Traditional Clothes by European Countries

A folk costume (also regional costume, national costume,

or traditional garment) expresses an identity through costume, which is
usually associated with a geographic area or a period of time in history.
 Eastern Europe
Slutsk Stash

Belarus – Slutsk stash, the national type

of wimple.

Bulgaria

Every town has its own design of a

national costume, with different types of
clothing items traditional for each of the
ethnographic regions of the country
 Romanian dress

Romanian dress refers to the traditional

clothing worn by Romanians, who live
primarily in Romania and Moldova, with
smaller communities
in Ukraine and Serbia. Today, the vast
majority of Romanians wear modern style
dress on most occasions, and the garments
described here largely fell out of use
during the 20th century.

Kokoshnik

The kokoshnik is
a traditional Russian headdress
worn by women and girls to
accompany the sarafan. The
kokoshnik tradition has existed
since the 10th century in the
ancient Russian city Veliky
Novgorod. It spread primarily in the
northern regions of Russia and
were very popular from 16th to
19th century. It is still to this day an
important feature of Russian dance
ensembles and folk culture and
inspired the Kokoshnik style of
architecture.
 Kosovorotka
A kosovorotka is a traditional Russian shirt,
long sleeved and reaching down to the mid-
thigh. The shirt is not buttoned all the way
down to the hem, but has several buttons at
the collar (unfastened when the garment is
pulled over the wearer's head), though these
are positioned off to one side (regional styles
vary between left and right), instead of
centrally, as is customary with a typical
Western 20th and 21st century man's shirt. 

Sarafan

A sarafan (literally from head to

feet) is a long,
trapezoidal Russian jumper
dress (pinafore dress) worn by
girls and women and forming
part of Russian
traditional folk costume.
 Chokha

The chokha has been in wide use

among Georgians from the 9th century
until the 1920s. It is still used in Georgia
as a symbol of national pride, and is
frequently worn by Georgian men at
weddings and official functions. Worn
by Georgians for more than a thousand
years, the high-necked wool coat was
rarely seen during Soviet rule, but now,
for many, it symbolizes pride in the
country's past and resistance to its
occupation.

Ushanka

Hats with fur earflaps have been

known for centuries especially in
the Slavic Balkan countries Serbia,
Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Bulgaria
countries Sweden and Norway
in Eurasian and European Slavic
countries Russia, Ukraine,
Slovenia. The design of ushanka with a
perfectly round crown was developed
in the 17th century when
northern Russia a hat with earflaps
called treukh was worn.
 Ukrainian wreath

Like most Ukrainian folk dress,

the vinok had significant symbolic value
and only specific flowers were used. It
was traditionally worn by girls who
were eligible for marriage. The wreath's
name, vinok, is related to the Ukrainian
word for a wedding
ceremony vinchannya. The flowers
used to make the wreath were
generally fresh, paper or waxen and
were attached onto a band of stiff
paper backing covered with a ribbon.

Central Europe
Kontusz

The kontusz was more of a

decorative garment than a useful
one. Tradition states that the first
kontusze were worn by szlachta
who captured them
from Ottomans to display as loot.
Throwing kontusz sleeves on one's
back and stroking
one's moustache was considered to
be a signal of readiness for a fight.
 Kroje

Kroje started being replaced by "town"

clothing during 19th century: it started in
bigger cities and towns and villages
followed. It was quicker in Bohemia and
industrial regions and of course for male
clothing, so on the old photos you can see
a father in a suit, but a mother (and
possibly children) in a local costume (kroj). 

Northern Europe

Parka
A parka or anorak is a type
of coat with a hood,
often lined with fur or faux fur.
The Caribou Inuit invented this kind
of garment, originally made
from caribou or seal skin,
for hunting and kayaking in the
frigid Arctic. Some Inuit anoraks
require regular coating with fish
oil to retain their water resistance.
 Þjóðbúningaráð

Icelandic national costume, collectively known

in Icelandic as Þjóðbúningurinn has enjoyed
various levels of popularity since the term was
coined in Iceland in the 19th century, during the
struggle for independence. Since 2001
the national costume is regulated
by Þjóðbúningaráð (The National Costume
Authority), which preserves the correct
techniques of making them and instructs people.

Aran sweater

The Aran jumper is a style

of jumper that takes its name from
the Aran Islands off the west coast
of Ireland. A traditional Aran
Jumper usually is off-white in
colour, with cable patterns on the
body and sleeves. Originally the
jumpers were knitted using
unscoured wool that retained its
natural oils (lanolin) which made
the garments water-resistant and
meant they remained wearable
even when wet.
 Grandfather shirt
A Grandfather shirt or Granddad shirt or
"50s T-Shirt" is a long-sleeved or short-
sleeved flannel or brushed cotton band
collared shirt worn throughout Ireland.
Traditional shirts are white with coloured
vertical stripes. Longer shirts are used
as nightshirts or pajamas. The nightshirt
version can include a matching nightcap.

Bunad

The bunad movement has its root in 19th-

century national romanticism, which
included an interest for traditional folk
costumes not only in Norway, but also in
neighbouring countries such
as Denmark and notably Germany.
However, in Norway national romanticist
ideas had a more lasting impact, as seen in
the use of folk inspired costumes.
 Luhkka

The luhkka (North Sami luhkka) is an
article of winter clothing that covers
the top half of a person's body. It is
a poncho-like hooded cape with the
hem coming down to the wearer's
elbow or wrist. Luhkka are made
from thick wadmal. It is used by
the Sami of northern Scandinavia and
Finland and is traditionally worn on
top of the Sami gákti or fur coat 

Pearly kings and queens

The practice of wearing clothes decorated
with mother-of-pearl buttons is first associated
with Henry Croft (1861-1930), an orphan street
sweeper who collected money for charity. At
the time, London costermongers (street
traders) were in the habit of wearing trousers
decorated at the seams with pearl buttons that
had been found by market traders. In the late
1870s, Croft adapted this to create a pearly suit
to draw attention to him and aid his fund-
raising activities.
 Highland dress

Highland dress is the traditional, regional

dress of the Highlands and Isles
of Scotland. It is often characterised
by tartan (plaid in North America). Specific
designs of shirt, jacket, bodice and
headwear may also be worn along with
clan badges and other devices indicating
family and heritage. Accessories may
include a belt, sporran, sgian-dubh, knee-
socks with a cuff known as kilt
hose, garters, kilt pins and clan badges.

Doublet
fitting jacket that is shaped and fitted
to the man's body which was worn
in Spain and was spread to Western
Europe from the late Middle Ages up
to the mid-17th century. The doublet
was hip length or waist length and
worn over the shirt or drawers. Until
the end of the 15th century, the
doublet was usually worn under
another layer of clothing such as a
gown, mantle, overtunic
or jerkin when in public.
 Traditional Welsh costume

The traditional Welsh costume is a

costume once worn by rural women
in Wales. It was identified as being
different from that worn by the rural
women of England by many of the
English visitors who toured Wales during
the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It
is very likely that what they wore was a
survival of a pan-European costume worn
by working rural women.

Southern Europe
Albanian Traditional Clothing

Almost every cultural and

geographical region
in Albania has its own specific
variety of costume that varies in
detail, material, color, shape, and
form. Albanian folk dress is often
decorated with symbolic
elements of Illyrian antique
pagan origin, like suns, eagles,
moons, stars, and snakes.
 Barretina
A barretina is a traditional hat that was
frequently worn by men in parts of
the Christian cultures of
the Mediterranean sea such
as Catalonia, the Valencian Community,
the Provence, Corsica, Sicily, Sardinia,
part of Naples, part of the Balkans and
parts of Portugal.
In Catalonia and Eivissa, men wore
barretinas until the 19th century,
especially in rural areas. It took the
form of a bag, made of wool, usually
red, or sometimes purple.

Sibenik cap

The cap is well known throughout

Croatia and is noticeable as a
symbol of Šibenik and widely
known among regional costume
parts in general, not only
representing Šibenik and its
surroundings, but
northern Dalmatia or a general
Croatian identity when
represented outside Croatia.
 Fustanella

Fustanella is a traditional pleated skirt-
like garment that is also referred to as
a kilt worn by men of many nations in
the Balkans (Southeast Europe). In
modern times, the fustanella is part of
Balkan folk dresses. In Greece, a short
version of the fustanella is worn by
ceremonial military units like
the Evzones, while in Albania it was
worn by the Royal Guard in
the interbellum era.

Beret

Mass production began in 19th-

century France and Spain, countries
with which it remains associated.
Berets are worn as part of the
uniform of many military and police
units worldwide, as well as by other
organisations
 Western Europe
Dirndi

The dirndl consists of a bodice and

skirt or a pinafore dress, a low-
cut blouse with short puff sleeves,
full skirt, and apron. While
appearing to be simple and plain, a
properly made modern dirndl may
be quite expensive as it is tailored,
and sometimes cut from costly
hand-printed or silk fabrics.

Tracht

In northern Germany some of the best

known examples are the
"Friesische Tracht"
and Finkenwerder Tracht. The
"Friesische Tracht" is richly decorated
with beads and embroidery. The quality
of the work was a sign of the riches and
social status of the wives wearing it. In
former times it was brought into a
marriage by the bride as part of
her dowry.