Bissonnette on Costume: 2-Geographic Search: Greece

Bissonnette on Costume
Geographic Search: Greece

Anne Bissonnette, Curator
Kent State University Museum

Front	Back

Woman's Green Brocaded Silk Robe
L ined with fur in Turkish style worn in Greece in the 18th century.

These types of garments were worn only by the Greeks during the Ottoman rule. They form part of the Ottoman boujouar fashion with Asiatic routes.

Reproduced by permission from the Peloponesian Folklore Foundation (PFF), Naflion, Greece. PFF number 4.
Photographs by Anne Bissonnette

Front	Profile	Back	Detail

Front	Profile	Back	Detail

Red Silk Velvet Robe
Rasberry colored silk brocaded Turkish-style robe with an over dress of red velvet.

These types of garments were worn only by the Greeks during the Ottoman rule. They form part of the Ottoman boujouar fashion with Asiatic routes

Reproduced with the permission of the Peloponisian Folklore Foundation (PFF), Naflion, Greece. PFF number 3.
Photographs by Anne Bissonnette

Front	Back	Detail

Embroidered Bridal Garments
White cotton chemise with multi-colored embroidery and very wide sleeves at the wrists. Overdress of purple, pink and yellow brocaded silk with metal jewelry at center back.
R
eproduced with the permission from the Peloponesian Folklore Foundation (PFF), Naflion, Greece. PFF number 1.
Photographs by Anne Bissonnette

Evzone Uniform	King Otto I	Evzone Guard	Evzone Guard in Athens

Uniform of the Greek Presidential Guard, the Evzones

After the liberation of Greece in the first quarter of the 19th century, all male costumes in the Peloponnese took the form of the foustanela. Extremely popular, this costume is now one of the world's most well-known traditional garment. It consists of the following items:
- white cotton shirt
- foustanela (white cotton pleated skirt)
- boudouri (white underpants)
- long knitted white leggings, secured by gonatoures (garters) tied below the knee
- embroidered coat
- fesi (cap)
- tsarouchia (shoes) with pompons

Description of Photographs:
Left:
Evzone uniform
Kent State University Museum
Gift of George Stavropoulos
KSUM 1991.4.103-.111

Middle left:
Otto I, King of Greece, wearing the foustanela.
Print from cica 1850s to 1860s by A.H. Payne, English
Collection of Serge and Yanna Hadji- Mihaloglou
KSUM L97.21.12

Middle and far right:
Efzone National Guard in from of the Greek Parlament, Athens, Greece, 1999.
Photograph by Anne Bissonnette

Front	First Under-layer	Second Under-layer	Third Under-layer

Evzone Uniform & Amalia Costume

Left:
See description above of the uniform of the Greek Presidential Guard, the Evzones.

Right:
Town Costume (Amalia Costume)
The costume worn in the towns of the Peloponnese was adopted as a model for the offical court dress of Amalia, the consort of Otto I, the first King of Greece. The same type of dress was also worn in Athens.
- foustani or kavadi (open blouse), showing the embroidered chemise
- kondogouni (short fitted embroidered velvet jacket)
- fesi or kalpaki cap (larger for married women) with papaz (tassel) or braided gold thread ornaments
- kanaka (necklasce of gold coins)
Reproduced by permission from the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation (PFF), Nafplion, Greece.

N.B. T-shirts and leggings are not part of the costumes. They are used for installation purposes to protect the clothes from the mannequins' surface.

Mesogeian Bridal Costume	First Under-layer	Second Under-layer	Third Under-layer	Fourth Under-layer	Fifth Under-layer

Attica: Bridal Costume from Mesogeia
This bridal costume, known as mesogeitiki or arvantiki foresia, was worn in all the villages of the Mesogeia region.
- embroidered sleeveless chemise
- tzakos (short-sleeved bodice)
- red belt
- griza me ta chrysa (sleevless gold-embroidered overdresses)
- peskoulia or masour plexides (hair ornaments)
- fesi (cap)
- chrysi obolia (head scarf)
- xelitsi (forehead jewelry)
- yiordani (pectoral)
- kordoni (ten chains hung with coins)
Reproduced by permission from the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation (PFF), Nafplion, Greece

Costume from Tanagra	Without Apron

Boeotia: Woman's Costume from Tanagra
The costume of Tanagra, with some variations, was worn in all the villages of the region.
- sleeveless emroidered chemise
- tzakos (gold embroidered bodice) with mounga (short sleeves)
- breza or bres (polychrome sash)
- sigouna (embroidered overdress)
- peskoulia (hair ornaments)
- bolia (head scarf)
- apron (a later addition)
Reproduced by permission from the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation (PFF), Nafplion, Greece.

Costume from Desfina	First Under-layer	Second Under-layer	Third Under-layer

Phokis: Woman's Costume from Desfina
An attire worn in different versions throughout this region.
- silk chemise
- sigouna (sleeveless white overdress)
- rouchini (red cloth apron)
- coat
- gaza me tis foundes (white kerchief edged with pompons)
Reproduced by permission from the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation (PFF), Nafplion, Greece.

Costume from Hydra	Under-layer

Man's Costume from the Island of Hydra
This costume, which was worn with some variations on all the Aegean islands, is the classical type of male
dress with vraka.
-panavaki (white undergarment)
-white shirt
-karamani (baggy trousers)
-koumbouri (sleeveless crossed waistcoat)
-white sash and polychrome sash of Asian silk
-zaka (outer jacket)
-megalo fesi (tasseled cap)
Reproduced by permission from the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation (PFF), Nafplion, Greece.

Costume from Skopelos	First Under-layer	Second Under-layer	Third Under-layer	Fourth Under-layer

Northen Sporades: Woman's Costume from Skopelos
The women's costume of Skopelos takes its name from the long, richly pleated outer dress, the foustana.
- foustana or stofa (pleated outer dress)
- four calico petticoats: foustana (short and long versions), malakofi (crinoline-type) and kolovoli
- anetorali (short chemise)
- baboukli (velvet jacket)
- kilaina me tsatsaraki (gold-embroidered collaret)
- bounes (wool headdress)
- kavouki (round cap) with chysokaptseli (chin strap)
- salpa (gold and satin ornament)
- tsitsakia (gold-fringed trimmings)
- mantila (tille scarf)
Reproduced by permission from the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation (PFF), Nafplion, Greece.

N.B. T-shirts and leggings are not part of the costumes. They are used for installation purposes to protect the
clothes from the mannequins' surface.

Costume from Skyros	Under-layer

Northen Sporades: Male Costume from Skyros
This costume is known as shepherd's dress.
- tsopaniki foresia
- linen and silk or all-silk shirt with aratzidela (ornamented seams)
- vraka (pants), made from yalismeni (blue-dyed fabric)
- crossed waistcoat with armatosia decorations
- ambadokaltses (leggings)
- trochadia (sandals)
- geranio (embroidered head kerchief)
Reproduced by permission from the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation (PFF), Nafplion, Greece.

Costume from Chios	Under-layers

Eastern Aegean: Man's and Woman's Costume from Pyrgi, Chios
Costume worn on festive occasions at Pyrgi, on the island of Chios.
The breast is concealed by at least two scarves, as it is considered improper to have its form revealed.
- poukamiso (sleeveless white chemise)
- boustamianika (short bodice with white long sleeves and embroidered cuffs)
- pristida or asproudi (dress) with samaraki (pleated back panel)
- draped scarves
- sariki headdress consisting of stroungi (stiff cap) and draped kerchief
- poulada (red tassel ornament)
- karkavelones (ornamental hat pins)

Reproduced by permission from the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation (PFF), Nafplion, Greece.

Costume from Kastellorizo	First Under-layer	Second Under-layer	Third Under-layer

The Dodecanese: Woman's Costume from Kastellorizo
This costly attire has been used for daily wear on the island of Kastellorizo.
- kondovratsi (short bloomers) held at the waist by the vrakozoni (belt)
- white chemise with voukles (buckles)
- kavadi or chrysos sakkos (dress, open in front)
- zosma (draped hip scarf)
- gouna (overcoat trimmed with fur)
- kondochi (short overdress)
- raxini (small cap)
- tsaki or kaski (band encircling the cap)
- krepi (silk shawl imported from China or Spain)

Reproduced by permission from the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation (PFF), Nafplion, Greece.

Cretan Costumes

Crete: Man and Woman's Costume
The traditional Cretan costume is fashioned from blue felt by a special tailor, the levendoraftis.
The distinctive feature of the costume is the vraka, a kind of wide baggy trousers.
- yileki (sleeveless waistcoat)
- mindani (sleeved jacket)
- zounari (sash), approximately 26 feet long, where the basalis (knife) is tucked in
- kiousteki (ornamental watch chain)
- stivalia (boots)
- black fringed kerchief
- kapoto (cape)

Reproduced by permission from the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation, Nafplion, Greece.

Costumes from Thrace	First Under-layer	Second Under-layer

Thrace: Man's Costume from Petrota and Woman's Costume from Metaxades, Evros
Garment for festive occasions, originating in Anatolian Romylia, from the region of Kavakli, which is now part of Bulgaria. Following the exchange of populations in 1922, the people of Kavakli moved to Thessaly, Macedonia and Thrace, where they built new villages or formed separate settlements in existing villages.

Left:
Man's costume from Petrota, Evros:
- poutouria (trousers) give their name to the entire costume
Reproduced by permission from the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation (PTT), Nafplion, Greece.

Right:
Woman's costume from Metaxades, Evros
The costume worn in Metaxades, and in other villages in Thrace, are both beautiful and practical. For example the two openings in the bodice, the Kourfoulithres, facilitate breast-feeding. The belt, encountered only in Thrace, was made by the famous kouyioumtzides, Thracian goldsmiths. Many of the other ornaments are made by the women themselves.
- foustani (sleeveless dress) with two bodice openings, the kourfoulithres
- bakirozounaro (articulated belt) with korona (enameled bronze buckle)
- gerdan (neckband of beads)
- bourboula (kerchief) printed with flowers
Reproduced by permission from the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation (PFF)Nafplion, Greece.

N.B. T-shirts and leggings are not part of the costumes. They are used for installation purposes to protect the
clothes from the mannequins' surface.

Costume from Thrace	First Under-layer	Second Under-layer	Third Under-layer	Fourth Under-layer	Fifth Under-layer

Eastern Thrace: Woman's Costume from Makra Gefyra
This costume comes from a region which is now part of Turkey.
With the exchange of populations, the people of this region moved to Western Macedonia and Thrace.
- chimis (cotton chemise/shirt)
- sleeveless dress embroidered with saliango patterns
- embroidered terliki (sleeveless coat)
- bres (belt), usually red, which can be worn alone or with the bakirozounaro as a sign of betrothal
- katsounia (footwear) made of thick woolen material (sayiaki)
- red skull cap with mangouri (chin-strap) and brown tsemberi (kerchief)

Reproduced by permission from the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation (PFF), Nafplion, Greece.

Sarakatsani Costume	First Under-layer	Second Under-layer

Thrace: The Sarakatsani Costume
The Sarakatsani care a Greek race of sheep-breeding nomads who roamed from Asia Minor to the Peloponnese.
-chenise with embroidered sleeves
-katasarki (vest)
-tzamandam (sleeveless buttonned waistcoat with short pleated skirt)
-knitted round collaret
-polkaki (sleeveless jacket)
-zona (wide belt) held in place by louria (leather belts) secured by kleidotaria (silver buckles)
-embroidered panaoula (apron)
-knitted stockings in two parts, tsourapia and kondotsourapa
-bochos (wool kerchief)

Reproduced by permission from the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation (PFF), Nafplion, Greece.

N.B. T-shirts and leggings are not part of the costumes. They are used for installation purposes to protect the clothes from the mannequins' surface.

Costume from Thessaly	First Under-layer	Second Under-layer	Third Under-layer	Fourth Under-layer

Thessaly: The Karagouna Costume
The bridal costume worn in the Thessalian plain is still used in our days in a modified and simplified version.
- linomaniko poukamiso (edged chemise)
- diplos sayias (two cotton dresses)
- embroidered indigo-blue outer dress
- yileki (short waistcoat)
- cotton dickey
- felt apron
- kavadomanika (ornamental armbands)
- false plaits and head-kerchief

Reproduced by permission from the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation (PFF), Nafplion, Greece.

For more detailed information on Greek garments, please visit the website of the exhibition
Textured Reflections: Greek Regions and Their: Costumes

Revised 12/21/01