Tibetan Robes, Tibetan's favourite attire

Tibetan robe is the favourite attire for Tibetan people. It is called "zhuba" in Tibetan language. Tibetan robe is also the most distinctive hallmark that tells the Tibetans from people of other ethnic backgrounds. Virtually every Tibetan man wears such a robe, which is also pocket less. 

As Tibetans' main traditional clothes, The Tibetan robe is loose-fitting, with long sleeves and a wider-than-usual waist, and its front is opened from the right side. The Tibetan robe is made from leather among herdsmen, and woolen fabrics among farmers. The basic characteristics of Tibetan robes are: wide fronts with wide waists and buttoned on the right side; wide, long sleeves; the collar, edge of the front, cuff and the lower hem of the gown are mostly edged with fine and soft fur, pulu or colorful cloth.

The sleeves are more than 30 centimeters longer than the arm, and the lower hem stretches out about 10 centimeters over the instep, mostly edged with red or black strips or leopard skin as a form of decoration.

Generally, there are five types: Robes made of pulu woolen fabrics, lambskin robes, sheepskin robes, woolen robes, and garments.

1. Robes made of pulu woolen fabrics
The pulu woolen fabrics in the areas surrounding Lhasa are quite famous. Aristocrats and feudal lords in the old days usually wore these kinds of robes when participating in important activities. Poor farmers and herdsmen also wore it while at work. They are stout and durable, useful in every season and can be used as raincoats.
2. Lambskin robes
This sort of robe can be divided into white and black lambskin, with the latter considered quite valuable. Lambskin is ranked by degree, according to the length of the lamb hair, the degree of curliness, and the quality of the skin. The same level of lambskin is used in making robes. Generally, more than 40 pieces of lambskin are necessary to make a medium-class lambskin robe.
3. Sheepskin robes
There are two types: Robes made of goatskin and of sheepskin. Women in agricultural areas usually wear goatskin robes. The quality of sheepskin varies in different seasons; and can be classified into winter sheepskin, summer sheepskin and autumn sheepskin.
4. Woolen robes
Such robes are made with inner layers of sheep fur, so they are light and warm.
5. Garments
These are popular in the agricultural areas where the altitude is lower and temperatures are warmer. They are cool and comfortable.
6. Undershirts
There are two kinds of undershirts -- the kind with buttons on the right and the kind with buttons down the front. Monks or those who have a predestined relationship with Buddha often wear undershirts in orange and light yellow.
The types of Tibetan robes also varies in different places of Tibet. In terms of fur robes in pastoral areas, men's robes can be plain without a cloth surface, but the front, cuff and edge may be edged with black velveteen, corduroy or woolen cloth about 10 to 15 centimeters wide. In northern Tibet, the edge of the front and the cuff of women's robe are generally sewn with five to seven strips using black, red, green, and purple. Because some strips are a little bit wider, the whole surface of the fur can be completely covered by the strips.

When a Tibetan man puts on his robe, he tends to wear only one sleeve and pull the other sleeve around his back to the front of it—a habit that has much to do with the weather. On the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau there is a glaring difference in temperature between day and night, and the weather changes unpredictably. “A mountain experiences four seasons in a single day, and the weather changes every ten miles,” as the local saying goes. In summer it could be chilly in the morning and hot at noon.

Tibetan people usually take off one or both sleeves when working during the day, and tie them around their waist. A shirt with long sleeves is worn inside of the robe. When men tie their belts, they usually pull the lower hem of the robe up to their knees. When women tie their belt, they pull the robe up a little bit and make the lower hem cover their ankles. Thus, a big bag is formed in the bosom and the waist, and many odds and ends can be placed inside this convenient space.