Local Fabrics and Attire

he Siamese formerly dressed very simply, with "a piece to wear and another piece to wrap" themselves-as a Thai saying goes. Men usually covered the lower part of their body from the waist down. Women had something to wear and to wrap the upper part of the body. Most of their clothes were home spun. Wealthy people may have imported fabrics from abroad, but they were careful not to "emulate the lords and masters," by weaving certain kinds of valuable and rare clothes reserved for nobility. As a matter of fact, in the late Ayutthaya Period, there was a decree to forbid commoners to use certain kinds of fabric and clothing reserved for dignitaries. The decree was repealed in the Fifth Reign (1868-1910), when western attire was adopted and widely used in the court as well as among commoners.
Local fabrics and dresses that commoners used in their daily life, however, reflected both ancestral wisdom and local belief systems. They can be regionally divided into four areas.

Northern-Style Fabrics
he northern highlands comprise of various ethinc groups with their own traditional costume. The Thai Yuan, or Khon Mueang, in the plains and in the cily areas, for example, have their own dressing styly much different from that of the hill tribes.
In the old days, male Thai Yuan descendants wore a piece of thigh-length wrap, in order to show off elaborate tattoo designs on their body. They did not cover the upper part of the body, but they wore a long decorative piece of cloth across the sholders. The aristocrats, however, wore a shirt with a long piece of decorative cloth tied around their waist. Women wore an ankle-length robe with horizontal stripes but no body with a wrap and did their hair in a high chignon decorated with a hairpin or flowers. This dressing style has been depicted in several murals in temples around Chiang Mai and Lamphun.
Presently, local Lanna women wear long robes, but they also wear blouses instead of chest wraps, the practice observed since the Fifth Reign.
The blouses are usually made from off-white cotton in a T-shirt pattern with a buttoned slit along the front. Men wear indigo pants and shirts made from specially dyed fabric called "mohom".
In addition, there are still many kinds of homespun fabric made in hill tribe villages. The also make several kinds of fabric items such as northern-style decorative flags, blandets, and other household items.

Central-Style Fabrics
Many ethinc people in the Central Plains were immigrants from Laos. Some were from the northern city of Chivan Saen. They have retained their ethnic culture in fabric making and costume. Most of them make cotton robes for home use, and silk robes for temple visits or for auspicious occasions. Chiang Saen descendants in Uttaradit, Saraburi, and Ratchaburi, for example, still perserve their northern cultural heritage in dressing style. The still make intricate embroiderad borders for robes called "teenjok". The Thai Song Dam in Khao Yoi, Phetchaburi, for instance, still weave and wear their traditional costume made from cotton fabric: a black or dark blus robe with red striped, and a blouse of the same color. If they are about to go to the temple, a decorative piece of cloth will be placed on their shoulders. Many other ethnic groups maintain their traditional costume in the similar way.
The Central style of clothing varied from on ethnic culture to another. In general, however, they still dressed conservatively. The changes came in the reign of Rama V when imported western outfits and dressing style soon replaced the Siamese traditional attire in the Central Region.

Northeastern-Style Fabrics
he majority of the northeastern Thai people are Lao descendants. There are also Cambodian descendants scattered in Surin and Buri Ram. These ethnic groups have different cultural heritage, which is highly visible in their dialect, traditional costume, and belief systems.
Most of them, however, share basic cultural beliefs and practices common among people in agrarian communities. They spend 7-9 months from the rain to the cold seasons on planting and harvesting. The 3-5 months of summer are for making preparations for the planting season and repairing tools for everyday use, as well as for some entertainment and religious festivals. A traditional saying "After the rice planting season, women weave fabric and men strike iron," clearly summarizes local activities and practices.
Northeastern farmers grow cotton and mulberry threes (for silk worms) simultaneously with rice planting. After the rice harvest, the cotton will planting. After the rice harvest, the cotton will also be ready for the harvest. Villagers will then begin the fabric production process. They weave both cotton and silk fabrics for different occasions. Many localities have their own signature fabric. For example, the hole and prom fabrics are from the Lower Northeastern areas of Surin, Buri Ram, and Si Sa Ket. The khit designs are especially popular among the Lao descendants in Maha Sarakham, Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, and Chaiyaphum.
Northeastern fabric is different from that of the northern people. The stripes and designs run vertically along the length of the wearer. A robe usually has only one seam, which is carefully hidden and invisible under the front fold of the robe. The northern fabric, in contrast, runs the stripes and the patterns horizontally across the wearer's body. A northern robe oftern has two seams. When worn, one will be visible in front and the other at the back of the wearer.
In addition to fabrics for clothing, people also make other items to meet the market demand, such as bags, handbags, tableclothes, doilies, napkins, scarves, shawls, and bed spreads. Silk from the Northeast is very beautiful and second to none. HM Queen Sirikit has recently encouraged people to continue their weaving art to support Handicraft Center's programs under her royal patronage.

Southern-Style Fabrics
he neighboring Malay culture and the imported Chinese, Indian and Arabic cultures have greatly in fluenced southern art and culture. However, many localities have developed their own signature fabrics, such as the intricately woven design pha yok from Nakhon Si Thammarat; pha phumriang from Amphoe Chaiya, Surat Thani; pha Ban Na Muen Si from Trang; and pha ko yo form Ko Yo, Songkhla. All these fabrics are made into garments and other items for special occasions, such as a decorative piece of cloth used in a wedding ceremony, a funeral, and a prayer.