Latvian Folk Dress - Latvijas Institūts

14th-17th century
German crusaders arrived in the first half of the 13th century and the
Latvian territories were gradually conquered. Germans remained the
ruling class in Latvia until the early 20th century, thus influencing the
dress of local people. Under German rule the living conditions of local
people worsened and the tradition of decorating clothing with bronze
disappeared. The use of bronze jewellery also diminished significantly.
This led to the consequence that very little clothing was preserved in
gravesites. Therefore our knowledge of people’s clothing in the 14th-
17th centuries is limited.
However, written and drawn records gradually started to appear,
reflecting local dress in the 17th and 18th centuries. From these drawings
we can see that the traditions of ancient dress survived to a great extent,
as many garments are very similar. Linen tunics remained of the same
cut, as did woollen coats, however a front opening fastened with hooks
became more prevalent, especially in men’s clothing. Women’s skirts,
in addition to the older style of just a rectangular piece of fabric, were
now also fixed to the sash in small folds. Most of the garments were still
monochromatic, and stripes were rare. Knitwear began to appear in the
15th century, evidenced by the first knitted woman’s cap. Naalbinded
items gradually disappeared and the tradition of knitted mittens, gloves
and socks developed to perfection, reflecting
regional differences in ornament and taste in colour.
Starting from the 16th century, imported European broadcloth
reached Latvian peasants, and clothes made from it were considered
to be a sign of wealth. However there is much less jewellery from this
period, and we can observe that its old forms had mostly disappeared.
The only exception is the girls’ crowns that continued to be made either
of bronze plate or red fabric that was ornamented with glass beads of
various colours. These crowns had coloured pendants fastened at the
back of them, but slowly these pendants disappeared and were worn
in only a few parishes in the 19th century. Rings and beads made by
guild craftsmen in feudal towns are frequently observed, as are various
pendants (small animal figurines, coins, animal teeth); unfortunately the
significance of these pendants is unclear. The older types of fibulas that
were usually in the shape of a horseshoe were superseded by circular
or heart-shaped brooches. One of the most popular items of women’s
jewellery was a string of cowrie shell beads. During this period, the
most creative aspect and largest regional variations can be observed in
women’s head coverings, while other parts of clothing remained fairly
uniform.
8 9