Chong kraben | aaarticle.com

The chong kraben is the classic wrapped lower garment of Siam, a long cloth folded around the waist and drawn up between the legs to make a loose, trouser-like breech. Worn by men and women alike, it was the everyday and court dress of Thailand for centuries.

Overview

A chong kraben is an unstitched rectangle of cloth wound about the hips, its free end passed between the legs from front to back and tucked into the waist, leaving a draped, knee-length breech. Plain cotton served for daily wear, and figured silk with metallic thread for the court.

How it is worn

It is wrapped and tucked without buttons or belt, worn with the torso bare, a fitted jacket, or a shoulder cloth, and hitched higher for work or lower for formality. The quality of the silk and the neatness of the fold marked the wearer’s standing in the Ayutthaya and early Bangkok courts.

History

The chong kraben was standard dress from the Ayutthaya kingdom through the Rattanakosin era, worn by kings and commoners, until Western-style clothing and the wrapped skirt replaced it around 1900. It survives as historical and ceremonial dress and in classical dance.