Myanmar Traditional Design Fashion Fabric for Clothing Dress Long longyi Skirt

Myanmar's Longyi: The Myanmar "longyi," a sarong-like nether garment, is an integral part of the Myanmar national dress worn by men as well as the fairer sex. It is basically a piece of cloth sown into a cylindrical tube, slipped over the head by men and stepped into by the women and tucked in at the waist. Men and women however fasten their longyis at the waist in different ways. Men fold the garment into two panels and knot it neatly at waist level. In olden days the knot was tied neatly and sported a triangular flap. For the ladies it is a wrap-around skirt tucked in at the side of the waist. It may be wrapped from right to left. which is more common. or from left to right. depending on the comfort of the wearer. The term "longyi" refers to this nether garment in general for both men and women. But the ladies skirt has a plain black strip of cotton about 5 inches wide sewn and attached to the top part of the circular skirt. It is known as "Ahtet hsin". It helps to keep the longyi firmly in place especially if it is of silk or satin. It prevents frequent adjusting and keeps the skirt neat and level. To further differentiate between men and women's wear the garment for men is known as "pasoe" and for women "htamein."

The Myanmar longyi is also catching on as fashionable wear for foreigners. Tourists of both sexes can be seen in longyis on the streets of Yangon and I have heard that the wrap-around skirt has become quite a fashion in some countries like Australia. I think fashions in Myanmar may come and go but the longyi will go on forever. There are a variety of textiles in Myanmar and some popular ones are Acheik, Silkware, and Lotus robe.