What to Wear in Udon Thani

What works in Udon Thani is set by two things: the weather you will actually be standing in, and how much of the day you spend around temples, monuments and markets, where covered shoulders and knees are expected. Udon Thani is hot for most of the year and humid through a long rainy season, so breathable cotton and something that copes with a downpour matter more than warmth.

The traditional wear recorded for Udon Thani is Mudmee silk. Mudmee — mat mi — is resist-dyeing done on the thread rather than the cloth, which is why the motifs have soft, feathered edges that a printed imitation cannot match: look at the reverse, where a real one is identical to the front, and at the edge of a motif, which should blur rather than stop. It is genuinely of this region and it was genuinely nearly lost; the royal SUPPORT foundation's revival work from the 1970s onwards is why the weaving villages around Udon still exist, and Ban Na Kha north of the city is where the shops are. Isan women wear it as a pha sinh, the tube skirt, to weddings, ordinations and to work in government offices on the days that call for it — so it is formal rather than everyday, and a visitor buying a length to have made up is doing what Thai visitors do.

Colours that photograph well here: White, Rose, Navy and Cream. For everyday looks the Dawn on the water, in January and Layers for a plateau winter options are the easiest starting point.

On footwear — something that survives a wet jetty and a wet boat floor. You will be taking shoes off at temples either way, so slip-ons save more time than they sound like they would.

Across the year: winter (Nov – Feb) — light clothes by day, with a warm layer for chilly early mornings and evenings · modest, covered dress, slip-off shoes (removed inside); summer (Mar – May) — light cottons, a hat & sunglasses · modest, covered dress, slip-off shoes (removed inside); monsoon (Jun – Oct) — a rain shell or umbrella + quick-dry clothes · modest, covered dress, waterproof, grippy shoes.