Clothing is a recurring motif through Six Records of a Floating Life. Descriptions of clothing in the text provide insight into historical norms and fashions of dress during that time period. The details that Shen Fu chose to describe also illustrate important elements of various characters’ circumstances, status, and relationships. During the Qing Dynasty, clothing was closely associated with one’s social position, wealth, and status. Certain styles and accessories were restricted to particular demographics, either by law or convention, and the wealthy could afford very different fabrics and fashions to those available to lower classes. Fashion and textiles also were one of very few spheres through which women were permitted to express, promote, or support themselves, though in a restricted manner highly dependent on their social status and the permissiveness of their next of kin.

Shen Fu describes elements of his own clothing and that of other characters throughout the text, with significant abnormalities, changes, or choices symbolizing important information about the wearer or the situation. In the beginning of Part 1, Chen Yun’s prettily embroidered shoes represent her artistic skill, her diligence in supporting her family, and—given the cultural association of bound feet with eroticism in pre-Modern China—Shen Fu’s romantic feelings toward her.