The Tibetan fur-lined robe is very bulky and large enough to accommodate a five- or six-year-old child in winter. It has no pockets and is fastened at the waist, offering plenty of room around the ribcage area to store daily necessities.

Clothes worn by herdsmen in pastures are distinct due to their decorative welts. They are also hemmed in black velveteen, corduroy, or woolen cloth at the front and lower edges, and cuffs; women wear aprons decorated with colorful cloth stripes. The vista of herdsmen -- roaming about under the blue skies, white clouds, green grass, snowy mountains, with their sheep and cattle -- is a sight more beautiful than any landscape painting .

Tibetan farmers, who live in the warm and damp climate of southern Tibet, make their clothes from tweed -- a kind of hand-woven woolen cloth. Both men and women wear clothes that button up to the right. Men's clothing is hemmed with a colorful cloth or silk at the collar, cuffs, front, and lower edges. Other than during the cold winters, women's outerwear is sleeveless. The length of a Tibetan robe generally exceeds the wearer's height and, when worn, the waist is lifted up and fastened with a belt.

The weather in Lhasa and Shannan Prefecture is even warmer and damper. Here, men mainly wear double-layered robes and women dress in close-fitting robes and long-sleeved shirts, with brightly decorated aprons at the waist.

The apron is a favorite item of clothing among Tibetan women. According to Tibetan custom, aprons are privileged garments reserved for married women and single girls do not generally wear them. Gonggar County in the Jiedexiu area of Shannan Prefecture has produced aprons for some 500 years.

Tibetan people regard accessories as symbols of wealth and beauty. No matter how poor a family may be, they will purchase jewelry to boost their confidence in the company of others. Today, personal accessories worn by a wealthy Tibetan may be worth tens of thousands to over one million yuan.

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