Russian Clothing Styles
Russians have their own sense of style, which varies regionally across the nation's vast landscape and its mix of urban and rural areas. Clothing styles in Russia have been described as everything from quaint to flamboyant, but throughout the years the emphasis has remained on warm, rich fabrics and bright colors.
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Features
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Russian clothing tends to be made of insulating fabrics for cold weather wear, such as wool, leather and fur. Traditionally, peasant clothing styles came in canvas or wool and were embroidered or woven with specific designs or colorful threading. Often, clothing styles in Russia emphasize warmth, with long sleeves and head coverings in the form of capes, hoods and hats.
Types
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Several main types of garments were typically worn in pre-Industrial Russia. Peasant women and girls wore detailed dresses called sarafans with a corset, long skirt, long sleeves and usually some type of floral or checked pattern. To accompany this dress, women wore a round or pointed headdress known as a kokoshnik, which was tied in the back with ribbons or a single bow.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, it was not uncommon for men to wear tall wool or fur papakha hats, shielding their heads from the bitter cold and also serving as a status symbol. An example is the hat worn as part of the Russian army uniform. Each of these garments is still worn occasionally throughout Russia during holidays, theatrical pieces and ceremonial events.
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Traditions
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Traditional Russian attire was made for everyday peasants, and versions of this folk clothing are still worn on special occasions. Over the past few centuries, traditional Russian clothing was made with symbolism in mind, meant to display a person's status or gender. For example, traditional Russian garments for women are often made from red fabrics, because this color is considered beautiful in Russia. This clothing was also made to allow for movement and work.
The Present
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These days, Russian clothing styles are more edgy and may even appear flashy to visitors to the Eastern European nation. Typically, Russian clothing trends tend to fall behind those of the rest of the Western world, with styles that were popular a decade ago throughout Western Europe currently having their run in Russia. Though trends may come and go, a fairly consistent facet of modern Russian clothing styles is a high level of detail, bright colors and eye-catching features. Trendy Russian men and women tend to dress as though they're going out on the town, opting for high heels and leather over sneakers and T-shirts.
Geography
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As the largest country in the world, its not surprising that clothing styles differ by region in Russia. In general, Russians tend to look toward the West to determine what is "in style," although Russia itself is beginning to turn out increasing numbers of domestic designers.
Fashion in Russia's capitol city of Moscow is generally much edgier than in the less populated reaches of the country, such as Siberia. Traditional Russian clothing styles throughout the 18th and 19th centuries also varied according to region, with Northern Russians sporting more modest clothing compared to the brighter, more detailed garments worn in the south.
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