Today's post will focus on the traditional costumes of our host people. These are not worn much anymore except at parties or on a wedding day; today's brides are opting for the western, white, puffy dress- such a shame!

Ladies will wear a white dress with widely ruffled sleeves of many layers, and a similarly layered skirt portion made from a synthetic chiffon. On top of that, girls will don a highly sequined vest, usually fashioned from a velvet-like fabric (velour) of a darker color such as maroon or forest green or navy blue. The sequins are beaded in the traditional design called the Woy-oo, shown on the rugs I've posted about before.

In my opinion, the hat is the most interesting piece of the costume is the hat. Feathers, especially white ones have long been considered good luck by the people here, and are often seen adorning car rearview mirrors, entrance ways at homes, and on the ladies hats.

Shown here (in a rather unflattering blurry photo) are the hats I am speaking of.


The men will wear a long highly ornamented very heavy robe over their regular clothing. Again, one can see the traditional woy-oo design embroidered throughout. One person joked that the traditional hat for men reminded them of Captain Kangaroo. They are made of felted wool and quite warm. Even today, some of the older men around town can be seen wearing one going to or from a gathering on a cold day. But the everyday versions are simply black embroidery on off-white felt.

When the people have no need to dress up and go out, they wear very plain and practical clothing. Women will have a "housedress" made of velour for the winter, or a synth. blend and short sleeves for the hot summer months. There is an odd unspoken general rule about exactly how far one can travel from the home in the house attire. It is about as far as the corner store, but no further! Same goes for the house/work shoes. Any further, then the fancy leaving-the-house clothes and shoes must be gotten on- no exceptions!

For dinner get-togethers such as this below, normal business-like clothing is generally worn. For women that means a nice dress and heels, and for men a collared shirt and slacks. Jeans would never be worn to a dinner party like this.

So there you have a glimpse into the fashion of where we live. Like all cultures there are generally known and adhered to rules that most don't break. Learning them is one of the keys to feeling at home here.

Hanging Around in My Housedress,

Your SteppeSister