A27046

Accession number: A27046
Titled: AKHA EMBROIDERED LEGGINGS, THAILAND, S.E ASIA
Handwoven cotton leggings decorated with applique and embroidery are part of the traditional costume worn by women of the Akha hill tribe or Northern Thailand. Hand-stitched and hand-woven with Indigo and natural dyes.

I've always associated leggings with 80s fashion and fluorescent colours. This summer on my camping holiday I finally appreciated that they may have a function: I was trying to cook 100 corn fritters over a large open fire (another story) and I would have liked some extra leg cover. In the evenings they would have been handy to stop the midges biting my ankles. I have no idea of the Thai use for leggings but I bet there is some utility behind their gorgeous decoration.