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What traditional or folk costume particularly resonates with you?

Lantana

Veteran

A recent post by Manidipa (thankyou Mani!) was the final nudge I needed to pen thoughts I have been mulling over for ages.
I've worn trousers with skirts regularly this winter. It's the ideal way to keep my legs warm without resorting to buying long boots, a decision I cannot justify given the short and mild winters in my part of Australia.
I feel the "pants with full skirt" silhouette below is reminiscent of women's traditional dress in many countries. Folk dress (do tell me if that's non-PC) is an area of "fashion" that I find particularly fascinating. The influences that combine to create these amazing works of art are infinitely complex and it is beyond me to explore them here and now.
What I would like to share with you is that I have learned a little about my own style preferences from looking at traditional dress. While I adore the simplicity of Vietnamese traditional dress (sorry, no pic) it's this Bulgarian woman's dress that resonates with me. The full skirt and defined waist suit my full bottomed, hourglass figure; the fitted bodice answers my winter need to have ribs firmly swaddled against the cold; the 3/4 sleeves and head scarf appeal to my practical nature; and the decorative elements simply make my heart sing.
I love the overall proportions too.
So, over to you - is there a traditional or folk costume that particularly resonates with you?

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51 replies

Latest reply was from rachylou

Jeanie

Veteran

Interesting topic. I do sometimes admire India Saris for their beautiful vibrant silks, full coverage, and comfort. Sometimes I think being fully covered is more beautiful than exposed skin. I do love the Bulgarian dress you showed above and think that I could very much enjoy that style as I also have the hourglass figure and the pieces provide warmth and figure flattery. Will think more on this topic!

jayne

Veteran

As my daughter says ' that looks like a bunad'! which is the norwegian national dress. Same long, A line, heavy skirt, same vest with embroidery, white linen blouse, and a head scarf. I love seeing those outfits everywhere on the 17th of may (national day here). It really makes everyone a woman, gorgeous color, feminine shape, luxurious handwork!

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Lantana

Veteran

So Jeanie do you see yourself in clothes that have features you admire in Indian saris? That is, you might not wear a sari, yet you might choose a vibrant silk in a long sleeved shirt or long pants?

Jayne, do women of all ages wear a bunad? Have you worn one yourself? The colours are stunning and make me want to know - whose idea was that in the first place? Is it that those colours complement the natural landscape? Or was it to do with availability of dyes? Intriguing.

Deborah

Veteran

Not something I have thought about before Lantana....interesting thread. I have a real affinity for the Japanese Kimono. In fact earlier in the year I bought two beautiful Kimonos. I love the styling and the flow and I think it does reflect my style preferences.

ManidipaM

Veteran

It's funny. Like Jeanie, I love the saree --- but diametrically different reasons. It's the original one-size-fits-all. A 6-year-old or a woman two feet taller than me and twice my girth could as easily raid my wardrobe. And so many ways to drape it, with subtle or significant differences to flatter every body. Also the sensual peek-a-boo of a well-draped saree---hiding but highlighting the bosom and hips, declaring the slender waist as it flares downward, hinting at cleavage or exposing it, capitalizing on the line of the backbone, showing off collarbones and shoulder blades, showcasing a dainty ankle... And I actually prefer the sturdy cotton sarees in the various regional vegetable dyes to silk. They make the most of the garment's practicality for an active life and require no special handling.

Incidentally, my preferred silhouettes of tunic and leggings or long skirt are actually not culturally my own the way that the saree is.

However, of truly international costumes, I love Japanese men's and Chinese women's wear. The fabrics, the folds, the restraint of line and the elegant practicality... Oh, and old-fashioned Russian embroidered dresses and tunics... The Cossack silhouette...

Lantana

Veteran

Deborah, your choice makes perfect sense and this is what I find so interesting. I admire the kimono but I don't share your affinity for it. This is why looking at traditional dress helps me to understand my signature " line".

Mani, thank you for joining this conversation and the inside story on the sari. The sari as one size fits all - how true and furthermore, no quibbles about age appropriate dressing. Hooray for that!
Interestingly, much as I admire the sari it does not speak to me in the way that the costumes from the Steppes do. Why that should be I really do not know.
Your own preferred silhouette of tunic and leggings or long skirt - where would you source that culturally?

ManidipaM

Veteran

Northern and western Indian communities, respectively. My cultural community in the east of the country traditionally only wore the saree, and are only now wearing the tunic and loose pants or leggings---even so older women don't wear these, the kameez and salwar or churidars, much unless they are very 'modern'. Jeans or Western pants are pretty restricted beyond young adulthood still among Bengalis, non-maxi skirts and dresses even less common. It's interesting to watch the cross-pollination though.

Vildy

Veteran

This is an intriguing topic. I thought at first I would like Bolivia with the bowler hat but otherwise has too much fabric. Thought about Scotland with men's plaid kilt - love pleats and plaid - but I would get tired of the same pattern all the time. Then I saw this:

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cobaltblue

Veteran

I'm with Deborah in choosing kimono, with their rectangular silhouette but great drape and unexpected color pairings. I especially love the textures in handwoven obi and the sounds the fabric makes when you put on kimono.

As far as practicality goes, I'd be best off dressing like a medieval European peasant. Linen, wool, cotton, and a bodice that does up at the front!

Diana

Veteran

Aesthetically I love the look, lines, and fabric of the kimono. However I think I'd hate to wear it as it is constricting (yikes, tight obi abound my rib cage... shudder), fussy, difficult to put on, and restrictive of motion. I think I'd like to wear the men's version much more. (Incidentally this seems to be a theme with much Asian traditional clothing, at least of the ceremonial type, where the men's version is so much more practical and you can actually move in it.)

Lyrebirdgully

Hi Lantana, I really like your whole outfit.(your hairstyle looks great too). I also use this skirt silhouette, both summer and winter, for its figure flattery - in fact I'm too embarrassed to even count how many A-line and full/pleated skirts of knee or midi length I own.( But not a single pencil skirt.)

Re the pants underneath: I like the look of pants under skirts, such as your example, but am not sure how to go about handling the bulk of the pants around the hips, as it would show through the skirt. How do you deal with this? Do you only wear very soft lightweight pants without belt loops, front pleats, front zippers, back and front pockets etc? do you buy particular pants just for this purpose?

My favourite folk costume is probably Russian, though I know very little about it. I'm attracted to the textiles and the traditional embroideries, prints and patterns.(This would no doubt explain why I collect so many scarves...) Slava Zaitsev http://luxussilk.wordpress.com.....-designer/( Pic #2) is a Russian designer I discovered a few years back whose use of woven patterns and texture in modern clothing I love.

I also admire Vika Gazinskaya (pic#3) and Ulyana Sergeenko (pic#4) of the "Russian fash pack" for bringing national folk elements into their own wardrobes -- such as the long full skirt, fur, and the headscarf/ turban or hat. These are designers who are not afraid to take the risk of looking frumpy as they showcase shapes that their great grandmothers might have worn. I wouldn't necessarily want to wear all their designs (for me, Vika can be too kawai, Ulyana can be too literally vintage) but I am fascinated by the "oldfashioned-ness" that informs their style.

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Lantana

Veteran

Mani, fascinating insights, thank you.
Vildy, a Norwegian men's bunad! Fitted jacket, vest and knickerbockers, so practical and stylish - how would you translate this into an outfit you would wear?
Cobaltblue, what a contrast you present and yet I see this in your post today - silk and denim, the iconic luxury fabric v the most practical.
Diana, you make the same point as cobaltblue: kimono is beautiful in its line and fabric but not practical: "fussy, difficult to put on and restrictive" But I recognise kimono love in your style: the embroidered jacket; drape; and floral motifs spring to mind.

Diana

Veteran

Oh, I thought of another one, although I think this is more historical than folk. I love Ancient Greek clothing! (And that is comfortable and practical!)

cobaltblue

Veteran

Diana, I actually think a kimono is comfortable! Maybe because I'm so strapped in that I don't have to worry about my gut hanging out. I'll admit, though, that I've never gardened or scrubbed toilets in a kimono.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

What a fascinating question, Lantana!

I love your outfit (and, of course, your hair!) Although, like Lyrebirdgully, I am filled with questions about how you manage pants under a skirt without feeling bulky! I have asked Deborah about this, too. Whenever I try it (with whatever trousers I try) I feel bumpy, lumpy, and awkward. I wonder why this feeling seems to infect some of us and not others? I must say, I even get this feeling to some extent when I wear tights (which I must wear, in winter, if I wear a dress or skirt). So perhaps I'm just unusually picky about that.

The first "traditional" dress that came to mind, for me, is the qipao. I put the word traditional in quotation marks because, of course, the qipao as we typically imagine it is actually a modern variation of Chinese traditional dress. I thought that was interesting in itself -- that my "traditional" choice would, in fact, be quite modern.

While I love the beautiful colours and fabrications of the classic qipao, I wouldn't actually wear a silk brocade one except perhaps for a very special occasion. What draws me far more-- and what translates immediately into my current style -- is the line of the style. What appeals to me is its simplicity. Square shoulders, a typically high collar. Often an asymmetric element (to the closure, particularly).

A qipao lacks the draping and folding of a kimono. It follows the lines of the body. It can be form-fitting and even sexy, but it can also be much boxier and looser (allowing freedom of movement). It can be extremely ladylike and feminine -- or it can be androgynous and even boyish.

I can see myself in any one of the pieces below, or a variation thereof. They're not dissimilar to styles I already own and wear.

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Lantana

Veteran

Lyrebirdgully I have two pairs of skinnies I wear under skirts. One is grey ponte from Target and is pull on so has no hardwear at all. The other is black velvet with a bit of stretch and has faux front pockets so once again, no lumps and bumps
I have finally embraced pencil skirts, never thought I would or could so there you go -might you give them a try?
Thankyou for introducing me to Slava Zaitsev. Swoon. I can understand why your love of traditional embroidery is expressed via scarves. I think a whole outfit of heavily embellished clothing a la Zaitsev would look costumey here, whereas a pair of boots or a jacket or a vest would be stunning.
Please let me know what "kawai" means.
Diana, your addition of the Greeks fits: they were masters of drape.

Lantana

Veteran

Suz I think the reason I can do pants under skirt is that I have a broad pelvis and all my intestinal paraphernalia sits right back in it. That is, I have a naturally flat tummy. That's my theory.
The qipao does indeed have your signature line. If you were to cut and paste your head onto that first photo ... Well, it's quite remarkable.

Vildy

Veteran

Re: the bunad, what translation? Seems ultra easy to wear to me. Tailored, structured jacket - no saggy, no baggy, no flouncy. Knickers seem to grant total mobility. Love men's shoes.

Now, here's something interesting. "National costume" for my heritage would be Hasidic or Orthodox Jewish woman pre-war Poland. No thanks. Too much skirt, headscarf or turban. But I had a long-lost photo of maternal great-grandfather who was a shich und zocken (how I mangle the term "shoes and socks") rabbi. That is, he had the short pants, the white socks, the black shoes. Like others commenting, I find the male costumes much freer to wear.

Maybe I should change screen name to Yentl the yeshiva boy.

Heh. now that I think of it, Singer was a cousin on my father's side. I think they lived in my paternal grandfather's house for a little while.

cobaltblue

Veteran

Those are lovely, Suz! I love the continuum from androgynous to completely ladylike. I think that's part of why I like kimono. The female body is basically made into a rectangular column for the kimono to hang on. Sort of the opposite of a corset, I guess. So there's androgynous shape, amazing drape, and "feminine" colors and textures. Interesting to note that the kimono as we know it is fairly modern, too. All the rigid rules about kimono wearing and styling are from just before WWII, if I remember correctly. Till then, kimono evolved naturally and had fewer restrictions. I'm sure those worn daily by commoners were much more practical - worn like the informal yukata (cotton summer kimono) than the fancypants ones we see today. I'd add pictures if I weren't on my phone!

christieanne

Veteran

Interesting topic!

I have Norwegian heritage on my dad's side so instantly thought of a bunad. I have not worn one myself in years though. Each district in Norway has their own version so lots of variety. I love the embroidered versions.
My own way of integrating a traditional garment into every day is the Norwegian sweater. Pattered, typically wool (although I have a nice heavy cotton version too) and with pewter buttons.

My mom's father is from Scotland so I am also very inspired by any kind of tartan or rich plaid. I love to have a clan scarf in my wardrobe.

Beth Ann

Veteran

I love the Chinese quipao and kimonos, but I feel they suit a smaller, more linear female form. For me, I love the Saree and the pants/leggings that I associate with northern India (am I right about this? I'm not sure). I adore textires, particularly when they feel luxurious next to the skin, and I adore draping and variety. They follows the curves, which is good, although I don't have the slender ankles so prized in that part of the world.

When I worked as a Music Therapist, I was asked by a colleague to wear some of her 60 -- yes -- 60---- sarees and kurtas, etc., in a fashion show. Some of the leggings wouldn't fit around my ankles. I'd never before experienced "sizing" in ankles! My colleague was very genteel, but she clearly thought I had ankles belonging to a buffalo!

I am looking for some draped slender skirt patterns for fall. Kind of a cross between a pencil and a sarong. Perhaps this is my practical application?

rachylou

Veteran

Oh, another interesting question! I was sitting here realising I basically love anything involving an apron/pinafore and/or a bonnet. Which is pretty much the same as my own Bay Area Native Wear... lol, all those hipsters in their slouchy beanies and shop aprons. I do also like dress and pants outfits, and plaids.

1 - Tibetan
2 - Bavarian
3 - Swedish?

I suppose I ought to hem my chupa properly and sew the ties on the apron.

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rebekahphoto

Veteran

Interesting questions & responses.....While I love the silks of eastern clothing, the fitted shapes do not seem as well suited for my figure as the traditional dress of my own heritage (Norwegian, Danish, German) The fitted busts and A-line/fuller skirts of the Bunad and Dirndl seem to be ideal fit for my curvy, busty hourglass figure.

At my wedding we decided to have a German style oktoberfest reception (my Dad is 2nd generation German), and it was an opportunity for the family to purchase traditional clothing, (as none had any....) and of course to have fun. I had a great time purchasing both German & Austrian Dirndls & ended up with a few different colors & styles in red, black, blue....(ebay..)

So after the ceremony we changed and had a party! the attached photo is my immediate family. My cousins on my moms side are all pretty busty, & it was the first time any of us had worn dirndls, it was nice for a change to find dresses that actually fit the bust! The MR is Mexican by heritage, and he also had a great time finding German outfits to wear, and enjoyed purchasing suspenders in Munich & all sorts of different hat pins too....

now I just need to get a Bunad....

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ramya

Veteran

Oh I love anything indian the saris the salwar kameez ie loose drapey pants and tunics, chudidars legging type pants. Everything indian:)

Caro in Oz

Veteran

Very interesting topic & I loved reading all the responses.

I can't say that I'm drawn to any particular style. I guess that is what makes me eclectic but I love modern takes on traditional clothing - that is what Miyake, Kawakubo & Yamamoto did so well.

If I had to pick anything it would be this

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Lantana

Veteran

Vildy I had never heard of a bunad until Ingunn responded to this post. I searched for the etymology and it comes from an old Norse word but I cannot find a translation. You and others comment on a preference for men's traditional dress, finding it more practical, less restrictive. Yes, I do too and wear pants just about every day of my life and yet those old silhouettes still whisper to me.
Cobaltblue, such interesting comments about kimono.
Christianne, you wore a bunad, how lucky are you to have that cultural connection. It seems it's the decorative elements of traditional dress that appeal to you?
Beth Ann, I learned from Mani that the tunic and leggings is from the north and west of India(check above, I think I got that right). I drift naturally to that silhouette during our long, hot summer. Bulgaria for winter, India for summer!
Oop, visitors, gotta go!

Jenava

(website)

Veteran

I do have a yen for the kimono (lol) because i studies Japanese history. But, it's very unflattering on ladies with a chest. I choose the anarkali, from India! I actually had a friend bring me a version back when she came back from a home visit to Chennai. Apparently this is supposed to be derived from a Mongolian princess dress? Either way, so pretty and feminine!

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Jenava

(website)

Veteran

PS, if you have boobs, and you are being dressed in kimono, they will wrap a towel around your waist to your waist and boobs are approx the same width...yeah...not exactly flattering for those of us with boobs who like our hourglass figure! (-; But, I agree the fabrics are to die for. Esp. love the Heian era robes. Back then, the ladies would shave their eyebrows off and paint them on much higher on their forehead (and paint their teeth black with charcoal).

Lantana

Veteran

RachyLou, a chupa sounds good. There are patterns for chupa and other folkwear on this site:
http://www.agelesspatterns.com/
They even have a Bolivian Milkmaid's Jacket although if its authenticity is to be judged by their "Australian Bush Outfit" I'd have my doubts.

Rebekah, like you I love the line and fabric of Eastern clothing but have the figure that the dirndl was created for. I'd love to go to a dirndl party!

Ramya, there's a lot of love for everything Indian on this forum both from those whose heritage it is and those others, me included, who recognise a way of dressing that combines ease and beauty.

Jeneva, I feel the same way about kimono for me but love it on a body where it behaves as it is meant to. When I have worn a kimono-esque garment the fabric falls from my bust as from a promontory. I look all head and shoulders and there is no pleasing drape. Now an anarkali on the other hand ... that I could see behaving very nicely on my bod.

Caro, I see that you have an affinity with Japanese style via its modern interpretations and I think that's been the interesting learning for me from this discussion. For some of us our affinity is for our cultural heritage, for others, like you, the resonance is with another tradition altogether.

I had to chuckle at the Gaugin. However, even if freed of all tradition and the shackles and expectations of society I still would not choose to go barechested. Too damned uncomfortable.

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