asian clothes
Asia is the largest continent in the world with its 17,300,000 sq. miles area. The continent is made up of a number of countries and each country varies from the others in terms of its culture, habits, tradition and fashion. It will be a Herculean, if not impossible, task to bring Asia and its culture together under one roof. It is so vast and varied that all words of expression would fall short for it. Therefore, you will be smart enough to concentrate on just one of the aspects you are targeting, selecting only a few countries. When we think of Asia, the country names that lurk in our minds are Japan, India, and China. So let’s focus on the traditional outfits of these countries and find out how these traditional outfits are infiltrating the modern fashion trend.
India: Being an Indian, I know Indian culture and tradition better than any other foreign country. So I would definitely like to talk about our traditional clothing first. India is a country with up to 29 states and each state has its own way of dressing. But when it comes to national dress it is identified with ‘sari’. It attracts only for women. A ‘sari’ is nothing more than a long rectangular piece of cloth about 5 to 9 m long. It is worn without any closure, pins or buttons. The form-fitting blouse worn under the sari is known as ‘choli’ and the finished length of sarees that hang off the shoulder of women is called ‘pallu’. The style, color and texture of a saree vary from one to another. It can be printed, embroidered, inlaid on stone and mirror, etc. The material of the saree can be cotton, silk, synthetic or many other things. Apart from its color and design, the most striking and charming feature of the saree is that it is not cut or tailored to any particular size and can fit any woman. There are various ways to wear a saree; and its way of draping as well as its color and texture indicate a woman’s status, age, occupation, region and religion.
Besides the sari, there are many other dresses worn by Indian women like ‘salwar kameez’, ‘lehanga’, churidar etc. A ‘kameez’ is a long robe worn over ‘pajama’ which is like baggy pants. A tight pants is known as ‘churidar’. Some traditional garments for men are ‘kurta’, ‘lungi’, ‘dhoti’ and ‘pajama’. ‘kurta’ is like a long blouse, while ‘lungi’ and ‘dhoti’ are a piece of cloth that is draped around the waist. ‘pajamas’ are the pants worn under the ‘kurta’. A collarless khadi jacket is also popular with men. But most of the men in India, unlike the women, wear conventional Western clothing. Most women in India wear ‘sari’, although some urban women love western dresses and feel comfortable in them.
Across the country there are many religious and regional variations in costumes, such as Rajasthani women wearing embroidered, mirrored and tie-dyed materials, while in Arunachal Pradesh women are found in long, home-spun woolen skirts.
The Indian style of dress is marked by many variations, both religious and regional; and one is likely to witness an abundance of colours, textures and style in Indian garments.
Japan: The clothing of the Edo period (1601-1867 AD) comes to mind when asked about traditional Japanese clothing. This consists of the basic pieces like ‘kimono’, ‘obi’ and ‘hakama’. Japanese clothing is as simple as it is complex and elegant. The building block of traditional Japanese clothing begins with the “kimono”. During the Edo period, this became an outer garment and was made from all kinds of fabrics. Before and during the Edo period, cloth was class-oriented, silk was reserved for the upper class people. All adult ‘kimono’ are cut into 8 pieces from 1 roll of fabric approximately 36cm, 14in wide and 11m long. The seams are cut straight and always the same width, regardless of the size of the wearer, so the fabric is left on. Any additional length was tucked under or over the ‘obi’ depending on gender. ‘Kimono’ has a simple design and no fasteners are used to hold the ‘kimono’, close. ‘Kimono’ is designed according to age, social status and gender. Just as a married woman would wear a ‘kimono’ made of darker fabrics and with shorter sleeves than an unmarried young woman. Below the ‘kimono’, the lightest ‘kimono’ is called ‘Nagajuban’. Han -eri’ (a scarf like a neck) is worn between the kimono and the neck. and they are ‘Yukatabira’ (light and loose robes), ‘Happi’ (short coat), ‘Kamishino’ (two-piece suit), ‘Kataginu’, etc. “Hakama” is like pants and has 7 folds that signify 7 human qualities such as courage, humility, justice, chivalry, honesty, loyalty and prestige. During the monsoon they wore jackets made of straw. obi’ are used to close different types of jackets.
All Japanese clothing is wonderfully embroidered and made with beautiful fabric work. The clothing is very decorative and includes family crests, animals, bamboo, flowers, branches, etc.
Porcelain: The ‘Pien-fu’ is an ancient ceremonial two-piece garment of a tunic-like top that extends to the knees and a skirt or trousers that extends to the ankles. In China, clothing indicated not only class and gender difference, but also ethnicity. Han Chinese and Manchu were two major ethnic groups in China who wore different clothing. The decorative band, applied borders, and richly variegated embellishments and embroidered design are one of the unique features of traditional Chinese clothing. ‘He ch’ang-p’ao’ is a one-piece garment that extends from the shoulders to the heels. ‘Shen-I’ is a cross between ‘pien-fu’ and ‘ch’ang-p’ao’. It consists of a tunic and skirt or pants like ‘pien-fu’ but the tunic and skirt are sewn together and essentially one piece like the ‘ch’ang-pao’ Chinese clothing is not only an external expression but also an internal symbolism Darker shades of color are preferred to lighter shades Dresses with lighter colors clear ones are worn by the people for daily use.The Chinese associate some colors with the seasons, such as red for summer, black for winter, white for autumn, and green for spring.You can tell who have fully developed a system of matching, coordinating and contrasting colors: and shades of light and dark in clothing.
Chinese clothing has a vibrancy of its own. It reflects the modesty of a woman. Chinese traditional silk clothing almost varies in consistency which was established roughly in the era of the Yellow Emperor and the Yao and Shan Emperor. Remains of woven silk and hemp items and ancient pottery figures further demonstrate the sophistication and refinement of clothing in the Shan dynasty. Oriental dresses almost vary according to the figure of the woman. Mature women, in such an outfit, can show off their elegant and refined manner. In the 17th century, in northern China, tube-shaped dresses without collars were developed; they were the old ancestors of the new dresses.
But this traditional Asian clothing is seen slowly infiltrating the modern and trendy fashion of the day. Various fashion designers have taken the approach of making dresses that people can wear every day from the exotic treasures of traditional Asian clothing.
‘Saris’, apart from being the traditional attire of India, has become an inseparable part of today’s fashion. Women all over the world are now experimenting with draping the creation of this elegant designer from India. In many big parties, women from other countries are also seen wearing a beautiful sari. Garments like lehenga, choli, salwar kameez are already in fashion.
Black Japanese print floral kimono wrap top, georgette geisha kimono, geisha flower kimono top, Asian flared top, etc. are some of the other modern fashion imports from Japan.
Asian clothing varies from country to country. More importantly, in a country from one region to another it varies significantly. But if you are closely following the trend in various Asian countries, you will find that a certain pattern is followed everywhere. In one type of clothing, a piece of cloth is covered, which can be a sari in India or a kimono in Japan. The same trend is followed in the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and other Asian countries. In another trend, loose pants are followed as the pants for the lower extremities and a coat closed on the chest as the things for the upper part. Sometimes this top reaches to the knee like kameez in India or ends at the belly region. People who live near a mountainous region usually wear colorful and embroidered clothes, while people who live in flat lands prefer to stay simple. Asian clothing is wide, vast, and has huge ranges. Like the people of Asia, these are colorful, soft, silky and comfortable. And above all these are as attractive as Asian land.