BANGKOK, Thailand – Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya is attired in a traditional Thai ensemble featuring the “Sabai Song Chai” – a traditional shawl with two long trailing ends at the back – beautifully crafted from Lamphun gold-brocade silk. Evidence shows that wearing the Sabai Song Chai style dates back to the Ayutthaya period. Unlike the regular Sabai, which drapes over one shoulder, Sabai Song Chai covers both shoulders, with the fabric flowing down on both sides. From the front, the shawl elegantly covers the upper body and shoulders, while from the back the two trailing ends create a graceful sense of balance and movement.
Residents in the northern province of Lamphun are well known for cloth weaving. Their early weaving techniques were not highly sophisticated. Chao Dara Rasmi, a royal princess of Chiang Mai and one of the royal consorts of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), transferred the textile weaving knowledge from the Siamese court to her attendants in Chiang Mai, by adding fabric patterns with silver and gold supplementary weft threads that allowed for the weaving of far more complex and exquisite designs. The knowledge was later transferred to Lamphun, which is now renowned for the unique beauty of “Lamphun brocade silk.”
The traditional Thai ensemble with Sabai Song Chai, worn by Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari and crafted from Lamphun gold-brocade silk, was designed by National Artist Teerapan Wannarat on the occasion of Her Royal Highness accompanying Their Majesties the King and Queen in a ceremony at Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall, where members of diplomatic and consular corps were granted an audience to offer their felicitations in celebration of His Majesty the King’s sixth-cycle, or 72nd birthday in July 2024. (PRD)
