Appropriate Dressing

Urban Thais put a lot of time and care into their appearance.  First impressions and appearance are very important in Thailand.  Thais are careful to dress appropriately and people who dress well are treated with more respect.    

Many expats coming to Thailand are often in the role of a teacher in some form or another.  Teachers are held in high regard and Thai teachers dress very conservatively. 

Men wear dress pants, collared shirts, and closed-toe dress shoes with socks.  Some may be required to wear button down shirts with ties.  Faces are clean-shaven, or, if there is any facial hair it must be meticulously groomed.  Even outside the school one is expected to be presentable.  Men should never go shirtless. 

For women in a teaching role, skirts must be at the knee or longer, with a slip.  The blouse must be conservative, with no cleavage, flimsy see-through or tight fitting fabrics.  Hair and jewelry should be presentable and neat.  Outside the schools, teachers are also careful not to dress in a revealing way. 

Teachers are considered role models for their pupils and society, and they take this responsibility seriously. 

For men, slacks with a collared shirt are fine for casual meetings, church, and most non-formal events.  Shorts are not worn to meetings, even nice shorts, and even when it is boiling hot outside.  At a casual meeting, more casual footwear is fine, and socks are optional. 

For women, church dress is the same as dressing as a teacher, except that slacks are alright to wear as well.  Although you will see other women wearing jeans at church, teachers should not dress too casually.  However, at casual meetings, slacks, jeans, and even to the knee neat shorts are acceptable.  Neat sleeveless blouses are alright to wear, but not spaghetti straps or tank tops.  Slips under the skirts and dresses are important.  I had this pounded into me by a Thai teacher who decided to go on a rant about it one day instead of teaching the lesson.  Colors, patterns, and shapes of underwear should be left to the imagination.

In public, neat shorts just above the knee are fine for both men and women.  Neat t-shirts and flipflops are acceptable.  Dresses and skirts still need to be at the knee.  Ultra tight or semi-see-through tops and blouses are not proper anywhere for a polite woman.

Swimsuits must cover quite a bit more than most of us are used to.  Board shorts and tank-top style swimsuits are fine, so are one-piece suits with skirts and high-busted tops with wide straps.  Bikini tops with board shorts are not fine.  Speedos on men and topless women are deeply offensive, as you can imagine, although you will inevitably see them on the beach in Phuket and Pattaya. 

Thais will not confront foreigners about their inappropriate dress so it is important to watch how respected members of their society dress and follow suit.  It is also important to remember Thais will often tell you that what you are doing or wearing is fine, but it may really not be, they are simply being polite and trying to help you not lose face.