Pleated pants split at the side above the hip and tied with sashes attached to the front and the back waist bands. Hakama were tailored variously already in the Nara period, and over time gained or lost in number and depth of pleats both front and back. They can be worn in layers with different colors or have added decorations showing at the cuffs. Some are silk while others are made from bast-fiber material like hemp or ramie.