The daily clothes of Thái Đen ethnic men in Lai Châu consist of the Piêu scarf, a short-sleeved tunic, a skirt, and a belt.
The Piêu scarf is made of black indigo fabric, measuring 120cm in length and 40cm in width. Both ends of the scarf are intricately embroidered with vibrant colors. The embroidered pattern has dimensions of 40x45cm. The decorative motifs primarily feature pine trees, "khau cút", canarium, spiders (to cu), and crabs (bô pu), using red, white, green, and purple threads,... Each scarf has a unique embroidered design.
The blouse (áo xửa cỏm) is made of rough fabric dyed black, sewn in a four-piece style with a length of 43cm, width of 33.5cm, sleeves of 47 cm, and a chest slit. Round collar with a brace, tight when worn. The shirt clip is studded with two rows of silver buttons (now using aluminum) and is beautifully decorated, mainly in turtle shell and butterfly shapes.
Women's shirts are sewn tightly to the body, highlighting the contours of the woman's body. The skirt (xin) is made of coarse indigo-dyed fabric, measuring 90cm in length and 73cm in width. It is a straight tube-shaped skirt, with the waistband and hem of the skirt being the same width. The 15cm high waistband is made of white coarse fabric, and the skirt's body is created from four panels of black indigo fabric without any decorative patterns. When worn, pull the two points of the waistband of the tight skirt on the right side, fold the excess skirt in front of the stomach, and use a belt to tighten it on the outside, pulling the edge of the shirt over the top.
The belt (xài ẻo) is made of indigo-dyed silk fabric, green for young girls and purple for middle-aged and elderly women. The belt is 120-150cm long and 8-10cm wide. Young girls often dye or add red fabric at both ends of the belt for beauty. The red fabric can be tied in front of the abdomen or shifted to the side. The belt has no decoration at both ends. When worn, women often conceal the two ends of the belt within the loops wrapped around their bodies.
Thái ethnic women enjoy using jewelry for adornment and beautification, especially during festivals, celebrations, and weddings. Their traditional jewelry was primarily made of pure silver using traditional techniques. Nowadays, they combine traditional techniques with modern methods such as welding, plating with various metals, and gold plating to produce alloy jewelry. Thái ethnic jewelry comes in various designs, including xà tích, bracelets, earrings, and hairpins,...