Dress Code or Costumes Worn By Women in Myanmar

Costume or Dress code defines the different styles of dress of an individual or group that reflects their class, gender, profession, ethnicity, nationality, and activity. It reflects the appearance of people and their environment. Most of the workplaces or culture or states have a minimum standard of dress that they expect from people on a day-to-day basis, and have a different standard for circumstances as festivals or weddings.

Dress code in Myanmar or Burma

The typical and cultural type garment of the people in Myanmar is the Indian lungi or longyi, a sarong that is worn by both, men and the women. This replaced the traditional paso for men and tamein for women by the 20th century.

For their business and formal occasions, men there wear a Manchu Chinese jacket with a collar shirt, while the women wear a blouse buttoned at the front, called yinzi or to the side, called yinbon, and a shawl over it. In the urban areas, skirts and pants are becoming more common, particularly among the young.

A traditional dress worn by women in Myanmar is Htamein.

What is this Htamein?

While denim styles come and go htameinsare here to stay in Myanmar. This is famous type of the traditional garment that is worn by women across the country in Myanmar. Htameins can be vibrant, colourful, and attractive and filled with patterns. They are also made up of a number of different materials. These pieces of clothedare used to be folded and wrapped over; however, the design can get more fashionable if you will for that. Some cylindrical shaped skirts had a strip sewn to the top of the htamein to keep from folding it properly and making it look neater and preventing it from wrinkling. These skirts can be made for all; cultural, formal functions or for everyday wear.

Other that we will find is Thummy

Thummy is a similar style of dress which resembles to Laos or Thailand’s dress. Besides their traditional costumes, Myanmar people also wear European clothes in many occasions. Generally the women in Myanmar wear colourful dresses with many different textures. Their style is changed only by changing the materials, textures and colours of Longyi. And it is worn with all kinds of clothes, from T-shirts, shirts, jackets, to vests everything.

However, in Myanmar traditional costumes are worn every day in their daily life not only occasionally because they are a kind of comfortable and brisk clothes, and very suitable on the hot weather of this country. The way they carry their dresses and the art of wearing traditional costumes of Myanmar people is very simple; so they are easy to take on and take off those types of clothes when they needed in their everyday life.

The most interesting thing about this costume is that whenever needed these traditional costumes can be pulled up and it become the “raincoat”, the sun shirt, and also can be enrolled to make a stable substrate for Burmese women to carry commodities (fruits, rice bags, foods etc) without holding by their hands.

It is clearly noticeable that Myanmar people are not that much fashionable in the way of dressing as well as that of their lifestyle. Myanmar or Burmese women rarely put on makeup even in the special occasions. Therefore, whenever they find tourists in Myanmar, they will certainly have the feeling that this is a simple and common, close nation and the people are very sincere, friendly.

For most of the people in Myanmar, warm weather clothing is adequate. Like we can find elsewhere in Southeast Asia, the best choice is thin synthetic fabrics. These clothes can absorb and dry sweat from their body. Also easy to wash, can dry quickly and do not wrinkle.

Light casual cotton wear and sandals or slippers for footwear. Hats, umbrellas and sunglasses will come handy as well.

A country’s climate is the major factor considering in choosing what clothes to be worn. However, other aspects should also be kept in mind such as culture and religion, so that one can show sensitivity to the lifestyle and beliefs of the locals.

Myanmar is still a conservative country !