AYUTTHAYA MEN
GROOMING AND STYLING
TIMELINE OF AYUTTHAYA WOMENSWEAR
Early Ayutthaya ( 1351 – 1500 )
In early Ayutthaya, women wore simple wrapped garments: the Pha Nung as a straight ankle-length cloth or the Chong Kraben for movement, with a sabai draped across the chest. Most garb was made from cotton, while silk denoted status. Jewelry was minimal, with small gold or bronze ornaments.
TIMELINE OF AYUTTHAYA WOMENSWEAR
In the Mid to Late Ayutthaya, women's attire became more and more refined and sumptuous. The women wore either Pha Nung or a smartly wrapped Chong Kraben with a longer, finer Sabai in expensive silk. Fabrics were dyed in more vivid colors and displayed more intricate patterns, particularly during the later period. Noblewomen expressed status with gold adornments, hair decorations, and ornamental belts, and by the end of the period, the formality and elaborateness of the style became even more pronounced.
Pha Nung
The Pha Nung was the primary lower garment for Ayutthaya women which is a long, rectangular piece of cloth wrapped around the waist and worn straight to the ankles. Early versions were plain cotton, while later periods featured finer silks and more vivid colors. Worn by all classes, it balanced practicality and elegance, though noblewomen used more decorative fabrics and sometimes paired it with gold belts on special occasions.
Pha
Sinh
Pha Sinh is a patterned tubular skirt, mainly inspired by the Lao, Lanna, and regional weaving traditions in the late Ayutthaya period. Unlike the straightwrapped pha nung, pha sinh was stitched as a tube and had woven borders and motifs on it at the hem. It had been worn in northern and northeastern regions by women under Ayutthaya rule and gained popularity in some central Thai communities through trade and cultural exchange. Sewn from cotton or silk according to status, this pha sinh provided a more fitting and decorative appearance. This signals a trend toward regional textile diversity in women's garments in the latter years of the kingdom.
Sabai
Sabai was a long piece of cloth draped diagonally across the chest and over one shoulder, serving as the main upper garment for women throughout the Ayutthaya period. Early on, it was simple and often made from cotton; by the mid and late Ayutthaya eras, though, it became longer, finer, and made from silk with richer colors. Noblewomen wore more decorative sabai, including those with decorative weaving, while commoners used plain ones. The sabai provided both modesty and elegance to become one of the most iconic features of Ayutthaya women’s dress.
Chong Kraben
The chong kraben consisted of a cloth wrapped around the waist with a piece pulled through between the legs and tucked in at the front. It could thus assume trousers-like shapes and allowed much freer movement than the vertical pha nung. Although worn throughout the Ayutthaya period primarily for daily wear, early in the period it was mostly used by commoners, while in the mid and late Ayutthaya it became widespread among classes and was sometimes made from silk for noblewomen. Practical, better fitted, and versatile, the chong kraben was mainly a daily garment though able to adjust to more refined styles in court environments.
AYUTTHAYA WOMEN ACCESSORIES
Women in Ayutthaya wore gold ornaments to indicate status: necklaces, bracelets, armlets, earrings, and rings. Noblewomen also used gold belts with formal dress. Hair was adorned with hairpins and ornaments, while everyday ornamentation was simpler, using bronze or beads. Overall, accessories identified rank and added elegance to the attire of women throughout the classes.
Chada
Sai Rat Ew Thong