The unique national clothes of all the peoples of the Central Asian regions, including Uzbek, constantly attracted the attention of ethnographers. In the past, women's traditional clothing consisted of a dress that had a tunic cut and irreplaceable harem pants.
Uzbek dresses of former times: features, description
Representatives of the beautiful half of humanity in Uzbekistan in the old days wore uniform clothing: dress and harem pants. The dress itself was ankle-length, with a straight, but sometimes expanding downward camp.
The cut of the gown of the dresses of the Uzbeks was horizontal and trimmed along the very edge with a edging of a fabric of a different color or braid. And the collar was tied around the shoulder with a ribbon or fastened with a button. The sleeves of the Uzbek dresses were long and straight, covering their arms and hands.
Dress differences
Married Uzbek women wore dresses with a vertical cut of the collar located on the middle of the chest and about 25 cm long. These cuts were also tied with ribbons, fastened with a button, or covered with a brooch.
What is the name of the Uzbek dress? Kuilak. This outfit, for all its uniformity in cut, had the most diverse types.
Uzbek national dresses in each region had certain differences. For example, dresses of Uzbek women living in Samarkand and Bukhara regions, along the edge of the gate with a vertical neckline, were sheathed with peshkurt. This is a braid of gold embroidery. Also, collars could be decorated with beautiful national embroidery.
At home, women wore one dress in the summer, and in the cold season they wore two simultaneously (one on top of the other). Uzbek national dresses for festive events were also worn several pieces at a time. Usually women of the most noble layers or young girls dressed up like this after the wedding.
For example, three dresses were worn simultaneously in such a way that sleeves decorated with rich embroidery were visible to everyone (one from under the other). Thus, the richness and magnificence of the wardrobe was shown. Many women, going on a visit, took with them other dresses, dressing in which they showed their beautiful toilets.
Bloomers (Lozim)
An indispensable and indispensable part of the women's costume has always been harem pants. And they pulled together at the waist with the same ribbon. And they were sewn, as a rule, from two types of fabrics. The lower part, visible from under the dress, was sewn from a more elegant and expensive material, and the upper (from the middle of the thigh and above) was made of simpler fabric. The lower edge of the legs was sheathed with narrow embroidered and woven ribbons (zhiyak), forming tassels on the edges of the legs.
Dress changes
The traditional national clothes of the Uzbeks (including women's Uzbek dresses) have long retained the features of archaism. This continued until the 20th century. Previously, men's, children's and women's clothing was monotonous and practically had exactly the same shape and cut.
Only by the end of the 19th century, the style of clothing, including women's dresses, was slightly modernized. A detachable coquette appeared in the chest area, on the neck there was a small stand-up collar and cuffs.
Different colors began to be used more boldly in sewing women's clothing. It was here that women's dresses shone with their surprisingly bright, multi-colored silks and the khan-atlases famous in those days.
Modern uzbek dresses: photos
And now, the Uzbek national female (and girl's) costume is characterized by a dress that has an unconventional style: loose, gathered on the chest and back of the yoke, with a standing or turn-down collar and almost straight sewn-in sleeves. But more and more elegant dresses of a more modern cut (a little fitted) began to appear.
Both Kuilaki (Uzbek dresses) and Lozima (trousers) are sewn mainly from local silk (or satin) and other factory silk fabrics that have a unique Uzbek pattern. But all this is national clothes. Similar Uzbek dresses are still used by women in everyday life (in rural areas), in festive events and other important life events.
Today, instead of the old chapan (women's coat), Uzbek women wear jackets, jumpers and even a light coat and other European clothes.
Much has changed in the appearance of local beauties. Previously, middle-aged women had two braids, and young girls had a lot of small braids. Today, more and more often you can see women with modern fashionable hairstyles in combination with a modern suit.
Features of the dress of the Uzbek bride
I would like to touch on the Uzbek wedding a bit . The key difference between oriental ceremonies is the many festive rituals. Uzbeks respect and observe such traditions very much. And national Uzbek wedding dresses are an invariable part of such customs.
In some regions of Uzbekistan, residents remain faithful to national traditions, and they put on a national costume for a girl who marries an Uzbek . The wedding dress is sewn from the same khan-atlas, a richly embroidered sleeveless jacket is worn over it, and a silk robe or velvet camisole embroidered with gold is also worn on top.
The same silk wicks put on under the dress are also obligatory here. The girl’s head is decorated with openwork kokoshnik with pendants, and the bride’s face is covered with a veil. A lot of jewelry complement the bride’s amazing wedding outfit (rings, bracelets and much more), symbolizing fidelity to the spouse. And this is also a kind of ritual that protects the bride from the evil eye.
Now many representatives of these regions prefer more fashionable fabrics and urban styles, but national dresses will always remain an indispensable attribute of the festive events of this eastern people.