Traditional women’s holiday dress

Clothes occupy a particular place in the cultural heritage of the Slovene part of Istria, and even towards the end of the nineteenth century countryfolk and townsfolk could still be distinguished by their clothes. Older Istrian costumes differ from those of other regions of Slovenia in the characteristics of their cut and are therefore classified as a special type – as costumes of Primorska. The elements of the older costumes worn by women in Istria include, notably, a shirt-like garment cut according to medieval patterns, which is finely pleated and has a wedge-shaped insert that causes it to widen considerably from the waist down. By the early years of the twentieth century, holiday dress was only worn on special occasions in the Slovene part of Istria – for dances at village festivals or at certain religious and secular events.
The women’s dress consists of: an undershirt, a tunic called a kamižot (camisotto), a sleeved blouse, an apron, a decorative sash, a headscarf, stockings and shoes.