Cambodian clothing

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Market woman wearing a Krama Kampong Thom

Most Cambodians dress casually except when going to formal events. ^[1]Cambodian men tend to wear short sleeved shirts made of a light cotton or silk (with the more wealthy) and light cotton trousers to keep cool in the heat. Women traditionally wear loose fitting tops and a sarong typically embroidered with a gold or silver threading and a krama.^[2].

[edit] Textiles

Cambodian woman weaving silk

There are three important silk textiles in Cambodia. They include the ikat silks (chong kiet in Khmer), or hol, the twill-patterned silks and the weft ikat textiles. Patterns are made by tying natural and synthetic fibers on the weft threads and then it is dyed. It is repeated for different colors until the patterns firm and cloth is woven. Traditionally, five colors are used. Red, yellow, green, blue and black are the most used..^[3] The Sampot Hol is used as a lower garment and as the sampot chang kben. The Pidan Hol is used as a ceremonial hanging used for religious purposes.

Sot silk weaving has been an important part of Cambodia's cultural past. It has been documented that people from Takéo Province have woven silk since the Funan era and records, bas-relief and Zhou Daguan's report have shown that looms were used to weave sampots since ancient times.^[4] Since ancient times, women have learned highly complex methods and intricate patterns, one of which is the hol method. It involves dying patterns on silk before weaving. What remains unique to Cambodian weavers is the uneven twill technique, the reason remains unclear why they adopted such an unusual method. The ancient bas-reliefs however provides a complete look at how fabrics were like, down to patterns and pleats. Silk woven pieces are used as heirlooms, in weddings and funerals, and as decoration in temples.

[edit] Sampot

Apsara dressed in Angkorian-style sampot cloth.

The sampot is the national garment of Cambodia. The traditional dress is similar to those worn in the neighboring countries of Laos and Thailand, but variations do exist between the countries. The sampot dates back to the Funan era when a Cambodian king ordered the people of his kingdom to wear the sampot at the request of Chinese envoys.

[edit] Variations

There are many variations for the sampot, each is worn according to social class. The typical sampot, known also as the sarong is typically worn by men and women of lower class. It measures approximately one and a half meters and both ends are sewn together. It is tied to safely secure it on the waist.

• The Sampot Chang Kben (សំពត់​ចងក្បិន, ALA-LC: saṃbát caṅ kpin) is the preferred choice of clothing for women of upper and middle classes for daily wear. This practice of daily wear died out in the beginning of the twentieth century. Unlike the typical Sampot, it is more of a pant than a skirt. It is a rectangular piece of cloth measuring 3 meters long and one meters wide.^[5] It is worn by wrapping it around the waist, stretching it away from the body and twisting the knot. The knot is then pulled between the legs and held by a metal belt. Regardless of class, all Cambodian women wear the Sampot Chang Kben on special events. Men may also wear it, but the traditional patterns depend on gender. The Sampot Chang Kben is adopted in Thailand and Laos, where it is known as kraben. It dates to the to ancient Cambodia where deities often wore such styles. ^[6]

A Cambodian woman wearing a sarong

• The Sampot Phamuong (សំពត់​ផាមួង ALA-LC: saṃbát phā muaṅ) are many different variation of traditional Khmer textiles.^[7] They are single colored and twill woven. There are currently 52 colors used in Sampot Phamuong. The Phamuong Chorabap is a luxurious fabric using up to 22 needles to create. Phamuong variation are rabak, chorcung, anlounh, kaneiv and bantok. It usually contains floral and geometrical motifs. The most valued silk used to create the Phamuong is Cambodian yellow silk, known for its fine quality. New designs draw inspiration from ancient patterns of old silk.

• The Sampot Hol (សំពត់​ហូល ALA-LC: saṃbát hūl) is a typical traditional textile. There are two kinds of Sampot Hol, one is a wrapping skirt that uses a technique called chong kiet and twill weave. Influenced by the Indian patola, it developed patterns and techniques over the centuries to become a genuine Khmer art style. The sampot hol has over 200 patterns combined with three to five colors, yellow, red, brown, blue, and green. There are four variations, sampot hol, sampot hol por, sampot hol kben and sampot hol ktong. Patterns are usually geometric motifs, animals, and flower motifs.

[edit] Krama

Main article: Krama

Traditionally Cambodians wear a checkered scarf called a "Krama". The Krama has been a symbol of Cambodian dress since the first century reign of Preah Bath Hun Tean although it is not clear when exactly the krama became fashionable in the streets.

A Cambodian woman wearing a conical hat to keep off the sun's heat in the rice fields. Her krama is worn underneath

The "krama" is what distinctly separates the Khmer (Cambodians) from their neighbors the Thai, the Vietnamese, and the Laotians. The scarf is used for many purposes including for style, protection from the hot sun, an aid (for your feet) when climbing trees, a hammock for infants, a towel, or as a "sarong". A "krama" can also be easily shaped into a small child's doll for play. Under the Khmer Rouge, all Khmer were forced to wear a checkered "krama".^[8]

During the rainy season an umbrella is more convenient than a rain coat. A jacket may be needed in hotels and restaurants using excessive air-conditioning.

The conical hat is also worn by many particularly by workers in the countryside to keep the sun off. ^[9]This however is a Vietnamese hat that has been adopted to a certain extent by Khmer in the provinces adjacent to Vietnam.

[edit] Black Pajamas

During the Khmer Rouge of the 1970s it was well noted for the popularity of unisex black "pajamas." Typically the peasant outfit consisted of a collarless black shirt – baggy trousers and checkered krama knotted loosely about the neck. Brightly colored clothing was strictly prohibited under the Khmer Rouge and was limited to black, dark blue, or maroon plain coloring. Women were also strictly forbidden to wear any Western-style trousers or jeans at any time although this has now changed, becoming increasingly popular particularly among young women today.^[10]

[edit] References