Romanian traditional dress is one of Europe’s richest embroidery traditions, and its best-known piece is the ie, a gathered blouse sometimes called the Carpathian shirt.
The ie and its embroidery
The ie follows a three-part decorative scheme: embroidery on the upper arm (the altiță), a single horizontal row on the sleeve (the increț) and diagonal stripes below the shoulder (the râuri). The symbols and colours point to the blouse’s region of origin.
Regions and everyday use
The costume is classified into seven traditional regions, including Transylvania, Banat, Wallachia and Moldavia. Skirts called fote grow richer further south, with the most elaborate work found in Argeș and Muscel, sometimes in silk with gold or silver thread. Hats vary too: straw hats are very small in Maramureș and tallest, at about 30 cm, in Codru. Most Romanians no longer wear the costume daily, but it appears at special occasions and folk events.
Sources: Wikipedia: Romanian traditional clothing.
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