The formal Thai national costume, known in
Thai
Thai or THAI may refer to:
* Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia
** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand
** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand
*** Thai script
*** Thai (Unicode block ...
as (, literally 'Thai dress of royal endorsement'), includes several sets of clothing, or ''
chut thai
Traditional Thai clothing is called ''chut thai'' (), which literally means 'Thai outfit'. It can be worn by men, women, and children. ''Chut thai'' for women usually consists of a '' pha nung'' or a '' pha chung hang'', a blouse, and a '' pha bi ...
'', designed for use as
national costume
A folk costume (also regional costume, national costume, traditional garment, or traditional regalia) expresses an identity through costume, which is usually associated with a geographic area or a period of time in history. It can also indicat ...
on formal occasions. Although described and intended for use as national costume, they are of relatively modern origins, having been conceived in the second half of the twentieth century.
Formal chut thai for men
![File-Abhisit Vejjajiva 2 October 2009 cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/File-Abhisit_Vejjajiva_2_October_2009_cropped.jpg)
The men's national costume is known as ''suea phraratchathan'' ( , lit. 'royally bestowed shirt'). It was designed to serve as a national costume by royal tailors including
Chupat Chuto,
Phichai Watsanasong Phichai may refer to:
* Phichai District
* Phichai, Lampang
*Phraya Phichai
Phraya Phichai ( th: พระยาพิชัย), or popularly known as Phraya Phichai Dap Hak ( th: พระยาพิชัยดาบหัก; lit: Phraya P ...
, and
Sompop Louilarpprasert for King
Bhumibol Adulyadej
Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; (Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great ...
in 1979, and was subsequently given to General
Prem Tinsulanonda
Prem Tinsulanonda ( th, เปรม ติณสูลานนท์, , ; 26 August 1920 – 26 May 2019) was a Thai military officer, politician, and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Thailand from 3 March 1980 to 4 August 1988, ...
, then the Minister of Defense, to promote and wear in public. Prem remained the shirt's most recognised wearer, although it has been adopted by many, especially politicians and civil officials, on special occasions. Many have begun wearing the shirt for ceremonies such as their own weddings.
The shirt shares the appearance of the ''
raj pattern
''Raj pattern'' ( th, ราชปะแตน, , ) refers either to a Thai men's costume consisting of a white Nehru-style jacket with five buttons, a ''chong kraben'', knee-length socks and dress shoes, or to the specific form of the jacket it ...
'' jacket, which itself is an older widely adopted (in Thailand) version of the
Nehru jacket
The Nehru jacket is a hip-length tailored coat for men or women, with a mandarin collar, and with its front modelled on the Indian achkan or sherwani, a garment worn by Jawaharlal Nehru, the prime minister of India from 1947 to 1964.
History ...
. The ''suea phraratchathan'' is specified as having a standing (
Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
) collar 3.5 to 4 centimetres in height, being slightly tapered at the sides,
hem
A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the ga ...
med at the edges of the collar,
placket
A placket (also spelled placquet) is an opening in the upper part of trousers or skirts, or at the neck or sleeve of a garment. Plackets are almost always used to allow clothing to be put on or removed easily but are sometimes used purely as a d ...
and sleeves, with five round flat buttons covered with a material identical or similar to that of the shirt. It should have two outer pockets at the front, at a level slightly higher than the lowermost button, may have a left-sided breast pocket, and may either be vented or not. The shirt comes in three varieties: short-sleeved, long-sleeved, and long-sleeved with a
sash
A sash is a large and usually colorful ribbon or band of material worn around the body, either draping from one shoulder to the opposing hip and back up, or else running around the waist. The sash around the waist may be worn in daily attire, bu ...
, which range from the least to most formal, respectively. The long-sleeved versions should have 4 to 5 centimetres-wide
cuff
A cuff is a layer of fabric at the lower edge of the sleeve of a garment (shirt, coat, jacket, etc.) at the wrist, or at the ankle end of a trouser leg. The function of turned-back cuffs is to protect the cloth of the garment from fraying, an ...
s of the same material as the shirt, and the sash, when used, should be knotted at the left side. The shirt is worn with trousers as would be with a
suit jacket
A suit jacket, also called a lounge jacket, lounge coat or suit coat, is a jacket in classic menswear that is part of a suit.
Single and double-breasted
Most single-breasted suit jackets have two or three buttons, and one or four buttons are un ...
.
Formal chut thai for women
![Sirikit Queen of Thailand](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Sirikit_Queen_of_Thailand.jpg)
When Queen
Sirikit
Queen Sirikit ( th, สิริกิติ์; ; ); born ''Mom Rajawongse'' Sirikit Kitiyakara ( th, สิริกิติ์ กิติยากร; ; 12 August 1932) is the queen mother of Thailand. She was List of Thai royal consorts, ...
accompanied the king in
state visit
A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...
s to Europe and the United States in 1960, she noted that there was a need for a modern national costume suitable for formal wear. The queen had research conducted into historical records of royal dresses, and eight official designs were developed and promoted by the queen and her aides. They are named the ''Ruean Ton'', ''Chit Lada'', ''Amarin'', ''Borom Phiman'', ''Chakkri'', ''Dusit'', ''Chakkraphat'' and ''Siwalai'' Thai dresses. Since then, these dresses have come into regular use by the public as well.
Chut Thai Chakkri
Chut Thai Chakkri ( ) is a formal and elegant wear, normally produced using a weaving technique called "yok". Yok creates additional thickness within the fabric without adding supplementary threads. Often a touch of gold or silver-colored threads are added, making the fabric produced this way particularly more expensive. The chut thai is finished with a
sinh, a full length wrap-around skirt with two pleated folds in the front called "na nang" ().
Chut Thai Boromphiman
Chut Thai Boromphiman ( ), also a formal evening attire, comprises a long sleeved blouse which is either buttoned at the front or the back. The blouse is tucked beneath a
sinh with its front pleats (na nang). The fabric is brocaded to create a highly luxurious
look and feel
In software design, the look and feel of a graphical user interface comprises aspects of its design, including elements such as colors, shapes, layout, and typefaces (the "look"), as well as the behavior of dynamic elements such as buttons, boxes ...
. The collar of the blouse is round-necked. The
sinh length runs about the ankle. The skirt and blouse are sewn together like a one piece dress of which style is suitable for a tall and slender wearer. It can be worn in either formal or
semi-formal
Semi-formal wear or half dress is a grouping of dress codes indicating the sort of clothes worn to events with a level of formality between informal wear and formal wear. In the modern era, the typical interpretation for men is black tie for e ...
events such as the League Ceremony or royal functions. Royal decorations are also worn.
Chut Thai Dusit
Chut Thai Dusit ( ) is evening attire, wide necked and sleeveless brocaded dress. The skirt and stop are sewn together so that they form a one piece dress. For this kind of dress, yok silk fabric is used. It is worn for evening ceremonies in place of a Western style dress.
Chut Thai Siwalai
Chut Thai Siwalai ( ), a formal evening chut thai, is quite similar to Thai Boromphiman, but has an over-shoulder
sbai
''Sbai'' ( km, ស្បៃ ; lo, ສະໄບ; Malay: ''Sebai''; Jawi: ''سباي''; th, สไบ, ) or ''phaa biang'' ( lo, ຜ້າບ່ຽງ; th, ผ้าเบี่ยง ) is a shawl-like garment or breast cloth worn in mainlan ...
. It is worn for royal ceremonies or formal functions.
Chut Thai Chakkraphat
Chut Thai Chakkraphat ( ) is a chut thai with a shawl like Thai Chakkri. However, it is more conservative and considered more official. The upper part has a pleated shawl cover, a thicker shawl with full embroidery on the upper shawl. It can be worn for royal or national ceremonies.
Chut Thai Amarin
Chut Thai Amarin ( ) is evening attire, made of brocaded fabric. With this style, the wearer does not have to wear a belt. The blouse can be wide and round-necked. The sleeve length sits just below the elbow. The beauty of this chut thai is its textile and accessories. It can be used for an evening dinner or at the Royal Birthday Procession. The royal decorations are worn.
Chut Thai Chitlada
Chut Thai Chitlada ( ), with its brocaded band at the hem of the
sinh, is a daytime
ceremonial dress
Ceremonial dress is clothing worn for very special occasions, such as coronations, graduations, parades, religious rites, trials and other important events. In the western dress code hierarchy of dress codes, ceremonial dress is often considered ...
. It can be worn with a long sleeved
silk blouse, with the front opening attached with five ornamental silver or gold buttons. The
sinh is a casual wraparound. It can be worn to a ceremony that is a not too informal such as welcoming the official royal guests at the airport. Wearers do not need to wear royal decorations but the color and style should be appropriate.
Chut Thai Ruean Ton
Chut Thai Ruean Ton ( ) is the most casual clothing of all outfits. It comprises a horizontally or vertically striped silk or plain-coloured
sinh with a patterned band at the ''tin sinh'', or the hem, sometimes folded to one side, The collarless blouse that goes with it is separated from the ankle-length skirt. The sleeves are elbow length, and the blouse has a front opening. It is suitable for casual and non-official functions such as Kathin Ton, a religious ceremony of the conferring of royal offerings to monks.
See also
*
Chong kraben
''Sompot Chong Kben'' ( km, សំពត់ចងក្បិន, ; th, โจงกระเบน, ; lo, ຜ້າຫາງ, ''pha hang'') is a unisex, lower body, wraparound cloth worn in the countries of Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. It is ...
*
Chut thai
Traditional Thai clothing is called ''chut thai'' (), which literally means 'Thai outfit'. It can be worn by men, women, and children. ''Chut thai'' for women usually consists of a '' pha nung'' or a '' pha chung hang'', a blouse, and a '' pha bi ...
*
Raj pattern
''Raj pattern'' ( th, ราชปะแตน, , ) refers either to a Thai men's costume consisting of a white Nehru-style jacket with five buttons, a ''chong kraben'', knee-length socks and dress shoes, or to the specific form of the jacket it ...
*
Sampot
A ''sampot'' ( km, សំពត់, ), a long, rectangular cloth worn around the lower body, is a traditional dress in Cambodia. It can be draped and folded in several different ways. The traditional dress is similar to the dhoti of Southern As ...
*
Sbai
''Sbai'' ( km, ស្បៃ ; lo, ສະໄບ; Malay: ''Sebai''; Jawi: ''سباي''; th, สไบ, ) or ''phaa biang'' ( lo, ຜ້າບ່ຽງ; th, ผ้าเบี่ยง ) is a shawl-like garment or breast cloth worn in mainlan ...
*
Sinh
*
Xout lao
The (; ) is a Laotian national costume
A folk costume (also regional costume, national costume, traditional garment, or traditional regalia) expresses an identity through costume, which is usually associated with a geographic area or a per ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Formal Thai National Costume
Thai clothing
Thai
Thai or THAI may refer to:
* Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia
** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand
** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand
*** Thai script
*** Thai (Unicode block ...
History of Asian clothing