Tibetan and Sherpa costumes at Lhosar celebration

Yesterday it was Lhosar - Tibetan and Sherpa New Year. It is one of the most important festivals for Tibetan Buddhists and at this day people try to visit one of the sacred sites. They usually dress up for the occasion and dressing up in this case means wearing traditional costume. Some like classic variant, while others prefer more modern versions. I am not a Tibetan Buddhist but I like to go to the places of celebrations at this day too, just to enjoy the festive atmosphere, to watch people, to admire all those colourful costumes.

Ainu people costume and jewelry

Ainu wearing their traditional costume, photo courtesy  Roderick Eime

Have you ever heard about Ainu? Well, in case you haven't, they are indigenous people of Japan who used to live all over its territory in ancient times but not much of them are left now and nowadays they live mainly on Japanese Hokkaido and the Kuriles and southern Sakhalin Island of Russia. I decided to dedicate a post to this small ethnic group because the main element of their traditional costume, a robe worn by women and men alike, is considered one of the most unique and distinctive pieces of clothing in the world of ethnic dress. First, interesting were materials which Ainu originally used to create these robes: they could be made of plant fiber - bark of elm trees, for example; of animal fur/skin - dog's, bear's, seal's; of bird skin and feathers and even...of fish skin. Can you imagine a wearable robe made from fish skin? Honestly, I can't. But it turns out that garments made of fish skin are strong, light, durable and waterproof. Amazing, isn't it? It seems Ainu used all the nature resources available. Of course, nowadays nobody makes clothes from such unusual "fabrics" any more, with time cotton and silk started to be used, though traditional "bark" robes are still can be found.

Knitted faux fur decorated jacket

This knitted jacket with faux fur collar that I bought recently has already become one of my favourite winter pieces. Usually I don't like such short jackets, I almost hate them and so I was pretty sure that I would never buy one. They are just not my thing. Never say never, huh? This one has stolen my heart from the first glance. Found it in a small boutique, a local designer's creation. It has not only a furry collar but the armholes are also decorated with fur.

Poncho style cardigan

The simplest and most common way to style a poncho cardigan is by wearing it over pants. But today I wanted to look more feminine and so I chose to combine it with a knitted dress instead. The cardigan's print reminds me of winter: besides the obvious deer and snowflakes, the horizontal patterns to me look like those that appear on windows after a frosty night.