Overview
Through the constitutional revolution and modernisation, Thai dress combined Western clothing with a newly ordered national formal dress.
Key garments and style
In the 1940s the cultural policies of the Phibun government urged the wearing of hats and Western dress and pushed the modernisation of dress. In the 1960s Queen Sirikit codified, from court and historical dress, the chut thai — a formal set of a silk top and wrapped skirt — into eight styles, still worn for ceremonies and festivals.
Transition
Modern Thai dress keeps the chut thai as a national garment within global fashion and a growing domestic fashion industry.