N20 Modern Shan Costume

One day in last week I went to a novitiation ceremony. We got there a little late, about 11.30, while the ceremony will end at 12.00, because I had to wait for my daughter and her two girls came from Yangon by air, but still we got there on time.

Later someone said that if I had come earlier I would have seen all kinds of Shan dresses (female) with different fashions and prices. Even then I didn’t miss seeing young and old wearing Shan dresses.

During these recent years Shan dresses have become much popular among the people of Shan States. Many girls and women use the Shan dresses for daily wear. The materials for the dresses are cotton which woven locally, especially in Inlay and also come from the Northern Shan States. When there are ceremonies they wear more expensive ones which made of woven silk in Inlay and those which come from Thailand and even Singapore.

The Shan dress comprises of two pieces. There is a jacket for the upper part of the body and this jacket varies according to the designer’s creation in this modern days. The length of the jacket is a little lower under the waist and it is adorn with handmade buttons and sequins and beads. For the lower part, the Shan and Myanmar women wear a skirt like Longyi alike. But Shan Longyis are simple with colorful stripe design for the Southern Shan but the Northern Shan wears a vertical stripe design. The stripes are only in the middle part. For the upper and lower part, a plain fabric of the same colour is used.

The Shan costume also consisted of a headdress or turban which varies according to the races. Thus the Southern Shan, the Northern Shan, the Khun at the Eastern Shan State and the Tai Khamti or Khamti Shan who lives in the Kachin State wear different kinds of turbans. However, headdresses are worn only on big occasions.

The Shan men’s dresses are also two pieces. The jacket is like the Chinese jacket. It is not unusual because the Shan people originally come from Yunnan, China. The Shan trousers are a loose one which has to be folded left-wise and right-wise and worn with a belt. A long cloth of bright colours is wound around the head with a short end left upright on one side of the head serves as a turban.

In my eyes the Shan dress is pretty, and when Shan people wearing their national dresses come together it forms a grand sight.