Traditional Gypsy Costume
From LoveToKnow Costumes
Although gypsies traveled all over Europe and the Americas, the traditional gypsy costume for both men and women, remained surprisingly standard. This was true even over centuries. As gypsies were wanderers, it made sense that they were less influenced by changes in fashion. From the Renaissance on, a gypsy costume has remained more or less the same.
The Basics of Traditional Gypsy Costumes
What we think of as a gypsy outfit, whether it’s something you get at a costume shop or make yourself out of whatever’s handy, is not far off from what gypsies actually wear. The traditional gypsy costume for both men and women consists of bold, bright colors, most commonly in reds and yellow. The one exception in red would be the basic primary red, as this is associated with blood, which is the worst sort of bad luck. The clothes are comfortable, with women’s skirts being long and full and men’s trousers baggy, and shirts loose. The skirts are pleated, often in a number of layers. Women’s blouses have puffed sleeves and tend to be quite low-cut. Married women wear a headscarf, although in many clans they can leave it off for all but ceremonial gatherings. Women wear a lot of jewelry not so much because it is attractive as because the nomadic nature of gypsy life means that wealth must be portable, so anything acquired has to travel on a person. Gold is worn not just as bracelets, necklaces and earrings, but also as coins attached to clothing and scarves and even woven into hair.
Men wear jewelry too and will sport a bright scarf for special occasions, worn either around the neck or the waist as a cummerbund. A basic peasant shirt is the most common for men, worn under a loose poet’s vest in a contrasting color. Men also tuck their trousers into knee-high boots which are very thick to suit the nomadic life.
A Rainbow of Colors
Besides primary red, the only color gypsies avoid is white, as this is associated with mourning and death. Otherwise, they prefer a range of bright colors and are very happy to clash. Unlike people who stayed in one place and were dependent upon whatever local fruits or plants there were to color fabric, gypsies traveled all over Europe and parts of Asia and so had access to fabrics and colors from every region. Gypsies were proud of their extensive travels and wore their clothes like a photo album.
Some Confusions About Gypsy Clothing
Although the use of coins as fabric accessories is a part of traditional belly dance, it is a mistake to associate belly-dance costume with women’s traditional gypsy costume. Gypsies did not tend to roam the Middle East, for one, and more importantly, the only part of a woman’s body that was acceptable to be on display was the bosom. Anything below that, especially the knees and legs, was to be kept covered.
The standard idea of a gypsy costume is for a woman to wear a headscarf, but as mentioned above, this was only for married women. That said, non-married women sometimes wear the scarves, even just to tie their hair back. Because gypsies who worked as fortune-tellers for non-gypsies played up their “exotic” dress to impress and intimidate customers, it is assumed that this is how they dressed at all times, when that was not actually the case.
The Gypsy Influence
Because gypsies were objects of both fear and fascination, it is no wonder that the gypsy costume was one of the earliest non-fantastical costumes to be worn by children for Halloween. In the 19th century, gypsies were still a part of American life, so a fairly exact costume was easy to replicate. It remains a popular costume today in part because it is so inexpensive. Simply pull together a few bright contrasting pieces and call it done!
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