Discover the Cambodian wardrobe and the unique costumes that make up the colorful collection of Cambodian clothes.
The majority of Cambodian locals tend to dress rather casually with the exception of going to some formal events like weddings. Khmer men generally wear short-sleeved shirts made of light cotton or silk and cotton trousers of a light color in order to keep cool in the heat of Cambodia.
Traditionally women wear loose fitting tops and a sarong that is embroidered with a silver or gold threading and along with that karma.
The most common local dress that the Cambodian people can be found wearing for their day-to-day chores generally includes a sarong which is known as a sampot in the local lingo.
The sampot can be worn in many different ways. We find that people of different classes wear the sampot in different ways. The typical sampot, known also as the sarong is on average worn by men and women of poorer class. It measures in the region of about one and a half meters and both ends are sewn together. To secure it on the waist it is tied with a metal belt.
Cambodian costumes
Since the traditions of Cambodia are immensely influenced by those in the Hindu religion, Khmers have since long taken dancing and singing to be a part of religious rituals. For these holy traditions Khmers dress accordingly in costumes as well.
The females would traditionally wear a rose above the right ear and a phuŏng on the left side of a crown. The Phuong was made up of three distinct flowers namely the Jasmine, rose and Michelia. Although, in current times, these three significant flowers have been replaced today because of lack of availability, hence other flowers such as the plumerias are used in its place.
Male characters wear costumes that are more complex than the females, as it requires pieces, like sleeves, that have to be sewn on while the character is being dressed. Clothed in a sampot sarabap, like their female counterpart, however males wear it in a different way.he male the sampot is worn in the chang kben style. He front is pleated and pulled under and stuck between the legs, then tucked in the back and the left over length of the pleat is stitched to the sampot itself to form a draping fan in the back.
Knee length pants are worn underneath displaying a wide, embroidered border around the knees. For the top, they wear long sleeved shirts with rich embroidering, with a collar around the neck. On the end of their shoulders is a sort of epaulette that is arching upwards.
Male characters dress rather elaborately. They sport an x-shaped strap around their bodies. This strap is made using gold and silver colored silk. Chains of gold along with other square ornaments are also used to decorate the strap. The more elaborately designed straps are used for special characters. The males can also be seen sporting similar ankle and wrist jewelry as their female counterparts. The only difference is the addition of bangles and armlets.
