---
node: garment_chut_thai
type: garment
slug: chut_thai
title: "Chut thai"
lead: "The chut thai is the national dress of Thailand, an ensemble of a wrapped or pleated lower garment, a fitted or draped top, and often a sabai shoulder cloth. Its formal versions, codified for the queen in the 1960s, are worn at ceremonies and weddings."
published: 2026-08-10
updated: 2026-08-10
image_file: chut_thai.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chut_Thai_Amarin.jpg"
image_author: "Wutkh"
image_license: "CC BY 4.0"
---

## Overview

A chut thai (Thai outfit) is not one garment but a coordinated set, its women's forms ranging from a blouse with a pha nung skirt to a silk sheath with a diagonal sabai, in eight standard styles named for palaces and set out under Queen Sirikit. Fine Thai silk, gold thread, and jewellery complete the look.

## How it is worn

It is worn for state and ceremonial occasions, weddings, and cultural events, the style chosen to match the formality — a day style with a blouse and skirt, or a grand evening style with a sabai and full-length silk. Men wear a jacketed counterpart with the suea phraratchathan shirt.

## History

The formal chut thai was defined in the 1960s when Queen Sirikit, dressing for state visits, had designers draw on historical Siamese dress to create a modern national wardrobe. It has since become the recognised traditional dress of Thailand at home and abroad.