[ TEA COSY OR HAT? ] Patan, Nepal

India was all about the women, Nepal is, most definitely, all about the men. They are of the cheerfully obliging variety and will happily pose for you, grinning mischievously as you snap away. Not only is this a great asset to my budding global photographic collection but its a great way of showing all of you the particulars of Nepalese traditional dress!

Shirts, trousers, waistcoats and flip flops - all very standard and obviously a practicality- but what's that on their heads? Is it a tea cosy? Is it a tea cosy worn as a hat? Actually its just a hat, a dhaka topi to be precise. Dhaka referring to the type of traditional, handwoven fabric and topi, referring to the lightly worn, top creased, brimless hat. This evidently popular item of Nepalese national dress is worn with much pride throughout the country on a daily basis, unlike the rest of the outfit, the daura suruwal or labeda suruwal (essentially a long tunic over trousers) which is reserved for special ceremonial occasions. So there you have it, an ethnic style 101 from the streets of Patan.

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