ANGKORIAN DRESS

The books that have been written on Angkorian dress are all available on Amazon:

Khmer Costumes and Ornaments of the Devatas of Angkor Wat by Sappho Marchal

The Origins of Khmer Ikat - in India, and Beyond (see Books on this website)

What the Queens Wore - the Silk of Angkor (see Books on this website)

To analyze what a figure is wearing, you must identify the figure first. To look at a mythical figure and conclude that what he or she is wearing was what was worn at Angkor is like looking at the Statue of Liberty and concluding that fashionable women in 19th-century Manhattan wore togas. In the Appendix of Through the Eyes of a Queen (see Books on this website) there is a decision tree to enable you to identify nearly any female figure in bas relief on any Angkorian temple. When looking at mortal figures you need to know their rank at court to determine if they were wearing haute couture (brocade or ikat) or printed cotton; use the decision tree for that, too.

It is because of the foresight of three kings that we can actually see what was worn at the royal court in Angkorian times. Indravarman I showed us the haute couture of the 9th century, and Sūryavarman II and Jayavarman VII showed us that of the 12th.

This statue of Shiva flanked by Umā and Gangā that once stood in front of the Bakong is believed to be Indravarman I flanked by his principal and second queen.

There was no pattern in the textiles; the fashion was in the folding. And immediately we have a mystery. We see ikat in India three centuries earlier, in the Ajanta Caves. But we don’t see pattern in textiles at Angkor until early in the 12th century. Note that the royals here are wearing no jewelry. They may have been at a ceremony where spartan dress was mandated. Is that why we see no pattern in the clothing? No. If pattern in textiles had already reached Angkor, we would see it on the mythical yaksha and yakshī guarding the sanctums at Preah Ko and Lolei.

Note that the king’s clothing is completely different than the queens’. We can see his “pants” clearly; we will see this style again in the centuries that follow.

In the 10th and 11th centuries we have only bas relief of mythical yaksha and yakshī to look at. The one-centimeter folds in their lower garments were mythical; we don’t see any mortal figures wearing them.

There were no pleats at Angkor (pleats are sewn, folds are not). Look at the two queens above. Their folded skirts swayed gracefully as they walked, to suggest their royal lineage. Just as important as the fabric that the skirts were made of. 

Sūryavarman II brought Kinkhob (Ashavali) brocade in from India, first in strips and then in sashes (see What the Queens Wore - the Silk of Angkor. This is his fourth queen in the Southern Gallery of Angkor Wat. The three “tails” draped over the sides of her palanquin are her Kinkhob (Ashavali) sashes; the antique sari border gives you an idea of what they would have looked like. Now look at her left thigh - we can see that she’s wearing something like short pants that end above the knee. Sūryavarman II’s generals also wear short pants with Kinkhob (Ashavali) sashes - unisex fashion. The emperor himself appears to be wearing the same, but although his sashes can be seen clearly, his lower garment has eroded; to see a photo click the Most Astonishing Discoveries tab, then click, Most Astonishing. For more photos of the sashes click the Research Grant tab, then click The Origin of Cambodian Brocade.

In the reign of Jayavarman VII we see a shift to a long skirt for women, with a Kinkhob (Ashavali) sash running down the front. This is Queen Jayarājadevī in the Preah Khan temple. At the bottom of her skirt we see a Kinkhob (Ashavali) strip, the precursor of the sashes.

The floral design in her skirt is the Royal Poinciana pattern. I found it in northwestern India on a commercially-produced scarf, but believe that the original textile was Odissi ikat (more in The Origins of Khmer Ikat - in India, and Beyond). This is the only Angkorian sculpture I know of where we have a clue to what color the fabric was. I believe the flowers were red and white.

And what were the men wearing? Do we still see unisex clothing? No. Below you see Jayavarman VII at Banteay Chhmar. He’s wearing what appear to be short pants made of Kinkhob (Ashavali) brocade, with Kinkhob (Ashavali) sashes.

And the fish-tails for which Angkorian sculpture is famous? I think most are mythical - I’ve only found four mortals who wore them (both at Angkor Wat). And I believe we see them on queens portrayed as goddesses - more research needed here.

Weave that’s curved? Mythical. One-centimeter folds in the skirt? That’s a semi-divine yakskī. Folds that run sideways? A yakshī. Sashes that float in the air? Yakshī. Metal hair ornaments that float in the air instead of hanging straight? Yakshī. Again, look at the decision tree in the back of Through the Eyes of a Queen so that you can easily identify female figures.

Sūryavarman II also showed us the clothing of working people attached to the palace. In the Southern Gallery of Angkor Wat we see his messengers, fan bearers, palanquin bearers, and people carrying food and drink to the royal Vishnu pūjā. And outside of the galleries, we see what the 1860+ devatā (temple and palace staff) wore for ceremonies. Their sashes were not attached to their skirts, and I don’t think they owned them; I think they had to return them to the royal treasury after the ceremony (this was some of the first brocade anywhere in the world, and very expensive).

Jayavarman VII showed us the clothing worn by commoners on a wall of the Bayon.