National Historical Museum

The costume of the townsman with vraka comprises the following dress items: ypokamison (chemise), vraka (breeches), the yileko (waistcoat), zostra (sash), kontogouni (sleeved jacket), fez and skarpinia (shoes).

The chemise is made of white cotton material. The back and front are formed of a single piece, with no stitching at the shoulders, and the sleeves are sewn vertically to the body, ending with a slight gathering in buttoned cuffs. The opening on the breast is fastened by three buttons and adorned on either side with fine pleats that end at a horizontal strip sewn just above the waist.

The long pleated vraka is made of European cotton cloth dyed black in the traditional manner. It is a typical example of the heavily pleated Cypriot vraka woven on the loom and then dyed by traditional poyatzides (dyers). The edges of the podinaria (the lower part of the vraka) are lined with white cotton material and the outside is decorated with four rows of black wool seiritia (braids), with a striped cotton seiriti on the inside. The waist is turned back to secure the white cotton belt, or vrakozoni.

To keep the vraka in place, a zostra (sash), made of black cotton-silk material, is tied around the waist.

A crossed yileko (waistcoat) is worn over the chemize. It is worn alone in summer and together with a zibouni (short, sleeved overgarment) in winter. The yileko is made of dark-red velvet at the front and light-red felt at the back. In the middle of the back is a vertical slit, which is fastened by two cotton seiritia (braids), one yellow and one blue. These are laced through pairs of holes on either side of the slit and tied at the bottom, thus adjusting the fit of the yileko. The front consists of two pieces of velvet of the same size that are crossed, leaving a horseshoe-shaped opening at the neck. On the right side there is a vase-shaped pocket made of two pieces of black and green felt. The yileko is cross-buttoned, with six obliquely set buttons that are secured on the inside by loops attached to a black wool braid. Both the buttons and the button-holes are made of black silk braid and seiritia, and are attached to the two front panels, thus making it possible to cross the yileko on either side. The inside is reinforced by white cotton material. The yileko has very elaborate, symbolic decoration. Multi-coloured twisted braids, silk gaitania and seiritia (braids) form a variety of patterns on the back: snakes, lozenges and birds, which are additionally adorned by silk wickerwork or filled embroideries.

The kondogouni, the short-sleeved overgarment, is made of black felt and has a small, upright collar. The sleeves are vertical and sewn to the body, and taper slightly towards the bottom, where there is an opening and a rounded finish.

There is a narrow strip of red felt around the inside of the neck and hem. On the left side, a vase-shaped pocket made of velvet and felt is sewn to the red strip. The outline of the pocket and all the openings are trimmed with silk gaitania, multi-coloured twisted braids. The ends of the sleeves are lined for a short distance with woven alatzia (cotton fabric) of a burgundy color.

The head is covered with a small, upright, bright red fez made of felt (turk. kece), which has a black tassel of twisted silk braid.

The costume is completed by black leather skarpinia (shoes) with broad toes and a heel. They are hand-stitched and have wooden nails around the edge of the sole. The front piece ends in a tongue which is over-lapped by the projecting side pieces. The shoes are fastened at the front with black laces.

The costume worn by Cypriot ladies in the towns consisted of a fustani (dress) worn over the ypokamison (chemise), a sarka (long sleeved jacket), a fez and shoes.

The pleated fustani (dress) is sewn in dark-mauve silk brocade with dark-coloured flowers, set vertically, woven into it. The long fusta (skirt) is gathered at the waist and has a tail at the back. The sleeveless bodice, made of a single piece of material, has a deep neckline, which is covered by silk trachilia (a piece of cloth which covers the chest), adorned with elaborate pipilla (lace). The separately made silk sleeves come down to the wrist and end in lavish lace flowers.

A short embroidered jacket, the sarka, is worn over the fustani (dress). Made of blue velvet, it has a deep opening on the chest and long sleeves that flare at the wrists. The openings are richly trimmed, with attached gold embroideries of palmettes and floral motifs that match the silk trachilia and the light lacy lower parts of the sleeves, which are visible beneath the sarka.

The most important form of adornment in this costume as with most traditional costumes is the headdress.

Fez made of red felt turned inside out. The fez is adorned with a black silk tassel that entirely covers it. Starting from the top, this tassel is sewn by hand with stitches forming concentric circles and creating a tepeliki (turk. tepe = hill, summit) on top of the head. The brim of the fez is encircled by a black velvet band with attached gold thread and tirtiri (braids), forming garlands of flowers. The band starts from the right, goes round the fez and ends on the left side, where the two tongue-shaped ends meet. These tongues are trimmed with gold thread and tirtiri (braids). The band is lined with waterproof black cotton material, as is the hem of the fustani (dress). The long tassel, made of black silk thread is adorned with two garlands of gold thread twisted into flowers, spirals, and other curvilinear patterns. The garland is fastened to the fez at both ends and in the middle, and hangs freely above the tassel. In the middle of the inside of the fez there is a linear pattern worked in white thread. On the right side, a square, folded kerchief is fastened. It is made of delicate linen fabric, which is trimmed around with multi-coloured silk embroidery in the form of vegetal and floral motifs.

On the top of the fez are placed the fiora (flowers). These are an elaborate ornament in the form of a wreath of gold twisted wire, with delicate pearls around it interwoven with thick white silk thread to form a light composition of leaves, buds and flowers.

The neck is adorned with a pearl necklace, consisting of twenty-three strings of pearls strung on yellow cotton thread and forming a bunch with knots at the ends. At one end there is a red tassel.

The costume worn by town ladies is completed by skarpinia (shoes), which are very elegantly and delicately made. Handmade, with heels and pointed toes, they are of soft leather reinforced by thicker leather at the toes and heels, and sheathed in cotton - silk material in the natural colour of silk. A triple bow made of grey silk ribbon is sewn to the opening at the front. The side joints are hand-sewn with five stitches, and a thin strip of the same material is sewn with stitching around the opening. The sole is attached by wooden nails around the edges, and the heel by small metal nails. The entire sole is covered with embossed dots in the form of lozenges. On the inside, a second sole is stuck to a piece of blue material and decorated with lozenges, with an embossed rosette at the centre. The maker's stamp can be seen on this sole: HAGI GAVRIL BOOT-MAKER,

TO H.E. THE HIGH COMMISSIONER NICOSIA - CYPRUS.