British menswear heritage

photo  source

My blog is about women's clothes and accessories. But now and then I do like to write about men's clothing too, usually it is something unusual - like unique headdresses of the men of India or intricately embroidered costumes of the Guatemala men - that attracts my attention and inspires me to write an article. And after quite some time today is a post dedicated to men again. The post was inspired by a heritage graphic of a 300-year history of British menswear that was sent to me recently by T.M.Lewin. The graphic features main man clothing inventions that originated in Britain and have influenced the world. As it turns out there are plenty of them. Look, there are so many familiar things on the graphic: the bowler hat and the fedora, the brogue and the trench coat, lounge suits and the button-up shirts .

Court dress in Burma, Nepal and Sri Lanka

Throughout history there has always been significant difference between the costume of nobles and that of ordinary people. In many countries there were special laws that dictated what could or could not be worn by who. For those who appeared at court requiries were even more specific and more strict. My today's post is about interesting examples of court dress in the 19th century Burma, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Dudou, the artistic underwear of medieval China

"Red Underwear", a painting by Liushi Zong  source

What do you think the young lady on the painting above is wearing? As the painting's title suggests it is an underwear. But what kind of? Actually it is a dudou. The garment with such unusually-sounding name has a long history. It was invented by the Chinese somewhen in the 17th century with the sole practical purpose to keep the chest and stomach area warm. It is just a square or rhomboidal piece of cloth with attached straps that were tied around the neck and at the back. The dudou often has a pocket where ginger, musk or other medicinal herbs believed to keep the belly warm were put. It was worn by children, women and men alike to prevent not only cold but, according to some sources, diarrhea as well.

Sluck (Slutsk) sashes

Double-sided sash, Sluck, 1778-1807, silk weaving. Photo source

Being a bit nostalgic about the days I spent in Belarus recently I decided to write about something Belurusian. And there can not be a better choice than Sluck sashes , real treasure of Belarusian culture. This type of handwork was produced in Belarus (then Rzeczpospolita) in the second half of the 18th and early 19th centuries. Sluck sashes were named after the city of Slutsk (Minsk region), where they were first produced in 18th century to replace expensive imported sashes from the Orient. Such sashes from Ottoman Empire, Persia, Iran and China were very popular among the nobles of the time and served not only as a decorative element of the costume but as a symbol of high social status and wealth as well.

Men in uniform (from around the world)

For many women men in uniform are simply irresistible. Psychologists say that the 'uniform' may signify that the man is able to manage life's troubles. We all want those to whom we are attached to be able to stay solid when we are a mess so that we can count on them. It spells safety and security. Whatever the reason I too am a bit weak for the men in uniform. And my today's post will show you some of the uniformed men that I managed to catch with my camera.

Medieval origin of modern shoes

Shoes by Gianni Morano, Couture 2013

As it turns out much of the fashionable footwear of today - high heels, pointed toes, platforms - derives from medieval European or Asian precedents.
The high heel origin has been traced back to the horse-men of ninth-century Persia whose high stacked heels helped hold their feet in the stirrups. The idea eventually caught on in Europe in boots for men on horses. So, actually men started wearing high heels before women did.

Qipao, the evergreen classic

Today is the Chinese New Year. And I thought it was a good time to show off my cheongsam/qipao and to tell you about this beautiful Chinese dress. Like Kungfu, Beijing opera, and acupuncture, the qipao is an instantly recognizable symbol of Chinese culture.
The Mandarin word "qipao" means "banner robe" and it was used to describe the long dress worn by women belonging to the Eight Banners (clans) of Manchu. It was a long A-shaped, loosely fitted and squarely cut silk brocade robe adorned with different embroidered motifs that reflected the status, position or title of the wearer.

Dress and accessories from the Museum of London collection

Museum of London was the first in Britain to publish a catalogue of its costume collection in 1933. There are over 24,000 objects in the collection, dating from the Tudor period to the present day, though you can see only around 60 complete outfits and 200 accessories on display in the museum's galleries. Here are a few interesting pieces that I personally liked during my recent visit to the museum.

A tiara front or comb mount, 1840. Made from stamped and pressed gold and set with a variety of coloured gemstones.

Jewelry and dress of the Maharajahs of India

Maharajah Umaid Singh of Jodhpur, 1920

Today I want to tell you about the dress and jewelry of the Indian Maharajahs. Those guys liked to dress up and were not shy of wearing necklaces, armlets, bracelets and ornamental belts. The purpose of such grandeur was to show their majesty and to indicate the richness of their treasury. Often their costumes and accessories were more elaborate than those of their wives.
Most of them had an astounding collection of jewelry. Many of them had access to private diamond and gold mines and, thanks to that, over the years built up incredible and unique collections of jewels .

Dress and jewelry of the Ranas of Nepal

My today's post will be about dress and jewelry of the Rana dynasty of Nepal. They ruled the Kingdom of Nepal since 1846 till 1951 and during the time the king was just a formal figure and the real power belonged to the Ranas. They made Prime Minister and other government positions hereditary.
The Rana clan was really enourmous, the first Rana Prime Minister Jung Bahadur had 6 brothers, 14 sons and 30 nephews. And I suppose there was no Rana man who would limit himself with just one wife, they all had at least several (Jung Bahadur for example had 13).

Medieval costume of Belarus

While being on holiday in Belarus last summer I visited an interesting exhibition that took place in one of the museums of Minsk. Reconstructed costumes of the Medieval Belarus were shown at the exhibition covering the period of time between the 15th and the 17th centuries. At that time Belarus was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and town people's and court costumes were mostly influenced by the European fashion, though some of the Byzantine-Russian designs were wearable too (for example, fur-coats, which unfortunately were not presented at the event).

Reconstruction of the court costume of a noble woman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, 1540-50

Evening dresses of the last Empress of Russia

These evening dresses of 1910 belonged to the last Empress of Russia, Alexandra Feodorovna. Now they are in the collection of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Peterburg.
The Empress followed fashion but didn't like any extravagance and extremity in clothes. Her evening dresses are simple yet elegant. She liked long, flowing folds and light colours. Most of the dresses are decorated with embroidery and beads. Most of her clothes were created by the local designers and tailors one of which was famous Nadezhda Lamanova.

Russian nobles at the fancy dress ball of 1903

On the 13 February 1903 in the Winter Palace a grandiose fancy dress ball was given. Called "The 1903 Ball", it remains the most celebrated festivity arranged in St. Petersburg during the reign of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of the Romanov House. Costumes for the ball were created according to the illustrations by the artist Sergei Solomko with the help of the costume consultants. The 17th century was the chosen period for the masquerade. Ladies wore sarafans and kokoshniks, while men sported dresses of archers, falconers, etc. The Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was dressed as Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna and the Emperor Nicholas II as Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.

Kandyan aristocrat's dress of the 19th century

Jonathan Forbes in his book "Eleven years in Ceylon" gives such description of a Kandyan Chief's costume. "The Court dress of a Kandyan Adikar- minister of state and justice - consists of a square cap resembling a huge pincushion. Sometimes made of white stiffened muslin, but in a full dress of Scarlet cloth embroidered with gold, and having an elevated peak in the middle, surmounted by a precious stone. The jacket is of tissue, with short plaited sleeves, very full upon the shoulders, and fastened with amethyst buttons; over this is worn a white tippet of plaited muslin, with gold edging. On the lower part of the body, over white trousers, which are tight at the ankle and terminated by a frill, a number of white muslin and gold figured cloths are bound in cumbrous folds around the waist by a broad gold belt; in this is stuck a knife with a richly carved handle. Gold chains are worn around the neck and hanging down upon the chest, bangles on the wrists, and immense rings, which almost conceal their small hands, complete the decoration of a Kandyan Adikar.