IA ROMANEASCA-Romanian Peaseant Blouse

Cea mai cunoscuta bluza romaneasca inca este o muza pentru marii designeri din lume, de multe ori fiind folosita ca element principal. Este aproape imposibil de determinat cand a aparut primul tip de camasa, dar se considera ca acest tip de imbracaminte ar fi putut sa fie purtat de populatia apartinand culturii Cucuteni. Este croita in forma de cruce, dintr-o singura bucata de panza si cu o deschizatura in partea de sus. Ia este de fapt o camasa de sarbatoare, confectionata din panza alba, bumbac, in sau borangic si impodobita cu margele si broderii la maneci si la gat. In jurul gatului este intarita cu un snur rasucit, iar manecile, de cele mai multe ori, sunt incretite la umeri si la incheieturile mainilor. Tehnica decorarii iei s-a transmis de la o generatie la alta. Motivele sunt stilizate, geometrice sau inspirate de natura.

ia romaneasca, este brodata in continuare cu drag de fete si femei. Putini stiu ca o femeie lcreaza 2, 3 saptamani, uneori mult mai mult, pentru a face broderia delicata a unei ii. Acum, cand tot mai multe fete pleaca de la tara, putine mai sunt acelea care mai cos cate o ie pe luna. Si totusi, atat timp cat mai exista romance care iubesc sa coasa ii si transmit mai departe aceasta pasiune, ia rezista trecerii timpului si straluceste in continuare atat in tara cat si in afara ei. Regretam totusi ca, odata cu trecerea timpului, multe modele dispar.

Romanian Peaseant Blouse is called “ie” and is a representative piece of Romanian folklore. Rooted in an idyllic past, Romanian women carry on the tradition of sewing peasant blouses. With a manually worked embroidery, just one blouse can take up to 3 weeks to be made.

Every ie “wears” a particular story, as there are different models to make these blouses, according to Romanian provinces. Cotton and flax are generally used, but floral patterns are customary.

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Romanian blouses can be found through numerous fairs and traditional bazaars all over the country.

The most important piece of the traditional female costume in Romania is ia. It preserves tradition through its ornaments which highlight the differences in age, social status and life events. There are 3 types of Romanian blouses: the oldest – ia “de-a întregul” (a shirt that used to reach to the ankles), ia and ia with “platcă” (a lined rectangle located over the shoulders – city influence). The first type of Romanian blouse is considered to be born in Cucuteni culture (starting the 6th century B.C.).

Using flax, hemp, silk or cotton, the front and the back of every ie bear the name “stan”, and the bottom is called “poale”. Floral patterns are numerous and tell never-ending stories about the history of feminity. In the past, married women or the eldest used to wear simple colours and patterns, while the youngest wore colourful shirts.

The tradition and the beauty of Romanian blouses passed from generation to generation, leaving the small universe of traditional villages and invading towns and cities in all their spheres: paintings, photography, fashion houses, royal houses, emblems of feminity.

Ia represents an important part of the Romanian traditional costume, whose structure has remained unchanged over the centuries. Both for women and men, the shirt made from wool, hemp or linen is the basic piece, shirt that is tied round the waist with a belt called “brâu” (wider for men). For women, a traditional apron (in Romanian language: “catrință”, “fotă” or “șorț”) completes the traditional female costume. Men’s traditional clothing includes a white shirt, white trousers, a hat, a belt, waistcoat or overcoat. In nowadays rural regions of Romania, men can still be seen wearing fur hats, leather peasant sandals and traditional trousers (“ițari”). Women usually wear a printed woolen scarf and a traditional straw hat over it when working in the fields in summer.

A place where traditional Romanian costumes may be visited is the Romanian Traditional Costume Museum (opened daily from 10 am to 6 pm), located inside the House of Parliament, 4th Izvor Street, Bucharest.