Publications in the Traditions section
They meet you by their clothes
Russian women, even simple peasant women, were rare fashionistas. Their voluminous chests contained many different outfits. They especially loved hats - simple, for every day, and festive ones, embroidered with beads, decorated with gems. The national costume, its cut and ornament were influenced by such factors as geographical location, climate, and the main occupations in this region.
“The more closely you study Russian folk costume as a work of art, the more values you find in it, and it becomes a figurative chronicle of the life of our ancestors, which, through the language of color, shape, and ornament, reveals to us many of the hidden secrets and laws of beauty of folk art.”
M.N. Mertsalova. "The Poetry of Folk Costume"
In Russian costumes. Murom, 1906–1907. Private collection (Kazankov archive)
So in the Russian costume, which began to take shape by the 12th century, there is detailed information about our people - a worker, a plowman, a farmer, living for centuries in conditions of short summers and long, fierce winters. What to do on endless winter evenings, when a blizzard howls outside the window and a blizzard blows? Peasant women weaved, sewed, embroidered. They created. “There is the beauty of movement and the beauty of peace. Russian folk costume is the beauty of peace", wrote the artist Ivan Bilibin.
Shirt
An ankle-length shirt is the main element of the Russian costume. Composite or one-piece, made of cotton, linen, silk, muslin or simple canvas. The hem, sleeves and collars of shirts, and sometimes the chest part, were decorated with embroidery, braid, and patterns. Colors and patterns varied depending on the region and province. Voronezh women preferred black embroidery, strict and sophisticated. In the Tula and Kursk regions, shirts, as a rule, are tightly embroidered with red threads. In the northern and central provinces, red, blue and black, sometimes gold, predominated. Russian women often embroidered spell signs or prayer amulets on their shirts.
Different shirts were worn depending on what work had to be done. There were “mowing” and “stubble” shirts, and there was also a “fishing” shirt. It is interesting that the work shirt for the harvest was always richly decorated; it was equated with a festive one.
Fishing shirt. End of the 19th century. Arkhangelsk province, Pinezhsky district, Nikitinskaya volost, Shardonemskoye village.
Mowing shirt. Vologda province. II half of the 19th century
The word “shirt” comes from the Old Russian word “rub” - border, edge. Therefore, the shirt is a sewn cloth with scars. Previously they used to say not “hem”, but “hem”. However, this expression is still found today.
Sundress
The word “sarafan” comes from the Persian “saran pa” - “over the head”. It was first mentioned in the Nikon Chronicle of 1376. However, the overseas word “sarafan” was rarely heard in Russian villages. More often - a kostych, damask, kumachnik, bruise or kosoklinnik. The sundress was, as a rule, of a trapezoidal silhouette; it was worn over a shirt. At first it was purely men's attire, ceremonial princely vestments with long folding sleeves. It was made from expensive fabrics - silk, velvet, brocade. From nobles, the sundress passed to the clergy and only then became established in the women's wardrobe.
Sundresses were of several types: blind, swing, straight. Swing ones were sewn from two panels, which were connected using beautiful buttons or fasteners. The straight sundress was fastened with straps. A blind oblique sundress with longitudinal wedges and beveled inserts on the sides was also popular.
Sundresses with soul warmers
Recreated holiday sundresses
The most common colors and shades for sundresses are dark blue, green, red, light blue, and dark cherry. Festive and wedding attire was made mainly from brocade or silk, and everyday attire was made from coarse cloth or chintz.
“Beauties of different classes dressed up almost identically - the only difference was the price of furs, the weight of gold and the shine of stones. When going out, a commoner would put on a long shirt, over it an embroidered sundress and a jacket trimmed with fur or brocade. The noblewoman - a shirt, an outer dress, a letnik (a garment that flares out at the bottom with precious buttons), and on top there is also a fur coat for added importance.”
Veronica Batkhan. "Russian beauties"
Portrait of Catherine II in Russian dress. Painting by Stefano Torelli
Portrait of Catherine II in shugai and kokoshnik. Painting by Vigilius Eriksen
Portrait of Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna in Russian costume." Unknown artist. 1790javascript:void(0)
For some time, the sundress was forgotten among the nobility - after the reforms of Peter I, who forbade those close to him to wear traditional clothes and cultivated the European style. Catherine the Great, a famous fashion trendsetter, returned the item of clothing. The Empress tried to instill in her Russian subjects a sense of national dignity and pride, a sense of historical self-sufficiency. When Catherine began to rule, she began to dress in Russian dress, setting an example for the ladies of the court. Once, at a reception with Emperor Joseph II, Ekaterina Alekseevna appeared in a scarlet velvet Russian dress, studded with large pearls, with a star on her chest and a diamond diadem on her head. And here is another documentary evidence from the diary of an Englishman who visited the Russian court: “The Empress was in Russian attire - a light green silk dress with a short train and a bodice of gold brocade, with long sleeves”.
Poneva
Poneva - a baggy skirt - was a mandatory element of a married woman's wardrobe. Poneva consisted of three panels and could be blind or hinged. As a rule, its length depended on the length of the woman's shirt. The hem was decorated with patterns and embroidery. Most often, poneva was sewn from wool blend fabric in a checkered pattern.
The skirt was put on a shirt and wrapped around the hips, and a woolen cord (gashnik) held it at the waist. An apron was usually worn on top. In Rus', for girls who had reached adulthood, there was a ritual of putting on a poneva, which indicated that the girl could already be betrothed.
Belt
Women's wool belts
Belts with Slavic patterns
Machine for weaving belts
In Rus', it was customary for a woman’s undershirt to always be belted; there was even a ritual of girding a newborn girl. It was believed that this magic circle protected against evil spirits; the belt was not removed even in the bathhouse. Walking without it was considered a great sin. Hence the meaning of the word “unbelt” - to become insolent, to forget about decency. Wool, linen or cotton belts were crocheted or woven. Sometimes the sash could reach a length of three meters; these were worn by unmarried girls; hem with a voluminous geometric pattern was worn by those who were already married. A yellow-red belt made of woolen fabric with braid and ribbons was worn on holidays.
Apron
Women's urban costume in folk style: jacket, apron. Russia, late 19th century
Women's costume from the Moscow province. Restoration, contemporary photography
The apron not only protected clothes from contamination, but also decorated the festive outfit, giving it a finished and monumental look. The wardrobe apron was worn over a shirt, sundress and poneva. It was decorated with patterns, silk ribbons and finishing inserts, the edge was decorated with lace and frills. There was a tradition of embroidering the apron with certain symbols. From which it was possible, as from a book, to read the history of a woman’s life: the creation of a family, the number and gender of children, deceased relatives.
Headdress
The headdress depended on age and marital status. He predetermined the entire composition of the costume. Girls' headdresses left part of their hair open and were quite simple: ribbons, headbands, hoops, openwork crowns, and folded scarves.
Married women were required to cover their entire hair with a headdress. After the wedding and the ceremony of “unbraiding the braid,” the girl wore a “young woman’s kitty.” According to ancient Russian custom, a scarf - ubrus - was worn over the kichka. After the birth of the first child, they put on a horned kichka or a high spade-shaped headdress, a symbol of fertility and the ability to bear children.
Kokoshnik was the ceremonial headdress of a married woman. Married women wore a kichka and kokoshnik when they left the house, and at home they usually wore a povoinik (cap) and a scarf.
The age of its owner could be determined by the clothes. Young girls dressed most flamboyantly before the birth of a child. The costumes of children and older people were distinguished by a modest palette.
The women's costume was replete with patterns. Images of people, animals, birds, plants and geometric shapes were woven into the ornament. Sun signs, circles, crosses, rhombic figures, deer, and birds predominated.
Cabbage style
A distinctive feature of the Russian national costume is its multi-layered nature. The everyday suit was as simple as possible; it consisted of the most necessary elements. For comparison: a married woman’s festive costume could include about 20 items, while an everyday costume could include only seven. According to legends, multi-layered, loose clothing protected the hostess from the evil eye. Wearing less than three layers of dresses was considered indecent. Among the nobility, complex dresses emphasized wealth.
Peasants sewed clothes mainly from homespun canvas and wool, and from the middle of the 19th century - from factory-made chintz, satin and even silk and brocade. Traditional outfits were popular until the second half of the 19th century, when urban fashion began to gradually supplant them.
We thank the artists Tatyana, Margarita and Tais Karelin - laureates of international and city national costume competitions and teachers - for providing photographs.
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.
The formation of any national costume, its cut, ornament and features, has always been influenced by factors such as climate, geographical location, economic structure and the main occupations of the people. National clothing emphasized age and family differences.
In Rus', the national costume has always had characteristics depending on the region and was divided into everyday and festive. By looking at national clothes, one could understand where a person came from and what social class he belonged to. The Russian costume and its decoration contained symbolic information about the whole clan, its activities, customs and family events.
Our people have long been considered a farming people, and this, of course, influenced the features of the national costume: its ornament, cut, details.
Scientists believe that the Russian national costume began to take shape around the 12th century. It was worn by peasants, boyars, and kings until the 18th century, until, by decree of Peter I, a forced change of costume to a European one took place. Peter I believed that cultural and trade communication with Europe was very important for Russia, and the Russian costume was not very suitable for this. In addition, it was not very convenient for work. Perhaps this was a political step, or perhaps simply a matter of taste of Peter I himself, but one way or another, since then, the Russian national costume has been preserved for the most part in the peasant stratum. By decree of Peter I it was forbidden to produce and sell Russian dress; fines and even deprivation of property were provided for this. Only peasants were allowed to wear national costume.
With all the abundance of different clothes, several basic sets of Russian women's costume stood out in Rus'. These are the word of mouth complex (northern Russian) and the ponyov complex (southern Russian, more ancient). At the same time, the shirt has long been the basis of women's attire. As a rule, shirts were made of linen or cotton, and more expensive ones were made of silk.
The hem, sleeves and collars of the shirts were decorated with embroidery, braid, buttons, sequins, appliqués and various patterned inserts. Sometimes a dense ornament decorated the entire chest part of the shirt. Patterns, ornaments, details and colors in various provinces were special. For example, shirts from the Voronezh province, as a rule, were decorated with black embroidery, which added severity and sophistication to the outfit. But in the shirts of the central and northern provinces one can mainly note embroidery with gold threads - silk or cotton. In the northern and central provinces, red, blue and black colors predominated, as well as double-sided sewing. Southern Russian shirts (for example, Tula and Kursk provinces) were characterized by various patterns and dense red embroidery.
It is interesting that on the shirts of girls (mainly from the Tver, Arkhangelsk and Vologda provinces), who had already been betrothed, there were various geometric patterns: rhombuses, circles, crosses. Among the ancient Slavs, such patterns carried a semantic load.
Sundress
Sarafan (from the Iranian word sеrāрā- the meaning of this word is approximately “dressed from head to toe”) was the main clothing of the northern Russian regions. Sundresses were also of several types: blind, swing, straight. Swing sundresses, popular in the Urals regions, had a trapezoidal silhouette, and were distinguished by the fact that their front was sewn from two panels of fabric, and not one (as in a blind sundress). The panels of fabric were connected using beautiful buttons or fasteners.
A straight (round) sundress with straps was easier to make. He appeared a little later. The most popular colors and shades for sundresses were dark blue, green, red, light blue, and dark cherry. Festive and wedding sundresses were made mainly from brocade or silk, and everyday sundresses were made from coarse cloth or chintz. The choice of fabric depended on family wealth.
A short soul warmer was worn over the sundress, which was festive clothing for peasants and everyday clothing for the nobility. The shower jacket was made from expensive, dense fabrics: velvet, brocade.
The more ancient, southern Russian national costume was distinguished by the fact that it consisted of a long canvas shirt and a poneva.
Poneva
Poneva (loin garment, like a skirt) was a mandatory part of a married woman’s costume. It consisted of three panels, was blind or swinging; as a rule, its length depended on the length of the woman’s shirt. The hem of the poneva was decorated with patterns and embroidery. The poneva itself was made, as a rule, from checkered fabric, half-woolen.
Poneva was dressed on a shirt and wrapped around the hips, and a woolen cord (gashnik) held it at the waist. An apron was often worn in front. In Rus', for girls who had reached adulthood, there was a ritual of dressing a ponyova, which indicated that the girl could already be betrothed.
In different regions, ponevs were decorated differently. They also differed in color scheme. For example, in the Voronezh province, ponevs were richly decorated with orange embroidery and sequins.
And in the Ryazan and Kaluga provinces, ponevs were decorated with complex woven patterns. In the Tula province, the ponyova was mainly red, and the black checkered ponyova was found in the Kaluga, Ryazan and Voronezh provinces.
Ponevs were decorated with additional details, depending on family wealth: fringe, tassels, beads, sequins, metallic lace. The younger the woman was, the brighter and richer her robe was decorated.
In addition to sundresses and ponies in Russian national costume, we met andarak skirt And slip dress. It should be noted that these outfits were not used everywhere, but only in certain regions and villages. For example, a dress with a cap was the distinctive clothing of the Cossacks. It was worn by Don Cossack women and Cossack women of the North Caucasus. It was a dress that was worn over a shirt with wide sleeves. Bloomers were often worn under this dress.
In Russian folk costume there was a clear division into everyday and festive attire.
The everyday suit was as simple as possible; it consisted of the most necessary elements. For comparison, a festive women's suit for a married woman could include about 20 items, and an everyday one - only 7. Everyday clothes were usually made from cheaper fabrics than festive ones.
Work clothes were similar to everyday clothes, but there were also special clothes specifically for work. Such clothes were made from more durable fabrics. An interesting fact is that the work shirt for the harvest (harvest) was richly decorated and equated to a festive one.
There was also so-called ritual clothing, which was worn to weddings, funerals, and church.
Another distinctive feature of Russian folk costume was the variety of headdresses. The headdress completed the entire ensemble, making it whole.
In Rus', there were different hats for unmarried girls and married women. Girls' hats left some of their hair open and were quite simple. These were ribbons, headbands, hoops, openwork crowns, and scarves folded into a rope.
And married women were required to completely cover their hair under a headdress. Kika was a feminine elegant headdress worn by married women. According to ancient Russian custom, a scarf (ubrus) was worn over the kiki.
We would especially like to draw your attention to the fact that we are attaching rare history books to the article.Russian National Costume:
- Materials on the history of Russian clothing, volume I, 1881 - Download
- Materials on the history of Russian clothing, volume II, 1881 - Download
- Materials on the history of Russian clothing, volume III, 1881 - Download
- Materials on the history of Russian clothing, volume IV, 1881 - Download
- Russian folk clothing Parmon F.M. - Download
- Costume in Russia XV - Beginning of the XX century 2000. - Download
- Russian folk clothing Rabotnova I.P. - Download
- Folk clothing in East Slavic traditional rituals -Download
- Russian folk clothing and modern dress - Download
- Russian folk costume - Efimova L.V. - Download
- Traditional costume of the Novgorod region Vasilyev.. - Download
- Folk costume of the Voronezh province Ponomarev.. - Download
- Poetry of folk costume Mertsalova M.N. 1988. - Download
- Belovinsky L.V. Typology of Russian folk costume - Download
- Bykov A.V. Folk costume of the Vologda region - Download
- Grinkova N.P. Folk costume of the Vologda region - Download
- Grinkova N.P. Temple decorations in Russian folk women's costume - Download
- Grinkova N.P. Essays on the development of Russian costume - Download
- Gubanova E.N., Ozhereleva O.V. Women's suit - Download
- Zelenin D.K. Russian folk rituals with old shoes (1913) - Download
- Ivanova A. Northern Russian folk costume - Download
- Karshinova L.V. Russian folk costume - Download
- Kislukha L.F. Folk costume of the Russian North - Download
- Makovtseva L.V. Russian folk costume - Download
- Reshetnikov N.I. Folk costume and rituals - Download
- Saburova L.M. Clothes of the Russian population of Siberia - Download
- Sosnina N., Shangina I. Russian traditional costume - encyclopedia - Download
Traditional Russian clothing for women
National Russian clothing not only protected from cold and heat. She “talked” about the marital status of her owner, his age, where he was from.
Each version of the costume had characteristic details and a special design. The correct selection of fabrics was also important. Decorations, decoration and cut had a hidden symbolic meaning.
According to researchers, the Russian national costume “formed” around the 12th century.
And until the 18th century, it was worn by representatives of all segments of the population - from poor farmers to rich boyars and rulers.
After the decree of Peter I, Russian traditional dress gave way to European dress. Peter was sure that the “common costume” was not suitable for a full-fledged cultural and trade exchange with Europeans.
Some scholars believe that this was not a political move, but represented a manifestation of the ruler's taste. Since that time, traditional Russian dress has become “peasant” and has been preserved only by representatives of the corresponding segments of the population.
This was enshrined in law: penalties were provided for the production and sale of Russian national costume.
Traditional Russian dress existed in two versions, festive and everyday. Both are characterized by the so-called “multi-composition” (the presence of several layers of clothing). The silhouette is straight or widened downwards (flared).
It was not customary to emphasize the waist. When choosing fabrics, bright colors were preferred.
Russian national costume for women could be sarafan and ponevny.
The first option was popular in the northern regions, the second - in the southern regions. The basis of the outfit was a loose shirt. Shirts were made from natural fabrics - linen or cotton. Representatives of wealthy segments of the population chose more expensive options, for example, silk.
The hem of the shirt, as well as the sleeves and collar area, were decorated with embroidery, braid, sequins and buttons. Patterned inserts were also used when sewing. For a festive costume, a shirt was prepared, completely embroidered on the front with a dense ornament.
Each region had its own varieties of patterns and ornaments with which Russian clothing was decorated.
The color scheme also varied. In villages and hamlets near Voronezh they wore clothes with black embroidery, which looked very elegant. In the northern and central provinces, bright options were preferred: embroidery with gilded or brightly colored threads made of silk or cotton. The predominant shades were red, blue and black.
The southern Russian national costume consisted of a long, loose shirt and a poneva (a thigh piece of fabric similar to a skirt).
Such clothing was mandatory for married women. Poneva was made from three pieces of fabric. Embroidery and other decorations were placed on the hem. The fabric chosen was thick wool blend (as opposed to a shirt, which was made from simple canvas).
"Russian folk costume." Cognitive conversation with children of senior preschool age
The ponevu was held at the waist by a cord made of woolen threads (gashnik). An apron was often additionally worn in front. In the southern regions, shirts were embroidered mainly with red patterns.
Embroidery elements were also of great importance. They conveyed important information about the owner of the clothing to others. For example, circles, diamonds and crosses could be seen on the shirts of betrothed girls.
Some variants of ornaments were of ancient Slavic origin and had a pagan meaning.
Sundress
The traditional Russian sundress, surprisingly, is of Eastern origin. Translated, the name of this thing means “fully dressed.” There were several types of sundresses:
- Swing sundresses were worn in the Ural region. They looked like a trapezoid.
The seam connecting the two pieces of fabric was located in front. The place where the canvases were fastened was decorated with buttons or decorative braid.
- The blind sundress did not have a seam in the front. Such clothes were made from one piece of fabric.
- Straight “round” sundresses were very comfortable to wear due to their loose fit and the presence of shoulder straps.
The colors of the sundresses depended on the purpose of the clothing (festive or for every day).
The most popular fabrics were red, blue, light blue and burgundy. Coarse cloth or chintz material was used for ordinary sundresses. For ceremonial occasions, expensive brocade or silk fabric was chosen. On top of the sundress they put on a dushegreya (sleeve jacket) made of thick cheap material or brocade, fur, velvet and the like.
Casual and festive Russian clothing
In the Russian national costume there was a very clear division of outfits into festive and everyday ones.
Clothes for daily wear were very simple and consisted of only a few elements (usually no more than 7).
It was sewn from inexpensive materials. For work, there were separate versions of the suit - firmly sewn, made of thick fabric, comfortable and not restricting movement.
A festive Russian costume could include up to 20 different elements. Expensive fabrics were used for tailoring: wool, brocade, velvet, etc. Such clothes were worn only on special occasions; the rest of the time they were carefully stored in chests.
A type of festive costume was ritual - for going to church, participating in funerals, and christenings.
Decorations
Women of any age have long loved a variety of jewelry.
Russian clothing was complemented with beads, luxurious necklaces, earrings, and pendants. In wealthy families, buttons were also decorated with inserts of stones, filigree, and elegant engraving.
The headdress was also considered an ornament. Unmarried girls wore bright ribbons, various headbands, hoops, or specially tied scarves.
After getting married, a woman radically changed her image. She completely hid her hair under a kika or kokoshnik with a scarf thrown over top. Richly decorated kiki and kokoshniks were part of the festive attire, while military caps and scarves made of cotton or linen were more suitable for everyday use.
Russian folk costume
Kaftan dress for travel and entertainment
Yesterday we looked at dresses made from scarves, and today we will pay attention to the kaftan dress. These suits have a lot in common. Kaftan clothing is often made of lightweight fabrics and is exposed to air. That is why this model is perfect for those who like to travel to a warm country and simply for artists.
What does it look like?
The original version featured a tunic with a long ankle, wide sleeves and an open neck. In the modern version, this dress is usually shorter, the sleeves are narrower, and the dog is too tall. Typically crampons are made from lightweight, non-elastic fabrics such as muslin, linen or cotton, although luxurious silk variations sometimes occur.
The caftan, loose, flat-seam garment is a traditional North African and Eastern Mediterranean men's clothing.
In 1950, Christian Dior was the first to send fashion collections. Later, Yves Saint Laurent and Roy Halston continued to develop the theme of fashionable coutants.
Kaftans became popular in the 1960s thanks to Vogue editor Diana Vreeland, Elizabeth Taylor and many other celebrities. All of them created beautiful images and helped make Koutan men's clothing the object of an elegant women's wardrobe.
Today these clothes can be seen in the collections of Etro, Alberto Ferretti, Emilio Pucci and many others.
Who suits a caftan suit and how to combine it
Kaftan is the best choice for traveling to warm areas and the sea.
To give the image a relaxed feel, the dress should be paired with gold flat sandals or other open shoes. A nice belt and long earrings can take the cowboy look from beachwear to evening events.
A caftan dress will decorate any picture.
Perhaps the only thing to consider is the placement of the sample. The site should be located at the level of a part of the body that can be visually enlarged.
This versatile summer dress is worn by wealthy visitors to expensive beach resorts and even by women who want to look elegant and relaxed.
Kaftan dresses are comfortable and lightweight, which is why this item is a must-have in our wardrobe because places and entertainment are available not only in summer but throughout the year.
In addition to light patterns, designers offer caftan clothing made from dense natural fabrics. Many models are decorated with edges, spheres, sequins, and embroidery. This dress will be an excellent choice for celebrating the New Year or other holiday.
Most Russian workers in pre-revolutionary Russia were first generation and had not yet lost contact with the village where they had relatives; Farmers often came to the city "to work" and returned home for the harvest.
Despite the onset of stratification, farmers and workers still had much in common in the form of thoughts, customs and modes of dress.
Late XIX. For centuries, farmers in southern Russia wore traditional clothing made from old patterns: men's shirts and tight trousers, women's clothing, shirts, trousers, aprons and badges.
In the city and entering production, they continued to wear the same clothes, but changing living conditions and the influence of urban fashion soon led to the creation of a new outfit. Already at the beginning of the twentieth century, people working in factories and facilities wore trousers, vests and jackets, and female workers began to wear wings and sweaters.
However, it should be noted that in the clothing of urban workers, part of the farm was retained: for example, the belt that pulled out the shirt was still a mandatory part of men's clothing, and women did not abandon the apron.
Continuous interaction with workers began to borrow new styles of clothing from farmers. New clothes entered peasant life and were used together with the old, traditional ones. In general, young people wanted to wear urban style clothing, while older people remained faithful to traditional rural clothing; but there were other options for the coexistence of these two forms of costume.
In other villages, rural women wore shirts and pirogues in their daily lives, wearing festive city clothes on holidays; but it also happened that the holiday was considered, on the contrary, old, the seam was custom-made for peasant clothing, which gave it a sacred value, and city-style clothing was worn on ordinary days.
During the Civil War, it was difficult to obtain dress or fabric so that workers and farmers could continue to wear what they had before the war.
The clothing was often strained, with signs of repeated repairs.
In those same years, many farmers united in armed units and gangs that were equally opposed to both the Reds and the Whites - then these associations were called “greens”.
Members of such units were dressed in ordinary village clothing when worn and replaced with clothing they took from the enemy. The typical equipment of a "green" fighter was a strange combination of red and white army elements and civilian clothing.
Many green departments catered to the clothing needs of the wealthy population and then supplemented their costumes with expensive luxury items such as fur coats that were worn out regardless of the season. The special charm among the "greens" was that it brought as many weapons as possible.
Traditional peasant dress
Inner fabrics were still used to make peasant clothing in some regions, but they were quickly squeezed out of a variety of fabric materials, from cheap cotton to expensive brocade.
The costumes were decorated with industrial products such as colorful ribbons, spotted gauze, metallic glitter, balls, and buttons. The most common traditional clothing was made by farmers themselves, but they were especially elaborate and beautiful to be sewn to order by "masters" or at fairs.
Each age corresponded to their ideas about clothing. The most colorful dresses were for young women—young women from marriage to the birth of their first child. The clothing of older family farmers seemed more modest: the emphasis was not on elegance, but on the quality of the material.
It was inappropriate for the older farmers to dress, the clothes were made from colored fabrics that they had with little trimmings. All decorations have completely disappeared from the clothes of older people.
The traditional women's costume in southern Russia was a long T-shirt, a saucepan, an apron (shelter, west) and a badge (jumper, chamois).
The shirt was flat, with long sleeves.
He hid it with the help of so-called polyclinic inserts. Polycases can be straight or oblique. The shelves were connected by four rectangular canvas panels, each 32-42 cm wide, and an inclined polygon (trapezoidal), connected to a wide lower sleeve, and a narrow one to a lid (see.
Samples). The formal shirt was decorated with embroidery, braids, and inserts of beautiful bright fabrics.
Women's shirts had feathers. This is a bow strap in which a number of longitudinal strips are partially or completely interconnected with each other and installed on top of twisted Gashnikov (twisted ropes) which have flaps under the strip towards the hips.
A jar made of non-woven fabric was called a swing and was completely removed as a wing-deaf one. In a long pan, in this case, a fourth traditional fabric is added to the fourth - “proshka”. It was made from a different issue, it was shorter, and from the bottom there was a “second lieutenant” from the part of the fabric from which they were cut. From the outside it appeared to be something like an apron. The frying pan was usually the same length as the shirt or a little shorter.
The pins were made of woolen or wool blend fabrics, sometimes on canvas.
They were dark in color, most often blue, black, red, and had a sticky or striped pattern.
On their T-shirts and ponies, women wore a long apron with sleeves or ribbons or, as it was said, a curtain or curtain.
On his chest he covered the figure of a woman from the chest and was tied to the chest. The platform can also be single-headed with holes for the head and arms. The platform robes were decorated with intrusions, white or colored lace, of varying widths.
Over the shirt, wings and an apron are sometimes worn (napershnik, shushpan, shushkov, noses, etc.) - on hinges or in the sheet form of a tunic with a sleeve.
The daily apron and sidewalk were modestly trimmed, most often simply woven or knitted. But festive clothes were decorated with embroidery, woven patterns, colored shutters, and silk ribbons.
The traditional costume retains old blankets and weddings, so the married woman hides her hair to leave the girl exposed. Therefore, the headdress was considered to be a headband or a narrow veil covered with cloth with decorations of balls, balls and balls.
The married woman had a complex head called a magpie. The basis for this was kitsch - a solid horseshoe-shaped head, sometimes with small horns that protruded upward. On it was attached a piece of canvas, the edges of which were attached to a thin string, "climbing".
The kitcha was placed on the head at forehead level and carefully covered with a cloth of the woman's hair, then the cloth was attached to the head by repeatedly connecting the horn cord and securing it. The back of the head and neck was covered with a passenger (back) - a rectangular band made of fabric attached to a stiffener on cardboard, with the edges sewn together with the bands. They crossed their foreheads and repeatedly connected their horns, forcing the dogs with their fingers on the back of their heads.
And finally, at the top of the horns there were actually forty purple, velvet or chins that topped the entire structure.
The magpie was decorated with many bright colorful details - colored ribbons, balloon pendants, garlands, lace, bird feathers and down.
An obligatory detail of the costume was the waist, woven or knitted wool (rarely silk thread) and decorated with ornaments.
The most expensive belts have woven inscriptions - for example, the text of a prayer. Most often, the width of the strip varies from 1-6 cm, length - from 1.2 to 2.5 meters.
On their feet, women wore woolen socks or socks substitutes, narrow witch bands wrapped around their feet. Casual shoes were woven shoes, leather shoes or crampons (thick-soled shoes with heels). The cats were richly decorated with designs from Morocco, sparkles, small studs and even bells.
The cats stood on their legs with lace.
Women's costumes in Southern Russia are characterized by a special color scheme based on contrasting combinations. The most popular color was red.
Geometric decorations predominate in the relationships of rural women in the southern provinces. But in each region the costume had its own characteristics. So, in the Voronezh region, where the cities of Preobrazhensk and Derzhavin could be located, they were ponies in a white cage on a black or red field; they were decorated with colored lines of yellow and green. The shirts were made with slanted kumachi panels and covered with black embroidery. The platform was waist.
Woven waist belts in Voronezh ended on both sides of oval circles of cardboard and were embroidered with colored wool, metal tiles, glass beads and balls.
On holidays, women and men wore a mushroom chest necklace - consisting of three narrow strips of black knitted rope on tablets, balls connected to four pairs, the same as on lapel circles.
Traditional men's village clothing, both in the north and south of Russia, is T-shirts and tight trousers. The shirt is usually worn over trousers and belts.
Men's shirts were only long, almost to the middle of the thighs, and sometimes to the knees. They fought in coats with lateral gussets and panels. The tube is slanted downwards, without granules, with a set on the shoulder.
Oval neck, collar. Most often, the incision in the neck area was straight - in the middle of the chest, as well as on the left, right or left (see Fig.
sample).
T-shirts are locked at the throat. The most common everyday shirts were blue. Smart - white, black, burgundy, green, red, etc., sometimes in rows or small patterns. Finish - braids, embroidery, gathers and fine wrinkles, fashionable buttons (white pearl on a black or dark background, black or colored - in the light).
The pants consisted of two double pants and a summer sweatshirt.
They were narrow, tapered. They were picked up at the waist and held with keys (see sample). The seals are made of a black, blue or striped substance.
On the feet there are sandals of bark and bark, twisting the bottom of the foot from the base to the waist of the knee, attached to the top of the foot Oboro (Bags with cord or ribbons), covering the leg transversely.
More expensive shoes are low-heeled shoes.
A necessary part of men's peasant clothing was a dog. It can, like women, be woven, knitted or woven. For boys, such belts are usually longer and wider than for married men. Men also wore leather belts, which women were not allowed to wear.
They wore black hats and caps with shiny leather tops.
They were tuned, slightly shifted to one ear.
Suits and farmers in the early twentieth century
Men and women working in various industries (and after them farmers) used the most commonly used clothing, which was produced in large quantities and was available to everyone. You can buy these suits from many ready-to-wear stores.
Sometimes they sewed seams at home, but from the factory and from factory samples.
The most common type of plain women's clothing in the early 20th century was the so-called "pair", which could be completed with aprons, heads and shoulders.
The “pair” is a jacket and wing that rotate together as a single ensemble. They were usually brushed from a single fabric or from woven shades: more colorful ones for the jacket, more colored ones for the wing.
But sometimes in a dress - the couple uses contrasting colors or combined materials - for example, smooth printed fabrics with fillings.
The borders were wide, located or provided with small wrinkles at the loins, sometimes with a padding at the edge. Tracklets can range from free to futuristic. Thus, the "Bashka" or "Cossack" jacket was sewn into the wall, with a stand-up collar, with beautiful sleeves tapering at the elbow. Head buttons on buttons or flags on the side or center.
“Razletayka” shirts were without a belt, and were worn without a belt. Festive jackets were decorated on the chest with machine-made lace and arches.
The platform looked like a strip of fabric gathered into a striped belt that was tied around the waist. Apricots were both everyday and festive, used to decorate clothes.
In this case they were made of expensive fabrics with abundant equipment.
Scarves and shawls were very popular, worn on the head and thrown over the shoulders. There are many routes: canvas, cotton, calico, silk and calico.
Very valuable napkins with colorful floral patterns.
Fashion history. Russian folk costume
Some workers can afford to wear lace and lace jokes instead of scarves on holidays. For jewelry they use pearl, beads, orange, coral and glass beads and earrings. There were also rings made of copper, tin and silver.
Girls wore rings with colored glasses, women wore smooth combat.
Shoes - leather shoes with rubber straps on the sides, less often - rough shoes with a small heel.
Men's worker and young farmer dress consisted of a shirt with a belt or skirt, trousers, a jacket and a jacket.
Shirt shirts were similar to traditional peasant shirts, but they were shorter than the old style, with tapered sleeves and a higher neckline.
Another new feature is that the chest drop has appeared in Kosovar. On weekdays they wore T-shirts made of black, blue, brown cotton or satin; on holidays - T-shirts made of light fabrics, such as pink, dark red, red satin or silk. Capricorn on top of trousers and waist or wings.
They also had shirts with reflective collars.
The jackets were single-breasted and double-breasted, classic style. Dark colored jackets and trousers. As for the vest, it is normal that the shil fabric is a jacket or vice versa, and the back is made of base material and has a sealing strip.
A special decoration in the early twentieth century is metal, including silver pocket ear chains placed in the pocket.
The main shoes for such a costume were boots, which were filled with trousers.
The lid was covered with donkeys, leather or cloth, and caps. On the festive day, they were decorated with a ribbon with silk ribbon or braids, for which real or artificial flowers were stuck in several places.
Straight cut in folk costume.
Pattern for cutting a peasant shirt.
3. Types of cut and decorative design of folk shirts.
4. Cutting pattern for a women's shirt with straight edges.
5. Women's shirt with straight edges.
Women's shirt with slanted edges.
Straight cut in folk costume.
Russian folk clothing is a phenomenon of the material culture of the Russian people. In accordance with the ethnographic division, it has two distinct complexes of national Russian women's clothing: North Russian and South Russian. The complex of South Russian folk clothing (Fig. 1) - shirt, poneva, apron (curtain, curtain, cufflink) and headdress.
There were many varieties of this complex, different in purpose, including ritual ones.
In the southern Russian regions, a poneva was worn over the shirt, which was practically a skirt and consisted of three woolen or half-woolen panels. Ponevas were swinging or closed, gathered at the waist with a cord. Only married women wore ponevs.
An apron - a curtain - was put on over the shirt and poneva (see.
rice. 1, fig. 2). It was also worn over a shirt with a sundress, completing the entire ensemble. The curtain was always decorated with a variety of techniques - patterned weaving, embroidery, stripes of fabric, etc. patterned weaving and embroidery on the curtain were often distributed from top to bottom, but mainly in its lower part.
Sometimes only the lower part of the curtain was decorated.
The creation of folk clothing is based on the principles and characteristic features according to which the cut was formed, ornaments were arranged, and individual parts were combined into one or another ensemble.
Russian folk costume
Customs and time established when, what and in what combination of clothes to wear.
Directly related to human labor activity, folk clothing is distinguished by its great appropriateness of cut. For the most part, it is simple and economical, as it is determined by the width of the homespun fabric, the desire to create a shape convenient for humans and completely recycle the fabric. This costume did not restrict movement and was equally good for hard peasant labor and for celebrations.
Russian folk clothing can be presented in two silhouettes: straight (without ruffles and with ruffles) and trapezoidal (slanted cut).
These silhouette forms of clothing correspond to the natural proportions of the female figure.
For example, the main part of clothing among many peoples is shirt – cut from rectangular pieces of linen. Her waist, sleeves, inserts under the arms and on the shoulders (gussets, skirts) were rectangles of different lengths and widths (Fig. 3).
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The structural division of the shirt mainly depended on the width of the canvas. The width of the canvas and the economy of the cut determined the line of stitching of the sleeves and the length of the shoulder sections. When using wider fabric, the shoulder section lengthened quite significantly and the sleeve stitching line sometimes took on a horizontal position. When using narrow fabric, the shoulder section lengthened slightly, and the armhole line took on a vertical position and a rectangular shape. In the wisdom of folk design there are capacious functions. Each main detail with straight cut lines, as well as stripes, wedges, and sleeve gussets, not only have structural and aesthetic functions, but also contribute to the cost-effectiveness of the cut. The straight cut of the peasant folk shirt gives reason to consider it a single constructive basis. In the southern regions, straight cut shirts became more complicated by introducing details Polikov (Fig.5). Polik - this is a rectangular or trapezoidal cut detail that connects the front and back along the shoulder line (Fig. 6). Rectangular strips connect four panels of canvas, forming a shoulder girdle in the product. Oblique ledges (trapezoidal parts obtained from rectangular ones) are connected by a wide base with a vertical section, and a narrow one with a neck. Polyk provides high functionality of folk clothing. The use of polik in straight-cut shirts is determined by the high skill of the 19th century artisan, who strived for maximum practicality, which turned into art (uncut armholes and sleeves without a collar). The constructive function of polyc plays an important role in clothing: it helps to balance the straight cut of a shirt for any figure, regardless of size; the size of the pad helps to increase or decrease the volume of the shirt; polyk helps to outline the body of the figure and thereby separate the volume of clothing from the figure; creates direction for the sleeve and ensures its rotation and dynamism. The aesthetic side of the floor is manifested in determining the location of its position and the amount of finishing associated with it. In shirts with straight stripes, the characteristic finishing was the stripe itself, made of calico, printed chintz, satin, or from patterned weaving inserts. The seams were decorated with embroidery, lace, braid, etc. Figure 7 shows a long women's shirt with straight edges, gathered at the neck. In shirts with oblique skirts, the junction of the skirt with the waist was decorated, visually separating the skirt from the sleeve (Fig. 8). Embroidery and colored inserts were located low on the sleeves, almost at the elbow line. The trim also included stitched wedges at the bottom of the sleeves. Stitching wedges were located on both sides of the main part of the sleeve. The wedge on the side of the elbow part of the sleeve, as a rule, was much larger and cut from thinner fabric, and more often of a different color. The stitching line of the wedge on the side of the front roll was significantly shorter than the other side of this wedge, which contributed to the direction of the sleeve forward. In addition, it extended against the elbow section by the size of a one-piece gusset. A women's shirt with slanted edges is shown in Fig. 8. In ethnographic products, the beginning of vertical cuts from the middle of the back and front ranges from 11 to 25 cm. with a floor width of 17 – 23 cm. and the depth of the cut on one side is from 31 to 41 cm. The shape of the polyk (width and length of the sides) is not stable; its options depend on purely individual taste and fashion trends. The narrow side of the polyk forms part of the neck. The length of this side of the polyk depends on the entire length of the neck line, components (back, front) and processing methods. The length of the opposite, wide side of the floor depends on the depth of the vertical cuts along the shelf and back and is designed in accordance with the model sketch. The location of the vertical cuts is marked from the middle of the back and front at the same distance in accordance with the width of the floor, and the length of the cut is equal to the length of the largest side of the floor.
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The peasantry is the keeper of aesthetic ideas and traditions in folk costume
The Russian national costume was preserved mainly in the peasant layer of society, since by decree of Peter I the ruling classes of Russia had to switch to compulsory wearing of foreign-style dress. The formation of the composition, cover, and characteristics of the ornament was influenced by the geographical environment and climatic conditions, the economic way of life and the level of development of the productive forces. The vastness of the settlement area, various natural environments and raw materials, the nature of customs and living conditions became the reason for the emergence of diverse clothing options. Thus, there was no single national costume in Russia.
So, in women's clothing, with all the abundance of types, four complexes are distinguished:
1. Shirt with poneva and magpie headdress.
2. Shirt with sundress and kokoshnik.
3. Shirt with skirt - andarak.
4. Cable dress.
The first two are the main ones. The costumes differed from each other in their components, features of cut and decoration. The evolution of costume among the people occurred slowly. The first complex covered the southern and central regions of Russia - Oryol, Kursk, Ryazan, Tambov, Tula, Moscow, Kaluga provinces. In each of them he had significant differences.
South Russian costume: more ancient in origin. It consists of a long canvas shirt, over which married women wore a loincloth - ponevu, and there was certainly an apron (curtain, cufflink). Next came the chest garment, which went down just below the waist and had a variety of names: nasov, navershnik, shushun, sukman, shushpan. A thick, multi-piece headdress was mandatory for women. The girls wore different types of headbands. The suit was made from homemade materials.
The complex with a sundress or Northern Russian, which existed in the Russian North, in the Volga region, the Urals, Siberia, in some regions (Smolensk, Kursk, Voronezh, Kharkov provinces) consisted of a shirt and a long sundress, on top of which they put on a soul warmer - a short chest garment with straps. In the cold season, dress it at the waist with a collar and sleeves. With such a costume, girls wore a bandage or a crown, and married women wore a kokoshnik.
A suit of a shirt and a striped, less often checkered, andarak skirt (cloth , Sukminki) was not typical for Russians in general. It became widespread locally in certain villages of the Vologda, Kursk, Oryol, Ryazan, and Smolensk provinces.
A women's costume typical of the Cossacks of the Don basin and the North Caucasus, with a swinging dress - a kubelka, influenced by the local population. It was worn over a shirt, often with a knitted cap and pants; in the 19th century it was replaced by a skirt with a jacket.
In folk costume, the division into everyday, work, festive, and ritual was clearly observed. Festive clothing was always newer, more often made from expensive fabric, composed of a large number of items, and richly decorated. Festive clothing was also divided: one was worn on Sundays, the other on major annual holidays. It is also accompanied by ritual costumes: the betrothed girl, wedding, funeral (sometimes also wedding). It is interesting that the harvest shirt, the work shirt, was raised by the ritual to the rank of a festive one and was decorated especially magnificently. An everyday suit for work around the house and in the field was made from especially durable fabrics and was decorated more modestly. Clothing has always emphasized family and age differences. In the southern regions of the country, the only clothing for a girl under 14-15 years old was a shirt, girls wore a canvas “hem” skirt, and in the costume of a young woman, the brighter colors of the older ones predominated - darker ones. The headdresses of girls and women differed, and those of old women were also known. Widows wore white clothes. The children's costume was almost identical to the adult one, but consisted of fewer items. The wardrobe of a wealthy peasant woman included brocade sundresses, fur-trimmed soul warmers, and headdresses decorated with pearls. The costume of the Ural Cossack women was rich. In poor families, homespun predominated; textiles, small freshwater pearls, glass beads, beads, bird down and dyed feathers were used as decoration.
Common features in folk clothing:
1. Solid, straight, swinging clothes reveal the desire to create a massive, slightly dissected form, a solid and simple silhouette.
2. The massiveness increases from bottom to bottom, this is emphasized by the shoes - woven bast shoes with thick onuches, large gathered boots and heavy cat-shoes, which were worn over seven or eight pairs of thick woolen stockings.
3. The waist is not emphasized, hidden behind the bibs. Thus, body shapes have not been identified.
4. Folk costume is very complex. This complexity is combined with patterned weaving, multi-stitch embroidery, sewing and knitting with various materials, and appliqué.
The preferred colors are white and red, but the clothes of wealthy northerners and Volzhan women were made from purchased expensive fabrics such as damask and semi-brocade.
The costume of the Russians of Siberia is distinguished by its unusual brightness and unexpected color characteristics. Outerwear is usually black, brown, dark yellow, gray, but often blue-dyed and little decorated. A man's suit, with the exception of outerwear, follows the proportions and divisions of the human body.
Since ancient times, the basis of women's and girls' costumes has been the shirt - the oldest common Slavic element. Throughout Russia, girls and women wore a long white shirt, sewn from straight panels of linen or hemp fabric. Shirts were one-piece or composite. The whole ones were sewn from four longitudinal panels of canvas (worn by girls).
Types of Russian women's shirts.
1. Shirts with stripes (straight or oblique) - shoulder inserts that expand their upper part and collar. They were sewn either on the warp or on the weft. Poliki were cut out separately or together with sleeves.
2. Tunic-shaped shirts, shirts with a collar and a shirt with a yoke. The shape of the sleeves is straight or tapering towards the wrist, puffy at the shoulders or at the wrist, loose or gathered with or without gussets, gathered under a narrow trim or on a wide cuff decorated with lace. In wedding and festive clothing from the 17th to the end of the 19th century, there were shirts - long sleeves, with sleeves up to two meters long, with wedges, without gathering. When worn, such a sleeve was gathered in horizontal folds, or had special slots-windows for threading the arms through. Similar shirts were made from linen, while more expensive ones were made from silk fabrics and brocade.
Each province had its own decoration techniques, locations and methods of implementing patterns, and a specific color scheme. In ancient shirts, patterned weaving and embroidery with linen, silk, wool, and later cotton threads predominated.
The main locations of patterns are collars, mantles, sleeves, and hem. On the collar there is a narrow strip of weaving or embroidery, later an appliqué of bright stripes of fabric. In some shirts, the entire chest area was embroidered with dense patterns. More often, the central motif of shirt decoration was linings made of calico, printed chintz, satin, or inserts of patterned fabric. They were additionally distinguished at the seams by black, red or polychrome embroidery, casting, counted satin stitch, half-cross stitch, lace sew-on braid, sewn sequins and various buttons. Sometimes the patterns were along the seams, the bottom was clearly emphasized, and they were completely ornamented. Particular attention was paid to the hem of stubble and mowing shirts, along the bottom of which there were multi-colored patterns painted with a wide stripe, made with multi-colored chain stitch, light painting, counted satin stitch, fabric patch or appliqué. There was abundant decor in South Russian costume. Floral and geometric patterns, palmettes, volutes, rosettes, lace flowers, numerous rhombic and cross-shaped zigzags, meanders were used. Intensely red, dense, carpet-like embroidery and woven weaving are most characteristic of the shirts of the Kursk and Tula provinces. A bright decorative effect was achieved by the contrast of the white background of the fabric with the richly colored mantles and sleeves. In others, the entire sleeve area was covered with a geometric pattern of braided fabric. Colored stripes "punctures" were often used. The combination of stripes of various colors, proportions and materials in one item, the use of sparkles, bugles, buttons, beads, etc. enhances the play of color and tonal relationships.
Shirts from the villages of the Voronezh province, decorated with embroidery, black silk or woolen threads using the set technique. The graphic nature of the seam and the narrow lobar stripes of the ornament give rise to a strict sophistication of the style and constitute their unique beauty. The women's shirts of the Odnodvorets are distinguished by the peculiarity of their cut and decor. The skirts and the upper part of the sleeve were decorated with stripes of weaving fabric and embroidery. On top of the wrist they put the so-called “bryzhi” - wide cuffs made of silk ribbons. The hem was decorated with a strip of mortgage or braided fabric. The upright collar, called the “trump card,” added solemn elegance. The edge was trimmed with factory lace and braid. On holidays they put on another one.
Shirts of residents of the northern and central provinces of Russia. The embroidery was done with cotton, silk and gold spun threads. Numerous shades of red were predominant, sometimes interspersed with blue and black, with metallic sparkles; double-sided sewing predominated. On wedding wedding shirts, the width of the embroidered pattern on the hem sometimes reached 30 centimeters or more.
Along with geometric motifs, peahens, horses, leopards, and the tree of life with forthcoming figures were used.
In some cases, decorations of different techniques coexisted on one object. This can be seen especially clearly on the shirts of betrothed girls in the Vologda, Arkhangelsk and Tver provinces, where there are solar signs: circles, crosses, complicated rhombuses, which carried a semantic load in the beliefs of the Slavs. Colors: white, light red, often using metal threads and gold-woven materials. Restrained color sound, but it is possible to combine contrasting dark purple with gold.
The ornamentation of girls' shirts in Russia is more modest and takes up less space. Children's and old women's shirts were decorated even more simply. Old women often wore undecorated canvas shirts, tied with garus thread.
Poneva: a mandatory accessory for a married woman’s costume. It consisted of 3 panels of homespun, often checkered woolen fabric. Based on their cut, ponevs are divided into unstitched “swing” ponevs, which are most typical for the southwestern regions of Russia, and blind ponevas with stitching. Stitching is a fourth panel inserted between three panels, made from a different texture, usually factory fabric. In addition to the cut, they differed in the methods of ornamentation and the manner of wearing. They were worn in a bag, tucking one or two front flaps into the belt and forming a special hall at the back, which required additional ornamentation. The style of decoration is very diverse. Geometric patterns are typical for this type, the coloring is restrained and strict, but there were also bright ponevs, including Orlov ones entirely decorated with appliqué. The version of poneva with stitching has become widespread in Kursk, Voronezh, Smolensk and other provinces. They were covered with rich polychrome embroidery, silk or wool threads, sequins, and stripes. The abundance and unusualness of decorations in Voronezh and Ryazan ponevs in red-orange and brown-yellow tones.
On the festive occasions of young women (before the birth of a child), in addition to the usual decorations, there were additional decorations. Depending on their income, they were decorated with purchased items: wide metal lace, stripes of braid, fringe made of corded threads, beads, and sparkles. Sometimes numerous large rosettes made of bright ribbons with beads or bells in the center, and tassels made of silk threads were sewn onto the back panels of young women.
Sarafan is a term of eastern origin, meaning “dressed from head to toe.” There were four types:
1. A blind oblique sundress, which was common in the north - Novgorod, Olonets, Pskov regions. It was sewn from a sheet of fabric folded over the shoulders, and slightly beveled or longitudinal wedges were inserted on the sides. Feryaz - a blind sundress made of red cloth.
2. The oblique swing sundress is common in the European part, in the regions of the Urals. It was called swing because its front consisted of two, rather than one, panels of fabric, connected by fasteners on copper, tin or silver buttons or sewn and having a purely decorative fastener. The sides are expanded with additional wedges, giving the silhouette a trapezoidal shape. Wedding and festive clothes were made from brocade and damask.
3. Later in appearance is a round or straight sundress with straps. Later, he replaced the heavy oblique sundress made of brocade, because it was easier to manufacture. For everyday use, it was sewn from motley fabric and chintz. Festive made from bright silk fabrics. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, rich families most often used semi-brocade for wedding sundresses. Blue, green, dark blue and dark cherry tones predominated. Individual flowers or bouquets of them, woven with gold and silver thread, were scattered across the field of silk. The front line was decorated with gold and silver lace, as well as expensive, filigree buttons. In the southern regions they preferred rosin, satin, white and black cloth, and Chinese fabric. The choice of fabric depended on the wealth of the family. Particularly interesting are the black woolen sundresses from the Kursk province with rich, dense embroidery in red, green, and yellow woolen threads.
In addition to sundresses and sundresses, the national costume also includes a skirt - woolen homespun one-yard skirts are interesting. Color: green, red, burgundy, blue tones. At weddings, polychrome embroidery with woolen threads was done over multi-colored stripes. Subjects: human figures, eight-petalled and vortex rosettes, solar symbols, garlands. Decorated with pleated appliqué and lace. In “sad” skirts, the red color disappeared altogether and was replaced by burgundy.
Apron
1. A tunic-like apron worn over the head with sleeves or narrow armholes - usually included in a complex with a poneva (curtain, cufflink). In the costume of girls and adult girls, it was the only addition to the shirt.
2. Wearing with a sundress:
a) an apron with ties above the work
b) a cufflink with a breast or breastplate - tied at the waist and complemented by a braid around the neck.
Since the end of the 19th century, an apron fastened at the waist has been widely used. It was worn with skirts and sundresses. In addition to protecting against contamination, aprons served a decorative purpose, covering the undecorated parts of the costume. They contributed to the creation of a coherent composition of the ensemble. The richness and density of the decor increased from the top to the hem. On South Russian aprons there are designs of plant and zoomorphic images. In addition to ponevas and sundresses, a skirt is found in some areas, initially as a local phenomenon, and in the 20th century as the predominant version of waist-length clothing. Of great interest are woolen striped homespun one-yard skirts (Ryazan, Tambov provinces). Despite the same cut, they differed sharply, even in neighboring villages, in color, proportions and combination of stripes. Green, red, and blue tones are common in color. The material for the skirts was polished. On wedding dresses, polychrome embroidery with woolen threads was done over bright multi-colored stripes. Her favorite subjects were human figures, eight-petalled and vortex rosettes, solar symbols, and garlands. In addition, the skirts were decorated with velvet appliqué and lace.
Apron. Women's peasant costume everywhere included an apron, which, according to its design, was divided into several types.
One of them, a tunic-like apron with sleeves or narrow armholes worn over the head, was usually part of a complex with a poneva and was used mainly in the central and southern Russian provinces under the name “curtain”, “zapon”. In girls' and girls' costumes, it was the only addition to the shirt. There are isolated cases of its existence in the Novgorod and Semipalatinsk provinces. An apron with a yoke is considered a later option.
Other types of aprons were usually worn with the sundress. One of them was fastened with ties above the chest, the other - a cufflink with a breast or breast - was tied at the waist and with an additional ribbon at the neck. Such aprons were widespread mainly in the Central Russian region, the Volga region, the Urals, and Siberia. Since the end of the 19th century. An apron fastened at the waist was widely used. It was worn with skirts and later types with sundresses.
Aprons carried a large decorative load: they covered the undecorated part of the costume and contributed to the creation of a coherent color composition of the ensemble. The aprons of the Southern regions, repeating in general terms the decoration of the shirts, were more intensely ornamented than the Northern ones. The richness and density of the decor grew rhythmically from the top to the hem. The pattern was formed from ornamental compositions that varied in style, execution technique and material. These are harmoniously connected, sometimes repeating stripes of weaving, weaving patterns, bright silk ribbons, fabric applique, lace. In some cases, sequins, braid, silk and metal fringe are used.
On southern Russian aprons there are designs of plant and zoomorphic images. In the decoration of aprons in the northern regions, especially the Vologda and Arkhangelsk provinces, preference was given to embroidery with a double-sided seam, painting, and typesetting. There were both geometric patterns and complex compositions: horses with riders, lions, leopards. The uniqueness of color combinations and unusual decorative means attract aprons from the villages of the Moscow province. Woven entirely with narrow stripes of red, blue, yellow, orange-brown tones, they, like a shell, completely covered the front of the entire suit. Their decor was certainly consistent in tone and technique with the decoration of the sleeves of the shirts.
Chest clothing. An important and sometimes obligatory component of an elegant women's costume was the shoulder (chest) clothing, which was worn mainly in the autumn-spring period, over a shirt, poneva and apron.
In the southern provinces, as a festive occasion, married women used tunic-like bibs, which resembled a shirt, but shorter. Uniform in cut, they differed in material, collar cut, presence or absence of sleeves, wedges, and length. Depending on the number and color of the decorations, they had different names in different provinces: shushpan, shushun, nasov, sukman, korotay, zheltik, navershnik, skirt, bastrog.
Depending on the time of year and place of existence, they were sewn from canvas, thin cloth or wool, and sometimes richly ornamented. The front part of the bibs was decorated with lace stitching, appliqué, colored fabric, red, yellow, blue, the cut of the collar and shoulder straps were decorated with abundant, plain or polychrome embroidery and stripes of embedded or braided fabric.
In addition to the tunic-shaped ones, in the south of Russia there are also swing-type ones. Unlike the first ones, which were often belted, they were worn without a belt. In the Tula province, their hem was decorated with silk or wool fringe with sequins and beads, and in the Tambov province, red or calico wedges were inserted into the side seams. Unlike the peasant costume, the single-yard costume of the south of Russia used a dark, figure-hugging corset that gave it a slender look. It was decorated with colored tambour embroidery.
The type of shoulder clothing is also known - with straps. This is the “bastrog” that was used in the Ryazan and Tambov provinces. It has a trapezoidal shape and reaches to the waist, reminiscent of northern soul warmers. Bastrogs were covered with appliqués made of calico, polychrome embroidery with wool, and sequins.
In the northern regions, soul warmers, which were also called korotyon, pero, epanechka, short fur coat, were made of brocade, velvet, and scarlet damask. Especially elegant were the soul warmers made of crimson velvet, densely embroidered with braid or gold thread. They were typical for residents of the rich, villages, as well as townspeople - burghers, merchants. Swing shugai (like jackets) with sleeves were quilted with cotton wool, a large turn-down collar and sleeves were trimmed with metal fringe or inexpensive fur. Jackets called “fur coats” were made from expensive silks and furs.
The shoulder garment formed the silhouette of the suit.
Headdresses. One of the most important components of the costume was the headdress, which completed the entire (costume) ensemble. The entire territory of Russia is characterized by two sharply different categories of hats. Girls' dresses, which left their hair and the crown of their head open, had the shape of a wreath - a hoop or a headband.
Women's headdresses were varied, but they all completely hid their hair, which, according to popular beliefs, had witchcraft powers and could bring misfortune. The headdress emphasized not only the change in a woman’s marital status, but also her social and property status.
Girls' hats were quite simple in their shape and method of manufacture. The headbands were rectangular in shape and secured to the head with ribbons or ribbons. Their earliest type was head panels made from a strip of canvas with ends decorated with embroidery using double-sided satin stitch, half-cross stitch, sequins and metal thread. In the southern regions, preference was given to geometric motifs in ornamentation, while in the northern regions, ornithomorphic plant motifs were preferred.
The most common were girls' dresses in the form of a crown or hoop. Depending on the place of existence, the material for their manufacture varied. In the southern regions of Russia, fabrics, braids, ribbons, beads, buttons, sequins, and feathers were widely used. The color scheme of these headbands, headbands, and wreaths is bright and rich. Dyed bird feathers, including peacock feathers, were used not only in the headdress itself, but also as its additional parts.
Headbands, ribbons, laces made of brocade and braid, damask fabric and strips of calico with rich embroidery with gold thread, typical of the northern provinces, were made wide, on a thick base. Sometimes they were decorated with a lower part or duckweed made of river pearls, chopped mother-of-pearl, and beads that descended to the forehead.
Volumetric openwork “crowns with cities”, crowns, bangs, also decorated with pearls, mother-of-pearl, inserts of stones and glass, and colored foil, became widespread.
The wedding crown was a dense rim with a braid, under which protruded an openwork wreath, decorated with pearls, mother-of-pearl, beads, with inserts of foil, glass, and sometimes sewn on brooches.
A variant of the all-Russian girl's headdress was a factory-made scarf folded into a rope and tied with the ends back. It was complemented by beaded pendants.
The basis of all varieties of southern Russian headdresses of the “magpie” type was a hard forehead piece sewn from quilted canvas, thickened with hemp or birch bark, and worn directly on the hair. Depending on its shape, flat or imitating horns extending back, it was called a kichka or a horned kichka. It was this detail of the headdress that gave its entire structure one form or another, which was completed with the help of the upper part, a kind of cover made of calico, calico or velvet - a magpie; the back of the head was covered by a rectangular strip of fabric - the back of the head. Sometimes this dress included up to twelve parts, and its weight reached up to five kilograms.
There were various variations of this headdress: horned, hoof-shaped, spade-shaped, bowler-shaped. So in the Ryazan province, along with almost flat kitties with barely outlined horns on their headdresses, there are also headdresses with horns up to thirty cm high. In the Tula province, they were completely modified through an additional complex design of several vertically fixed layers of gathered ribbons, giving the impression of a lush bright fans. Headdresses were especially different from each other in the methods and themes of decoration and color scheme. In the Oryol, Tula, Kursk, and Voronezh provinces, preference was given to light red, green, and yellow colors, while in the southeast - in the Ryazan and Tambov provinces, dark red and black. On the headband, embroidery with painting, set and satin stitch using multi-colored silk, wool, cotton thread with the addition of sparkles and beads was widely used. She gave comprehensive information about age. The headdresses of young women before the birth of a child were most brightly decorated. Gradually the pattern became drier and more restrained; old women wore magpies with white or sparse black embroidery.
Made in the same way as magpies from calico and velvet, the back of the head was covered over the entire surface with dense embroidery, often complemented by gold embroidery. The front part of the magpie was decorated with a strip of shiny braid, “tufts” of drake feathers. In the Tula province, tufts of brightly colored poultry feathers tucked into the side of a headdress, and goose down “gun” balls attached to the ear or ear became widespread. Sometimes the ears were covered with ear pads or wings with braid, braid, beads, and sparkles.
Women's headdresses in the northern provinces of Russia, which had the general name "kokoshnik", differed significantly in their appearance from those in the south. Unlike magpies, they were made to order by professional craftswomen from factory fabrics. The forms of northern headwear, despite the unifying origin and name, were very diverse even in nearby areas. Almost the entire surface of the helmet-shaped “heads” from the Tver province was covered with braid, dense embroidery with gold thread and gimp; the headband ended with a pearl or beaded bottom—“duckweed.” The duckweed headdress from the neighboring district was miniature, its richly ornamented crown covered only a tuft of hair at the back of the head, and the very wide duckweed and the back of the head covered the rest of the head.
The Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Kostroma provinces from the 18th century are characterized by flat massive kokoshniks with a vertical or horizontal blade above the forehead. They come in elongated triangular or rounded shapes; sometimes the span of the headband reached 60 centimeters. The front side of such kokoshniks was embroidered with pearls using colored foil and glass inserts, and the back side was made, as a rule, of cherry velvet and decorated with gold thread embroidery, floral and ornithomorphic ornaments. The kokoshnik had a wide bottom that covered almost the entire forehead. In most provinces, expensive kokoshniks and samshurs were worn with scarves. On special occasions, scarves with dense floral patterns embroidered with gold and silver threads were used. The drawing took up half of the scarf. When putting it on, its ends were folded under the chin.
The centers for the production of gold-embroidered scarves were Kargopolye and certain districts of the Nizhny Novgorod and Tver provinces.
By the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries, kokoshniks and samshurs were replaced by easier-to-make povoiniki and collections, sewn from factory fabrics.
Removable decorations. They played a big role in women's costume. These are: earrings, bibs, gaitans, back and waist pendants. In all regions of Russia they had their own colors and were made from different materials.
The most popular decoration were earrings. A major center for their production was the village of Rybnoye, Kazan province, and the village of Krasnoye on the Volga.
Very interesting are homemade earrings from the southern provinces made from goose down, feathers, beads, multi-colored woolen threads, and beads.
In the north, the most popular were earrings made of low pearls, “butterflies”, flat, rosette-shaped, pear-shaped, etc.
Neck and chest “tongues”, “breasts”, necklaces, necklaces, monistas, gaitans, chains.
“Tongues” and “breasts” were made of cotton fabric, decorated with appliqué, and the most expensive ones were made of silk, embroidered with gold thread and beating, and decorated with inserts of multi-colored glass and foil.
The beaded monista and gaitana were in harmony with the multicoloredness of the southern Russian costume. They were wide polychrome stripes about 1.5 meters long with a clear pattern of nets, rhombuses, and rosettes. Depending on the place where the gaitans were made, their colors varied. They were complemented by copper crosses and glazed icons suspended from them.
In terms of the manner of wearing, the Monists and Gaitans are similar to “harnesses” made of small multi-colored beads; they also wore large ambers, or glass beads, covering the neck in several rows.
The northern regions are characterized by either necklaces such as a collar or collar, tightly fitting the neck and consisting of wide nets made of mother-of-pearl, pearls and white beads, or strips of canvas embroidered with the same materials, complemented by inserts of colored glass and ribbons. Amber beads and all kinds of metal chains, both voluminous, ringed, and flat with links made of smooth ribbed or filigree wire, were very popular.
For several centuries, buttons have been an attribute of Russian clothing. They were intended not only for fastening it, but also for decoration. Buttons were made from various metals and decorated in a wide variety of ways. Their ornamentation used engraving, niello, filigree, granulation, glass and stone inserts, and setting with small pearls and mother-of-pearl. When their production ceased by the nineteenth century, buttons continued to be used as pendants or cufflinks.
In southern Russian clothing, much attention was paid to decorating the back. Interesting are the long beaded threads that were a continuation of the gaitans - “mushrooms” and “notes” made of garus or silk cord, black braid with beads, lush multi-colored tassels and rosettes embroidered with gold thread, sequins, and beads.
In the Ryazan province, back decorations “wings” consisted of two strips of fabric with braiding, colored stripes, beads, and buttons.
In the Kursk province - “shoulders” made of long silk ribbons.
Various braids woven into braids were very popular among girls, made in the north from braids, silk stripes embroidered with gold thread, in the south and west - lowered beaded blades, multi-colored pendants and tassels.
A mandatory element of the Russian national costume, both women's and men's, was the belt. Shirts, sundresses, outerwear were belted around them, and the waistband was attached.
Depending on the purpose, the belt was tied under the chest or under the stomach. If the sundress was made of expensive fabrics (damask, brocade, velvet), the belt was sometimes tied to the shirt underneath. Since ancient times, it was considered a talisman for the owner. People associated various superstitions with the belt.
Girls wore various pockets on their belts, “lakoniks” - richly decorated with embroidery and appliqué. Women - small pockets-wallets for money and small items. Men hung combs, pouches, and devices for making fire on their belts.
The belts were braided and woven. Among the Cossacks, belts made of velvet, braid and metal became widespread; a mandatory addition to them was a figured buckle. The length and width of the belts vary depending on their purpose and place of use. Some belts were decorated with woven inscriptions.
Men's costume. It was more of the same type throughout Russia and was not as colorful as women's.
Ethnic and local differences were weaker than social and age differences.
The composition of a man's suit everywhere included a shirt, ports (pants), a belt, shoes and a headdress.
Everyday clothes were sewn from homespun checkered or striped motley or printed fabric and were almost not decorated.
The most ancient part of the costume, which has undergone little change, was a short, knee-length, tunic-like shirt with a straight, often oblique, cut at the collar and a gusset. A piece of “backing” fabric was sewn on the inside of the back and chest. Just like women's, men's shirts were necessarily belted with a homespun or leather narrow belt, often ending in tassels.
Festive and wedding shirts were decorated with weaving or embroidery, predominantly in red, along the collar, slit on the chest, edge of the sleeves and hem. The patterns used were the same as for women's shirts. The most elegant were the wedding and holiday shirts of young men. The decorations on them were sometimes located on the back and were multi-colored, numerous and varied in execution technique.
The shirts of grooms from the Semipalatinsk province were especially colorful. Their back and chest are richly colored with a geometric pattern. The predominant colors in embroidery are blue and red. The pattern is arranged asymmetrically, in the form of a wide stripe; braid, lace, and applique are used in the decor.
The shirts of the southern provinces were decorated much more intensively than the northern ones. Embroidery on Voronezh shirts was done with black thread.
Men's trousers (pants) were made from striped fabric or printed fabric, from white homespun, and in cold weather - from homemade cloth. The ports were uniform in appearance throughout Russia; the differences concerned only some details of cut. As a rule, they were not decorated.
The headdresses of Russian peasants were varied, but the main ones were two types of felted hats made of white, gray or brown wool - with a crown and small brims, and caps - felt boots without brims. Wedding hats were richly decorated. Winter hats in the northeast were borrowed from indigenous peoples and were gradually replaced by the traditional and now ushanka hat.
For many centuries, Russian national clothing has preserved the cultural values of our people. The costume conveys the traditions and customs of the ancestors. Spacious cut, simple style, but beautifully and lovingly decorated details of the clothing convey the breadth of soul and flavor of the Russian land. It is not for nothing that the revival of Russian origins can now be seen in modern fashion collections.
The clothing of the ancient Slavs is the national dress of the population of Rus' until the reign of Peter I. The style, decoration, and image of the costume were formed under the influence of:
- The main activity of the population (farming, cattle breeding);
- Natural conditions;
- Geographical location;
- Relations with Byzantium and Western Europe.
The clothes of the Slavs were made from natural fibers (cotton, wool, linen), had a simple cut and length to the toes. The nobles wore bright colors (green, crimson, scarlet, azure), and the decorations were the most luxurious:
- Silk embroidery;
- Russian embroidery with gold and silver thread;
- Decoration with stones, beads, pearls;
- Fur decoration.
The image of clothing of Ancient Rus' began to emerge in ancient times, in the 14th century. It was worn by the tsar, boyars, and peasants until the 17th century.
Period 15-17 centuries. The Russian national costume retains its originality and acquires a more intricate cut. Under the influence of Polish culture, swinging and fitted clothing appeared among the Eastern Slavs. Velvet and silk fabrics are used. The noble princely and boyar classes had more expensive and multi-layered outfits.
Late 17th century. Peter I issues decrees prohibiting the wearing of national costumes by the nobility. These decrees did not apply only to priests and peasants. The decree prohibited sewing and selling Russian costumes, for which fines and even confiscation of property were provided. They were published by the Russian monarch in order to adopt European culture and strengthen relations with Europe. This measure of instilling someone else's taste had a negative impact on national development.
Second half of the 18th century. Catherine II tried to return Russian originality to the costumes of the European-style nobility. This was manifested in the fabrics and splendor of the outfits.
Patriotic War of the 19th century. The patriotic spirit of the population is rising, which has returned interest in the national clothing of the Russian people. Noble young ladies began to wear sundresses and kokoshniks. The outfits were made from brocade and muslin.
20th century. Due to strained relations with suppliers from Europe, there was a return to the clothing style of Ancient Rus'. This manifested itself in fashion trends with elements of Russian style.
Kinds
Ancient Russian national clothing was very diverse and was divided into festive and everyday attire. It also varied depending on the region, social class of the owner, age, marital status and type of activity. But some features of the costume distinguished it from the clothing of other nationalities.
Features of Russian national clothing:
- Multi-layered, especially among the nobility and women;
- Loose fit. For convenience, they were supplemented with fabric inserts;
- A belt was tied to decorate and hold clothing. The ornament embroidered on it was a talisman;
- Clothes made in Rus' were all decorated with embroidery and carried a sacred meaning, protecting them from the evil eye;
- By the pattern one could find out about the owner's age, gender, nobility;
- Festive outfits were made from bright fabrics and richly decorated with trim;
- There was always a headdress on the head, sometimes in several layers (for married women);
- Each Slav had a set of ritual clothing, which was richer and more colorfully decorated. They wore it several times a year and tried not to wash it.
The decoration of Russian clothing contains information about the clan, family, customs, and occupations. The more expensive the fabrics and decoration of the suit, the more noble and rich the owner was considered.
Noble
The outfits of the princely and boyar classes maintained the Russian style in clothing until the end of the 17th century. Traditionally, it was distinguished by luxury and layering. Even the growth of territories and turbulent international relations did not change the national identity of ancient Russian clothing. And the boyars and nobles themselves stubbornly did not accept European fashion trends.
During the period of the 16th and early 17th centuries, the costume of the nobility became more diverse, which cannot be said about peasant clothing, which did not change for many centuries. The more layers there were in the outfit, the richer and more noble the owner was considered. The weight of the dress sometimes reached 15 kg or more. Even the heat did not cancel this rule. They wore long, wide clothes, sometimes open with a slit in the front. The outfits that emphasized the waist were beautiful. Ancient Russian women's clothing reached a mass of 15-20 kg, which made women move smoothly and majestically. This kind of gait was the female ideal.
Old Russian clothing of princes and boyars was made from expensive fabrics imported from Italy, England, Holland, Turkey, Iran, and Byzantium. Rich materials - velvet, satin, taffeta, brocade, calico, satin - were in bright colors. They were decorated with sewing, embroidery, precious stones, and pearls.
Peasant
Clothing of ancient Rus' is one of the ancient types of folk art. Through decorative and applied arts, craftswomen passed on the traditions and origins of Russian culture. The clothing of Russian peasants, although simple, created a harmonious image, complemented by jewelry, shoes, and headdress.
The main materials for sewing were homespun canvas or woolen fabrics of simple weaving. Since the mid-19th century, factory-made fabrics with bright colored patterns (silk, satin, calico, satin, chintz) have appeared.
Peasant clothing was highly valued; it was taken care of, altered and worn almost to the point of disrepair. Festive clothes were kept in chests and passed from parents to children. She wore it rarely, 3-4 times a year, and they tried not to wash it.
After long days of work in the field or with livestock, the long-awaited holiday came. On this day, the peasants put on their best clothes. Beautifully decorated, it could tell about the owner, his marital status, the area where he came from. The embroidery depicted the sun, stars, birds, animals, and people. The ornament not only decorated, but also protected from evil spirits. Russian patterns on clothes were embroidered on the edges of the product: neck or collar, cuffs, hem.
All costumes differed from each other in color, style and decoration. And they conveyed the natural features of their native land.
Military
The Russian professional army did not always have uniform uniforms. In ancient Rus', warriors did not have a single uniform. Protective equipment was selected depending on financial capabilities and methods of combat. Therefore, even in small squads, the clothes and armor of Russian heroes were different.
In ancient times, under protective gear, men wore a cotton or linen shirt, belted at the waist. On the legs were canvas harem pants (ports), which were gathered not only at the waist, but also at the ankles and under the knees. They wore boots made from a single piece of leather. Later, nagovitsa appeared - iron stockings to protect the legs in battle, and for the hands - bracers (metal gloves).
The main armor until the 17th century was chain mail made of metal rings. It resembled a long-skirted shirt with short sleeves. Her weight was 6-12 kg. Afterwards, other types of body protection appeared:
- Baidana (larger, thinner rings) weighing up to 6 kg;
- “Plate armor” - metal plates 3 mm thick were attached to a leather or fabric base;
- “Scaly armor” was also attached to the base, but resembled fish scales.
The armor of the warriors was supplemented on the head with a metal helmet with a spire. It could be supplemented with a half mask and aventail (chain mail mesh that protected the neck and shoulders). In Rus' in the 16th century, tegilai (quilted shell) appeared. This is an elongated quilted caftan with a thick layer of cotton wool or hemp. It had short sleeves, a stand-up collar, and metal plates sewn onto the chest. It was more often worn by poor wars. Such protective armor of Russian warriors existed until the 17th century.
Details and their meaning in clothing
Across the vast Russian territory, national clothing varied, sometimes even significantly. This can be seen in photographs and in museums. The depiction of people in Russian attire in the paintings conveys all the versatility and originality of ancient Rus'. The skillfully made jewelry of the craftswomen amazes with the complexity of the work.
Each region was famous for its decorative arts. If the nobility tried to have rich and original clothes that were not repeated by anyone, then the peasants decorated them with embroidery of natural motifs and invested their love for mother earth.
Male
The basis of ancient Russian men's clothing was a shirt and trousers. All men wore them. The nobility made them from expensive material with rich embroidery. The peasants had them made from homespun material.
Until the 17th century, trousers were wide, but later they became narrower and tied with a cord at the waist and ankles. The pants were tucked into the shoes. The nobility wore 2 pairs of trousers. The upper ones were often made of silk or cloth. In winter they were covered with fur.
Shirt
Another obligatory clothing of ancient Rus' for men was a shirt. For rich people it was an underwear item, and peasants wore it when going out without outer clothing (caftan, zipun). The shirt had a slit at the neck in the front or side, usually on the left (kosovorotka). The trim on the neck and cuffs was usually made of expensive fabric, embroidered or decorated with braid. Bright designs on the braid were in the form of plant patterns. The shirt was tied with silk or woolen cord, sometimes with tassels, and worn for graduation. Young people on the belt, older people - lower, making an overlap above the waist. He played the role of a pocket. Shirts were made from linen, silk, and satin fabric.
Zipun
A zipun was worn over the shirt. It was knee-length, with a belt and buttoned end-to-end. The narrow sleeves were fastened at the cuffs with buttons. A beautifully decorated collar was attached to the neckline. Zipun was most often worn at home, but young people sometimes wore it outside.
Kaftan
The nobles wore a caftan when going out. There were many styles, the common length being below the knees.
- More often the caftan was long, not fitted, with long sleeves. Butt fastened with 6-8 buttons. This ancient Russian clothing was decorated with a standing collar, decorated with embroidery and stones;
- They also wore a homemade wraparound caftan with buttons, metal or wood. In rich houses, gold buttons were used. Long sleeves were rolled up, but elbow-length options were more comfortable;
- Another style of caftan - chucha - was worn for riding. It had side slits and cropped sleeves for comfort;
- Polish culture in the 17th century influenced the appearance of the caftan, which fit tightly to the figure and flared below the waist. The long sleeves were voluminous at the shoulder and tapered greatly below the elbow.
The nobleman also had ceremonial clothing, its names were a cloak or a feryaz, which was worn over a caftan. The length of the outfits reached the calves or the floor; the dress itself was trimmed with fur or decorated with a fur collar. The wide shawl was fastened with one button. To sew the outfit, dark green, dark blue cloth or gold brocade was used.
Fur coat
If the caftan and furyaz were inaccessible to the peasants, then almost all segments of the population had a fur coat. Fur coats were made with the fur inside, expensive and not very expensive. Voluminous ones with large sleeves reached to the ground or were below the knees. Peasants wore hare and sheep fur coats. And rich, noble people sewed them from the skins of sable, marten, fox, and arctic fox.
Headdress
A mandatory attribute of Russian clothing was a fur hat, reminiscent of a high cap. Among the nobility, it was decorated with embroidery with gold thread. At home, boyars and nobles wore tafya, similar to a skullcap. When going outside, they put on a murmolka and a cap made of expensive fabric with a fur trim over the tafya.
Shoes
The most common footwear among peasants is bast shoes. Not everyone had leather boots, so they were very much appreciated. Instead of boots, peasants wrapped their feet tightly in cloth and sewed leather onto their feet. Boyars, princes, and nobles had the most common footwear in ancient Rus' - boots. The toes are usually turned up. Shoes were made from colored brocade, morocco and decorated with multi-colored stones.
Women's clothing
The main women's ancient Russian clothing was a shirt, a sundress, and a poneva. The formation of the folk costume of the southern regions of ancient Rus' was influenced by Ukrainian and Belarusian culture. The women's outfit consisted of a canvas shirt and a poneva (swinging skirt). On top, women put on an apron or cufflink and tied a belt. A high kick or magpie is required on the head. The entire outfit was richly decorated with embroidery.
The Slavic costume of the northern lands had a sundress shirt and an apron. Sundresses were made from a single cloth or from wedges and decorated with braid, lace, and embroidery. The headdress was a scarf or kokoshnik decorated with beads and pearls. In cold weather, they wore long fur coats or short shower jackets.
Shirt
Worn by women of all social classes, they differed in fabric and decoration. It was made from cotton, linen, expensive ones - from silk. The hem, collar and sleeves were decorated with embroidery, braid, appliqué, lace and other patterns. Sometimes dense designs decorated the chest area. Each province had different patterns, patterns, colors and other details.
Features of the shirt:
- Simple cut with straight pieces;
- The sleeves were wide and long, so as not to interfere, they wore bracelets;
- The hem reached to the toes;
- Often a shirt was made from two parts (the upper one was expensive, the lower one was cheaper, as it wore out quickly);
- Richly decorated with embroidery;
- There were several shirts, but smart ones were rarely worn.
Sundress
Ancient Russian women's clothing was worn until the 18th century in all segments of the population. They sewed things from canvas, satin, brocade, and silk. They were trimmed with satin ribbons, braid, and embroidery. At first the sundress looked like a sleeveless dress, then it became more varied:
- Deaf - sewn from one piece of fabric folded in half, a neck was made along the fold, decorated with bright fabric;
- Swing, oblique - appeared later and 3-4 fabrics were used for its sewing. Decorated with ribbons and patterned inserts;
- Straight, swing - sewn from straight fabrics, which were gathered on the chest. It was held on by two narrow straps;
- A type of straight one made of two parts - a skirt and a bodice.
Among rich women, a shushun sundress with flared bottoms was common. Extended sleeves were sewn onto it, but they were not worn. The shushun was fastened with buttons all the way to the bottom.
Poneva
The skirt is made of three layers of woolen fabric. They wove at home, alternating wool and hemp threads. A cellular pattern was created. Decorated with tassels and fringes. Young women decorated more brightly. Only married women wore it, sometimes with a shirt hanging from their belt. An apron or cufflink with a hole for the head was put on top of the skirt.
Outerwear:
- The flyer was sewn from a plain fabric and reached the calves in length. It was decorated with a fur collar;
- A shower warmer is a short garment, just below the waist, quilted with cotton lining. It was trimmed with bright fabrics, brocade, satin and fur. Worn by peasants and nobility;
- A fur coat sewn with fur inside was worn by women of all classes; peasant women had cheaper furs.
Hats
The clothing in the Russian style is completed with a headdress, which was different for unmarried and married women. The girls had part of their hair open, and they tied ribbons, hoops, headbands, and openwork crowns on their heads. Married women covered their heads with a headscarf over their kiki. The headdress of the southern regions was in the form of a spatula and horns.
In the northern regions, women wore kokoshniks. The headdress looked like a round shield. Its solid base was decorated with brocade, pearls, beads, beads, and among the nobility - expensive stones.
Children's
There was little children's clothing, it was valued, and in appearance it looked like an adult outfit. The younger children carried the older ones to term. Just for little ones, it could be with short sleeves, for convenience it could even resemble a dress.
The first diaper a boy was born with was his father's shirt, and a girl's was her mother's. In ancient Rus', clothes for children were altered from parents' outfits. It was believed that the energy and strength of the parents would protect the baby from any diseases or the evil eye of others. Shirts for boys and girls were no different; they were thick and long to the toes. The clothes were lovingly decorated with maternal embroidery, which was a talisman for the child.
At about 3 years old, children were sewn their first shirt from a new linen. And 12-year-old girls were entitled to a new poneva or sundress, boys - harpoon pants. For teenage children, the outfits were more varied; adult models were repeated: blouses, trousers, fur coats, hats.
Traditional clothing of Ancient Rus' has long gone into history. But the fashion ideas of designers look impressive in a modern outfit with elements of Russian style. Ethnic looks are in fashion now.
Dresses in Russian design attract with their modesty, restraint with a shallow neckline, medium length or almost to the floor. Russian patterns on clothes add sophistication and originality:
- Floral motifs on fabric;
- Hand embroidery of plant patterns;
- Sewing, appliqués;
- Decoration with beads, ribbons;
- Lace making, crocheting, knitting.
Trimming is done on the cuffs, hem, neckline or yoke. Natural fabrics (cotton, linen) are very popular. And delicate colors (blue, beige, green, pistachio) convey femininity and purity. The style of a dress or sundress can be different, either loose or fitted with a slightly flared or “sun” skirt. Sleeves are long and short.
They complement the image in folklore flavor with jewelry, accessories (large earrings, beads, strap) and outerwear. This could be a vest, a coat or a warm fur coat, or a muff. A fur hat or brightly colored scarves on your head will complement the look. Fashion designers sometimes use a layering effect in modern outfits by changing the volume and shape of the sleeves.
Currently, Russian-style clothing sets for men, women, and children add national flavor to folk festivities and holidays. A new trend - a party in Russian folk style - brings guests back to Ancient Rus', to its traditions, round dances, and games.
Russian national clothing is the keeper of cultural roots. The artistic image has been preserved through many centuries. Nowadays there is a revival of interest in Russian traditions, holidays, and culture. New modern outfits are appearing that use elements of Russian costume.
