The photo below is of my grandmother, taken around the turn of the century, in her Hungarian costume. She is the girl in the middle. I remember seeing this dress as a very small child and being totally entranced by the hundreds of pleats that formed the skirt which made it flare out in a huge bell-like shape. The ultimate in a twirly skirt! The blouse was full of cut-work and tone-on-tone embroidery. She wore it with the lace-up vest and knee high boots.

The most amazing thing, though, is that she made the outfit herself. I mean, really made it because she actually planted the flax, retted and scutched the plant, spun the fibre, wove the cloth and THEN constructed the garments with the pleating, cut-work, and embroidery. She started it when she was around 12 and wore the finished costume when she was part of the dance troupe in her mid teens.

I remember thinking the costume was absolutely beautiful when I saw it as a child, but, after hearing about its creation, I was mesmerized by the outfit. I sometimes wonder what she would have thought of today's fast fashions...

What a fascinating thread! Thanks for starting it, Lantana.

My own background is German, but while I love the dirndl, it doesn't love me back--my wide shoulders, small bust, rectangular waist just don't work it, and the tiny florals don't suit my large features. (I had to replace an airline-lost wardrobe in Germany at age 12, and NOTHING was the right shape for me!)

My husband is of Scots heritage, my 3 daughters have all been Highland dancers, and as a teen I hung out with friends who did the same. It seems that attire is more up my alley. The kilt is traditionally the man's garment, but it appeals to my classic/preppy instincts (though I wouldn't wear it with the velvet jacket and fur sporran!) The traditional ladies'wear consists of a plaidie or huge tartan scarf, worn draped from one shoulder, over a long (white) dress or a full-skirted outfit, and sometimes I riff off that too (with a black dress) for formalish wear. Of course I love anything tartan, and one day I WILL own a full, floorlength taffeta skirt in the Black Watch.

I love Indian traditional dress as well--I even have a sari (which I've only worn on one occasion, but I do know how to wrap it). Again, my shape suits other things. I brought home a salwar kameej from a med school elective in Nepal, but sadly outgrew it after having kids. But I love the silhouette (Chanel 2012 was so inspiring but went nowhere) and sometimes I'll echo it with a straight dress over leggings (kneelength, or longer with side slits).

The anarkali kurta...yes, a fascinating garment bit more complicated than Mongolian princess dress. The garment seems to originate in the early Mughal era, and the Mughal emperors were descended from the Mongols (down from Timur Lane). But the princesses were a whole other story. The women seem to originally have worn more of a straight tunic but the harems were soon filled with local women from assorted Hindu traditions... and dress started to get more mixed up. What is interesting id that the anarkali is named for a courtesan---anarkali means pomegranate blossom---which implies she was a dancer at court and that tradition often included fallen women from the Hindu tradition who had been sanctioned out of their customary social space. Their status was curiously ambivalent--independent 'working' women with an income and no male protector, adored for their talents, yet beholden to their patrons. A gentlewoman would eschew their company. So when the Prince Salim fell in live with Anarkali, his father dissuaded him from this unfortunate attachment by, um, ending her. Her flared skirts and shimmering bodice were more extreme than the nobility would wear, being tools of the trade like a flamenco dancer's gown is a modification of contemporary evening dress. It is said she was originally a Hindu widow. There is a certain irony in her garb now being adopted as a romantic nostalgic garment.

As for Prince Salim, he went on to become the Emperor Jehangir. He tried to get there a bit early through rebellion against his father Akbar, said to be the most evenhanded and progressive of the dynasty. In turn, Jehangir's son too rebelled to dethrone him early, and also ultimately succeeded his father. This was Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal. His son Aurangzeb, the next-gen rebel, actually succeeded...leaving his father on house arrest to gaze on the beloved mausoleum from across the river.

I have always wanted (and by always I mean for 40 years) one of those Indian (Punjab?) outfits with the long slim tunic and the tapering pants which I think are cut on the bias. I am not at all sure I'd look good in it. But that's what I want.

Gaylene, your first paragraph gave me goose bumps, tears came with the second. How do we honour these women? By sharing stories such as yours so Thank You, Thank You. (grabbing for tissues) I do so hope that dress has been carefully preserved and in safe keeping but I fear it has been lost.

L'abeille, I'm thinking about your forebears amongst whom must have been a woman with your build. How must she have felt all her life being squeezed into clothes that didn't suit her figure? How lucky are we that we can choose our signature look.
I'm swooning over full length Black Watch taffeta. The feel of it, the sound of it!
A dress over leggings makes me happy too.

Mani you are a legend. Thanks for the fantastic insider info on the anakarli and the related intergenerational conflict. Interesting too about the nostalgic connotations of the anarkali. You cannot write enough of these things for my taste.

Adelfa, a question I often ask myself these days is: if not now, when? A 40 years' goal is not a whim so please, go get that gear!

A very I the resting thread. I'm most drawn to kimono prints and obi belts but also like most ethnic prints like Ikat and Guatamalan weaving. Non of this is my own background. I've not studied Swedish traditional costumes.

So Joy you are another who has an affinity with dress codes from other cultures. Does that extend into other aspects of those cultures, as in architecture and food?

This thread is developing in fascinating ways. Not least are the insights on body shape and national dress;I never really thought about figure flattery in relation to certain traditional dress, but now I think I understand why, for example, I have not been tempted to try on a kimono.

Lantana, thanks for your tips about what pants to wear under skirts - that all makes good sense. I am indeed steeling myself to try on a (shudder) pencil skirt, but have yet to gather up the courage. My last attempt at a nonflared skirt was an ego-shattering encounter in a CUE dressing room 2 seasons ago -- a burgundy "tulip" skirt (eek! the horror...I am still in recovery.)
As for "kawaii" ( which I mispelled, oops) I meant this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawaii.
Examples of kawaii in Vika's style:
pic#1 from http://alltheprettybirds.blogspot.com.au
pic#2 from http://streetfsn.blogspot.com.au
pic#3 from http://designandculturebyed.com
I have to smile at the pink oufit - Vika has still managed to include a cheeky reference to Russian traditional dress - the synthetic muff!

The Spanish cape. I sooo want one:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w9uJ.....evilla.jpg

Very interesting topic! Being the typical American, I don't identify with any one culture and have not given any thought to the traditional clothing of my ancestors.
To put a different spin on the topic- I do make and wear historical clothing as a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. My main time and place is mid-16th century Florentine dress. I love the sumptuous fabrics and the comfort a pair of bodies or stiffened bodice compared to modern bras. This style flatters my body type since I have the figure of a wealthy (read: well fed! ) Renaissance woman. I also have a few sets of Roman garb for those warm outdoor events where I enjoy the benefits of loosely draped breathable fabrics. I also have one set of 16th century Ottoman Turkish garb that includes the benefit of pants (salwar)! (#1- inspiration painting, #2 zimarra made by me, #3/4- Florentine gown I made entirely by hand using period fabrics and construction techniques, #5 Roman chiton & palla, #6 turkish entari & yelek)

I love traditional Chinese clothes from the Han dynasty - but I think it's mostly because it reminds me of the heroines who kick arse in the martial arts TV shows I watched with my dad growing up

Could you imagine getting dressed like that every day though? It must have taken hours for the hair alone! And they didn't have SHAMPOO and CONDITIONER back then, did they? LOL.

I used to have a Ukranian folk costume as a child - my favorite part of it was the wreath with long colorful ribbons in the back (it looked similar to the one in the second picture).

Lyrebirdgully, thanks for the pix and links. I got a lead on kawaii from Prof Google and will explore your suggested sites with great interest. I've already had a peek and they are fascinating. Since I live in bosky isolation this is the way I keep abreast of the times, so thank you!
Tulip skirts are a different beast to pencils, IMO. I find there is enough taper already when an hourglass wears a pencil without accentuating the taper.
I also think our eye needs to adjust. I was a little disconcerted to glimpse my "pencil" silhouette in motion. Crikey, I looked just like my sisters! And my mum! Well, no big surprise there, we share the same hip DNA. Takes a bit of getting used to, though.

Cindy, I am an Australian with a mysterious mishmash of a heritage, (grandma was a wayward lass!) so I think it is interesting that out of all the ancestry to pick from I should hone in on the Eastern European. It's a matter of recognition.
Your affinity for a time and place from long ago and far away delights me at several levels. Firstly, it sounds like so much fun and I am a great advocate of play. As a fellow seamstress I fully appreciate and stand in awe of the skills required to create these costumes. You look like something straight out of an old master in your Florentine gown. Lastly, at the deepest level I feel you are connecting with women who have gone before us and left so little of themselves in the historical record. Your gifts of re-creation celebrate and honour them.

Nniefern, you are in the perfect environment for a Spanish cape. How would you ncorporate it into daily wear, I wonder?
Lyn, you point to connotation as another reason for our affinity for a particular tradition on dress. No shampoo and conditioner but quite a bit of (unpaid) assistance with the hair dressing?
Makrame, how I wish you still had that costume. Is there any aspect of your current style that harks back to your love of the beribboned wreath?

I have learned some new words and concepts and followed fascinating tangents into other times and cultures. Thank you all.

I love these type of threads

since my earlyl twenties i've incorporated certain elements from Yokut Indian dress (Central California, just south of Yosemite). We're of Chukchansi people on my mom's side, she was eligible for tribal membership but never applied (given the nightmarish mess going on right now it's a blessing).

We had some pictures of Yokut ladies from the late 1800's - early 1900's which my mom had come by from a relative who was a pro photog back in the day. At that time many (most?) Yokut women had adopted a certain style of 'Victorian' dresses, Yokut and Chuckansi women still wear these dresses in ceremonial dances, etc. today.

California women are also known world-wide for their incredibly beautiful and precise basketry. They made baskets for ever conceivable use, including as a head covering.

Yokut women in 'victorian' dress with huge basket
Cradle board with beautifully detailed dress
Yokut woman wearing basket cap

Me in a modest, 'old fashioned' outfit wearing woven plant material hat.
Happy Sunday All!

Thank you Steph, I loved your response. Gives me plenty of research to do. I like your old fashioned outfit. You look like an Edwardian entymologist, minus the net.

Cool pattern site!

Gaylene - I love that your grandmother did it all. And her work looks very fine and beautiful. I weave some and have wondered about how much you'd have to grow to get enough cloth to make an item clothing.

I almost fell over, Rachylou, when she told me she grew the flax for her outfit. It boggles my mind to think of the following scenario:

Hmm, I have a wardrobe hole because I'll have nothing to wear when I join the folk dancing troupe in a couple of years. Better get started right now because I need to get those seeds in the ground this spring if I want to be able to harvest the flax in fall. It will take a couple of months to get the flax retted and scutched because I also have to help mom do all that canning and smoking in the fall.

If all goes well, maybe I can get the spinning and weaving done this winter. Then next winter I can cut the fabric, do the pleating, embroidery, and cutwork so the outfit should be ready a couple of years from now. Now where did I put my flax seeds...

Talk about delayed gratification. And there must have been a hundred or so pleats in that skirt! Imagine the ironing!

The ironing, indeed, Gaylene! And not one of our steam-press electric contraptions with a thermostat either. Ironing required *prep* in those days. Mise en place even. 100 pleats... I quail and quake. And send my respect to your gran.

That is just so amazing, Gaylene. I can't imagine doing that in a couple of years, even if that's all I did!