kasutatud postkaart
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Today we are once again sharing the gorgeous photography from the site of Kristýna Petříčková, a Czech costume designer actively engaged in the reconstruction of historical and folk costumes, but we are looking at accompanying a kroj, especially ceremonious and bridal headwear for women. She makes some of the prettiest pieces we have ever discovered.
historia rabki
Hello all, this is my 200th article, and I thought i should do something rather different. I will do an overview of the folk costumes of Europe. I will follow nation-states, as inappropriate as that may be, but i will also cover nations without states. Some very small and obscure ethnic groups will be omitted for lack of available material. I will also not be covering the north Caucuses, as there is simply too much material there. Where there is a recognized or unofficial 'National Costume' I will show that. This will necessarily not include much in the way of explanation. Iceland Upphultur Peysufot Faldbuningar Faroe Islands Ireland Scotland England Wales Brittany Bigoudin Kemper [Quimper] Plougastel France Berry Normandie [Normandy] Provence Euskadi [the Basque Country] Andorra [also Rousillon and Catalonia] Spain Andalucia La Mancha Galicia Portugal Minho Madeira Algarve Monaco [also Nice] Italy Lombardy Lazio Calabria Arbëreshë [Italo Albanians] Vatican City There is no women's costume for the Vatican Sardinia Florinas Orgosolo Quartu Sant'Elena Malta Switzerland Appenzell Valais/Wallis Graubunden/Grisons Liechtenstein Germany Miesbach, Bavaria Gutach, Schwartzwald Scheesel, Lower Saxony Luxembourg Belgium The Netherlands Volendam Beveland Staphorst Friesland [Frisia] West East North Denmark Fanø Hedebo Amager Norway There have been several attempts to design a national costume, but most of them have not received much acceptance. The most successful was a simplified form of the Hardanger costume, but this is currently little used, as most people wear their local bunad. Hardanger Setesdal Gudbrandsdal Sweden National Costume Värend Rättvik Sabme [Lappland] Jokkmokk Kautokeino Skolt Finland Häme, western Finland Kaukola, Finnish Karelia Tuuteri, on the Finnish Isthmus Estonia Järva-Jaani, North Estonia Muhu Island Setu, South Estonia Livonia Latvia Latgale Vidzeme Nica Lithuania Aukštaitija Žemaitija Vilnius Kaszëbskô [Kashubia] Poland Łowicz, Mazowsze Krakow, Małopolska Podhale One of many Górale or Highlander costumes Sorbia [Lusatia] Chosebus [Cottbus], Lower Lusatia Slepo [Schleife], Upper Lusatia Catholic costume, Upper Lusatia Bohemia Plzeň [Pilsen] Blata Nové Paky, Northeast Bohemia Moravia Hanak Valašsko Vlčnov, Slovacko Slovakia Myjava Detva Šariš Hungary Palóc Kalocsa Matyó Austria Montafon, Vorarlberg Tyrol Upper Austria Slovenia Gorenjsko Dolenjska Bela Krajina Croatia Posavina Zagrebačko Prigorje Dubrovnik/Konavle Bosnia Moslem town costume East Hercegovina Orthodox Serbian Costume Travnik, Catholic Croatian Costume Serbia Šumadija Vojvodina Gniljane Crna Gora [Montenegro] Macedonia Skopska Blatija Galichnik Radovish Gorani Albania North Albania and Kosovo [Gheg] Sulovë, Central Albania Fieri, South Albania [Tosk] Greece Amalia Costume, Athens Kriti [Crete] Karagouna, Thessaly Cyprus Bulgaria Sofia [Shope] Rhodope Severnjashko [North] Vlach in Serbia in Greece in Albania Romania Wallachia Transylvania Moldavia Moldova Gagauz Crimean Tatar Ukraine Central Ukraine Hutsul Volyn' Carpatho-Rusyn, Lemko Komancha Venhryny [Čirč region] Jakubany Belarus Svetlahorski region, Western Polissia Malarytski region, Eastern Polissia Russia Peasants from northern Russia Kaluga Province Voronezh Province Karelia [Russian held part] Tver' Province Karelians Veps Nenets The Nentsi [formerly known as the Samoyed], live along the arctic coast from the White Sea to well past the Urals, and thus into Asia. Komi Permliak Udmurtia Northern Udmurt Southern Udmurt Mari-El Ural Mari Mordovia Erzya Moksha, Contemporary Costume Men Chuvashia Anatri Chuvash bride and her father Anat Enchi bride, groom and married woman Virial Chuvash Matchmaker Tatarstan [Kazan'] Bashkortostan [Bashkir] Kalmuk [Kalmyk] Thank you for reading, I hope that you have found this to be interesting and informative. Roman Kozak
Its ambition was astonishing: to showcase the beautiful universality of human experience. Its mastermind, Edward Steichen, honed 2m pictures down to 503, capturing life in 69 countries. It started out at MoMA in 1955 then toured the world. Now, it’s back
Province Olbia-Tempio (OT) Area • Total 213.69 km2 (82.5 sq mi) Elevation 566 m (1,857 ft) Population • Total 14,230 • Density 66.6/km2 (172.5/sq mi)
Bogusławice, Piotrków region, central Poland, 1937. Image source: Wolborskie Archiwum Cyfrowe.
"Srpkinja Je Mene Majka Rodila."
Hello all, Today i am going to talk about the costume and embroidery of Zagrebačko Prigorje, in Croatia. Croatia is known to its inhabitants as Hrvatksa. For history and more information on Croatia see this article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatia Croatia has an incredible variety of folk costumes. Ethnographers consider Croatia to cover three distict ethnographic zones, the Pannonian, in the eastern plains, the Dinaric, in the mountains inland from the coast, and the Adriatic or Littoral, on the islands and the coast itself. The people are mostly Croatian or Serbian, with small minorities of Italians, Vlachs, and Romance-speaking Dalmatians in Istria. Three major dialect families are spoken, one of which, the Shto dialect, is also spoken in Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia-Hercegovina. The Kaj dialect was traditionally spoken in the country and hills around Zagreb, and the Cha dialect is spoken on the coast, especially around the city of Dubrovnik. The costumes of the three ethnographic zones are very different from one another. Here is a map of Croatia showing roughly the exent of the three zones. Note that the zones actually extend farther beyond the borders of Croatia, but that is not the scope of this map. The Pannonian zone is shown by green hatching, the Dinaric by brown, the Adriatic or Littoral in violet, and this map shows the influence of the Alpine zone along the border with Slovenia in yellow. The region i am covering today, Prigorje, is found just outside the capitol of Zagreb and is marked on this map. The Prigorje costume is one of two which are commonly considered to represent Croatia as a whole. The other is the extremely beautifully embroidered Posavina costume. Here are some representations of the Prigorje costume taken from various sources. This costume is extremely popular with Croatian Folk Groups. This photo is of a bridal couple, hence the extra frou-frou on the woman's outfit. You can see that this costume is quite distinct. I have no information about foundation garments, but the first visible garment of the woman's costume to be put on is a linen blouse, known in this region as oplece. It is very short in back, but rather longer in front. Here is the cut. There is a band of woven ornament or cross-stitch embroidery down each side of the opening, which is pinned shut. There is another piece of cloth with either embroidery or woven ornament sewn on crosswise at or close to the lower edge of the vertical ornament. Here is a closeup. In this case, the vertical ornament as well as the neckband is woven, and the horizontal is embroidered. The vertical ornament is often [regrettabley, in my opinon] covered by a bow made of Czech ribbon, as in this photo. The cuffs are also covered with either woven or embroidered ornament, and the lower sleeves are 'smocked', and embroidery is also done over them, the same sort of cross-stitch design which is done on the other parts of the blouse. Over the blouse a sort of linen jumper is worn, known as the rubača. This laces closed over the front of the blouse, as you can see above. Here is the cut. The skirt is smock-gathered into the bodice, and the bodice itself has embroidered or woven ornament along the bottom edge with the same sort of designs. Here are a couple of examples. Over this is worn a sort of cloth belt, called pas. The purpose of this is to gather the fullness of the rubača into the waist. The pas is made of a length of linen with a slightly wider length of heavier wool sewn over it. Here is the cut. Over this is worn the apron proper, which in this region is called fertun. It is made of two fields of linen sewn together. There is a band about an inch or so wide of ornament towards the lower edge. This is usually woven in, but is occasionally embroidered. Over the apron a kerchief is worn, usually folded diagonally, but sometimes lengthwise. It is preferably of silk. Most commonly it is red, but can also be yellow or blue. This is always worn with this costume. A matching kerchief is often worn on the head. Here are a couple of images showing this. See also the other photos in the posting. White knitted knee socks are worn, usually with a texture knitted into them. The 'popcorn' knit is very popular. I have just found a blog by a Croatian woman named Ruzmarinka who seems to be from one of these villages, Shestine. Here is her exposition on some of the stocking designs. http://ruzmarinke.blogspot.com/2010/09/mustre-za-sestinske-carape.html Red garters are worn above the calves, with red ribbon bows just showing below the hem of the rubača. The feet are covered with moccasin type footwear, called opanci. In this region, the uppers are woven with supple narrow strips of leather, some of which are dyed red and blue. This style of opanci are only worn in this region. You will notice that a couple of the photos show high lace-up shoes instead. Tihs is less common. This type of footwear is still made, and one can see them hanging on souvenir stands all over Croatia, like bunches of fruit or strings of onions. They are very popular with tourists. As you will notice if you look at the various images, A necklace with multiple stings of coral is often worn with this outfit. Short lengths of Czech ribbon are often attached in bunches around the neck, and can often be seen over the shoulders. There is a short sheepskin vest worn with this costume, called kožulec. The fleece is turned over onto the right side around the edges. It is ornamented with loops of cord on the front, and leather applique in many colors on the back. Here is the cut and a couple of closeups. As you can see, unmarried girls wore their hair in braids which hung loose, in this case with short bunches of Czech ribbon attached to the ends. Married women also wore their hair in braids which were attached to a rectangular frame at the back of the head, which imparted a particular shape to the headress. This was then covered with a kerchief which was tied either under the chin or at the nape of the neck. A linen cap or a type of linen hood similar to the Italian Tovaglia were also worn. The man's costume is based on a linen shirt with the basic east Croatian cut. It has the same vertical and horizontal bands of woven or embroidered ornament as the woman's. The collar is sometimes done in white on white surface stitching or other embroidery. Here is the cut. In summer, simple linen pants are worn, similar to those over a wide area of Pannonia. In this region they are tucked into black boots. In winter wool pants with braid and a flap in font are worn, but these are seldom seen. Here is the cut of the basic linen pants. The two partial shapes at the bottom are not part of these pants. There is a cloth vest, called Lajbek,which is also highly ornamented with braid and studs, and often with embroidery as well. It is relatively larger than the women's. There is almost always a hook shaped ornament on the front, and the back varies quite a bit. The edges and the lapels are highly ornamented with braid. It has cords in the front which are tied into complex flat knots resembling those of east Asia. Here is the cut and a couple of closeups of the vest. As you can see, the men's costume is completed with a wide leather belt which has a flap that covers the buckles, a small round felt hat, and a jacket. The jacket is called Surka, and is very similar to jackets worn in parts of the Dinaric Mountains and the Carpathians, noteably in Vrlika, Zakopane and the Hutsul area. It is made of very heavy homespun wool, and is often worn draped over the shoulders in all of these areas. It is typically made of natural dark wool, and trimmed with braid, although not as heavily as the vest. See the various photos in this posting. Here is the cut and a couple of closeups of the jacket. Apparantly, the people in this region feel that the costume is not complete without the red umbrella with stripes around the edge. Thank you for reading, and i hope that you have found this interesting and perhaps inspiring. Here are a couple of websites i found with more informatiion: The second one is by Ruzmarinka. I have given links to several of the pages of her blog, which is in Croatian. Hvala lepa Ruzmarinko!! At this one you can buy Croatian Costume Pieces. http://cromall.com/traditional_clothing.php Ruzmarinka writes about her village costume in general: http://ruzmarinke.blogspot.com/2010/09/sestinska-narodna-nosnja.html Ruzmarinka shows in detail how to make and embroidery a rubača, including the openwork in the bottom of the front two seams. http://ruzmarinke.blogspot.com/2010/10/zenska-nosnja.html Ruzmarinka shows off the embroidery she made for a man's shirt. http://ruzmarinke.blogspot.com/2010/10/muska-sestinska-nosnja.html And finally, two videos, This one is by Ruzmarinka, a bunch of photos, including ones of her, set to quite schmaltzy music. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Hxd_YWCCeM And this one is of the famous Prigorje dance suite by the performing group Lado. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1-QmzqO5js Feel free to contact me with requests for research. I hope to eventually cover all of Europe and the Former Russian Empire/Soviet Union. I also gratefully accept tips on source materials which i may not have. I also accept commissions to research/design, sew, and/or embroider costumes or other items for groups or individuals. Roman K. mailto:[email protected] Source Material: Nerina Eckhel, 'Narodna Nosnja Prigorja', Zagreb, 1984 Ivankovic & Sumenic, 'Croatian National Costumes', Zagreb, 2001 Vladimir Kirin, 'Narodne Nosnje Jugoslavije - Hrvatska', Zagreb, 1986 Mary Gostelow, 'The Complete International Book of Embroidery', New York, 1977 Ribaric/Szenczi, 'Vezak Vezla - Croatian Folk Embroidery', Zagreb, 1973 Jelka Ribaric et al, 'The Folk Costumes of Croatia', Zagreb, 1975 Vjekoslav Majer et al, 'Zagreb and its Surroundings',Zagreb, 1975 Walter Kolar, 'Croatians - Costumes they Wear', Pittsburgh, 1975 Nikola Pantelic, 'Traditional Arts and Crafts in Yugoslavia', Belgrade, 1984 Vladimir Salopek, 'Folk Costumes and Dances of Yugoslavia, Zagreb, 1987 Postcards in personal collection National Geographic Magazine
Province Olbia-Tempio (OT) Area • Total 213.69 km2 (82.5 sq mi) Elevation 566 m (1,857 ft) Population • Total 14,230 • Density 66.6/km2 (172.5/sq mi)
Hello all, Today I will talk about the traditional attire of the Lachy. This is a Polish ethnic group which lives north of the Gorale,...
Spending the weekend in sunny Kraków, researching folk costume and Polish traditional crafts.
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Bogusławice, Piotrków region, central Poland, 1937. Image source: Wolborskie Archiwum Cyfrowe.
"Srpkinja Je Mene Majka Rodila."
Hello all, Today i am going to talk about the costume and embroidery of Zagrebačko Prigorje, in Croatia. Croatia is known to its inhabitants as Hrvatksa. For history and more information on Croatia see this article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatia Croatia has an incredible variety of folk costumes. Ethnographers consider Croatia to cover three distict ethnographic zones, the Pannonian, in the eastern plains, the Dinaric, in the mountains inland from the coast, and the Adriatic or Littoral, on the islands and the coast itself. The people are mostly Croatian or Serbian, with small minorities of Italians, Vlachs, and Romance-speaking Dalmatians in Istria. Three major dialect families are spoken, one of which, the Shto dialect, is also spoken in Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia-Hercegovina. The Kaj dialect was traditionally spoken in the country and hills around Zagreb, and the Cha dialect is spoken on the coast, especially around the city of Dubrovnik. The costumes of the three ethnographic zones are very different from one another. Here is a map of Croatia showing roughly the exent of the three zones. Note that the zones actually extend farther beyond the borders of Croatia, but that is not the scope of this map. The Pannonian zone is shown by green hatching, the Dinaric by brown, the Adriatic or Littoral in violet, and this map shows the influence of the Alpine zone along the border with Slovenia in yellow. The region i am covering today, Prigorje, is found just outside the capitol of Zagreb and is marked on this map. The Prigorje costume is one of two which are commonly considered to represent Croatia as a whole. The other is the extremely beautifully embroidered Posavina costume. Here are some representations of the Prigorje costume taken from various sources. This costume is extremely popular with Croatian Folk Groups. This photo is of a bridal couple, hence the extra frou-frou on the woman's outfit. You can see that this costume is quite distinct. I have no information about foundation garments, but the first visible garment of the woman's costume to be put on is a linen blouse, known in this region as oplece. It is very short in back, but rather longer in front. Here is the cut. There is a band of woven ornament or cross-stitch embroidery down each side of the opening, which is pinned shut. There is another piece of cloth with either embroidery or woven ornament sewn on crosswise at or close to the lower edge of the vertical ornament. Here is a closeup. In this case, the vertical ornament as well as the neckband is woven, and the horizontal is embroidered. The vertical ornament is often [regrettabley, in my opinon] covered by a bow made of Czech ribbon, as in this photo. The cuffs are also covered with either woven or embroidered ornament, and the lower sleeves are 'smocked', and embroidery is also done over them, the same sort of cross-stitch design which is done on the other parts of the blouse. Over the blouse a sort of linen jumper is worn, known as the rubača. This laces closed over the front of the blouse, as you can see above. Here is the cut. The skirt is smock-gathered into the bodice, and the bodice itself has embroidered or woven ornament along the bottom edge with the same sort of designs. Here are a couple of examples. Over this is worn a sort of cloth belt, called pas. The purpose of this is to gather the fullness of the rubača into the waist. The pas is made of a length of linen with a slightly wider length of heavier wool sewn over it. Here is the cut. Over this is worn the apron proper, which in this region is called fertun. It is made of two fields of linen sewn together. There is a band about an inch or so wide of ornament towards the lower edge. This is usually woven in, but is occasionally embroidered. Over the apron a kerchief is worn, usually folded diagonally, but sometimes lengthwise. It is preferably of silk. Most commonly it is red, but can also be yellow or blue. This is always worn with this costume. A matching kerchief is often worn on the head. Here are a couple of images showing this. See also the other photos in the posting. White knitted knee socks are worn, usually with a texture knitted into them. The 'popcorn' knit is very popular. I have just found a blog by a Croatian woman named Ruzmarinka who seems to be from one of these villages, Shestine. Here is her exposition on some of the stocking designs. http://ruzmarinke.blogspot.com/2010/09/mustre-za-sestinske-carape.html Red garters are worn above the calves, with red ribbon bows just showing below the hem of the rubača. The feet are covered with moccasin type footwear, called opanci. In this region, the uppers are woven with supple narrow strips of leather, some of which are dyed red and blue. This style of opanci are only worn in this region. You will notice that a couple of the photos show high lace-up shoes instead. Tihs is less common. This type of footwear is still made, and one can see them hanging on souvenir stands all over Croatia, like bunches of fruit or strings of onions. They are very popular with tourists. As you will notice if you look at the various images, A necklace with multiple stings of coral is often worn with this outfit. Short lengths of Czech ribbon are often attached in bunches around the neck, and can often be seen over the shoulders. There is a short sheepskin vest worn with this costume, called kožulec. The fleece is turned over onto the right side around the edges. It is ornamented with loops of cord on the front, and leather applique in many colors on the back. Here is the cut and a couple of closeups. As you can see, unmarried girls wore their hair in braids which hung loose, in this case with short bunches of Czech ribbon attached to the ends. Married women also wore their hair in braids which were attached to a rectangular frame at the back of the head, which imparted a particular shape to the headress. This was then covered with a kerchief which was tied either under the chin or at the nape of the neck. A linen cap or a type of linen hood similar to the Italian Tovaglia were also worn. The man's costume is based on a linen shirt with the basic east Croatian cut. It has the same vertical and horizontal bands of woven or embroidered ornament as the woman's. The collar is sometimes done in white on white surface stitching or other embroidery. Here is the cut. In summer, simple linen pants are worn, similar to those over a wide area of Pannonia. In this region they are tucked into black boots. In winter wool pants with braid and a flap in font are worn, but these are seldom seen. Here is the cut of the basic linen pants. The two partial shapes at the bottom are not part of these pants. There is a cloth vest, called Lajbek,which is also highly ornamented with braid and studs, and often with embroidery as well. It is relatively larger than the women's. There is almost always a hook shaped ornament on the front, and the back varies quite a bit. The edges and the lapels are highly ornamented with braid. It has cords in the front which are tied into complex flat knots resembling those of east Asia. Here is the cut and a couple of closeups of the vest. As you can see, the men's costume is completed with a wide leather belt which has a flap that covers the buckles, a small round felt hat, and a jacket. The jacket is called Surka, and is very similar to jackets worn in parts of the Dinaric Mountains and the Carpathians, noteably in Vrlika, Zakopane and the Hutsul area. It is made of very heavy homespun wool, and is often worn draped over the shoulders in all of these areas. It is typically made of natural dark wool, and trimmed with braid, although not as heavily as the vest. See the various photos in this posting. Here is the cut and a couple of closeups of the jacket. Apparantly, the people in this region feel that the costume is not complete without the red umbrella with stripes around the edge. Thank you for reading, and i hope that you have found this interesting and perhaps inspiring. Here are a couple of websites i found with more informatiion: The second one is by Ruzmarinka. I have given links to several of the pages of her blog, which is in Croatian. Hvala lepa Ruzmarinko!! At this one you can buy Croatian Costume Pieces. http://cromall.com/traditional_clothing.php Ruzmarinka writes about her village costume in general: http://ruzmarinke.blogspot.com/2010/09/sestinska-narodna-nosnja.html Ruzmarinka shows in detail how to make and embroidery a rubača, including the openwork in the bottom of the front two seams. http://ruzmarinke.blogspot.com/2010/10/zenska-nosnja.html Ruzmarinka shows off the embroidery she made for a man's shirt. http://ruzmarinke.blogspot.com/2010/10/muska-sestinska-nosnja.html And finally, two videos, This one is by Ruzmarinka, a bunch of photos, including ones of her, set to quite schmaltzy music. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Hxd_YWCCeM And this one is of the famous Prigorje dance suite by the performing group Lado. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1-QmzqO5js Feel free to contact me with requests for research. I hope to eventually cover all of Europe and the Former Russian Empire/Soviet Union. I also gratefully accept tips on source materials which i may not have. I also accept commissions to research/design, sew, and/or embroider costumes or other items for groups or individuals. Roman K. mailto:[email protected] Source Material: Nerina Eckhel, 'Narodna Nosnja Prigorja', Zagreb, 1984 Ivankovic & Sumenic, 'Croatian National Costumes', Zagreb, 2001 Vladimir Kirin, 'Narodne Nosnje Jugoslavije - Hrvatska', Zagreb, 1986 Mary Gostelow, 'The Complete International Book of Embroidery', New York, 1977 Ribaric/Szenczi, 'Vezak Vezla - Croatian Folk Embroidery', Zagreb, 1973 Jelka Ribaric et al, 'The Folk Costumes of Croatia', Zagreb, 1975 Vjekoslav Majer et al, 'Zagreb and its Surroundings',Zagreb, 1975 Walter Kolar, 'Croatians - Costumes they Wear', Pittsburgh, 1975 Nikola Pantelic, 'Traditional Arts and Crafts in Yugoslavia', Belgrade, 1984 Vladimir Salopek, 'Folk Costumes and Dances of Yugoslavia, Zagreb, 1987 Postcards in personal collection National Geographic Magazine
Young married woman's costume, second half of the 19th century. Sofia region, Bulgaria. NEM.
Hello all, Here you can see the mens Krakowiak costume as it appears on stage and in parades today. This one variant has taken over. The only significant difference is in the embroidery on the front corners of the kaftan. In actuality there was much more variety of clothing worn by the men in the Krakow district. This version is based on the one which was taken as a military dress uniform for the Polish army for a time. There has always been a strong influence of military uniforms on mens costuming. The shirt is of linen with full sleeves, as is usual in European traditional costume. The neck is fastened with a red ribbon. The shirt is usually plain, but here is an exceptional example from the village of Rudawa which is embroidered. The construction is typical. The pants most commonly associated with this costume are linen with vertical red and white stripes. In the eastern Krakow region sometimes we see blue and white stripes. Plain white linen pants are worn for work and everyday, and blue wool pants are also worn for dress. A long vest called kaftan is worn with this costume. It most commonly comes almost to the knee although shorter examples are known. They are blue or sometimes black. They have tails in the back for riding, and are usually decorated with buttons, tassels, and sometimes embroidery on the front corners. The pocket flaps are also decorated. The kaftan is often belted. Of the various belts used, three are most typical; the wide belt known as Trzos, decorated with studs, embroidery and tassels. A narrow belt with small cymbals attached. This is the kind usually seen in performances. A narrow belt with metal plates called smyczka. This is wrapped two or three times around the waist, similar belts are worn by Slovaks. As in many other places, things like pouches, flint and steel, knives and hoofpicks were often hung from the belt and sometimes attached to it. A long wool overcoat called Sukman is sometimes considered to be the most symbolic of this region. There are many local variations in detail of ornament, but in general they are of white wool with a standing collar in West Krakow costume, and of brown wool with an embroidered cape-collar in some East Krakow costumes. These are often worn over or instead of the kaftan. The embroidery on these collars varies quite a bit by district. Three kinds of hats are most commonly associated with this costume, all of which may be seen in the above photos. 1. The Rogatywka, the four-cornered hat which is sometimes seen as the very emblem of Poland. This is usually decorated with peacock feathers, and sometimes ribbons and flowers for weddings and other very special occasions. 2. The Magierka, a round knitted cap which is usually tan colored with small designs knitted in. This is very popular with farmers especially. 3. A dressy, slightly conical top hat called Celender [cylinder]. This was later replaced by a modern felt hat, which is unfortunate. There are other, lesser-known garments and variants. Sometimes the kaftan has sleeves, in which case it is often called a żupan. Here is an example from the village of Mników, it also is ornamented with red braid and mother of pearl buttons to match the woman's gorset. This ornamentation is also found in the sleeveless version. Here is a couple from Bronowice wearing a similar costume. There is a short jacket which overlaps and buttons in front called Kabat. This is decorated with topstitching and may be worn alone or under the kaftan or Sukman. This garment became very popular in Western Poland, the red variant in Wielkopolska and the blue in Silesia. Both were also worn in the Krakow area. e There is a long linen coat which resembles the sukman, but is minimally decorated. This garment is also found in Ukraine and other countries, but in Poland is called płótnianka. This is worn in warmer weather, which of course, also calls for a straw hat. In winter in the Krakow region, as in most Slavic nations, they wear sheepskin hats and overcoats of wool or sheepskin. Thank you for reading, I hope that you have found this to be interesting and informative This website offers vintage costumes from Poland and other places for sale. http://www.easterneuropeanart.com/polish.htm Here is a Polish website which specializes in Krakow costume. These are contemporary pieces. http://www.perfekt.krakow.pl/stroje A video of the Polish college group Slowianki doing the Krakowiak. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXbtEdgvNFU The national emsemble Mazowsze doing the Krakowiak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-sxkrzNDyk The national ensemble Slask doing the Krakowiak. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5bwS62m_Sk Feel free to contact me with requests for research. I hope to eventually cover all of Europe and the Former Russian Empire/Soviet Union. I also gratefully accept tips on source materials which i may not have. I also accept commissions to research/design, sew, and/or embroider costumes or other items for groups or individuals. I also choreograph and teach folk dance. Roman K. email: [email protected] Source material: Barbara Kożuch et al, 'Krakow Regional Costumes', Kraków, 2004 Barbara Kożuch et al, 'Cracow's Regional Costumes', Kraków, 2003 Stanisław Gadomski, 'Strój Ludowy w Polsce', Kraków, Barbara Bazielich, 'Strój Ludowy w Polsce - Opisy i Wykroje', Kraków, 1997 Aleksander Blachowski, 'Hafty Polskie Szycie', Lublin, 2004
