Dr. Elena Matulionienė, the national costume expert at the Klaipėda Ethnoculture Center, provides consultations on national costume matters. She can be reached by phone at +370 46 410108 or via email at elena.matulioniene@etnocentras.lt.
Women wore embroidered shirts and short vests or jackets. Over plaid or striped skirts, they tied white linen aprons with woven red patterns. The women also wore linen head coverings with beautifully embroidered central panels. During the cold season, they donned woolen coats (sermėgos) and fur jackets covered with dark blue fabric, adorned with embroidered patterns and trimmed with gold-colored galloons or fur. Women in Klaipėda girded themselves with wide and narrow woven belts and hung a delmonas (a flat, ornately embroidered pouch tied to the waist). Their necklaces were made of glass or amber beads.
Klaipėda girls braided their hair into plaits, which they arranged around their heads in very intricate styles—such hairstyles were done for Sundays and would last the entire week.
In the early 19th century, brides wore an impressive headpiece called a kykas (a tall, cylindrical headdress made of black velvet or felt). The bride’s kykas, made from braided lace stretched over a special frame, was covered with a thin veil. This region was famous for various handicrafts, especially embroidery and knitted patterned gloves.
Men in Klaipėda wore not only long trousers but also short ones, as was common in Western Europe. Their woolen coats (sermėgos) were long sewn in the style of the 18th century, with pleated inserts on the sides. Dark blue and black woolen coats were considered fashionable. Men girded themselves with not only belts but also colorfully embroidered and leather belts.
In the second half of the 19th century, the Klaipėda costume underwent significant changes. This was influenced not only by urban fashion but also by the religious Lutheran pietist movement, which brought stricter customs. Dark colors, especially black, began to be regarded not only as a sign of good taste but also as proof of a virtuous and devout lifestyle. The only items that remained colorfully embroidered were the delmonas. Women and girls increasingly wore scarves tied under their chins. By the early 20th century, short, tightly fitted jackets, often worn instead of a shirt and vest, became universally popular.
Teresė Jurkuvienė
Daržų st. 10, LT-91246, Klaipėda
