Costumes: Old Athens - The Bridal Costume

The girl's costume, particularly her festival one, is composed of pieces with a very old formal tradition. The matchmaking process began when the children were still very young. Care was taken to ensure that both children were in the same social class. During the engagement and right up to the wedding the young people never met; they did, however, exchange gifts. What the girl's dowry contained depended on her social class and wealth. When the time came, the bridal outfit was prepared. The bride's hair was washed with henna, then it was braided into small plaits (about 40). Gold and silk thread the color of the bride's hair was woven into it. Her female relatives helped the bride put on her very expensive bridal outfit. They put on the salivari, which was made of gold brocade and silk kamisi with lavish embroidery on the bodice and silk trim with sequins or pearls along the edges. Over this she put the kavadi, made of brocade and ornamented with braid and gold cord, done with consummate craft by tailors. The bride put on the anderi, for the first time. Worn by the richest ones, it was made out of heavy silk brocade, interwoven with gold or silver threads. Over theanderi the bride put around her waist a wide silk belt. A special headpiece, by the stolistra, had to be created for the occasion. First the stolistra put on the gilt, pasting on gold leaf to decorate nearly the entire face. In the middle of her forehead. she put a large gold star and above her eyebrows, following their line, she pasted a series of gold stars, made of gold leaf and bits of gold-bugs. The decorating jewelry belonged to the churches. The koronawas fashioned of flexible laminate in the shape of a large crown; it appears that the empty spaces were closed on the inside with red velvet stuck on cardboard. they covered the velvet with coins, flowers, gold and silver.

Costumes: Asia Minor - Pontos

The Pontian dress was an urban costume, in accordance with the eastern models which began life in the center of Hellenism at that time, Constantinople. This phenomenon was to be observed in most urban centers of the Ottoman Empire.

Underneath the ladies wore a fine silk chemise, the bodice and sleeves of which were trimmed with crocheted lace, and then a pair of silk or satin breeches. Next came the well-known urban style kavadi, open at the front and with two side openings down to the hips. This garment was always lined and decorated round the hem with silk ribbon and delicate embroidery. Round the hips was wound a large silk scarf, trimmed with fringe of silk thread, folded into a triangle. With the birth of the first child, this scarf was replaced by one made of fine striped taffeta which was tied at the back, hanging down like an apron on the front. It was carefully ironed into ten-centimeter-wide horizontal creases. Silk jabots were positioned on the bodice, trimmed with white silk embroidery and crocheted lace or gold stitching. On top of this went a sleeved waistcoat, originally of black felt and later of dark-colored velvet decorated with silver stitches. From the wedding day onwards the bride wore a silk- covered disc decorated with a row of little coins that hung across the forehead.

Dora Stratou Theater

Costumes: Thrace - Metaxades

The poor quality of the soil of the Florina plateaus, prevented the local residents from wearing clothing of expensive material. The nearby forest offered some resources, such as timber, charcoal and bee-keeping, but the people lived a life of deprivation and hardship. The women wove their own cotton and woolen cloth from which they sewed their simple, austere dresses. The white cotton chemise was embroidered around the hem line and on the sleeves with colored threads. The opening of the front of the chemise was bordered by brightly-colored fabric. A floral patterned jabot of bought fabric was placed at the opening of the bodice. A black woolen, sleeveless overcoat, the sigouni, was worn over this. This overcoat was embroidered around the neck and on the front with brightly-colored threads. The sash, approximately two meters in length, was made of black wool and tied around the waist at the top of the apron. The black and red apron was always home spun and woven. The simple black scarf, placed upon the head, was adorned with a string of pearls. These pearls were considered to be part of the dowry.

Costumes: Macedonia - Alona

The male costume of Alona is similar to the male costume found in both Akritas and Psaradhes. Generally, this costume style, with some variations made to it, is found throughout the region of Florina, Western Macedonia.

The cotton undershirt hangs to just above the knee and is embroidered around the collar. Beneath the undershirt, unattached sleeves cover the forearm, and may also be embroidered if so desired. A sleeveless, black, woolen overcoat, the kiourdia, is also worn but not in the summer months.

In Alona, as in the other areas of Macedonia, the old red hat or fesi has been replaced by a black toque of astrakhan or plush, the kape.

This costume has served as model for the uniform of the Macedonian Fighters.

Costumes: Thrace - Kavakli

The people of Kavakli arrived as refugees in 1906 and settled in a number of villages. The region was in Northern Thrace, which today is in Bulgaria. The women wove and embroidered their clothes themselves with stitching of exquisite quality. The shirt reached half way down the calf. the upper part was made of deep blue woven cotton cloth and the skirt of white. The embroidery around the neck, cuffs and hem was done using multi-colored threads of silk or wool. The sleeveless woolen garment worn over this was dyed a deep blue. The opening of the bodice was richly embroidered with brightly colored threads. The women pleated their skirt, decorating the hem with stripes of silk, gold braid and embroidery. The four-meter-long sash was usually red with multi-colored stripes and sewn on the slant for a better fit at the waist. Over it was tied a woolen apron with its woven decoration. It was possible to distinguish between married or single women, mothers or women in mourning just by looking at the type of apron worn.

In winter the women wore a sleeveless topcoat made of woven wool, which was modestly stitched and embroidered around the hem. On their head a little fez was shrouded with a printed woolen scarf folded into a bend. Over this was thrown a large printed scarf with a fringe, the ends hanging down loose. The bapka, a decoration consisting of 5, 10 or even 15 coins, arranged in the shape of cross, was attached to the fez and hung down over the forehead.

The costume continued to be worn in Greece as well, but simplified bit by bit until it was finally abandoned altogether. It belongs to the category of village type costumes.