Tibetan costume and ornaments have a long history and are characterized by its unique structures and artistic features. Cultural relics and archaeological data show that the basic style of Tibetan costume today took shape as early as the 11th century.
Owing to the differences in natural conditions and working and living styles of various places in addition to the factors of economic and cultural exchanges, Tibetan costume and ornaments are really rich and colorful. The structure of costume, ornaments and way to wear them all show strong local features.
Take Gongbung Area for example. Large primitive forests grow here and rainfall is ample. To adapt to such natural conditions, the local people created a costume called guxiu, made of pulu or animal skin, with a broad shoulder but sleeveless, suitable for people who fell trees or transport timber.
It can also protect the wearer from rain. But in the valleys in South Tibet where the climate is warm and mild, with the average temperature around 8 degrees centigrade, the costume living in Xigaze, Shannan and Lhasa the City of Sunlight, their costume is generally made of pulu.
The basic features of Tibetan costume are loose waist, long sleeve and broad breast. Lined gowns, official robes before the democratic reform in 1959, silk robes of the nobles and ceremonial robes for monks and priests at religious activities all have such features.
The prominent artistic feature of Tibetan costume is the regular progress in color and pattern. The jian (lace) of the fur coat of people in the pastures are often made of rectangle color materials of blue, green, purple, black, orange, yellow and red. The combination of colors of sharp contrast gives people an impression of jumping liveliness.
The combinations of colors of sharp contrast, such as red and green, black and white, crimson and blue, yellow and purple, are boldly used in Tibetan costume, which, together with deftly used multiple colors and gold and silver threads, make the garments bright and harmonious.
Another marked feature of Tibetan costume and ornaments is the extensive use of gold and silver, jewelry, ivory and jade ornaments of substitutions. Many ornaments are heave and intrepid, yet their patterns and carving are refined and elegant. They can be carried on the various parts of the body, from head and hair plaits to ear, neck, wrist, finger, back, and waist.
The typical ornaments include elegantly carved and gold-or silver-coated dagger, buckle and steel for flint, as well as various kinds of ear-rings and hair ornaments embedded with jadeite and turquoise. The Tibetan costume and ornaments have been created, developed and changed in the long course of people's life and work. In the pastures of North Tibet, there is an ornament called xueji, which is worn at the waist. Its shape is like a little anchor, hung from the belt when women are milking the cow.
The upper end of it is fastened to the belt and the lower end is used to hang a pail so that the pail will not be over-turned by a startled cattle. By and by, it be-comes an indispensable ornament for Tibetan women in the pastures. They wear it ordinarily or during holidays, working or having a rest, at home or going on a pilgrimage. Gradually, it falls into a pattern and is carved and embedded with jadeite and turquoise.
In the process of its development, Tibetan costume and ornaments became complex from simple design and then became simple again. Tibetan costume in the middle ages was very gorgeous. But it has turned to be simple in the modern era. Western-styled suit and fashionable dresses are now popular among the Tibetans, especially the younger ones. But at festivals or on important occasions these young people generally wear national costume. The dresses for Tibetan women also tend to be tight rather than loose and the long gowns in Lhasa manifest clear curves. There are research institutes and manufacturing institutions for garments in Lhasa and fashion models have been on the stage wearing Tibetan costume. More and more international fashion designers are finding inspiration from features of Tibetan costume.
The unique style and artistic features of Tibetan costume and ornaments is a very valuable ingredient of the cultural treasure house of our country and a beautiful flower in the artistic garden of national costume of the motherland.