Woman's garment (kira)

The kira, a blanket-like piece of textile, is the standard costume for Bhutanese women. It is worn wrapped around the body, belted at the waist, and attached with silver ornaments on the shoulders.

This kira is made of a Bhutanese version of a type of textile imported from Tibet, and is therefore an excellent demonstration of the exchange of textile designs among Himalayan countries. The twelve narrow strips of this kira are woven to imitate the Tibetan material —but in silk instead of wool. Each narrow strip contains rainbow bands alternating with larger white and yellow sections block printed with blue and red crosses.

Kira are not confined to materials woven in Bhutan; they can be constructed from textiles produced elsewhere. In cold areas special kira are sometimes made with narrow strips of Tibetan hand-woven woolen fabric patterned with weft stripes and stamped with crosses. This type of woolen material, which is made in Lhasa, Tibet, is commonly used for trimming Tibetan clothing.