The Prettiest Kira

Recently I went on a kira tour. I had mentioned to my teachers that I was on the lookout for a nice woven kira to take home as a momento of my time here. For the entire time I've been here, I've worn the same two factory made kiras that I picked up in Thimphu at the beginning of the year. I imagine that got boring for everyone involved - my students, my co-workers, my neighbors, and myself. But I really didn't care enough to invest in more wearable kiras. Now that it's nearing the end of my stay here, I'm dying to purchase an intricately woven kira that I see others wearing. And there's no better place to get one than in the east where seeing someone weaving outside their shop or home is old hat.

I asked one the teachers I work with, Dechen, if I could maybe look through her kira collection to get a better idea of what I'm looking for. During festivals and other important events in Bhutan, I'm always seeing kiras that I think are stunning, but when it comes to actually picking one out for myself, it gets tricky. I either love it or don't want it.

Dechen suggested we look at a few kira collections, so after school a few weeks ago I walked home with the small group of women teachers who are married to college lecturers. They all happen to live next to each other so the tour didn't involve any heavy walking.

I didn't realize that the kira tour would involve me trying one on in each house, but it turned out to be really fun. It seemed like my teachers got a kick out of dressing me up in their finest kiras. The kiras that I got in Thimphu were specially tailored to enable dressing ease - no belt, no folds, no pulling here and there. I just wrap it around my waist, press the velcro together and clip the hook. Done. Wearing the real, woven kiras was a totally different experience - the belt that cinches oh so tightly, the clips, the fold and getting the length correctly. Not to mention that a couple of the kiras I tried on where full kiras, covering the bottom and top, which I had never tried on before. In fact, I prefer the full kira look but there is no easy way to put on a full kira.

Here is the prettiest kira I tried on and the most expensive. This belonged to Madam Pem Dem. It had been passed down to her from her mother. All the design part is silk.