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For centuries female
national dress was part of Russian identity and culture. This
tradition was forcefully interrupted after the Socialistic Revolution
in 1917. The recent renewed appreciation of some aspects of
traditional culture and the revival of many traditional crafts
inspired me, as a part of my Textile Major study, to create a body of
work that seeks to reintroduce folk dress into contemporary Russian
culture.
A cold climate and the
availability of locally produced materials dictated the first form of
the Russian dress in Ancient Rus. Close religious, political,
economic, and cultural ties with the Byzantine Empire had a noticeable
affect on the form of clothing, especially that of the nobility. The
Viking origin of the Rus rulers, the interaction with their
Scandinavian neighbours in the north, and trade with Western Europe
were also influential in this development.
The reign of Peter I
during the 18th century brought changes into every aspect of life,
including two key developments in the history of Russian costume: the
Russian nobility was forced to adopt western “German” dress; the lower
classes and peasants were left out of those reforms and continued to
guard and develop forms of traditional dress.
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Up until the
Revolution, traditional Russian costumes were noted for their
straight-cut, freely-flowing lines. General features included the
ornamental nature of the decoration and the way of wearing several
garments one over the other as a “multi-layered” costume ensemble. The
“sarafan” ensemble became widespread in Russia at the turn of the 18th
century and was comprised of a shirt, sarafan-dress, belt, and apron.
During the revival of
Russian national culture in the 19th century, folk dress once again
came into prominence. The imperial court adopted a specificly Russian
style of dress with slashed sleeves, embroidery, and a
headdress-kokoshnik. The sarafan was an everyday item of dress for
peasant womenfolk and urban women belonging to the merchant, petty
bourgeois and other sections of the population. The developing textile
industry of the 19th century and adaptation to an urban environment
influenced the fabrics and garments: cotton fabrics began to vie with
flaxen and hemp textiles; brightly patterned manufactured calico
replaced homespun linen. The traditional headdress gradually gave way
to shawls and kerchiefs with vivid floral patterns.
This development
changed abruptly with the onset of the Russian Revolution when many
folk crafts and traditions, perceived as alien to the Soviet regime,
went into decline. Though some textile crafts persisted (such as
Vologda lace making and Orenburg shawl knitting), the traditional
practice of making and wearing folk dress disappeared entirely. |
