Regal Robe

The back of the Mandarin robe

Hugh Panaro, Broadway

Ivan Ozhogin, Moscow

Hartwig Rudolz, Hamburg

(Marcus Lovett), West End

Copenhagen

(John Owen-Jones), West End)

Flemming Enevold, Copenhagen

Yuta Iwaki, Tokyo

Jonathan Roxmouth, Johannesburg

From design to costume: The Phantom’s “Mandarin” dragon robe and winter hat, as seen in POTO Denmark (because BLUE)

Agnete Munk Rasmussen and Preben Kristensen (2003)

Agnete Munk Rasmussen and Preben Kristensen (2003)

Hanne Damm and Peter Jorde (2001)

Maria Bjørnson’s revised design (V&A)

Sibylle Glosted and Tomas Ambt Kofod (2019)

Tomas Ambt Kofod (2019)

Tomas Ambt Kofod (2019)

What the Phantom wears seems to be a Western mix of different component. Including all details I’ve seen, it consists of a Dragon robe, a tabard-like overgarment, a cloud collar and a winter hat. But note that not all versions feature all details. A dragon robe with badges was worn by the imperial family and Mandarine officials, usually for official occasions, and yes - every single symbol and colour had its defined meaning. Especially the different embroidery and symbols showed their status or role within society.

Very important was the badges (Mandarin square) showing rank. They were usually square pieces placed centered on chest and back, with a predefined symbol telling the world of exactly what education/job/position you had. In the Quing dynasty, which is the period when our Erik would have gotten his robe, there were nine military ranks, depicted through heroic animals like lions, bears, panthers and tigers, not to mention the mythic Quilin. For scholars there were also nine ranks, shown through different birds like Mandarin ducks, wild geese, peacocks and cranes.

Alas few stage versions has featured this, but the original West End one did!

I can’t tell what symbol they’ve given him, but the composition is quite traditional with the lines in the bottom symbolizing sea with waves leading up to a cliff or mountain, and on this the (probably) bird stands. Surrounding the bird is usually clouds, flowers and the bats symolizing luck. To show some extant examples, here one with (I think) a Mandarin duck:

The Mandarin duck was for a 7th rank scholar. This one is a 19th century piece (I.E. Qing dynasty), from The National Museum in Oslo. And here’s one with a Quilin, which has been erroneously interpreted both as a unicorn and a dragon in the Western world. The Quilin was for a military of the first rank.

(also 19th century, from The National Museum in Oslo)

The nugget with our Erik’s version is that he has a tabard-like overgarment with fringes, and this was usually worn by women. Why, you ask? I have no official explanation. It’s actually not present in either of Maria Bjørnson’s design for the costume. My interpretation is that Victorian gentlemen were known to purchase antique and new Chinese pieces, sometimes just for their private collection, and sometimes to be worn as fashionable at-home garments. The Mandarin robe was a popular dressing gown in the late Victorian era, and could be bought as the big warehouses in London and Paris. They were worn without a clear idea of what the pieces meant within the Qing dynasty in China. Which can be considered ignorant, but at the same time Chinese artists were aware of the interest of such garments and often made less well made souvenir pieces for just this purpose. The techniques and effort put into these are often lesser than pieces meant for use in China, and the details often more random. Which again result in more random wear of them.

On the other hand, I also have this personal head canon of the Phantom being given a Mandarin robe on his travels. In that case, each piece, eash symbol, would have a specific meaning telling something about the strange guest’s status. I guess that’s why I have a preference for those with actual symbols and not just a bunch of “fun” Chinese fabrics and motifs. Just to offer a historical comparison, here’s a robe dated to 1880-1920, sold through Augusta Auctions some years ago. The wide sleeves, the badge, the colours, and the sea and mountain in hem and cuffs is very close to what Maria Bjørnson designed and/or what Michael Crawford wore in West End:

Another nugget is that the hat the Phantom wears is a Mandarin winter hat. Again, this probably underlines that it was comfy wear for home. Would have been a necessary item down in the drafty lair… But if following my personal head canon, it might also be that the Phantom visited China or was granted the robe during winter season.

Some versions also feature a cloud collar (yun chien). I am less familiar with the exact symbolism of these. I have seen them worn by brides, but also by men. I have seen them as separated pieces, or just suggested with embroidery. So the exact definition and use is something I have yet to study. Maria Bjørnson’s original design didn’t feature the cloud collar, but the revamped version did. Which is why it’s not a constant feature. But here’s one:

Yamaoka Dragon Robe (2016)