The men generally wear rings on their fingers. Some may also wear a gold chain around their neck. Married women smear kumkum on their forehead and wear silver toe-rings called bichhuwas. They also wear copper or silver anklets. In Garhwal, married women wear a black beaded necklace called chareu. Women are very fond of jewellery and wear small nose-studs called keels, gold nose-rings called nath, gold ear-rings, and various types of necklaces.

The traditional dress in Spiti is very different from the neighbouring areas of Lahaul and Kinnaur. The men wear a long loose frock or coat that is called by various names depending on the material from which it is made. It is called righoay if it is of wool, thakpa from sheep or goat skin, and charlak if it is of cotton lined with goat or sheep fur. It is tied at the waist with a sash called kira, which gives warmth to the back and abdomen and also creates a capacious space within the dress in which various essential items can be stored.

The men wear a round Kullu style cap. The Bodh women do not wear caps while the Swangla, Shipi and Lohar women wear a similar flat round cap called montsi. Unmarried women remain bare-headed by custom.Due to the cold climate, the popular fabric for clothes is wool. The men wear loose trousers of thick, dark coloured wool, called suthan with a full-sleeved shirt called kurta Over this, they wear a long and loose Tibetan gown called kattar, which may be white or brown in colour.

In Arunachal Pradesh, the men generally wear a jacket and a loin-cloth or lungi, while the women have a large piece of cloth draped around their body, flowing down from the shoulders to the knees. However, Arunachal Pradesh is famous for its large number of distinctive tribes, each having their own characteristic costumes and ornaments. Hence, the characteristic costumes of some of the major tribes have been described in detail.