Traditional Folklore Clothing

In a few of the previous videos, it was possible to see the different outfits worn by the men and the women. Each region in Romania is known for a different type of outfit, though they are all fairly similar. Traditionally, they are all hand-sewn and embroidered. It takes quite a bit of time and expertise to make them by hand, so they can be pretty expensive. I will briefly talk about the women's and men's outfits.

LADIES
The ladies outfits consist of several different pieces. First, you would put on the "ie" [ee-eh] which is the shirt. You would tuck the shirt into a skirt. Both of which are relatively loose and not form-fitting. Next comes the "catrinta" [kah-tr-een-tsa] which is sort of like an apron. There's one in the front and one in the back. These are usually the most ornamental and have the most embroidery. The "brau" is a belt which cinches waist in order to achieve a more feminine and form-flattering silhouette and also to cover up the ribbons that were used to tie the aprons around the waist. Lastly, an embroidered vest is worn over the shirt, though the vest can be optional.

MEN:
The outfits that the gents wear have similar embroidery elements and components as well. They also have the "ie" shirt which is typically longer than the ladies' one. It goes down close tot he knees, and is worn over white or beige loose-fitting pants. It is also held together by the "brau" belt. An embroidered vest is worn over top of the shirt.

The colour scheme is typically red+gold, blue+gold, or black+gold. The Romanian flag is tricolour red, yellow, and blue which is why those colours are very common in the costumes.