A country’s national dress code is its pride as it sets it apart from all the different nations in the world. Thailand too has formal national attire which speaks of its unique culture. The Thai dress code includes different sets of clothing which are usually used during formal occasions as national attire. These dresses do not, by any means, look ancient. Since it was introduced in the late twentieth century, the costumes here have a modern touch. There are two different sets of attires for men and women.
Thai dress for men
The men’s dress was initially made in 1979 by a couple of royal tailors for the then king Bhumibol Adulyadej. It was given a name – suea phraratchathan – which means royally bestowed shirt. Thereafter it was given to the Defense Minister for wearing it in public and making it popular. Since then, the shirt has been seen often on politicians and civil officers during various occasions. This shirt has been worn by many grooms to their wedding too.
The appearance of the men’s Thai dress is more on the lines of an adapted Nehru jacket. The shirt has a Mandarin collar, i.e. the collar is standing with tapered ends. In front of the shirt there are usually 5 buttons, round and flat. There are two pockets in the front of the shirt, at a level just above the last button. There are two varieties for this shirt, namely, short sleeved shirt and long sleeved shirt. Long sleeved shirt with a sash is regarded as the most formal. The sash is usually worn by knotting it on the side. Men can wear the Thai dress for both formal and special ceremonies.
Thai dress for women
When it comes to women attires, they have a lot of options in Thai dress. The history of Thai women attires goes back to 1960 – the time when the Queen Sirikit, in a bid to attend with the king the Europe and USA visits, asked for a traditional Thai dress to be made that would suit her purpose. It is said that officially as many as eight designs were made for the women attire. It was then worn by not just the queen but her royal helps too – thereby making the attires popular. The eight different styles of Thai dress for women were given separate names. They are Chakkri, Siwalai, Amarin, Boromphiman, Chakkraphat, Ruean Ton, Chitlada and Jakgree. Of these, the Thai Chakkri is the most elegant wear. It is quite formal and produced using a particular weaving technique called Yok technique, which makes the cloth thicker. The Thai Boromphiman, Jakgree and Siwalai are all evening dresses out of which Boromphiman is fit for semi formal occasions whereas Siwalai and Jakgree suit the royal or formal ceremonies. The Chitlada is a day time dress. Thai Amarin is an evening wear as well. Thai Chakkraphat is the most conservative and official of the lot. Thai Ruean Ton is the most casual attire here and is fit for attending non official functions.
