Croatia

Traditional Costumes

Croatia has distinct regional differences in folk culture, food, language and history. This is evident in the variety of beautiful hand embroidered and embellished costumes of every region.

 

Hand embroidered patterns identify the region. The two examples above are from the Slavonian region. In the North East of the country.  The political boundaries of Croatia and its neighbours do not correspond to the regional differences in costume. For an excellent description see Roman K's  folk costume blog

        

     



The symbolism worked into these beautiful garments has given food for thought.  An extension of my current work in textiles, I am pondering how we might represent contemporary life and customs in dress and how they may be perceived in generations to come.

I am not thinking of everyday fashion which seems to have entered a cyclical pattern since the 1960's but rather the special dress that might signify our membership in a kinship, ethic, or other group.

And so another thread begins in my studio practice. 2015
is shaping up to be a busy time making, making making.

        

                               messing around with contemporary icons