Traditional Romanian Folk Costume

First mentions about Romanian clothing

• The Romanian folk dress finds
its roots in the part of
Thracian, Dacian and Getae an
cestor
• The purpose of the garments
worn by the ancestors was to
facilitate dialogue with the
unseen forces of the cosmos
• The first testimonies about
Romanian traditional port are
set in stone, on Tropaeum
Traiani monument
in Adamclisi,
Romania and Trajan's
Column in Rome
Dacian and Romanian peasant dress comparison
Tropaeum Traiani Monument
(Adamclisi, Romania)
Trajan’s Column Monument
(Rome, Italy)
 Traditional Romanian Costume
Summary
• Romanian traditional clothing has remained unchanged throughout history
and can be traced back to the earliest times
• The basic garment for both men and women is a shirt or chemise, which is
made from hemp, linen or woollen fabric. This was tied round the waist using
a fabric belt, narrow for women and wider for men
• Women shirt (blouse) is called “ie” and is well known in the world
• Women always wear two separate aprons, one worn at the back and one at
the front over the chemise
• Men's traditional clothing throughout Romania comprises a white shirt
(cămasă), white trousers, hat, belt, waistcoat and or overcoat.
• The outer garments worn by both men and women are usually made of
sheepskin, or felted woollen fabric, and decorated with leather appliqué and
silk embroidery
• Men wear a traditional fur hats (caciulă) and women usually wear a printed
woollen scarf, and often a traditional straw hat over this when working in the
fields in the summer
 Description
Women’s Clothing
Ie
• Is a shirt (blouse) also
known as the
“Charpathian shirt”
• The underarm
embroidery characterizes
the entire costume
• Each blouse tells a
compelling story about
the region it comes from
through the symbols and
colors used
 Description Cont’n
Fotă
• Is a richly ornamented wrap-around
skirt made out of a rectangular piece
of woolen fabric worn at the waist
• Is made of woollen material or cotton
mixed with wool, woven on four
heddles
• It fully covers the underskirt (poale)
• It can be made of two pieces of woven
material that cover the front of the
body (like an apron) and the back
• The richest decoration is found
in Muntenia region where
the fotă itself is occasionally made
from silk, and the woven decoration is
in gold or silver thread
 Description Cont’n
Maramă (Basma)
• Is the head cover
• Have an oriental origin
• Is decorated with white patterns
woven onto a white background
and often grouped toward the
ends
• Is worn mainly in southern
Romania, southern Moldavia and
southern Transylvania
• Young girls accustom to walk
bareheaded, but after the
wedding ritual the godmother
puts on her head a beautiful
basma or maramă
• Sometimes women wear a
kerchief
 Description Cont’n
Men's Clothing
• Men's traditional clothing
throughout Romania comprises
a white shirt (cămasă), white
trousers, hat, belt, waistcoat
and or overcoat.
• Men’s footwear is called
“opinci” and are made of dry pig
skin. In some parts of Romania
men and women wear boots.
Examples
More Examples
Regions And Counties Of Romania
Romanian Traditional Costum In Different Regions

• Each historical region has its own specific variety of costume

Romanian Traditional Costum In Diferent Regions
Cont’n
The Romanian Traditional Blouse “Ie”
 How A Romanian Blouse Is Made
Preparing The Fabric
 How A Romanian Blouse Is Made Cont’n

• The blouses are normally made

out of white light weight
cotton, cheese cloth or silk
• Is basically a traditional T
shaped garment
• The gathering at the neck is
usually secured with a
simplified smocking stitch
• There is embroidery on the
sleeves which are either loose
at the cuff, or pulled in with
further decoration
 More About The Romanian Tradition Blouse (Ie)
• Every part of the ie, from the
fabric itself to the intricate
embroideries on the chest and
sleeves, is entirely hand-made
• The signs and symbols
embroidered on the front, back
and sleeves of the ie aren’t just
random decorations, but each
has its own significance,
depending on the region
• The colors also vary according
to region, motif and
destination: greens and golds
for the plains, red, gray and
brown for the mountains, blue
and silver for the rivers, and so
on
 Ethnografic Regions
There are 10 ethnografic regions in Romania:
• Muntenia
• Oltenia
• Banat
• Crisana
• Maramures
• Transilvania
• Moldova
• Dobrogea
• Bucovina
• Basarabia
 Different Paterns For “Ie”
Transilvania
 Different Paterns For “Ie” Cont’n

Oltenia
 Different Paterns For “Ie” Cont’n
Muntenia
 Different Paterns For “Ie” Cont’n

Moldova
 Different Paterns For “Ie” Cont’n

Banat
 “Iea” In Art (Paintings)

Henri Matisse – La Nicolae Grigorescu – Constantin Daniel

Blouse Roumaine Taranca Din Muscel Rosenthal – Romania
Revolutionara
The Romanian Tradition Blouse – A New Fashion Style
Celebrities Wearing Romanian “Ie”
http://positivenewsromania.com/2016/06/24/6613/
Celebrities Wearing Romanian “Ie” Cont’n
Short Video Presentation
Short Video Presentation – Cont’n
 Video Presentations Links

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvSDR6o
YXAQ
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98xmwn
yfHVk