Rucava Women's Folk CostumeFold-out, Latvian State Printing House, 1958

WOMEN' S NATIONAL COSTUME OF THE RUCAVA DISTRICT

The national costume of this district is among the most original and picturesque.

The white «sagsha» or shawl had a broad border of embroidery along its lower edge, and narrow ones along the side edges, in orange-red, blue, green, and yellow, and coloured fringes along all three edges.

On top of it was worn a chequered woollen shawl, the so-called «mahrgené», and above it a linen shawl woven in cubic pattern — the «snahtené». All three wraps were draped under the ieft arm and fastened above the right elbow with different-sized brooches («burbulsaktas», or «bubble-brooches»), arranged on top of each other.

The blouse was richly embroidered, either with red wool in twisted cross-stitch, or in satin-stitch, using bleached or unbleached linen thread. The shoulder was elaborately embroidered in so-called «kruhmu raksts» (a kind of feather-stitch). The turn-down collar and the edges of the sleeves were also embroidered. The sleeves were gathered at the wrists with embroidered tape. An amber clasp fastened the blouse at the neck.

The skirt was made of dark blue or green homespun. The edging was red with ribbons of gold or silver brocade sewn on top of it.

The bodice was made of the same material as the skirt. It finished below the waistline and had one-way pleats at the sides. Its front was adorned with gold and silver brocade ribbons and woollen cord.

Young girls tied a red silken ribbon round their heads, embroidered with flowers or other ornaments. This was called «kaspine». They would plait their hair on either side of the head and twist it over their brows in so-called «horns» to keep the «kaspine» up in front higher than at the back.

Married women used the «namats» for a head-dress — a towel-like length of figured white linen which covered the whole head right down to the face.