Russian folk dresses: photo, costume history and modern interpretations

Today, when almost all clothing is made in China and Turkey, it is difficult to distinguish an American from a Russian, and vice versa. But it was not always so. Another 150-200 years ago, the identity of each people emphasized his outfit. And Russian folk dresses, of course, are no exception. Clothes not only talked about where the person came from, but also could tell about his social status and position in society. This is especially noticeable in the women's folk costume.

Women's Clothing for Every Day

The basis of any outfit was a long shirt. Most often it was white or red. It was decorated with embroidery and pearls. More noble ladies put on another silk shirt, called a maid. She was tied up with a wide belt or apron. In this form, a woman could walk at home, not wearing anything else. However, when taking guests, they usually wore other clothes over their shirts.

Here, Russian folk dresses differ for women living in the north and south. Thus, representatives of the northern peoples wore a sarafan over their shirts, which was a long sleeveless dress . For its finishing, embroidery, edging, pearls and even precious stones were used. The more a woman belonged to a more noble estate, the saffron was sewn from the more expensive fabric .

In the south, women's clothing was different. Instead of wearing a sarafan, they preferred to wear it. She resembled a modern skirt, but, unlike her, poneva tied around the waist. Poneva had bright shades and in different provinces had its own color scheme. Russian national dress, the photo of which is shown above, was supplemented with an apron, a headdress and ornaments on the neck.

Outerwear

Since in most of Russia in the winter it is very cold, Russian dresses were complemented by outerwear. At peasant women and city residents it was customary to wear a quilted jacket over a woolen cloth made of cloth. Usually it was short with lots of buttons. Such a quilted jacket on the edges was decorated with gold or silver embroidery.

Noble ladies wore fur coats sewn from different furs. Their main difference from other similar outfits are long sleeves (up to 10 meters). In the right places, slots were made, where, in fact, the hands were passed. Rarely a fur coat was worn, collecting sleeves with large folds. In addition, noblewomen could supplement their outfit with a collar and a fur clutch.

For all sections of the population, both the quilted jacket and the fur coat were festive clothes. Therefore, for each day, put on a simpler single-row. It was usually made of woolen cloth and had a modest finish. Purely externally it was a very long coat, almost to the heels, with the same long sleeves. In them, as well as at a fur coat, there were slits.

Festive clothing

Of course, as now, clothes for the occasion and for every day was different. This is especially noticeable if you consider Russian folk wedding dresses. They were distinguished from other outfits by the riot of colors and the abundance of finishes. In the old days it was not customary to marry in white dresses, since this color was a symbol of holiness.

Since representatives of the lower classes could not afford a dress made of expensive fabrics, it was usually made of linen cloth. However, they compensated it with interest by fine embroidery, lace and beading. Notable ladies went out in dresses made of brocade, taffeta and even silk. They also necessarily expanded and were decorated with pearls and precious stones.

Russian folk dresses for the wedding, the future bride cooked herself, sometimes doing this for several years. After all, they were supposed to have at least four. Each of them was worn on a certain day of the wedding. In addition, it was a way to show the guests and the family of the future husband the skill of a girl chosen for wife. And this applies to all classes, not only peasant women.

Clothing by status

It is worth noting that, despite the general similarity of all the outfits, the Russian folk dress for the girl and the married woman had significant differences. Status in society was demonstrated with the help of headgear. So, a little girl usually wore a braid, in which ribbons interwoven. She also adorned herself with her head. She did not have any kokoshniks and other headgear, except for a scarf in the winter.

As soon as the girl reached puberty and became, as they say, in marriage, she tied a ribbon across her head. The ribbon was decorated with embroidery or it was plain. In addition, often these girls wore one long braid "in dissolution", not fixing from below. Of course, they periodically disintegrated: in such a simple way a girl attracted potential suitors.

Married same ladies in no case could not leave the house without a headdress. In everyday life they tied a headscarf on their head, but, unlike the girls for marriage, he was tied behind, not in front. At the same time, the braid was tightly wrapped around the head. Over her put on a hairskin. On holidays it was supposed to wear a kokoshnik, a kerchief. In winter, a fur hat was worn on his head.

Modern reading

Of course, much of the Russian folk costume has long been forgotten and lost. However, dress in Russian folk style can be found in the collections of many domestic designers. So, in Igor Gulyaev in the silhouettes of modern fur coats Russian motives are clearly discernible. Vyacheslav Zaitsev more than once in his collections showed evening dresses, in which Russian motives were clearly visible. This applies to both the silhouette and the finish.

Some designers went further and created whole collections in the Russian folk style. For example, Valentina Averyanova managed to breathe new life into national clothes. The collection she demonstrated was approved not only by international fashion critics, but also by ordinary buyers.

Finally

And today there will always be a place like this, like a Russian national dress. Photos of modern dresses in this style are increasingly found in fashion glossy magazines. In addition, the style of "folk" is now at the peak of popularity.