Other lands
The Burmese htamein
The woman's tube skirt of Myanmar, a sewn cylinder of cloth folded and tucked at the waist without a knot, worn with a fitted blouse.
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The htamein is the traditional lower garment of women in Myanmar. It is a sheet of cloth sewn into a cylinder, worn from the waist to the feet, and held by folding rather than by a knot. It belongs to the same family as the men's longyi. It is not a saree, but it is the nearest wrapped skirt of its land.
Wrapped step by step
Each drawing shows the cloth so far, with the newest step outlined in gold. The figure is a front view; the wearer's left is on your right.
Step 1 Put on the fitted eingyi blouse. Step 2 Step into the cylinder of cloth and pull it up to the waist. Step 3 Draw the extra cloth tight to one side and fold it over. Step 4 Tuck the folded edge at the waist, with no knot, so it holds firmly. Step 5 Let the cloth hang to the ankle and set the hem straight. Finished The Burmese htamein, seen from the front.
Where it comes from
The longyi, the general name for this tube of cloth, is widely worn in Myanmar and is about two metres long. The women's version is the htamein. It is part of daily dress in all regions of the country, with patterns that vary by area and group. Mandalay and Amarapura are known for silk weaving. The garment is not an Indian import and has its own history, though it shares the wrapped skirt idea with others in South and Southeast Asia.
How it looks
A cylinder of cloth is held at the waist and the extra width is folded and tucked in to keep it fixed, with no belt or knot. A fitted jacket or blouse, the eingyi, goes on top. Everyday htameins are cotton or synthetic in checks and stripes. Formal ones are silk, with woven wave patterns, including the style called acheik, in which the cloth is woven in rippling bands. Some formal dress includes a long trailing tail for dancers or stage use.
Who wears it and when
Women wear it every day, at work and at home, in towns and the countryside. Silk htameins are worn at weddings, ceremonies, festivals and on the Thingyan water festival in April when many people wear fresh clothes. In offices and schools, many have a standard htamein as part of a uniform. Wearers learn to tuck the cloth in a firm fold at the waist, which takes a little practice and then becomes automatic. Because the tube is sewn, it is bought by length and waist, and tailors adjust the width. This guide gives the general form, and a maker, dresser or family may do it a little differently.
Sarees worn this way
Also part of it, and being written: Burmese clothing (The wider setting of the htamein.).
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Sources and further reading
Original text and drawings by the EveryPallu desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. The drawings are simplified diagrams of the order of wrapping, not a lesson: how a drape is worn differs from family to family. If we have something wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Acheik: Chenzeyan29, CC0, source
- Longyi: Unknown author, Public domain, source