I have always been interested in different costumes from different countries and eras. In my opinion, you can understand a lot about a country and time through costumes. At all times, women loved to decorate themselves and did it in every possible way. And of course, clothing played a huge role in any society. I would like to introduce you to costumes from different countries of the world... Azerbaijan Simplicity of cut and richness of decoration - that’s the whole philosophy of oriental costume. This is exactly how Azerbaijanis, descendants of ancient Turkic tribes, representatives of one of the largest and most ancient peoples of the Caucasus, traditionally dressed. 
England Although England is a country with rich national traditions, it does not, strictly speaking, have a clearly defined national costume. As an example of English folk costume, the costumes of dancers performing the Morris dance are often cited. Argentina There is no national costume in Argentina as such. Argentina is a country of immigrants from Italy, Spain, Germany, Ukraine, etc., who preserve their traditions. Only the clothes of gaucho shepherds and their wives can be considered the national clothing of this South American country. 
Belarus The Belarusian costume, having common roots with Ukrainian and Russian national costumes and formed on the basis of the mutual influence of Lithuanian, Polish, Russian and Ukrainian traditions, is nevertheless distinguished by its originality and is an independent phenomenon. Bulgaria Bulgarian folk costume is very diverse both in the styles of clothes and in its colors. Its form known to us today took shape in the feudal period and developed in subsequent centuries. Butane In Bhutan, men's suits are called gho and women's kira. Hawaii One of the most popular and simple Hawaiian costumes 
Germany The traditional costume of the Bavarians (Germans) is the well-known trachten (German Trachten) - both men's and women's suits and the dirndl (German Dirndl) - only the women's national costume. The name Trachten comes from the era of romanticism, it was at that time that people started talking about national traditions, about how people lived, spoke, sang, celebrated and dressed, and what was considered the basis of the culture of the nation. Greece
Georgia In Georgian trad. There were clothes both for luxury and refinement, for the nobility, and simpler ones, for artisans and poorer people; there was both the strict elegance of masculinity and the gentle grace of femininity; it clearly highlighted the character of a person, his occupation, and habits. 
Egypt In Ancient Egypt, the most common type of clothing was draped clothing, later - overhead, but never swinging. The cut and shape of clothing (both men's and women's) changed very slowly over the centuries; For a long time, clothing of different classes differed only in the quality of fabric and finishing. 
India Indian clothing for women depends on the region of the country. Traditional Indian clothing, without which it is impossible to imagine an Indian woman, is called a sari. Sarees are the national Indian clothing; they differ in appearance, materials, and embroidery in different regions. 
Spain Spanish folk costume, in the form that it has become a fact of visual culture, developed in the 18th-19th centuries. Its formation was facilitated by the culture of the majo, a social layer of Spanish dandies from the common people who emphasized their origin. Kazakhstan Previously, there was a deliberate destruction of traditions throughout the 20th century. During the seventy-year Soviet period, Kazakhstan fought against traditions as “relics of the past.” But today Kazakhstan is confidently taking the path of reviving its culture. 
China Chinese national costume features a lot of red and golden yellow, which are traditionally considered the colors of wealth and prosperity. 
Norway The design of the Norwegian national costume is based on local folk costumes that were on the verge of extinction. UAE - United Arab Emirates The clothing of Bedouin women in ancient times was quite consistent with men's clothing. 
Portugal Portuguese clothing is dominated by red and black colors, men wear vests with sashes, and women wear wide skirts with aprons. Russia A distinctive feature of the Russian national costume is a large amount of outerwear. Cover-up and swing-out clothing. The cover-up garment was put on over the head, the swinging one had a slit from top to bottom and was fastened end-to-end with hooks or buttons. Türkiye The traditional costumes of the Turks are the most diverse among the Turkic peoples. 
Ukraine Ukrainian women's traditional costume has many local variations. The ethnographic features of the historical and cultural regions of Ukraine in clothing were manifested in the silhouette, cut, individual parts of clothing, ways of wearing it, color decor, and decorations. 
France Women's folk costume consisted of a wide skirt with gathers, a jacket with sleeves, a corsage, an apron, a cap or hat. A men's suit consists of trousers, leggings, a shirt, a vest, a jacket (or a wide blouse reaching to the middle of the thigh), a scarf and a hat. 
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Czech In the Czech Republic, in areas with traditional geographical divisions, the costumes of the various folk classes have undergone a complex process of development. Japan Since the mid-19th century, the Kimono has been the Japanese “national costume”. Kimonos are also the work clothes of geishas and maikos (future geishas). 
The end))) I hope you liked it... this post took me more than 2 hours)))
This article could also be titled: “Clothing of the Russian village.” For many centuries, the absolute majority of the Russian population were peasants. They led a subsistence economy, providing themselves with everything they needed, including clothing. By his very destiny, inseparable from the life of the earth, the plowman was part of his native nature, and his costume best suited the peculiarities of the Russian climate.
Festive girl's costume from the Vologda province.
The famous Russian artist I. Bilibin depicted a girl from a northern village. Her outfit - a wedge sundress and a feather warmer - are made from purchased damask with a rich pattern. Such fabric was brought from the countries of the East. But the headdress is a crown - Russian gold embroidery work.
Festive women's costume from the Vologda province.
Again I. Bilibin, and again a Vologda peasant woman. Only this time, young woman—that’s what a woman was called in the early stages of marriage, often before the birth of her first child. Her richly decorated costume symbolized this blossoming age, as if calling upon the future mother the grace of heaven and earth. The sundress and warmer are made of patterned damask, the latter trimmed with stripes of gold embroidery. The tall gold-embroidered kokoshnik is decorated with stones. A silk shawl is tied over it, turning into a cape.
Something else is also important. The peasant left his village only when absolutely necessary; foreign guests were also rare. Therefore, his clothes, which avoided external influences, clearly expressed his worldview, customs, character, taste - the inner essence of a native Russian person. That is why, for many centuries, first of all, the peasantry was the custodian of national traditions in costume. Especially after the famous decree of Peter, which obliged everyone, except peasants and clergy, to wear European-style dress. The townspeople were forced to switch to “German” clothes, and only the villagers continued to wear folk costume.
"Pendants" - element of the head
girl's dress. Tomsk province.
The end of the 19th - the beginning of the 20th century.
What was he like? If you found yourself a hundred years ago at a large fair somewhere in Makaryev or Irbit, you would have been amazed at the variety of outfits, especially women’s: and you couldn’t find two identical ones! Indeed, over the centuries, almost every village in vast Russia has developed its own traditions - so that by the colors or patterns of clothes one could find out where the hostess was from. Most of all, the costumes of the northern and southern provinces differed; Siberian women dressed in their own unique way. Let's talk about these ensembles.
The traditional women's outfit of the Russian North is often called the “sarafan complex”, since its main parts are a shirt and a sundress. Our ancestors have worn a shirt since time immemorial - this is confirmed by many beliefs associated with it. For example, you didn’t sell your own shirt: it was believed that you would also sell your happiness. Is this why people who were ready to give their last shirt to those in need were so valued among the people? This was the main, and sometimes the only, clothing: according to custom, village boys and girls even in the 19th century wore only shirts with a belt until the wedding.
Festive women's shirt. Olonets province. Beginning of the 19th century.
Decorating the shirt with lavish embroidery, the craftswoman used paper, silk and gold threads.
The pattern on the hem is especially interesting: the Tree of Life with birds on the sides.
In the old days, a shirt was made from linen or hemp canvas, running a single piece from the collar to the hem. Hence the name - tunneler, which was common in the Vologda province. But already in the last century, such clothes were found only as wedding and funeral clothes; in ordinary times, a shirt made of two parts was worn. The upper one was called sleeves in the North and was sewn from thinner, even purchased, fabric, the lower one - the waist - from ordinary homespun.
In the Russian village, not all clothes were decorated, but only festive and ritual ones. The richest one, the annual one, was worn three or four times a year, on the most solemn days. They took great care of it, tried not to wash it, and passed it on from generation to generation.
While preparing an elegant shirt, the village needlewomen showed everything they were capable of. Sleeves, shoulders and collars not covered by a sundress were embroidered with red thread. The hem was also often decorated. In special shirts, which were worn with a belt for mowing or harvesting, it was almost completely covered with an embroidered or woven pattern. They walked with songs - after all, for peasants, harvesting is not only hard work, but also a great holiday. In the Olonets province there was an elegant mourning shirt, or makhavka, with very long and narrow sleeves. The bride wore it on her wedding day and, saying goodbye to her parents, waved the ends of the sleeves around her head and along the floor, lamenting her past girlhood and her future life in someone else’s family...
Skirt "hem" Olonets province. Beginning of the 20th century.
This skirt is amazingly beautiful, almost entirely covered with a woven pattern. Taking a closer look at it, you can see how deer with branched antlers walk rhythmically around the solar diamonds. The subject was not chosen by chance. Such a skirt was separated from the kokosnitsa’s shirt, the hem of which was generously decorated with braided weaving. On the first cattle drive, young women put on two or even three undershirts, showing the sun and their girlfriends their wealth.
It is interesting that the word “sarafan” was first found in Rus' in documents of the 14th century in relation to men’s clothing. The most ancient type of women's sundress is the shushpan with a solid front panel. But already in the last century, elderly peasant women wore it, and young people mastered the swing sundress, fastened with openwork metal buttons. Due to the large number of wedges that greatly expand it at the hem, it received the name wedge. However, there were also other names - based on the fabric: kumashnik, naboeshnik, damask - after all, wedges were sewn not only from homespun dyed blue or red, but also from purchased fabrics. Kumach, which was used for festive clothing, was extremely popular. For the most elegant ones they used silk fabrics - satin and damask, and in the wealthiest families - brocade. In the second half of the 19th century, the oblique-wedge one was replaced by a straight sundress made of five or six panels with narrow straps: lyamoshnik, round, inflate, Muscovite, fur coat.
I remember that not so long ago wide dresses without a belt, supposedly designed in the “Russian style,” were fashionable. But is it true? After all, in Rus' they never wore a belt, and the first “clothing” that a newborn received was a belt: it was believed that it protected from troubles. A wide variety of belts are known: woven, knitted, wicker. Wide - for outerwear and narrower - for maids, festive and everyday. Patterned belts with lush terry at the ends were woven from garus wool. Many were “with words”—an elaborately woven line of prayer or dedication. Otherwise it’s simple: “Whom I love, I give,” and names...
The outfit seems rustic at first. But why is he so eye-catching? A Svoedel shirt made of bleached canvas is embroidered with red threads. A sarafan with bright spots of mountain ash and teeth of red braid on the hem goes well with it. And the yellow one echoes the color of the headband embroidered with pearls and stones. The ensemble, creating an image of girlish purity, is completed by a woven belt - an ancient symbol of chastity. Yes, behind the external simplicity there is subtle taste and handicraft skill, a lot of work and great patience!
Finally, the headdress, without which the costume of a Russian peasant woman is simply unthinkable. After all, according to ancient custom, a married woman did not appear bare-haired in public - this was considered a great sin. Girls did not have to cover their hair. Hence the difference in attire: for a married woman it is a closed cap, for a girl it is a bandage that leaves the top of her head uncovered.
The festive kokoshniks of northern women are magnificent, embroidered with gold thread and freshwater pearls (until the 18th century, Rus' was very rich in them). In their shape they resembled a fluffy chicken, but in some places they had different outlines. For example, Nizhny Novgorod - with a high crest in the shape of a crescent or pointed Kostroma. The elegant maiden crown really resembled an ancient royal crown with fancy teeth, which was echoed by a brocade braid, also trimmed with pearls and embroidery. On weekdays, girls wore a ribbon or scarf.
It’s not for nothing that the traditional Russian costume is called “multi-layered”: shirt, poneva, top, curtain, kichka, scarf... And an abundance of jewelry that is completely unusual for us! Take a straight, bag-like, long top. The canvas from which it is cut is not visible - almost all of it is covered with stripes of braid and braid. But what is surprising: the unimaginable excess of clothes and the diversity of colors are in an incomprehensible way brought into harmony.
What else complemented the main costume? With a rich sundress they wore a brocade warmer for warmth, gathered on the back in beautiful folds. With sleeves it was called an epanechka, with straps it was called a short one. An embroidered apron could also have sleeves, but was more often worn around the neck or tied above the chest. Well, on a holiday - a beautiful scarf or shawl, say, a Kargopol gold scarf with patterns. This is the attire of the peasant women of the Russian North.
The costume of the southern provinces was noticeably different from it. And in terms of composition, this is the so-called “powder complex”. And according to the materials, the local peasants lived poorer and did not buy expensive fabrics. And in style, the southern Russian costume is brighter and more colorful, which is due to the different climate and the proximity of the steppe peoples.
This is also a resident of southern Rus' - see how bright the outfit is! And the composition of the suit is different: its basis is a checkered poneva with blue stitching. Along the hem there is a braid and a row of woven pattern; wool belt with ends made of multi-colored beads. The chest decoration is made from it. And the figure is crowned with a horned kitty with a gold-embroidered forehead and woolen rosettes at the temples.
It is based on an ancient belt poneva. Imagine three sewn panels with a cord threaded at the top - a gashnik. They are wrapped around the hips and secured at the waist, and the hems do not meet and the shirt is visible in the gap. This is an old swing poneva. The deaf one appeared later, when they began to cover the hole with a cloth of another matter - the seam.
Poneva was usually made from woolen homespun, blue or black, in a large check. This ornament was complemented by an embroidered or woven pattern; young women also sewed ribbons, tassels, buttons, and sequins. The local attire is generally characterized by increased patterning. For example, red rectangles were often sewn onto the shoulders of a shirt, already rich in embroidery and weaving. The shirt itself is long-sleeved and very long. It was pulled up to the knees, and a large overlap was formed at the waist, which was used as a pocket. Because of this bag, in the old days, Ryazan women were often teased as “slant-bellied.”
The complete ensemble also included a top of the ancient tunic-like cut and an apron covering the rip or seam. You will see all this in the illustrations. But special mention should be made about the headdress of a married woman - the kichka. This is a whole structure, sometimes consisting of ten parts, and weighing up to seven kilograms. In some places it was called a “magpie” - because of its upper part, which, when unfolded, resembled a bird with wings.. First, they put on the kichka itself - a canvas cap with a rigid frame. In front of it there were often horns. Apparently they are
Zana with some very ancient ideas, for the clay female figurines excavated in Kyiv also have two-horned headdresses. On top of the kichka they put on a gold or beaded forehead, a back cover, a magpie, headphones... Oddly enough, Russian women did not want to part with all this for a long time. I. S. Turgenev tells how one landowner ordered the serfs to replace the “heavy and ugly” kichkas with a kokoshnik, but the peasants wore it... over the kichkas. There is also a well-known playful ditty: “I will never throw away the Ryazan horns: I will eat only chaff, but I will not throw away my horns!..”
The ancestors of this woman moved to Siberia with entire families, hence the name - “family of Transbaikalia”. They carried ancient customs and rituals with great purity through the centuries and wear traditional clothes almost to this day. In the picture we see the usual ensemble for Rus': shirt, sundress, apron, kichka, shawl. True, all this is with details characteristic of Semeys. Let's say a shawl is tied in a special way - like a turban, and there are several strings of amber beads on the chest. Sometimes there were up to twelve of them, and individual ambers were so massive that they were called pound ones.
The Siberian costume is unique. Russian people moved to Siberia from various places in European Russia. Over time, their usual outfits changed in new natural conditions. Moreover, the settlers borrowed a lot from the local peoples, especially warm clothes and shoes. Thus, in the lower reaches of the Ob, men and women wore Nenets malitsa made of reindeer fur with the wool inside with a hood and mittens. They also mastered new fabrics, since flax and hemp did not grow everywhere. For example, in Transbaikalia, everyday sundresses were made from blue cotton daba, which was brought from China, while oriental silks were widely used for festive occasions. However, in general, the traditional costume was preserved in Siberia and even acquired unique features, especially where the settlers lived in large villages, sacredly preserving the customs of their fatherly antiquity.
The composition of men's clothing was the same everywhere. But it’s worth telling about the motley fabric, from which shirts and portages were sewn along with canvas. This is a checkered or striped fabric made from dyed yarn. The colors and patterns are sometimes delightful - it’s not for nothing that village dandies wore colorful sundresses. The checkered pattern was used for shirts, and the stripes were used for trousers, which were called blue-striped.
Peasants throughout Russia dressed something like this: a shirt, ports and a belt.
On the head is a sinner - a widespread headdress made of felted wool.
Sometimes it was decorated with ribbons and flowers.
Finally, shoes. We got used to the idea that everyone in the village wore bast shoes. But they were worn mainly in the central black earth provinces, where serfdom had a stronger impact. They even got married and buried here in bast shoes. But the steppe inhabitants, Pomors, and Siberians did not know them at all. In the North, bast shoes were woven for work, because they are indispensable for mowing or harvesting: comfortable, light, and you won’t get your feet pinched. On holidays they wore leather shoes - boots, ankle boots, shoes. And also cats with red trim - something like shoes that are roomier, so that a foot in a woolen stocking can fit in. Knitted knee-length stockings with a patterned slip were worn by both men and women, but with bast shoes - usually white canvas or cloth onuches. It seems like the most simple detail of the costume, but there’s so much invention here! The frills used to tie shoes to the foot were often woven from black wool - imagine how beautifully they crossed over the festive onuchs!
Festive men's shirt. Semipalatinsk province. The end of the 19th - the beginning of the 20th century.
The men's clothing of the so-called “Bukhtar-Minsk Old Believers” who lived in Southern Altai was very colorful. In terms of the richness of decorations, the shirt you see is not much inferior to a woman’s: red gussets and stripes, embroidery and hemstitching. When preparing a gift for the groom, the bride took special care to embroider the top of her chest, where, according to ancient beliefs, the soul lived. The lattice-shaped pattern located there was called a window and was decorated with beads.
Beauty and usefulness have never been at odds with meaning in folk art. Let's remember the patterns on shirts, ponevas, aprons: Women with raised arms, the unblooming Tree of Life, solar rhombuses with crosses in the middle... Scientists have proven that they all express the idea of \u200b\u200bthe fertility of Mother Earth, so close to the soul of the farmer. And the upper part of the costume was associated with the idea of the sky. Take, for example, the names of women's headdresses, reminiscent of birds: magpie, chicken (in the old way kokoshi), swan (“kichet white swan”). Thus, dressed in her festive multi-layered outfit, the Russian peasant woman represented the image of the entire universe, as people then imagined it. She looked majestic and representative; performed solemnly.
Festive men's ports. Semipalatinsk province. The end of the 19th - the beginning of the 20th century.
Having moved to the slopes of Altai in the 18th century, the “Bukhtarma people” were forced to adapt to different living conditions. And over time, new features appeared in their costume. For example, embroidery on men's pants, which is extremely rare in European Russia. Moreover, the ornament often combined Russian and Kazakh motifs. In our example, the traditional Tree of Life is represented by quite realistic horses, which played such an important role in the lives of the settlers.
It is always very important what stands behind a person. The Russian peasant suffered a lot and was often illiterate. But behind him stood his native nature, from which he did not separate himself, a great people with its historical and spiritual experience, the most ancient of cultures - agricultural. The peasant served them and was their representative. This was expressed with such force in his suit.
Men's and women's suits for winter trips. Central provinces of Russia.
The woman is wearing a sheepskin coat, the man is wearing a cloth coat. The artist modernized it somewhat: Russians only fastened their clothes on the left side. Fur coats and sheepskin coats were made with a very deep smell, so that the mother could even wrap her child up. The man has his own felted hat on his head, and the woman has a factory-made shawl over her kokoshnik. Bast shoes with warm onuchs or wire rods, patterned knitted mittens. Whip in hand - and off he goes!
An apron with agricultural calendars - “months”. Olonets province. End of the 19th century.
The intricate patterns embroidered on the Kargopol apron are nothing more than ancient agricultural calendars. Six petals and six sprouts inside the circle indicate 12 months, and symbols outside are the most important milestones of the annual circle of field work. For example, May 2 - “Boris-Gleb - I sow grain”, May 31 - “Fedot will come - the earth will take over its kind.” Similar words of the month were also embroidered on the hems of shirts and on towels. You can understand how these things were valued, carefully passing them on to inheritance.
A. LEBEDEV,
Candidate of Historical Sciences
Drawings by N. Vinogradova, G. Voronova
Russian national costume can be roughly divided into the costume of Kievan and North-Eastern Rus' of the 10th-14th centuries, the costume of Moscow Rus' of the 15th-17th centuries, and the folk costume of the 18th - early 20th centuries. In addition, in each time period one can distinguish a costume traditional for commoners and the outfits of noble persons. Before the adoption of Christianity, the clothing of the ancient Slavs showed features of the Scythian costume (shirts, trousers).
The main materials for clothing during this period were linen and wool. In the 10th century, under the influence of the new faith, silk tunics and basket cloaks with a red lining that came from Byzantium appeared in the costume of the princes and their entourage; tunics, dalmatics, and draped cloaks appeared in the wardrobe of their wives and daughters. The clothes of noble people were made from expensive imported fabrics and decorated with gold and silver embroidery, jewelry, and furs.
In the Peter the Great and subsequent eras, the costume of the nobility changed greatly and became no longer the Russian national costume, but a variety of the European one. Only in the peasant and partly merchant environment are the old traditions preserved. Men still wear shirts, ports, zipuns and caftans, and sheepskin coats. The women's costume remains virtually unchanged. The main women's clothing continues to be the shirt and sundress.
In different areas, different colors and methods of cutting sundresses were traditional. In the 18th century, they were sewn from canvas and calico in red or blue and decorated with a central vertical strip of ribbon, lace, and a row of buttons; the same ribbon was sewn along the bottom of the hem, at the top of the sundress, and sometimes under the chest. In the 19th century, sundresses were made from chintz, calico, satin, satin and other purchased fabrics, often not plain, but patterned, with the fabric gathered into small folds at the top. Such items of clothing as epancha, dushegreya, poneva and apron continue to be part of the women's costume.
The basis of women's folk costume of the 10th-14th centuries was a long shirt with long sleeves, decorated along the neck with embroidery or a strip of fabric in a contrasting color. The shirt was never worn just like that; a blanket, cufflink or bib was put on top. Poneva is a below-the-knee skirt consisting of three rectangular pieces of fabric connected at the waist with a belt. Ponevas were usually made from brightly colored fabric.
The zapona was a straight, sleeveless dress with a round neckline, with slits on the sides from the waist to the bottom. The cufflink was tied with a cord. A bib is an outer short dress with short sleeves and a round neckline, decorated along the hem and neck with embroidery or stripes of fabric of a different color. A woman's marital status could be judged by her headdress. Unmarried girls wore headbands or hoops, and married girls covered their heads with a warrior (something like a scarf) and an ubrus (a piece of long fabric that was tied around the head in a certain way).
Some innovations also appeared in women's costume of the 15th-17th centuries, although its basis was still a straight long shirt. A sundress is now worn over it - a type of dress with a straight bodice with straps and a flared skirt. Peasant women sew it from linen fabric, and noble girls from silk and brocade. A strip of wide braid or embroidered fabric of a contrasting color was sewn on the front of the sundress in the center from top to bottom. The sundress was belted under the chest. In addition, women's outerwear was dushegreya - short, swinging clothing with straps, with or without lining. The soul warmer was made from beautiful patterned fabrics and was additionally decorated with embroidered braid along the edges.
At that time, merchants' and boyars' daughters wore a letnik over their shirts - a long, straight-cut dress with wide sleeves, sewn to the elbow like a bell, and then simply hanging down almost to the floor. Several wedges were sewn into the sides of the dress, making the garment very wide at the bottom. The collar and hanging sleeves were richly decorated with pearls and embroidered with gold and silk. Warm outerwear was a long-sleeved fur coat. Telogrea was a long, swinging garment with folding sleeves, fastened with buttons or ties.
An important element of a woman's costume was the headdress. Girls do not cover their heads, but decorate their braids with colored ribbons and beads, and put hoops or crowns on their heads. Married women wear “kichkas” - headdresses consisting of a hoop, a cloth cover and a decorated backdrop. At the same time, the kokoshnik appeared - a headdress with a dense front part of various shapes, richly decorated with gold and silver embroidery, pearls and precious stones. The kokoshnik was tied at the back with wide ribbons, and sometimes precious pendants or beads fell from the front onto the forehead and temples. Thin beautiful fabrics could be attached to the back of the kokoshnik, which fell in folds to the waist, or even to the floor. In winter, noble ladies wore fur hats, like men's.
The traditional everyday clothing of commoners in the 10th-14th centuries were shirts and ports. Shirts were made from linen fabric of various colors or motley lengths below the hips with one-piece sleeves. They were worn untucked and tied at the waist with a colored cord or a narrow belt. On holidays, the shirt was complemented with embroidered sleeves and round collars.
Portas are men's pants that taper at the bottom and are tied at the waist with a drawstring. The traditional shoes of peasants (both men and women) were bast shoes; instead of socks in those days there were onuchi, strips of fabric that were tied around the feet and ankles. Men wore felt caps on their heads.
In the 15th-17th centuries, the everyday costume of peasants changed somewhat. Thus, the traditional cut at the neck of a man’s shirt moves from the center to the left side, and the shirt itself becomes shorter and receives the name “kosovorotka.” Swinging clothes fastened with buttons appeared: zipun and caftan. The zipun was a cloth dress above the knees, slightly wider at the bottom, with narrow sleeves and a butt clasp.
A caftan is a below-the-knee length outerwear with long sleeves and a high collar. The caftans of noble boyars were usually richly decorated with expensive fabrics, embroidery, braid or braid. Outer winter clothing was a long, swinging fur coat, with wide sleeves and a large collar, lined with sable, fox, hare, arctic fox, squirrel, and sheepskin. The top of the fur coat was usually covered with cloth (peasants used cloth for this, and boyars used expensive imported fabrics).
During this period, the costumes of the feudal nobility and peasants began to differ more and more, and not only in the quality of fabrics and decoration, but even in the cut of clothes. In the 15th-17th centuries, the wardrobe of noble persons included such items of clothing as feryaz and okhaben. Feryaz is a specially cut floor-length caftan with long sleeves, made of silk or velvet fabric. It was customary to put the feryaz on only one arm, strongly gathering the long sleeve, while the second hung freely behind almost to the floor.
Okhaben was also a type of caftan with a large square collar that hung down the back and long sleeves that tied at the back. This caftan was worn on the shoulders. Both of these items of clothing were completely unsuitable for performing any work and were intended only to emphasize the class affiliation of their owner.
Russian national dresses are a combination of rich colors and a large number of details that create a complete image. Several centuries ago, just by one suit one could understand from which province or village its wearer came. In addition, Russian craftswomen created festive outfits that were different from each other for each special event. You will learn about the history of the national costume and the details that create it in this article.
Features of the national costume
Russian traditional outfits have always been divided into everyday and festive. Our ancestors very clearly distinguished simpler clothes made from coarse fabrics with a minimum amount of decorative elements from more colorful outfits for special events. Red clothing was considered the most luxurious.
Initially, in Rus', all costumes were created by skilled women's hands from dense homespun materials. This also made the outfits more special. The main materials for sewing dresses were cloth, linen and silk. The role of the lining was played by kindyak, a special lining fabric.
The fabric base was complemented by a large number of details, as well as accessories and shoes, which together made up a harmonious image.
These images differed significantly depending on the regions. So, for example, people from the northern regions of Russia wore more outerwear. It was both swing and cape, and in some cases these two types of outfits were combined. The cover-up garment was put on over the head, while the swing-up garment was fastened with buttons or hook-shaped fasteners.
Clothing for the nobility also deserves special attention. It was, of course, more expensive and luxurious. Dresses for the nobility were embroidered with gold or silver threads, decorated with pearls and other decorative elements. Such an expensive outfit was worn for more than one year. As a rule, it was passed down from generation to generation, preserved in its proper form.
History of Russian costume
During its existence, the national Russian costume has remained virtually unchanged. The concept of fashion was less changeable than it is now; the same style could be worn by several generations of the same family.
Dresses in the traditional Russian style became less common at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Then the ancient Russian costume was banned by Peter the Great, who wanted to make Russia more modern. The national attire was replaced by costumes in the Hungarian style, and later in German and French. In order for the innovations to take root, the ruler introduced a duty on wearing traditional Russian outfits in the city.
Female
Outfits for women have always been more interesting and varied than men's. They were real examples of the art of talented Russian women. Since the times of Ancient Rus', a woman's costume consisted of a sorochnitsa (a simple floor-length shirt), a sundress and an apron. Often, for additional warmth, another thick shirt was worn under the shirt.
Embroidery has always been an integral part of any traditional outfit. In each province it differed in colors and patterns. The hem and sleeves were decorated with embroidery.
The dresses worn by women in Rus' are noteworthy. During the time of Ivan the Terrible, girls who dressed up in just one dress were considered obscene. It was customary to wear three dresses one on top of the other. This suit turned out to be very heavy and massive.
Male
For men from the common class, suits were made that were practical and comfortable. Russian culture has always been inseparable from nature and the earth. This was reflected in simple peasant clothes, which were sewn from natural fabrics and decorated with plant patterns.
A man's suit consisted of a simple shirt, pants and a belt. The head was covered with felted wool. The most common shoes were bast shoes. Light and comfortable, they protected the legs well while working in the field, but were not suitable for winter. With the advent of cold weather, the traditional Russian costume was supplemented with felt boots, and on holidays - with leather boots.
For children
Children in Ancient Rus' wore simpler clothes. As a rule, these were simple loose shirts. For the children of the nobility, more sophisticated outfits were created. Sometimes they almost completely copied an adult costume. But young girls, unlike adult women, did not wear headdresses until marriage.
Features and meaning of parts
As already mentioned, details in the Russian national costume played a very important role.
Men's suit details
The basis of the national men's costume was a simple shirt. In the outfits of simple peasants, it was the basis of the costume, while the nobility wore it as underwear. It was made of linen or silk. From the inside, the front and back parts of the shirt were supplemented with a lining, which was called the underlining. The wide sleeves of the shirt tapered towards the wrists.
The appearance of the gate varied. It could be rounded, square or completely absent. If there was a collar, it was complemented with ties or buttons.
The costume was also complemented with such details as zipun, opashen and okhaben. All these things are varieties of caftans. A scroll, casing or homespun was worn over the shirt and caftan. For more formal occasions, a ceremonial cloak (korzno) or single-row coat made of woolen fabric was used.
Fur coats were also popular. Peasants wore simpler items made of thick sheepskin or hare fur. Representatives of the upper class allowed themselves to flaunt in outfits made of silver fox, sable or marten.
In order to keep warm inside, fur coats were sewn with the fur inside. On the outside they were covered with thick cloth. Dresses for the nobility were embroidered with brocade or velvet. The wide fur collar added luxury to the fur coat.
Traditional Russian-style fur coats were floor-length. The sleeves were also very long, and the arms were threaded not only through them, but also into special slots located in the front. They were worn not only in winter, but also in summer, to create a formal look.
Another important detail of a Russian men's costume is a headdress in the national style. There were several types of hats: tafya, klobuk, murmolka and three-hat.
Tafya was a small round hat that fit tightly to the head. A simple hat was often worn over it. Ordinary people chose felt options, richer people chose velvet ones.
Murmolki were hats that were tall and widening towards the top. Gorlat hats were created using a similar principle. Only they were additionally decorated with furs coming from the very throat. Fox, sable or hare fur both decorated the hat and warmed the head.
Details of a woman's costume
The basis of the women's national costume was also a shirt. It was decorated with embroidery or exquisite trim. Noble Russian ladies also wore a maid's shirt made of bright silk over a simple undershirt. The most elegant option is a scarlet maid shirt.
Women wore a summer jacket over their shirts. The ancient floor-length outfit was made of silk and complemented with clasps at the very throat. Noble women wore a flyer decorated with gold embroidery or pearls, and a necklace adorned their collar.
A warmer alternative to the letnik in the national women's costume was the fur coat. A long coat decorated with fur with decorative sleeves was a sign of luxury, since it was not particularly practical. The arms were either threaded into special slots under the sleeves, or into the sleeves themselves, which were rolled up for convenience. You could warm your palms in a muff, which was not only decorated with a fur trim, but also stitched with fur from the inside.
Such a detail of the costume as the headdress also played an important role. All married women in Rus' always covered their hair, even while at home. In everyday life, the head was covered with a volosnik or a warrior, tying an elegant colorful scarf on top.
The corollas (wide headbands complemented by long colorful ribbons), which were worn in the summer, looked more elegant. In winter they were replaced by fur hats. But the traditional Russian costume is still often associated with the kokoshnik - an elegant headdress in the form of a fan. Whenever possible, it was richly decorated and became the main addition to the outfit.
National motifs in modern fashion or ethnic style
Although the traditional costume is now only part of the rich Russian history, many designers use its details to create modern outfits. Ethnic style is now in trend, so every fashionista should pay attention to such clothes.
Dresses in the Russian style should be restrained, because vulgarity, short skirts and too deep a neckline are simply inappropriate here. One of the main values of our ancestors was chastity. Girls were expected to dress modestly and discreetly, without flaunting their bodies. Modern outfits in Russian ethnic style are created according to the same principle.