European folk dress in its present form is a relatively new phenomenon; it appeared in the mid-18th through the 19th centuries. For the duration of the middle ages, laws restricted the materials, styles and colors that peasants were given permission to wear, and clothing was quite uniform in sober colors. Its expansion only began when these feudal laws were abolished.
The original wardrobe of the 18th- and 19th-century peasants consisted of a chemise, a skirt and an apron for women; trousers, a belt or sash, and a t-shaped shirt for men. Cloaks and jackets were worn by both men and women. As these simple pieces began to start, geographic differences became more obvious and clothing would delineate an affiliation to a group and/or village. Villages were isolated and self-enough, with rigid codes that controlled every aspect of every day life and that was reflected in clothing. Men, women, and children would wear the prescribed attire for every stage – or event – of their lives. The most interesting parts of their clothing were its ornamental motifs, which could be traced back to pre-historic ritual cloths, stone carvings and ceramic vessels applied for ceremonial intentions and had sacred signification.
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