The Panung and Traditional Clothing of Thailand
An account of one of Thailand's traditional garments, the panung wrap.
Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.
From Siam in the Twentieth Century, by John Gordon Drummond Campbell, 1902.
The national garment of the Siamese of both sexes, called the panung, is a piece of cloth about one yard wide and three yards in length, wrapped round the waist and limbs, descending to the knees, and passed between the thighs, the two ends being tucked in at the waist, one in front, the other behind. It is a mystery to the uninitiated how this garment manages to keep up! The costliness of the material used, cotton or silk, varies with the means of the wearer. The panung combines in an admirable degree the qualities of usefulness and gracefulness, at any rate in the case of the male sex. It leaves the limbs bare from the knees downwards, and has the appearance of loose knee-breeches or knickerbockers.
The panungs of the rich, being often of beautiful silk, are very handsome, their very simplicity adding to the effect. They are to be seen of all hues — orange, green, blue, red, and purple in every shade — each day of the week, it is said, having its appropriate colour, and this variety greatly enhances the picturesqueness of a Siamese crowd, all classes alike wearing the panung….
The poorer classes are entirely barelegged and barefooted, only those of a better condition wearing long silk or cotton stockings to meet the panung, and shoes often of patent leather with buckles — at least outside their houses. A white jacket worn over a light vest or singlet completes the costume of the well-to-do men, "the man in the street" preferring to be without further encumbrance than the panung. The women, as a rule, wear a scarf over their bosoms, but this is sometimes discarded by married women of the common sort. The ladies of the upper classes, though all adhering to the panung, wear muslin, silk, or satin embroidered jackets trimmed with costly lace, and jewelled buttons and brooches.
It is most exceptional to see a Siamese in his own country in European dress, though the military uniform consists of a tunic and trousers after our fashion; this is worn by the king himself, and by many of the nobility on state occasions, and even in everyday life. Ladies are never to be seen in any but the national costume in their own country. No divergence from it would be tolerated. How unlike Japan, where, unhappily, European costume is de rigueur at court for both sexes! It may safely be asserted, I think, that the spirit of conservatism of the Siamese in this respect is at least as healthy as the spirit of innovation exhibited by the Island Empire.
For men, it seems to me, it would be difficult to improve on the Siamese costume, the only drawback to it being that it can hardly afford adequate protection to the knees and legs from the mosquitoes after sundown. It is cool and healthy, and although exceedingly simple, yet lends itself to the marking of distinctions of rank (if, indeed, this is to be reckoned an advantage), owing to the variety of the material employed. How often must poor Europeans, when suffering in a temperature of over ninety degrees, from the tortures of stiff collars, frock-coats, and tall hats, envy the Siamese round them their delightful costume! May the Siamese never be so foolish as to follow the benighted example of the Japanese! Another great point in favour of the panung is that it is so distinctively national,— it is absolutely different from the short, loose trousers of the Chinese or the sarong of the Malays. I have never myself seen any garment elsewhere in the East at all resembling it, nor have I read or heard of any other country in which a similar costume is worn. Being so unique, it is all the more to be hoped that it will not be lightly discarded.
The men and women of the lower classes go invariably bareheaded, nor is there anything at all distinctive about the headgear of the well-to-do. Topis, straw hats, and soft felt hats are all commonly worn, especially the last named, but neither the turban of the Burmans nor the fez of the Mahometan Malays has found favour with the natives of Siam. The hair of both sexes, which is coarse and bristly, is allowed to grow after the shaving of the topknot, and is then cropped short. Various fashions have at different times prevailed. Not many years ago it was the custom to shave the head, except for a patch in the centre, where the hair grew in the resemblance of an inverted clothes-brush. This fashion has happily disappeared under, we may presume, the pressure of aesthetic considerations.
In connexion with the subject of dress mention must be made of the Siamese love of jewellery. This is to be expected in a country where precious stones form so large a part of the natural wealth, and the buying of jewels is consequently an obvious way of investing money. Thus there are few Siamese, even of those in a humble position, who do not possess at least a few valuable ornaments, while the children are often decked out with bracelets and necklaces, though not to the same extent now as in former times. The Siamese, however, both rich and poor, usually keep within the bounds of good taste in the wearing of jewels….
Campbell, John Gordon Drummond. Siam in the Twentieth Century. E. Arnold, 1902.
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