@Euphoria: Beautiful! I am very interested to see the more ancient clothings of Thailand, like the one featured in "Suriyothai", especially the men's clothing (it's easier to find women's clothing).

@507bro: Great! Do you have pics of traditional clothing for men?

@sweethonesty: No, I think they have a more familiar feeling to it

Thanks Bhaskara for interesting in Thai culture.
So when I find more Thai ancient costume pics, I'll post them here okay?

If it's not too much to ask, please! I'd be very happy. Thank you in advance!

Bagan Era dress 9th - 13th Century

Wow! Great! Thank you, Zaw Gyi! Amyaji chezu tinbade! So you guys already wear shirts in the 9th century?I thought all of SEA people were topless (including the women ) at that time.

The people in the pics are nobility . Men in Burma ( out in the fields ) are topless even now in the 21st century .

As for women I'm not sure where Burmese modesty came from but certainly since about the 16 - 18th century the Burmese identity involved less bling and more clothes than our Eastern or Western neighbours . Maybe this was made worse by colonisation by Queen Victoria and her very prudish sensibilities as at least for the past 300 -400 years showing your midriff like in Thai , Lao , Khmer was a very no , no. ( although showing a bit of leg in the form of a split down the length of the female sarong was very de rigeur in Bayinnaung's times 15th -16th century according to Portugese observers who insinuated that this was to prevent Burmese men pursuing more homosexual pursuits ) .

This modesty was what I was brought up with as what separated us from the other Indianised countries in SE Asia and what made our syle of court dress less "Indian" . This included comics showing embassies between Burma and Thailand showing the Siamese king / prince wearing much bling but no shirt ( as in 5th picture below ) . When this sensibility came about I have no idea . It could have been fairly recent .



An average Burmese perception of a historical Indian ,








An average Burmese perception of a historical Siamese ,







^^ notice the bare mid section and shoulders even in aristocracy . In Burma a shawl would cover both or just one shoulder .



An average Burmese perception of historical Burmese,










Much evidence comes from murals etc and there is a distinct lack of nipples and bellybutton in Burmese art .

My theory is that we are not particularly Hindu ( and HIndu iconography features very little as opposed to Buddhist iconogarphy ) as the Burmese civilisations of the Mon and Pyu ditched Hinduism fairly early ( possibly as early as 2nd century BCE but certainly after 5-6th cebntury BCE ) compared to the rest of Indianised mainland SE Asia who were children of Hindu Angkor . The image of breasts midriff etc I would most certainly associate as being very Hindu .


Here is Burmese Inwa ( Ava ) dress in art from about 14th through to late 18th Century























I'll post some art from the Bagan era for comparison and that from the last dynasty . Essentially the Burmese liked to cover up if they could afford it .


In fact look no further than each country's interpretation of the Ramayana , classical dance and wedding outfits as a good representation of national dress from bygone days

interesting.

who can spot miss lao

@Zaw Gyi: Very interesting! Thank you! I never thought Burmese clothing has always been very modest. I don't think it's because of Buddhism though. In other SEA countries, you can see depictions of topless women from Buddhist era.

@507bro: The one in green outfit? What was the occasion? I can even spot kebaya in that pic

Well it's not always as in the Bagan era murals depicted less clothes . I don't think it's Buddhism per se in the religious / moral sense that has made Burma more conservative , but rather the lack of Hindu influence compared to say Angkor and it's successors Sukhotai and Ayutthaya . You don't see the same Hindu iconography you see in Thai or Khmer art in Burma past the Bagan era . I think it's to do with artistic style rather than prudishness ?


Here are some pictures of Bagan murals and statues and you will see some clothed and some not so clothed ( these are mainly 11th - 12th century ) .























It's possble of course ( with the last picture ) that the deity's blue shirt is simply painted on and originally unintended

Philippines

Philippines Barong Tagalog & Terno

Filipino Chinese in Terno



Filipino Spanish Maria Clara



Filipino Malay Traje De Mestiza



Black Filipino Barong Tagalog

More Contemporary Burmese National Dress



1960s




1960s Wedding Attire




1940s Christian Wedding and 1940s Ladies Attire




Pre War




Pre-War ( modelled by Nandar Hlaing )






1930s Colonial





1910 -1920s




1880s -1900s Early Colonial




1860s - 1880s Late Yadanabon ( Ratanapura ) Period

petty officials at Vietnam Royal Court - dressing in blue traditional Vietnamese áo dài, which are reserved for low-level mandarins they forgot to wear the turban.


APEC Ministers of Tourism

lolz ... just throwing in some jokes, won't drive this thread off-track.

This is a Nihang(Akali) warrior, he is wearing some kind of ceremonial turban. Nihang turbans may look peculiar to some but Nihangs have a reputation as fearsome warriors. Some more Nihang photos.


The living embodiment of the Sikh martial tradition, the Nihang is feared and revered in equal measure. He is an atavistic throwback to a time when the Sikh armies defended their religion and way of life on the battlefields of Punjab over 300 years ago. These warrior-saints rallied to the Sikh banner in the name of God and Guru to fight against oppression and injustice and for peaceful coexistence. Their violent and bloody history is deeply engrained in their psyche and the Nihangs remain an evocative symbol of this heritage.

Nihangs are skilled in the art of swordsmanship and many are also expert horsemen. They are deeply committed and totally uncompromising in their dedication to their way of life. Their spiritual discipline means that they have already addressed their own mortality and they wear symbolically their own death shroud as a cummerbund. This also manifests through incredible gentleness, spontaneous kindness, defending others' basic human rights and a wonderful sense of humour.

From time to time, Nihangs can be seen in small groups wandering the pilgrimage routes of Punjab and Northern India. The younger Nihangs live in Dehra, military style camps looking after horses and fulfilling their domestic and spiritual duties. Twice a year the Nihangs gather en masse at the Spring festival of Hola Mohalla and during the Sikh celebrations of Baisakhi in April.
http://www.nickfleming.com/The_Stories_Behind_the_Photos/Who_are_the_Nihang_Singhs_of_Punjab.html


http://www.sikh-heritage.co.uk/movements/Nihangs/Nihangs.htm


Nihang Singhs in their traditional martial costumes. Reuters photo


Made in Lahore in the mid-19th Century, this conical turban of indigo blue cotton on a cane framework, was worn by Nihangs or Akali Sikhs. It is cotton with quoits and other embellishments of steel overlaid with gold.

http://www.sarbloh.info/htmls/sikh_akali.html

MUahahahahahahahhahahahahahahaha!!!! IS that really reserved for low-level mandarins only?!?!

Callie: Does the barong tagalog has to be worn with short-sleeved shirt underneath? Has it always been worn that way? Can someone just go topless under the shirt or wear a tank instead?

pfftt... don't tell anyone It's their choices to serve the king.

Hmmmmmmmm interesting fotos of national costumes!

One can really see the influences on these national costumes... would u say that Burmese costumes are Indian or Chinese influenced??? It's definitely not European influenced..!

Thai
Credit : http://www.pantip.com/cafe/gallery/topic/G...6/G5816816.html

Burmese are both Indian and Chinese influenced but I would like to think of them as typically Burmese

Contemporary Burmese Wedding Outfits

I don't see it as Indian influence or Chinese influence. It is the same region so similar type of culture and costumes. I don't know much about Chinese costumes but I can show you some Indian ethnic wear. India's fashion heritage is rich in tradition and vibrant in colors. The most visible Indian ethnic wear is the Saree, also different regions of India have different types of sarees and ways of draping it. Salwar-Kameez is also a popular wear. There are many other types of ethnic wear unique to different regions of India.

traiditional thai fashion definitely looks more Indian influenced (saree drapes and jasmine flowers)

burmese lady garb looks alot like peranakan fashion in Sg



i guess there must be same influence going across asia at the time the Brits were administering the region?

Vaman, i read from an islamic chronicler's first impression of India when he arrived in the subcontinent was how generally the Indian leader and men would not wear pants but djotis and how the ladies are wrapped in sarees. So the muslims introduced Salwa Kameez for the women and the Nawabs brought in a totally new fashion to northern India's dynastic houses.. interesting history!

They have shared culture. I insist please don't see it as Indian influence. I can clearly see it, Thais have their own way of draping a Saree, women in different regions of India have different ways of draping Sarees. Srilankans also have a unique style for Sarees. And there are also other types of clothing which closely resemble a Saree.


Why you have so much affection for the British? I am wondering from where Britons came into all this. I don't understand about what type of influence you are referring to during British period.


Yes before Muslims came to South Asia, men used to wear Dhotis and women Saris. Muslim influence greatly enriched Indian costumes. Kurta-Pajama for men and Salwar-Kameez for both men and women are good examples. Pajama was also adopted by British people from South Asia.

Nawab is a very South Asian thing. Though it is a derived word from either Arabic or Persian. Usually Muslim nobles were called Nawabs.

the similarity os probably just coincidence and nothing to do with the British . That style of dress for Burmese ladies predates any British involvement

The Peranakan outfit (at least the Nyonya's) is a fusion between local Kebaya and Chinese tradition. Before, Kebaya was a loose-fitting garment with modest decoration. The Peranakans made their own version with bright colors and their traditional motifs such as Chinese flowers, made them tight-fitting and semi see-through

hey do not misunderstand me... i am not sayiing that the national costumes are English influenced, but rather that the British in bringing together so many colonial subjects into one place may have brought about the evolution of the national costumes. But of course, the various influences from India/China/Muslim sources on SE Asian national costumes pre-date the British administrations..

Philippines: Barong Tagalog & Maria Clara

I like Burmese costume

Indonesia: Batik pattern, a national pattern for Indonesian especially for men when they go to the ceremonies

Thanks .


Batik became fashionable in Burma with flower power sometime in the 1960s . It remains popular today ( we call it Par Teik which is probably a mispronunciation of Batik )



More from the archives ...

interesting! this is just so similar with indonesian costume!

Indonesian traditional costume from several provinces/ethnics in Sumatra island :

Aceh


Minangkabau

^^ Yes this one does look abit like a kebaya

Whenever i wear my kebaya, i feel so damn sexy!!! hehehehe

@Zaw-Gyi: Wow, so you got that kind of pointy crown like the ones in Cambodia, Thailand and Laos too! And that's the Burmese blouse that I mentioned before, the one which is similar to our kebaya. What does it's called in Burmese, Zaw-Gyi?

@tangawizi: Nyonya Kebaya, right? Tight, see-through, with passionate colors. No wonder you feel sexy

The Burmese type female crown is generally less pointy and upright and more animal shaped ( often a Naga or a Hintha ( Hamsa ) ) . ie the tower / point is convex at the back and concave at the front than the Thai version which also has circumferential ridges .

We do have the Thai / Lao / Khmer version too but this is generally seen in Ramayana play and is a result of very direct Siamese influence ( the whole court of Ayutthaya was exiled back to Ava after the defeat of Siam in 1767 : this was recorded as being 20,000 people including what was left of the aristocracy who were all given quarters at the Burmese capital according to their status . In order to relieve their boredom it is said that the aristocracy started performing the Ramakien and eventually this became more and more Burmanised and is very much now a very Burmese play )



^ Burmese style crown



6 Siamese style crown

Ah, I see the difference. Thank you. The depiction of magical creatures of the Dharmic religions is still a part of our life too

Chinese:

Han's costumes, called the "Hanfu"






There has been a revitalization of the Hanfu recently in the mainland, now their graduation gear is in Hanfu, also people are starting to wear them in parades and cultural celebrations.

Chinese men and women wearing Hanfu.

sleeveless Qipao, it's in one piece and it's for women only I think.

Just the same..I cant hardly see the difference bewteen the costume of the indonesians, malaysians and thais... I can only see the difference between the kimono and the korena costume because we are familiar to it..So I guess I know how you feel...

@Narra: Did Chinese Women in the past really wore that sexy style of Hanfu?

@SimonSays: You can't see the difference of these 2?

Kebaya

Thai Jakapatdi

You know what, if you said that Malaysian and Indonesian national costumes are similar, I've would agree with you. But one could obviously see the difference between the 2 outfits above. You were just trying to get back at me, when I was only being honest, I didn't even say that to hurt you.

I can't help to notice the throne of Bagan is soo similar to the throne of Buddha in Mendut Temple, Java, Indonesia
Examine the layout of animals at the throne of Buddha, and the throne of Bagan
From top to bottom:
Makara (mythical fish)
Lion
Elephant






With all that bling-bling, Bagan era dress quite similar to the dress of Majapahit Empire era:

Chinese:

The Original Chinese traditional clothing is the Han fu basically looks like a kimono the Japanese adopted from the Chinese from Tang dynasty).



the Qi pao is Manchurian clothing not a Han's clothing but since their colonized China they too have been considered as Chinese.



The Qipao is the clothing Chinese wore after the Qing dynasty collapsed, it is a simplified version of the Manchurian people's traditional clothes.

Today it is still worn but only during special occasions.




The design of Han-style gradation robe kind of looks like the Han’s Emperor’s robe.

more of Han fu






Potrait of Zhen He wearing Han fu, traditional clothing of the Hans.

There should be an undershirt underneath it, the undershirt is call 'Camisa de Chino'..or clothes from the chinese translated in literal sense...back in the days, Chinese usually make undershirts in the Philippines and they got influence on the Chinese..However the barong is pretty much Filipino--its is still debatable whether its the Philippines who brought Barong Tagalog over to MExico/Latin America or vice versa...