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What is the Difference Between Folk Costumes and Folk Fashion?
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If we want to understand Folk Fashion, we need to understand first the meaning of Folk Costumes. A Folk Costume is a traditional garment that expresses an identity. It is usually associated with a geographic area or a period of time in history, but it can also indicate other characteristics of the person wearing it, such as social, religious, or marital status. A Folk Costume is basically a replication of the clothes and accessories used in that particular time or place.
On the other hand, Folk Fashion (or Folk Style) is when garments are inspired in fashion costumes and traditions of a specific country, but they are not exact copies of them. They are modern interpretations of those styles that are more wearable for our times but continue to carry the spirit, personality, and national heritage of those traditional garments.
Folk Fashion became very popular in the sixties and in the seventies, and it has been used very often since then, predominantly in summer collections of numerous brands and fashion designers. Folk Style can be related to Bohemian, Hippie, Boho, Boho Chic, and even Hipster styles. All of these styles use elements from Folk Fashion mixed with other particular characteristics.
With Folk Fashion, we can achieve a very exciting and creative look. There is a great number of diverse cultural vibes, all of them referring to different countries or periods of time. Therefore, there are several style options for us to choose from, and usually, the best thing to do is to choose one of them for each complete look.
Characteristics of Folk Fashion
Folk Fashion, with its ethnic-inspired details and casual look, has become the favorite option for many women and fashion designers. It is comfortable to wear and offers many options, which can work very nicely with each woman’s particular attributes. The possibilities are endless and there are no specific rules to follow. However, there are some characteristics that are commonly found in Folk Fashion:
1. Use of Natural Materials:
Natural materials resemble those used in typical costumes, before synthetic materials existed. They have a comfortable fit and support the philosophy of being close to nature. Materials often used are leather, wool, cotton, silk, wood, seeds, stones, and metal, among others. Details in clothes and accessories need to have a handmade look.
2. Feature of World Cultures’ Traits:
One of the most characteristic aspects of Folk Fashion is to feature the typical traits of diverse world cultures, which make them identifiable and unique. Those traits can be the type of fabric used, the shapes of the clothes, the color shades of the garments, the characteristic design patterns, and also the kind of accessories used.
Accessories are a very powerful element of Folk Style, often carrying details of strong symbolic value for a specific culture. Those accessories can be shoes, belts, bags, headbands, and jewelry, among others.
Frequently used as inspiration, we can find fashion clothing and elements that come from Indian, Native American or Latino ethnic cultures. Other common inspiration sources are African, Asian, European, and Slavonic cultures.
Floral embroideries and prints are very often used in Folk Style clothing, which come in a wide range of interpretations and colors. Geometrical shapes are also very common, mostly in European or Native American cultures.
When the graphic styles of two or more cultures are similar to each other, they can be combined in the same look.
3. Comfortable and Relaxed Shapes:
We could say that the basic silhouette of Folk Fashion is the trapezee or straight garment. This is a very comfortable and relaxed shape, that gives an effortless feel. Here are some of the characterisitc pieces of clothing:
Blouses:
Blouses usually have wide sleeves and are adorned with ornaments and ruffles. They have different folk designs, patterns, or symbols on them. They can be fastened with a ribbon or just left wide for a flowier look.
Sweaters and Jackets:
Sweaters often have a big knitted texture, with folk design details such as Scandinavian, Alpine, or Indian. Jackets can be made of fur (or faux fur), leather or wool.
Capes and Ponchos:
Ponchos were used by Native American and Mexican people, as well as people of the Andes. Capes have their origin in Medieval Europe. While featuring their characteristic folk graphics and prints, they both give an impressive finish to the look.
Skirts and Pants:
Folk Skirts are very diverse, but they are mostly long and flowy, allowing freedom of movement. They usually have folk prints and patterns that make them very eye-catching.
Pants are generally made of natural fabrics such as cotton and linen to let the body breathe. They often feature folk prints and patterns like the ones in the skirts.
4. Comfortable Shoes:
Folk Shoes come in many shapes, and usually in natural materials like wood, leather, fur, or suede. We can find that most of the shoes are flat, or at least not very high. They can be flats, sandals, boots, clogs, and many more. They can feature a solid color, or be decorated with folk patterns, embroideries, adornments and prints.
How to Wear Stylized Folk Fashion
If we love the Folk Fashion vibe, but we feel that wearing it can be a little too much, we can also wear Folk Fashion in a more synthesized way. Many times, a simple detail can reveal the influence of a culture in the garment, and it is enough to transmit the feeling that we want.
Here are some ideas to achieve that vibrant -yet stylized- look that you want:
Tighten the Outfit:
If we feel that the fluid and wide silhouette is not favorable for our body type, we can mix it with more tailored items such as pants or shorts, so we could tuck the blouse inside them. Another option to get a tighter look is to use belts over the blouses or dresses.
To keep more of the Folk Style look, it is ideal to put the belt or elasticize the outfit underneath the bust. That gives a very romantic vibe to the outfit.
Play with the Colors:
If you want to go for a fresher look, it can be very interesting to play with the color scheme of the culture’s typical graphics. For example, you could try to use the geometrical patterns of Native American Folk Style, but instead of using them in raw and natural colors, you could try them in white fabric with bright pink and aqua embroideries. This trick can modernize the outfit and add more of your personality to it.
Accesorize a Basic Look:
You can dress in simpler or basic clothes that may feel more suitable to you -like blue jeans or a white t-shirt- and then add Folk accessories such as embroidered belts, tasseled bags, adorned shoes, gladiator sandals, or folk jewelry to spice up your look. If the accessories are the right ones, they can be just enough to flavor your outfit and transmit the folk vibe you are looking for.
In summary, Folk Style is a very versatile and vibrant style of fashion, that works perfectly for comfortable everyday looks, or if designed the right way, it can even work for more sophisticated garments, giving them a unique and amazing style. This is why Folk Fashion is one of the favorite styles for may women and fashion designers. If you have more ideas on how to use or reinvent this Style of Fashion, let us know in the comments below. Thank you!