Female

Amalia costume from Cyprus.

Skirt of satakrouta, a pure silk fabric made from coarse unboiled silk. The name derives from the Italian term seta cruda. The colour of the fabric is somon (from the French saumon, salmon). The light-coloured field is interrupted at intervals by parallel horizontal stripes formed in the weft. The stripes are in three groups, each of which has six stripes – three fine and three broader stripes. The colours (from top to bottom) are light green, deep red, and purple. Below the bottom group, at the lower edge of the skirt, there is a broad band in dark/cypress green. The thin stripes have a 0.5 cm width, the wide stripes have a 1 cm width, and the green band at the bottom is 4 cm wide. The width of each group is 10 cm. The skirt is ankle-length and widens towards the hem. It gathers at the waist, where a thin belt of the same fabric has been sewn on. At the side, there is a vertical opening of 15 cm, with two cotton ribbons that tie at the waist. It is lined with off-white cotton fabric and it has a simple hem at the bottom. In places, the fabric is stained and shows signs of wear.

Women’s short long-sleeved jacket (sarka) of black felt, with sewn-on decoration. The sarka consists of a single piece of fabric, which covers the chest and the back, while additional pieces cover the body under the armpits. The sleeves are made of separate pieces of felt, which are sewn vertically onto the body. The vertical opening on the chest is deep and oval-shaped, and closes at the lower part with five hook-and-eye clasps. Around the opening of the chest, all around the bottom edge of the garment and the edges of the sleeves, there is a sewn-on decorative band of twisted cord and gold thread, formed into stylised floral patterns with a chain-like finish.

Gilt buckle (poukla) made of silver alloy.

Myrmidin, a women's metallic gold-plated breast ornament. It consists of thin chains, with three vertical ones connected by nine horizontal ones.

Silver-gilt pendant comprising a chain of spherical filigree beads (toutounia), and a filigree cross.

Headscarve made of kouroukla, dyed with a dark burgundy colour, called xidin. It is decorated with printed floral motifs in red and yellow, with black outlining. The designs – of the edges (kkenarin) and the four corners (the milia) – are similar to those of the other printed headscarves of the workshop of Evris Michael (or Euripides Mantilaris) and Kakoullis Brothers. Pipilla lace decorates the edges of the headscarves and is handsewn in silk thread. The lace pattern features tiny white flowers with green leaves, repeated in a row.

Amalia costume comprising  a white shirt, a pink silk skirt, a black felt sarka with gold embroidery, a silver buckle, a gold-plated filigree necklace with a cross. The head is covered with a fez and a red printed headscarf with machine made lace around the edges.   

Sarka of black felt with long sleeves and a low standing collar. The front part consists of two pieces of fabric. The sleeves are sewn vertically to the body and for ease of movement there are two gussets under each armpit (additional triangular pieces joined at the longest side). The sarka has a rich decoration of gold-wrapped thread both on the front and back side. The finish of the collar, the front opening, and the bottom edges of the sarka all feature the same decoration. 

Silver-gilt pendant comprising a chain of spherical filigree beads (toutounia), and a filigree cross.

The Silver buckle consists of two almond-shaped pieces decorated with floral patterns in repoussé technique.

 Silver-gilt pendant comprising a chain of spherical filigree beads (toutounia), and a filigree cross. The arms of the cross consist of four drop-shaped elements, soldered to a central rosette-shaped part, with a blue/turquoise stone in the middle. Red beads are affixed at the angles between the drop-shaped elements. The fourth element is connected, through a ring, to the chain, actually to a  spherical filigree bead in the middle of the chain, which consists of a series of smaller filigree beads (toutounia).

Amalia costume contained with a white shirt, a silk skirt with blue and white stripes, a black felt sarka with gold embroidery, a silver buckle, a gold-plated filigree necklace with a cross, a chain and a white headscarf.   

Sarka of black felt with long sleeves and a low standing collar. The front part consists of two pieces of fabric. The sleeves are sewn vertically to the body and for ease of movement there are two gussets under each armpit (additional triangular pieces joined at the longest side. The sarka has decoration of gold-wrapped thread. The finish of the collar, the front opening, and the bottom edges of the sarka all feature the same decoration, while the sleeve seams are also emphasised with soutache shaping swirling floral motifs.

Silver-gilt pendant comprising a chain of spherical filigree beads (toutounia), and a filigree cross.

The Silver buckle consists of two almond-shaped pieces decorated with floral patterns in repoussé technique.

Amalia costume which comprises a white shirt, a purple silk skirt, a black sarka with gold embroidery, a silver buckle, a gold-plated filigree necklace with a cross and fez with a white gold embroidered headscarf.   

The sarka is made of black felt with long sleeves and a low standing collar. The front part consists of two pieces of fabric. The sleeves are sewn vertically to the body and for ease of movement there are two gussets under each armpit (additional triangular pieces joined at the longest side). The sarka has a rich decoration of gold-wrapped thread. The finish of the collar, the front opening, and the bottom edges of the sarka all feature the same decoration.

Silver-gilt pendant comprising a chain of spherical filigree beads (toutounia), and a filigree cross.

The Silver buckle consists of two almond-shaped pieces decorated with floral patterns in repoussé technique.

Myrmidin, a women's metallic gold-plated breast ornament. It consists of thin chains, one vertical connected with three horizontal ones all of them  decorated with small round elements. The first two horizontal chains are longer and have hooks at their ends for attachment to the shirt, so that the chest is covered with chains. The central horizontal chain consists of a series of miniature round elements connected with small rings, while the other chains are decorated with round elements, connected with rings.

A gold-embroidered sarka made of dark blue felt. It is open at the front and has a short collar around the neck. The sleeves are long and straight, with triangular insets of cloth (pomanika) giving width to the underarms. The jacket is decorated with gold-embroidered floral patterns, an elaborate combination of symmetrical spiralling branches with leaves and stylized flower ornaments. On both sides of the front part there is a big, lahouri-shaped stylized composite floral motif with a rosette in its centre. The fine, intricate embroidery, undoubtedly the work of a talented craftsman, decorates the cuffs, the neck collar, the front opening and the hemline of the jacket. The decoration is completed with a thin golden braid, which forms a borderline all around the edges. The lining of the sarka is made of a cotton cloth in light blue colour.   Geroskipou Folk Art Museum (inv. no. 39).

A sarka, woman’s jacket made of felt in dark blue colour. It has a deep opening at the front and, in contrast to most other examples, this sarka is long enough to reach below the waist; at its lower part the opening closes with five small plaited buttons, and below them there is an extension of the right front, which overlaps the left lower part and closes there with one button.  The back and the front part of the sarka are made of a single piece of cloth, while for the cross-over two other small pieces (16x14 cm) have been added on the front. Furthermore, two small loxes (gores) have been set into the sides of the sarka for width, and for the same purpose there is an opening of 8 cm in each side. The sleeves are long and vertically sewn on the body. On the inner side of their lower part there is a long slit, through which one can see the lining; it is made of a fabric with small flower patterns on a dark background, and covers only the lower part of the sleeves, while the rest of the jacket is lined with common beige cotton cloth. The underarms of the sleeves have additional pomanika, triangular insets that give width, thus facilitating the movements. The opening at the front, the seams and the edges of the sleeves have sewn-on gold decoration. Geroskipou Folk Art Museum (inv. no. 17).

A sarka, woman’s waist-long jacket with a deep opening at the front, close-fitting bodice and long sleeves. It is made of imported silk fabric with floral patterns, branches with leaves on a lilac background interspersed with golden dots. A thin golden ribbon decorates the front opening all around the neck, and the hemline of the jacket. The lining of the sarka is made of beige cotton fabric. Geroskipou Folk Art Museum (inv. no. 19).

Amalia type costume

Amalia type costume. This example is composed of three pieces: a) a long-sleeved foustani  (dress which used to be worn over a chemise) with a deep opening at the bust and a long skirt with rich folds gathered at the waistline. It is made of an imported fabric with thin stripes in gold and black (or dark blue) colour. A gold decorative strap is sewn on around the waist, on the edge of the sleeves and on the hemline of the dress. b) the foustani is combined with the sarka, a waist-long jacket made of dark blue felt. It has long, straight sleeves and a short collar around the neck. The collar, the front opening, the hemline and the cuffs of the sarka have sewn-on gold decoration, which is completed with two impressive stylized floral (lahouri) patterns, one on either side of the front. Gold-embroidered felt or velvet jackets were made by tailors in Nicosia. c) a fessin (fez) a red cap with a long tassel fixed on its top; the tassel is made of black silk threads. This ensemple, dated to the first decades of the 20th century, is an example of the urban Amalia costume, as it survived in the Cypriot rural centres. Geroskipou Folk Art Museum (inv. nos 69, 71, 72).