What the national costume is?

• National costume is an integral part of the culture of any country. It is the cultural heritage of a nation. It gives inspiration for all people whose job is connected with creative activity, especially for fashion designers.

• Today Russian couturiers have been using the elements of Russian national costume more than they used to do.

National wear.• The traditional Russian

costume was noted for its straight-cut freely flowing lines. The cut was based on the width of the homespun or purchased fabric and accounted for the archaic style of traditional Russian garments: the considerable length of the dress,' and especially the long-sleeved women's shirts, worn in some districts.

Sarafan.

• The Russian women's costume was based on the "sarafan". The "sarafan" ensemble became widespread in Russia at the turn of the 18th century and comprised a shirt, "sarafan", belt, and apron.

Head-dress.

• Wedding and festive head-dress worn in northern and central provinces in the 18th-19th cc. boasted a variety of forms and reflected local peculiarities, and age and social distinctions.

Costume of southern areas.• The southern Russia costume

shows a special fondness for the red colour which like in the northern and central provinces prevailed in the festive garments. The word "krasnoye" meaning "red" became identified in the people's minds with "prekrasno-ye" meaning "beautiful". Moscow's most beautiful central square is called "Krasnaya Ploshchad" (Red Square).

In the late 19th - early 20th centuries the Russian costume began to lose its traditional

locally coloured forms.