Formerly, Tibetan people wore different kinds of clothes according to their occupations. Whatever the style, the outfits were generally bright-colored and included a hat, a robe, and a pair of shoes. The most gorgeous and expensive clothes and ornaments were worn by nobles and officials or by people participating in religious rituals. On these pages, China Pictorial presents selected Tibetan clothes from the times of past dynasties.

Clothing worn by middle-ranking officials during the Tubo Regime, from the seventh through the ninth centuries. The large earrings worn by officials were usually made of turquoise	Clothing worn by kalons, third-ranking non-cleric officials of the local Tibetan government established in 1751 during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The third-ranking officials were nobles	A necklace and a sleeve cover of the Esoteric Sect, from the Qing Dynasty. The necklace and sleeve cover are decorated with pearls and with ivory ornaments carved with lifelike guardians, humans, and birds.
suit of armor. Armor was first made in the Tubo Regime	A gilded bronze helmet worn by Songtsen Gambo (617?-650), a king of the Tubo Regime. The helmet is inlaid with more than 200 jewels and pieces of coral. Songtsen Gambo fought in many places and contributed greatly to the unification of the Tubo Regime	A pair of embroidered shoes 30 centimeters long from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). The shoes were worn by Phagspa (1235-1280), the fifth patriarch of the Sa-kya-pa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Phagspa contributed significantly to the unification of China and received the title of Teacher of the Great Yuan Emperor