Polish-Ukrainian Noblewoman, XVIIIth century

Pani wears:

• Shirt
• Cotton dress
• Ochipok of brocade with velvet trimming
• Embroidered muslin headcover – namitka

On the territory of today's Poland and Ukraine, women's costume changed very little from the XVIIth to XVIIIth century. A stylish combination of French court toilets and the local national costume, it was colorful, beautiful, and comfortable (in contrast to the fanciful French fashion).

This pani wore a modest but stylish dress of dense cotton with a floral-striped pattern in pink – fashionable in the XVIIIth century from Versailles to Dikanka. Such a cut was versatile for the then-middle class – from not-so-wealthy noblewoman to a well-to-do townswoman. Take a good look at the wide satin ribbon belt, which fastens and then ties with a puffy bow on the back – it’s gorgeous, isn’t it? By the way, a similar dress can be made from cotton, linen, heavy silk, velvet, jacquard, or wool.

Underneath the dress this lady has a puffy undershirt. The fabric is pulled up with fine pleats at the wrists and collar while the sleeves are covered with chic satin hand-stitching with floral motifs. The shade of pink in this embroidery echoes the pink on the dress creating a beautiful one-piece look. Thin embroidery is also along the neckline and hem.

We recommend ordering the shirt in fine linen or cotton. Embroidery is also an option (there is no embroidery in base price), but let's be honest – how can you refuse it?

The traditional headdress of a married woman is an ochipok covered in namitka. It was usually the most expensive part of the costume. Here you can see the ochipok is made of golden brocade and trimmed with velvet and the namitka is made of white fine muslin and covered with exquisite embroidery. You can choose luxury brocade, jacquard, velvet, modest cotton, linen, or wool for your apparel. For namitka, it's best to use muslin, cambric, or silk. Depending on the object of reenactment and your wishes, they can be either free from decorations, decorated only along the edge, or completely filled with embroidery.

Actually, the richer the image you choose, the more layers of dress you can afford. So, according to your wishes, we can complement the costume with another dress or other costume element of the corresponding period and region.