Russian folk costume and its features

Folk costume is the whole identity of the culture of a particular nation. In the cover of the apparel, the secrets of skill accumulated over the centuries, passed down from generation to generation through the women's line, are used. Embroidery always has its own history, and the colors of clothes are chosen not accidentally. In a suit different types of decorative creativity are reunited. It is thanks to the ancient fashion that you can plunge into history, imagine how people lived hundreds of years ago.

Russian folk costume brings us information about the life of our ancestors, their aesthetics, way of life and worldview. Here we see the material used by our ancestors for tailoring (usually linen, cotton), patterns of embroidery. It is worth paying attention to the style of apparel. To this day, Russian costume inspires couturiers to create modernized national dresses. The basis for the outfit, both in men and in women, was a shirt. It had a tunic-shaped loose fit. The guys combined the shirt with the ports, which were sewed from straight panels with gusset. The pants were fixed with a belt. Shoes, as a rule, chose the season: in spring and summer they wore bast shoes, and in the cold period - boots. The outfit of the woman was brighter and multilayered. In everyday life, the girl wore an apron on her shirt. If the solemn event was expected, the mistress of the house did not forget about the embroidered sarafan and headdress.

The image of the inhabitants of the peoples of the north and south varied significantly. So, for example, southerners differed more bright and unusual clothes. The cutting of the shirts was more complicated than that of the northerners, and the material for sewing was light and thin. There was a difference and embroidery of different regions. The pattern of threads on the fabric was not embroidered simply for beauty. The ancient peoples were sure that the drawing on the hem, along the rim of the sleeves and collar protects the person from the evil eye and spoilage.

Folk costumes carry not only historical information about how the fashion in Russia was changing and developing, but also demonstrate the skill of the craftsmen of that time. So, for example, the bridegroom, choosing a bride, paid attention to her dowry, which she embroidered for herself. One of the most important parts of the image of a Russian beauty was a sarafan. The more beautiful, richer and more skillfully the sarafan was embroidered, the more dignified was the girl. Expensive silks and velvet for dresses of successors only rich merchants afforded themselves, while poor people from the people were satisfied with cotton and linen. Their luxurious sarafans young girls were reserved for special occasions and demonstrated only at the engagement or wedding.

The folk costume of the Russian peasant was simple and multifunctional, but our people never lost face and dignity. Our ancestors emphasized their belonging to the Russian nature, personified themselves with animals and birds. This can be seen in embroideries on shirts, which depict swans, ducks, birches in the form as they were artistically represented by people.

A great variety of variations has a Russian folk costume. He changed frequently, but truly national patterns and styles remained in our memory to this day. Nowadays, you can buy a folk costume, similar to that worn by the inhabitants of Ancient Rus, in special shops. The benefits of his samples have survived to this day.