Dress

Dresses decorated with rich embroidery and patchwork in vibrant colours were formerly associated with Palestinian village women's marital status. Dresses such as this, with full skirts and extravagant pointed sleeves were the most common style worn in southern Palestine villages before 1948. Since the 1980s, village dresses have become less baggy and usually have tight sleeves.Heavily embroidered dresses were and are particularly associated with celebrations, especially weddings. Before 1948, the different styles and colours of embroidery and other features of Palestinian women's costumes also signified the wearer's local and regional origin.