Italian costume

The national Italian costume has many interpretations, in each region it is different. However, everywhere the outfits are distinguished by a riot of colors and many decorative elements, from which it is difficult to look away. It is not for nothing that high fashion was born in Italy, and to this day this country is one of the capitals of the world fashion industry.

The history of the national costume of Italy originates in Ancient Rome, where the outfit, in turn, was borrowed from the ancient Greeks. True, the Romans made adjustments to it, adding many interesting elements. In ancient times, clothes were unpretentious and were sewn most often from woolen cloths. Sewing was done minimally, brooches were used instead of buttons and fasteners.

Already at that time, the Romans had the so-called underwear - a cloth wrapped around the hips, one of the names of which was a subligar. Women had a prototype of a bra - a fascia that supported the chest.

Sometimes a strofium was worn instead; it was worn over basic clothing.

The main element of clothing for men and women was a tunic, it was worn by both rich Romans and their slaves. The male usually reached the knee, and the female - to the very heels, and could have sleeves. In the cold season, they warmed up, putting on several tunics on top of each other. Clothes were sewn from bleached fabric, only multi-colored strips served as distinctive elements.

Free Romans could wear toga.Slaves and foreigners were deprived of this right. It was a piece of canvas that was thrown over his shoulder in the manner of a modern messenger bag. They put it on top of the tunic, and so that it lay in beautiful folds, various weights were sewn into the hem.

There were much fewer restrictions in the women's wardrobe; their outfits were painted in any colors available at that time. Rich women over a tunic wore a shortened - table, to demonstrate the layering of the outfit and emphasize their wealth.

The outer clothing served as a cloak-cape - racinium or pall. It was worn by women and men. If it was very cold, they put on a heavy raincoat, which was called laena, and also wore a raincoat with a hood - kukullus.

As shoes used sandals with many leather straps. Designers today are inspired by these shoes, constantly returning to fashion gladiator sandals.

In the V century, the Roman Empire fell, which significantly influenced not only the history of Italian, but also the European costume as a whole. At that time, clothes continued to be simple and unpretentious. It was sewn mainly from natural fabrics of gray and brown shades. The feudal lords wore bright clothes made of silk, which they brought from Byzantium. The clothes were decorated with embroidered patterns and an edge.

Women wore clothes that hide the figure, this was due to the influence of the Christian church. Only in the X century the silhouette began to change, and the ladies began to emphasize their figure. In the XII century, the dress began to fit around the waist, lacing appeared on it. They also began to make tucks and the suit was divided into two parts - the lower and upper.

The Renaissance came to Italy before other European countries, it very quickly turned into the richest country. This directly affected the Italian costume of the 15-16 centuries, which was imitated in other European countries. Simple smooth lines, comfortable to wear and “standard” proportions are in fashion. However, the simplicity of the cut was offset by the use of expensive fabrics - brocade, velvet, silk.

In the 16th century, most of the country was captured by Spain, Italian culture, like the national costume, continues to develop only in the north of the country and in Venice, which managed to maintain independence.

Elements of the men's suit of this period:

• Kamichi - lower shirt;
• Calzoni - tight-fitting short pants;
• Sottovest - fitted jacket, could be sleeveless;
• Jorne is a celebratory cloak with folding sleeves and rich decoration.

An elongated deep-necked caftan was worn by older men. It was combined with a white breastplate (prototype of the shirt shirt). Over time, the outfit of the Italian changed. Shirts that were pulled together by a cord around the neck came into fashion. They were worn with a deep square neck caftan or stand-up collar. Combined it with stockings and trousers to the knee. From above they put on a jubbone - a magnificent and long cloak, which eventually became narrower and shorter. He had magnificent sleeves and a large collar.

Nobles always carried a sword (left) and a dagger (right). They complemented the suit with a purse on the belt, gloves and a massive golden chain. The women's suit was much more spectacular and richer, the girls wore a dress with a tight-fitting top and a pleated skirt, which was called a gamurra. The image was complemented by a light cloak or piece of fabric, which was attached to the dress.

The role of outerwear was played by a long cloak, sometimes it was sewn with openings for the hands. Accessories included wallets hanging on a belt, gloves and handkerchiefs with embroidery.

In the 16th century, underwear and stockings appeared, dresses became lush and spectacular. Girls began to wear dresses with a deep neckline, skirts were wide, heavy, with many pleats. In winter, women complemented the outfit with a silk clutch with a fur trim.They wore balts on their heads or covered them with a veil. Also, various bedspreads were thrown over his head, usually from lace or silk.

In Italy, unlike other European countries, there is no single national costume.

The thing is that the different regions of the country for a long time were separate from each other, and finally merged a little more than 150 years ago. At that time, the traditions were already fully established, and they differed in almost every single village taken!

Since it is almost impossible to consider each region, it is worthwhile to dwell on several main regions that stand out for their color. Of course, all varieties of Italian costume have the same elements and similarities.

The main feature is the brightness and rich color palette. Skirts of Italian girls are most often decorated with drawings of various colors - roses, peonies, daisies, daisies.

A great influence of the traditional costume can be seen in the collections of the famous fashion designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, who often create outfits in the Italian style.

Great importance is given to jewelry, they are an integral part of the outfit. Married girls are required to wear a hat and a black jacket, unmarried girls have a white apron, and widowed women are black.

The basis of the national costume is a fluffy pleated skirt (gonna), a white, often embroidered shirt (kamichia) and a corsage. The bright apron (grem-biule) and a scarf on the head (fazzoletto) complements the image. These are the main elements of the Italian costume, which are found in all regions of the country.

The only difference is the length of the skirt, color and coloring, the presence or absence of lace details. Lace was usually popular with noble Italians, and the casual clothes of ordinary girls were simple and modest. But wedding dresses were very spectacular - they were decorated with ribbons, feathers, embroidery, brooches.

Men's national costume is much simpler than women's. It consists of trousers below the knee (knickers) and a white shirt. The image is complemented by a short jacket (jacca) or sleeveless jacket (panchotto). Berrita, a woolen headdress or Phrygian cap, covers the head.

Pants can be of different lengths, but be sure to dress in leggings. Ragas is fastened on the belt - a piece of fabric that serves as a prototype of the belt. The front of the jacket is usually richly decorated with embroidery.

The outfits of women from the southern regions and Sardinia in particular are particularly diverse. Wealthy ladies wore bright dresses, the advantage was given to red. Be sure to complement your image with many rings on the fingers.

Poor women wore practical gray dresses with many pockets, the number of rings on the fingers was minimal. The most important element of the wardrobe was the scarf, which covered the head and shoulders. It could look like a real work of art: from thin lace or expensive fabric, decorated with elaborate embroidery. Sometimes it took more than one year of hard work to create one such scarf.

It was the Venetians who gave the world the idea of ​​a carnival, and the Italians in general. Carnivals in Venice are still noisy and fun, during this period the city becomes a real theater setting, where you can see unique performances.

All present are united by one thing - the presence of a suit and mask. Most of the outfits are more reminiscent of works of art, which sometimes goes up to 15 meters of fabric. There are many shops in Venice that offer carnival outfits and all the necessary rental attributes.

You can dress up as your soul desires - a noble lady of blue blood, Harlequin or Pierrot, a musketeer or a bautto. It all depends on creativity and imagination. True, at street festivities you can confine yourself to just a mask, and at some official events to appear without a suit is simply indecent.

Shoes in Italy, as part of the national costume, are diverse. In many regions, it is still sewn by hand, however, like the costume itself, the cost of which sometimes reaches several thousand euros.

In different areas you can find such shoes:

• Wooden shoes with leather socks;
• Leather shoes on wooden soles;
• Textile shoes with a dense sole;
• Soft sandals made of untouched leather with long straps.

National outfit of a young girl in Sicily. A fluffy pale pink skirt decorated with lace, a white shirt, a corsage, a white apron, with poppies embroidered on it and a scarf that duplicates it on the head. In the photo, the girl collects oranges, but in everyday life, of course, they wore more modest dresses. Such spectacular outfits were intended for a solemn occasion.

Italian wedding in national costumes. The bride has a rich outfit that is replete with embroidery, gold and jewelry. On the head is a traditional white shawl. The groom's suit is more restrained - he wears a white shirt, underpants and a dark blue brocade vest.