Shouhuang Palace building complex is the second largest ancient architectural complex on Beijing’s central axis, after the Forbidden City.

The palace was first built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and renovated to its current state in the 14th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).