How to wear Thai costume (Part IV – Tucked Loincloth /Jong Kraben)
Jong Kraben is one of the popular fashions for the bottom wear. Jong, in Thai, means to tie or to pull. Kraben, originally a Khmer word, means tails. Putting them together, Jong kraben then means the way fabric was rolled up and tucked at the back. For Jong Kraben alone, there are several approaches and styles to wear it. In this tutorial, we will choose one of the most popular styles, Jong Hang Nhu (rat’s tail).
- 1. Wrap sarong or loincloth around the body, arrange the edges to be even and
- 2. Lift up the fabric and bundle up both of its ends around the waist, tie them up just above the belly-button.
- 3. Arrange the hems of the fabric (in front of the wearer) parallely, fold the cloth in the same direction over and over. The height of the folds will be gradually lessened and stopped when it is made an acute angle with the wearer (45 degree).
- 4. Fold the cloth up to its end. The Jong Kraben ‘tail’ will be achieved in this step.
- 5. Throw the tail under the legs of the wearer. During this step the wearer should bend down a little to make sure the area around the crotch has not got too tight. Once it is well-adjusted, tuck the tail up at the back of the wearer.
Noted: When tucked the tail in, it is necessary to neaten the cloth, the tail and arrange the fabric to be as thin and even as possible. If the fabric is bulged up, it will cause not just inelegance but inconvenience and even pain around the tailbone.
- 6. Neaten and arrange the hems on the outside and behind both knees. Make sure it is well-fitted.
- 7. Check the tail. The tail part of Jong Kraben has to be set nicely at the middle of the body and tucked in thinly.
- 8. Get a strand, a fabric or a belt to buckled up the waist. Lastly, neaten the hems and make sure it covers both of the knees (approximately down half the plam’s length).
