The article reviews the semantics of women's costume of the Oirat and Kalmyk people. According to the scientists this type of clothing is included into South Siberian group of clothing which is usually associated with economic and cultural tradition of nomadic herders. A similar type of women’s clothing was also typical of the Siberian people, especially among the Buryats and the Derbets, Bait, Zakhchin, Torguts, Uriankhaian people of Oirat origin. The specific style of sleeveless jacket “tsegdg” could be found among Mongols (“uuzh”), Southern Altai people (“chegedek”), the Tuvans (“chegedek”), the Khakas people (“sigidek”) and other ethnic groups. The author analyzes the main hypotheses proposed by Russian and foreign scientists.