This is a beautifully patterned cotton and silk wrap-skirt known as a <i>hta-mein</i>. Dating to before 1855, it would have been worn by a fashionable Burmese woman on festive occasions. She would have worn it overlapping slightly in the front, revealing a portion of her leg as she walked. It would have formed an ensemble, with a fitted jacket, open in front, known as an <i>ein-gyi</i>, under which she would have worn a
<i>yinzi</i> (breast cloth). Typical of <i>hta-mein</i>, the central area is the focus of decorative interest and displays the unique '100 shuttles' interlocking tapestry weave known in Burmese as <i>acheik-luntaya</i> in lime, navy, yellow and white on a coral background. From this flows a striped coral train--the graceful management of which would have been an acquired skill.