The development of textile pockets of the national costume of Lithuania Minor

Abstract

National costumes, as any other clothing, consist of separate parts, which, combined into a single unit, constitute a certain style. All parts of the costume are the elements of a particular fashion, they reflect the idea, attitude, and values. Studies of the costumes of Lithuania and other nations reveal the similarities and differences between the elements of clothing parts. Although the whole ensemble of the European national costume usually consists of the same parts that are influenced by customs, culture and climate of a particular country, the individual elements of costumes of different nations vary in shape and colour combinations. Among the clothing ensembles, apart from the main clothing elements that perform warmth-preserving, aesthetic, social, etc. functions as well as indicate the economic, social and marital (female headwear) status, there are the secondary additions, textile embellishments (accessories) that are not always immediately noticeable. Some of them are not only fancy but also practical additions to the costume (sacks, attachable pockets), they are usually worn underneath the upper garment and their purpose is similar to the purpose of purses and handbags – for women to carry small items. These handicrafts vary in shape, colours and patterns of decoration, but due to the specifics of their wearing, they are less noticeable, less frequently noted (photographed, drawn), described and studied. Until now, the researchers interested in the Lithuanian national costume have been mostly focused on the problems of national clothing: the origins of creation, conceptions and interpretations, the relation between the concept of nationality and national costume. This research presents a textile detail which today has become almost compulsory in the ensemble of the national costume of Lithuania Minor and which helps to identify that the costume belongs to particular regions even without comprehensive knowledge of the composition of the national costume. A textile pocket of the national costume of Lithuania Minor is (should be) created (reconstructed) on the basis of the characteristics of textile pockets of historical clothing of Lietuvininkės (female inhabitants of Lithuania Minor). First of all, an analysis of textile pockets of Lietuvininkės in the context of textile pockets of historical folk and upper class clothing of Lithuania and neighbouring nations has been carried out. The development of textile pockets of the national costume of Lithuania Minor is studied in the context of Lietuvininkės’ pockets. The problem of the research: whether wearing and decoration of textile handiworks (pockets) of local residents Lietuvininkės of Lithuania Minor were related (directly or indirectly) to the expression of identity (being Lithuanian), or was it just a copy of handcrafts of simi-lar purpose from neighbouring nations; whether and, if so, in what way varied the characteristics of these handicrafts during the periods when historical folk clothing (17th–early 20th centuries) and the national costume (late 20th–21st centuries) were worn. Purpose: to study the development of textile pockets of the national costume of Lithuania Minor in the context of characteristics of his-torical clothing of Lietuvininkės and neighbouring nations as well as in the context of characteristics of pockets of upper class clothing.