Fashion Brands

The basic wardrobe of the 18th- and 19th-century peasants consisted of a chemise, a skirt and an apron for women; trousers, a belt or sash, and a T-shaped shirt for men. Cloaks and jackets were worn by both men and women. As these simple pieces began to evolve, geographic differences became more evident and clothing would delineate an affiliation to a group and/or village. Villages were isolated and self-sufficient, with rigid codes that controlled every aspect of daily life and that was reflected in clothing. Men, women, and children would wear the prescribed attire for each stage – or event – of their lives. The most interesting elements of their clothing were its decorative motifs, which could be traced back to pre-historic ritual cloths, stone carvings and ceramic vessels used for ceremonial purposes and had sacred significance.

A design theme that is often used in Eastern European embroidery is that of an earth mother. The image does not represent a woman, but a fertility goddess, who is often accompanied by animals and worshipping figures. The goddess has most often than not a blank face, is erect, and with her arms raised in invocation or lowered in blessing. She sometimes metamorphosed into the Tree of Life or was replaced by local motifs such as the one or two headed eagle, an ancient solar symbol representing the power of the sky gods. The two-headed eagle later became a European heraldic emblem for the Hapsburgs and as such sometimes replaces the tree in the embroideries of Spain and Russia, as does the heart in the embroideries of Central and Eastern Europe.

Western European clothing was more decorative than traditional for it was a product of fashion and trade rather than a reflection of religious rituals and values. Commercial availability of fabrics and sewing materials, as well as of of widely circulated pattern books, resulted in shared embroidery designs all throughout Western Europe. Outer clothing was mainly decorated with ribbons and trimmings, whereas embroidery was usually restricted to headcoverings, aprons and linen garments. Embroidery motifs served to affirm affiliation to a group only in isolated regions