Traditional Clothing of the Angkor Period
Although it’s no longer the country’s capital, the Angkor temple complex is still the ancient spiritual home for many Cambodian people. Not only is it a spectacular feat of architecture, but it also holds clues to many aspects of Khmer culture when it was at its most powerful; in the Angkorian period, between the 9th and 15th centuries.
Angkorian fashion is one of the historical secrets that the temples reveal. The depictions of ancient Angkorian Khmers carved across the surface of its walls – along with some of the sparse contemporary historical writings – further reveal clues to the fashion of the time. During the proceeding Chenla era, Indian-inspired dress had dominated. However, Angkorian times saw the flourishing of sartorial creativity, with Khmer dress coming into its own identity.
The richness and variety of costumes available to Angkorian subjects was restricted according to class. Both men and women of the working class wore their hair tied up in topknots, and were naked to the waist, with women sometimes covering their chests with golden buckles.
Carvings at Angkor Wat show both genders with swathes of cloth tied around their waists; an early version of the sampot. A national version of the sarong, some forms of sampot are still worn by Khmers today. Women wore the wrapped cloth as a skirt, whilst men hitched it up into shorts for ease of movement during physical tasks.
The sampot can be tied in a multitude of different ways, but the most famous of these, the Sampot Tep Apsara, is noted for its long pleat running down the front of the garment, curling backwards at the wearer’s calf. Tied at the waist and held in place with a golden belt, the Sampot Tep Apsara is a common feature in Angkor Wat carvings, but is no longer commonly worn by Cambodians.
Court dancers were allowed more elaborate outfits. These were often comprised of a round, red collar called a Sarong Kor, covered in gold and beadwork designs. A dancer’s sampot was tied in an elaborate fashion, with an ornately decorated belt. A triple-pronged headdress completed the look, made from finely wrought silver or gold and festooned with emeralds. Princesses and female musicians also wore these celestial crowns.
However, the finest, most elaborate costumes were reserved for the king. Heavily flower-patterned cloth, wreaths of flowers, golden crowns, jewelled belts, elaborately folded sampots and gold and pearl bracelets were just some of the adornments of the era. Crimson-dyed palms and soles of feet were also part of the garb, while golden swords and elaborate parasols to keep off the sun were also the accessories of choice. Not to be outdone, queens such as Jayarajadevi and Indradevi embellished their floral sampot print with gold and their headdresses with diamonds.
The dissolution of the Khmer empire and increased contact with the Western world has meant that these unique styles are no longer seen in complete form in the streets of Phnom Penh, or in the stretches of countryside rice paddies. However, the culturally rich styles do still partially echo in clothes worn today, whether in a long sampot skirt or an elaborate bracelet, paying testimony to the enduring power of Angkorian fashion.
