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Traditional Serbian costumes, like any other traditional dress of a nation or culture, has been lost to the advent of urbanization, industrialization, and the growing market of international clothing trends. Nonetheless, the dress is still a pinnacle part of Serbian folk culture and, fitting with the attempts to preserve this folk culture, it was not uncommon to see rural women in traditional working costumes all the way up until the end of President Tito's term. Today, these costumes are still worn on national holidays and celebrations especially in rural areas. Features of Serbian dress include Opanak, a form of footwear dating back to the medieval Serb kingdoms.
Serbian costume is also known for the variety of textures and embroidery. The Jelek is a Waistcoat made from wool or velvet while women's jackets are lined with fur. The peony embroidery design often found on aprons, socks and elsewhere is colored bright red, symbolising the blood lost at the Battle of Kosovo. Montenegrin caps are traditional caps worn in Montenegro by Montenegrins and Serbs in Montenegro.
Traditional Serbian female dress consists of opanci, embroidered woolen socks that reached to the knees and nazuvice. Skirts were very varied, of plaited or gathered and embroidered linen, with tkanice serving as a belt. An important part of the costume were aprons (pregace) decorated with floral motifs. Shirts were in the shape of tunics, richly decorated with silver thread and cords was worn over the shirt. In some areas it was replaced by an upper sleeveless dress of red or blue cloth, knee-long, richly decorated and buttoned in front (zubun). Scarves and caps bordered with cords were worn as headdress. Girls also wore collars, or a string of gold coins around their throats, earrings, bracelets, and their caps were decorated with metal coins or flowers. Young people do not wear this kind of costume nowadays. It can be seen on elderly villagers, as tourist attraction, or in museums. From the 19th century on, Serbs have adopted the usual European way of dressing.
In medieval times, rulers, the nobility and senior churchmen brought many of their fabrics from Dubrovnik. The most common fabric for ordinary Serbs was sclavina or schiavina, a coarse woollen fabric. Linen was also made within Serbia while silk was grown at the Dečani Monastery as well as near Prizren. Few secular garments have survived from the medieval period the most notable being the costume worn by Lazar Hrebeljanović at the Battle of Kosovo. More decorated vestments have survived from the period.
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Serbia
Central Serbia
The men of Central Serbia wear the traditional Serbian hat called "Sajkaca" which also is an icon of Serbdom all over the world. Opanci is the traditional footwear. In Pirot, the headwear is called "Serbian winter hat". Both the Sajkaca and Pirot hat are used by Chetniks.
Ivanjica region
The inhabitants of this region are mainly migrants from the so-called Dinara region. In its basic characteristics the costume is similar to that of the Dinara region with additions imposed through time, by the new environment, and later influences from outside. Regardless of the relative isolation and lack of connection in communication between the investigated territories and other regions, change penetrated even this area and was reflected not only in daily life but also in the adoption of new, or abandoned old, pieces of dress for practical or functional reasons. Some dress pieces, particularly from the older costume at end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, are recognisable in the dress of Montenegro, Herzegovina and early Bosnia from where the greater number of the inhabitants originate. The oldest pieces of costume are very similar to those in the place of origin e.g. male and female shirts, female waistcoats, gunj, aljina , red cap , male fez with shawl, zubun, pelengiri, kabanica . After the First World War the so-called Sumadija costume (anterija, fermen) became the national costume of this region. The facts indicate that this national costume, in villages of the Ivanjica region, had practically disappeared in the nineties of the 20th century, “Old” dress disappeared under the pressure of industrial, uncontrolled production.
Vojvodina
The folk costumes of Vojvodina are usually of plain black and white colors with western influence.
The ethnic groups of Srem, Bačka and Banat all have their distinctive costumes.
Srem has elements of central Balkan and Dinaric attire, Bačka has central European influences and styles, especially from the Baroque.
Kosovo
The traditional Serbian dresses of Kosovo and Metohia are often of red color, with rich styling and ornamentation.
Montenegro
The characteristics of the Montenegrin national dress are Dinaric and Adriatic type. The colors of the traditional folk attire of Montenegro are Red-Blue-White (Serbian tricolor) which stands for Serbdom, the traditional cap has the Serbian cross or Prince Nicholas initials embroidered on the top. The footwear used in Montenegro is the same as in Serbia, Opanci.
Bosnia & Herzegovina
The dresses of Bosnia are divided into two groups; the Dinaric and Pannonian styles. In Eastern Herzegovina, the folk costumes are more like the Montenegrin.
Banja Luka
Croatia
The traditional Serb costume of Lika is much like the traditional Montenegrin folk attire. The footwear is Opanci.
Gallery
 Serbian Regular soldier 1809 |
See also
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