Men's clothing KAREN

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Men's clothing : Karen men's shirts generally hang to the hipe, although some Pwo Karen wear shirts that reach almost to the knees. They are either of unbleached homespun cotton with red or blue stripes, or red with white stripes accented with yellow and green. A decorative cording effect is made in the lower portion of the shirts by inserting many strands of red thread at regular intervals while weaving. For ceremonial occasions, the cording threads are left several centimeters long than the width of the cloth to form a fringe when the garment is stitched together. In such a case, instead of hemming the shirt, the warp threads are left as a fringe around the bottom. The braiding around the neck and arm holes s often of green, yellow and white thread. Shirts worn by young bachelors at funerals often have a long fringe hanging down to the knees. Some Pwo men wear jackets of unbleached homespun cotton which open at the front. The neck is shaped and bound and is edged with braiding. Elbow-length sleeves are set in. Both Pwo and Sgaw men wear either sarongs or Thai peasant-style pants. The knee-length sarongs are made of two panels, and are either white or red with one wide blue stripe in each panel. Pants are black and reach to mid-calf. Men often wear turbans consisting of turkish towels or phakamas (the cloth Thai men wrap around their waists). Young Pwo bachelors wear their hair long and often pull it sleekly across the head to tie in a knot over one ear. They anchor the knot with a huge hairpin, and sometimes an ivory comb. For special occasions they neatly warp a band of red silk cloth around their in a crew. Older men usually wear their hair in a crew cut. On special occasions they may wear pink silk turbans-Shan style.

Older boys wear the same style of clothing as men, while most small boys wear over-sized shirts and no other garment.