Mongolians like to wear nice, richly decorated clothes, compensating for the simple frugal nomadic lifestyle. A harsh climate and uneasy life demand attention to the smallest details of the clothes. "It is amazing how this nation created clothes fitting all seasons and needs, well thought out and used in many different ways," wrote Medieval travellers. A deel is the Mongols' traditional garment worn on both workdays and special days. It is a long, loose gown cut in one piece with sleeves, it has a high collar and widely overlapped at the front. The deel is girdled with a sash. Each ethnic group living in Mongolia has its own deel distinguished by cut, colour and trimming.
Before the people's revolution of 1921, all social strata in Mongolia had their own manner of dressing. Livestock breeders, for example, wore plain deels^ which served them for both summer and winter. The lamas wore yellow deels with a shawl orkhimj, wrapped over the chest. Secular feudal lords put on smart hats and silk waistcoats. The deel has several uses - as a coat, as a blanket, and as a means of concealing yourself when going to the toilet on the open steppe. In the cities, especially older women who appreciate the advantages of the deel and wear it, trying to excel each other in their choice of fabric, as well as in the elegance of the cut and originality of the trimmings.
Commonly there are three varieties of deel, each for a particular season. The first, the dan del, is very much like a dress, a frock cut in one piece from plain cloth without padding. Rural women wear dan deels all year around. In cold weather they put on warm clothes over them. Terleg is a slightly padded deel. And finally the winter deel is padded with sheepskin or cotton wool. Deels for men and women are of the same cut. The difference is that male deels are wider and of more demure colours. The pattern is simple enough. The deel for everyday wear is grey, brown or some other dark colour, while the holiday deel is a bright blue, green or claret silk with a silk sash of contrasting colour several meters long.
The sash is not simply an adornment. It also serves as a soft corset facilitating long rides on horseback. In days gone by, men would attach a sheathed knife, a tobacco pouch, a flint and a pipe-cleaning hook to the belt. Characteristically, the Mongol always hid his pipe in his boots. The deel collar, trim and sleeves are trimmed with leather or colour brocade tape, which can be wide or narrow depending on the wearer's taste. The deel buttons, if they are not commercially produced from decorative stones or silver, are narrow strips of cloth tied into intricate knots. Today, townspeople tend to wear European-style clothes. In the countryside, however, the modern attire is inconvenient and impractical.
In addition to the deel is the jacket known as a khurem. In cold weather it is put on over the deel. The gutal is the high boot made from unbending leather and lined with fine and thin felt. They are decorated with different designs. Both the left and right are traditionally the same shape and were worn with thick socks made from quilted cloth. Traditional boots are without heels and have turned up toes. Because of the different ethnic groups residing in Mongolia, there are distinctions in the way they all dress. Therefore it is estimated that between them all, there are about 400 different types of garments, 20 boots, 10 sashes and 20 types of hats.
One of the most colourful and original items of Mongolian national dress is the traditional headwear. Mongolian hats are still very much the normal attire in the countryside. The Mongolian headdresses differ in shape and purpose: there are hats for young and old, men and women, fashionable and everyday hats, for summer and winter, holidays and ceremonies. Their style, trimmings and colour are amazingly varied depending on the sex of the person wearing it, his or her social position or to whose tribe or nationality they belong. There are over 100 different styles. The traditional hat is a hat for all seasons trimmed with fur, fox fur in most cases.
The sides of the hat can be tied down to keep ears warm or tied on top in warmer periods. In the past, head gear was worn to show social status. The design is also symbolic. The pointed top of the hat represents Mount Sumber, the legendary land of the Mongolian forefathers. The knot on the top represents the unity of the nation, the red ribbons are the sun's rays and the broad brim represents the country's inaccessibility. The cone-shaped top of the hat (blue or red in colour) had 32 stitches symbolising the unification of 32 Mongolian tribes. In the middle ages Mongolian men and women wore summer hats made of plush with a velvet-upturned brim and brocaded pointed tops (khilen malgai).
The hat was crowned with a fanciful knot, zangilaa. In ancient times it symbolized power capable of frightening enemies. Today's fashion has made the ancient national hats popular, and you can see many Mongolian women wearing these stylish fur hats. The women's holiday headwear is distinguishable for its original style and richness of adornment. It consists of a holiday silk and velvet hat and a decorative style for hair. The lower part is made of velvet, the upper from red silk. In summer the Mongols wore both hat (malgai) and a flattopped hat (toortsog) consisting of six gores. The toortsog is in two parts, upper and lower. The upper is sewn from four separate pieces.
Married women were not permitted to wear this hat, only girls and men. The hairpin is covered with coral, pearl and mother-of-pearl. The shanaavch-the temporal adornment with little silver bells- is fixed to the hairpin. Mongols have always liked fine clothes and been good judges of precious stones and ornaments, widely using them for adornment. Female national costume was notable for its elegance and rich decor. Characteristic in this respect is the tolgoin boolt- the headdress. It was usually made of silver and studded with precious and semi-precious stones. Women's hats were more fashionable than men's, and the ribbons on them were decorated with turquoise.
Mongolian applied art wood and stone carving; bronze casting, embroidery, applique work etc. achieved supreme perfection back in ancient times. Mongolian jewellers have long been famed for their mastery in producing beautiful objects of gold, silver and semi-precious stones. Traditions of old masters, passed on from one generation to another, have survived to this day to please the people with their richness and variety of forms and impeccable artistic taste. Some of these works of modern Mongolian jewellers include -rings, brooches, pendants, richly ornate silver drinking bowls and accessories for women made of semi-precious stones.
