The Burmese traditional ‘trousers’ or skirt known as a longyi is still widely used throughout all of Myanmar. Upon arriving, I decided to buy one just to try it out and blend in. I didn’t expect to like my 2,500 kyat investment so much.
The longyi can be worn as a basic skirt but is so much more. You can make a pocket, make it tighter or more relaxed, and you can even turn it into shorts! Here is a step by step guide on how to wear one as taught by the wonderful staff of the Fortune Hotel in Mandalay.
Normal Longyi (no pocket)
Step 1 – Get inside the longyi
Step 2 – Fold it to your particular liking for heightStep 3 – Open it wideStep 4 – Grab the ends and fold them in. Twist tight.Step 5 – Twist one more timeStep 6 – Fold the left over parts into the longyi
Step 7 – Smile, you are blending right in
Pocket Longyi
Maybe you are tired with the normal longyi and would like to know how to make a pocket to put your wallet or phone. Afterall, you don’t want to carry a purse too! Repeat Steps 1-3 from above.
Step 4a – Grab the middle of the longyi and pull it upStep 5a – Fold the sides in like in step 4 aboveStep 6a – Twist like beforeStep 7a – Fold into the longyi like before. But you should have an extra piece of cloth in the middleStep 8a – Check out this awesome pocket you have left. If it is not the right size, you might have to do this again.Step 9a – Place a phone or wallet into the pocketStep 10a – Fold the pocket into the longyiStep 11a – If you did it right, the item in the pocket should be nice and secure. If not, try again.
The first few tries, you will probably feel, and look like this:
Hey! What happened to your hair?
I realized bald was far more desirable than bald-ING.
Nice