Between Tradition and Fashion: Meet the Ie, the Romanian Traditional Shirt

                                  

    Let's talk about fashion. But not in the way that you would expect. Today I will tell you about a side of Romania which had existed far away in time and space, and which during the past few years people have started bringing back into contemporary life. After we had enough of modernity and the western world, we started looking towards the past, towards folklore - national costumes and all sorts traditional artefacts with national motives. 

     

Every year, on the 24th of June, we celebrate the Sanziene, who in Romanian folklore are known to be good fairies, dancing and floating in the air, and blessing the inhabitants of the Earth. Of course, in this part of the year there is an abundancy of folklore events, such as festivals and fairs, which I often attend.

                             

      

    What is more important is that, for the last couple of years, this day has also been decided as the International Day of the Ie, which is the blouse of the Romanian popular costume, available both for men and women, tailoring and patterns being different among the country's regions. On a white or cream fabric, creativity and skill flourish in patterns and colours of embroidery. Therefore, today esentially (but not only) all proud Romanians, ladies and gentlemen, living in Romania or abroad, should wear it. And today, in our hectic and modern Bucharest, many people do. And it looks pretty. It looks like "something else" - a nice Ie in combination with a business-like pencil skirt and high-heels is not something you get to see every day. ;) But we can also combine the ie with other traditional garnments, such as belts (cingători), skirts (fote) or trousers (ițari). Note: the linguistic terms refer strictly to the traditional clothes.

          

        Apart from costumes, creativity is at home in Romania. Be it costumes, coloured wool carpets, painting on wood, ceramic art (which will all have special sections in the future), and handmade toys are being rediscovered these days, in their simple beauty, from a world that many young people may not even have known in first person. They are not cheap to buy - but rightfully so, if we think about all the skills and craftwork that go into making them. Besides, they give a pleasant feeling: a feeling of belonging. And it is great!