Male

The yileko is made of red felt. The back is made of a single piece, and the front consists of two pieces that cross either side and are fastened vertically by three braided buttons gold thread.

There is a button sewn on each side below the round opening at the neck, and a pocket on the right side.

The joins, the outline of the pocket, and the hems of the openings are decorated with gaitania of metallic thread, an attached gold-woven band with garlands of branches and flowers made of tirtiri woven into it, and gold twisted braids, all forming a variety of volute patterns.

The vraka is made of thick cotton material dyed black in the traditional manner. It is the kind of vraka worn by monks, which has a different cut from the rest and is longer.

The secular dress worn by the village priests, who also engaged in farm work, is similar to that of the villagers. It consists of a vraka, yileko, zibouni and sash, the distinctive item being the head cover, the kalymafchi, which was worn in the countryside with a headkerchief called the kaspastin.

The yileko is made of checked cotton material in red, blue and green. The back is made of a single piece of material, and has a vertical slit with loops made of a red gaitani, through which a braid is laced to fasten it.

The pieces at the front cross either side, with ten white buttons set obliquenly, and form a triangular opening at the neck. The yileko fastens by means of brown threads forming series of loops.

The entire yileko is decorated with sequins, woolen threads, multi-coloured braids, gaitania and seiritia, worked into vegetal and floral patterns. On the right side of the front this decoration is supplemented by a pocket of yellow silk material, with a female figure worked in braids, wool and sequins.

The inside of the yileko is lined with white cotton material.

The costume consists of ypokamison (chemise), vraka (breeches), yileko (waistcoat) and zibouni (short sleeved jacket), zostra (sash), kerchief and fez, and podines (boots).

The chemise is made of thick, white cotton material with long, wide sleeves sewn vertically to the body, and an upright collar. Both sides have a small opening towards the bottom. The vertical opening on the chest is fastened by four buttons. The collar has a slight gathering around it, and there are free pleats at the join between the back and the shoulder.

The breeches are made of white cloth woven on the loom and have different cut from the typical Cypriot black vraka. Much less material is used to makes them, and they are shorter and narrow, with no gatherings or pleats.

Around the waist of the breeches is tied a zostra, a white woollen sash with vertical stripes of different colours woven into it at intervals, singly, in pairs, or in larger groups, and with fringes at the ends.

The yileko and zibouni are made of similar alatzia, cotton material, with blue and red stripes.

The sleeveless yileko, the front and back of which are made of a single piece of material, has a vertical opening on the breast, slits at the sides, and a small upright collar. It is lined with white cotton material, and the collar and vertical opening are decorated with white, blue and red cotton threads. At the collar, these coloured threads are braided into a gaitani. They are also used to form a braided strip at the vertical opening, with ten loops on the left side to receive the ten knitted buttons on the right.

The zibouni is made from a single piece cut straight, with no stitching on the shoulders, and with a low crossed opening. The two sides are formed of single pieces, with a small opening at the bottom. A large opening on the left side, beneath the neck opening, serves as a pocket. The zibouni is fastened to the upright collar by two round, knitted buttons, identical with those of the yileko. The sleeves are sewn vertically to the body, with a small upward slit at the wrist and a circular opening on the outside. The inside of the zibouni is lined with white cotton material. The edges around the neck, and the opening down the waist, are trimmed with blue cotton gaitani that hangs free and is fastened at the waist, where it crosses the zibouni. The edges of the sleeves and the pocket are trimmed with the same gaitani.

The head is covered with a white kerchief and a bright red fez made of felt, with a black tassel. A red label with gold lettering is attached to the inside of the fez, at the bottom: SULTANIE EXTRA.

The high, black leather podines (boots), have thick soles made of several layers of leather. The soles have podinorizes, flat-headed nails, 30 in each sole. This accounts for the name podines exintarizouses (boots with sixty nails). The ends of the nails are worked into a corkscrew shape (tzinoma), visible at the top edge of the sole, which is decorated with twisted red and white wool threads secured in position by means of round-headed nails. Stiches on the heels form a pattern of zig-zag lines and spirals. The front of the boot is decorated with incised lines. On the vertical stitching at the sides is a piece of red leather forming a thin decorative strip. To the front of the top edge is sewn an extra piece, a tongue, made of red leather with two rows of sequins.

The costume worn by men in the Cypriot countryside consists of ypokamison (chemise), vraka, zostra (sash), yileko (waistcoat), kondogouni (sleeved jacket), kapottos (thick woollen overgarment), fez and kerchief, as well as podines (shoes).

The chemise, which is made of thick, white, woven cotton fabric, has long sleeves sewn vertically to the body and an upright collar. The back consists of two pieces of cloth joined together vertically, and sewn to the shoulder, and forming pleats. The front also consists of two joined pieces of cloth, leaving an opening on the breast fastened by four buttons. The only adornment consists of small openings on both sides and a small gathering around the collar at the neck.

The vraka is made of thick cotton textile dyed in blue colour (veneto) by the traditional poyiatzides (dyers). The vertical opening at the front and the leg openings are decorated with blue gaitania.

The sash, which is tied around the waist, is made of black woollen cloth with fringes at the ends.

The crossed yileko is made of cotton cloth with white, red, green, yellow and black stripes. The back and sides are made of a single straight piece of material. The two pieces used for the front are crossed, leaving a low opening high on the neck. The yileko can be crossed either side and fastens by means of five buttons placed obliquely. The buttons are round and made of twisted silk braid, and the loops, which are also set obliquely, pass through a piece of white cotton braid, to the inside edge of which they are sewn. On the right side there is a vase-shaped pocket made of two pieces of black and red felt. The openings and the pocket are adorned with black gaitania and braid. The vertical slit in the middle of the back has a series of loops formed of a gaitani and set opposite each other, through which a lilac cotton ribbon is laced to adjust the fit of the waistcoat. The waistcoat is lined with white cotton fabric, and a strip of green woollen material is added to the inside of the openings at the front.

The kondogouni, a short overgarment worn by men, is made of thin waterproof cotton cloth in dark brown colour. It has a small up-right collar, a deep triangular opening on the breast, and long narrow sleeves sewn vertically to the body.

On cold winter days, the Cypriot peasant wore a kapottos over his kondogouni. This was a heavy overcoat made of thick dark-brown wool, tufted on the inside, with long sleeves, an upright collar, and a hood (koukkoularia). The back and front of this garment is made of a single piece material. The sleeves are sewn vertically to the body, and at the join between the side and the front there is an opening for the arms, so that the kapottos could also be worn as a loose cape. A separate hood is sewn around the collar. The inside of the opening at the front and the collar are lined with a separate strip of woollen cloth decorated with a twisted braid of red, black and white woollen threads. Some way above the hem a separate strip of red felt, decorated with the same twisted braid, is sewn to this strip, giving the impression of a pocket. The outside of the hem is covered with a thick gaitani of sheep’s wool, and all the finishes are adorned with thin brown woollen gaitani.

A black kerchief and a fez made of bright red felt with a black tassel are worn on the head.

The costume is completed by high boots made of black dyed leather with thick soles made of several layers of leather. Each sole has 28 iron nails with flat heads (podinorizes) around the edge, the ends of which are bent up on to the top part of the sole, forming a kind of protective corkscrew (tzinoma). The upper part of the sole is decorated with red and white braided woollen threads, which are attached partly by tzinoma and partly by means of extra round-headed nails. The ornament at the side of the lower part of the leg is formed of similar woollen threads braided into gaitani, and of stitching. At the top, the unlined leather is turned out and, since it is not dyed, forms a decorative contrast with the black leather of the outside of the boots. At the level of this turned-out piece of leather the boots are tied with leather laces fastened with buckles.

The costume of the Turkish Cypriot townsman consists of the following dress items: ypokamison (chemise), vraka (breeches), ttalapolouzi (sash), yileko (waistcoat), fez, and skarpinia (shoes).

The chemise is made of silk-cotton material with yellow, pink and black stripes. The back and front are made of a single piece of material, and the front has a vertical opening fastened by eight brown wooden buttons. There is a small pocket on the right side. The sleeves, which are sewn vertically to the body, end in cuffs fastened by two buttons. The upright collar, the cuffs, and the vertical opening at the front are strengthened by an additional piece of material, the stripes of which are set obliquely, and decorated with stiching forming curves and straight lines. The chemise is lined with white cotton fabric.

A wide heavily pleated vraka made of blue (veneto) felt is worn with the striped chemise. An additional strip of red cotton material is sewn to the waist for the belt (vrakozoni), which is decorated with a fine, twisted braid in three colours. The stitching and the edges of the leg openings are decorated with seiritia of black silk thread. The outside of the podinaria have decorative twisted silk threads sewn to them, forming a wickerwork pattern and solid curving motifs ending in spirals. Two lahuri motifs are filled with red velvet. At the top of the design is a bird, its outline worked in black twisted silk thread, filled with bright red and yellow silk thread. The podinaria are lined with white cotton material, and have a decorative white seiriti at the edges.

Around the waist is worn a wide, multi-coloured silk sash, the ttalapoulouzi, which has fringes at the ends. It is made of a fabric with checked stripes in different shades. The sash is made of two pieces of cloth sewn together with orange twisted silk thread.

The crossed yileko worn above the chemise is made of red and blue (veneto) felt, like that used for the vraka. The front is made of two pieces of blue felt of the same size, and can be cross-fastened on either side by means of eight knitted buttons made of black twisted silk thread with large loops. The back is made of red felt, with a vertical slit cross-fastened by two laces, one blue and one red. The sides consist of two pieces of red felt, sewn together horizontally, and have outer pockets made of red velvet with decorative twisted metal wire sewn to them, forming abstract curving patterns. The yileko is richly adorned with elegant patterns of Islamic inspiration, similar to those engraved on bronze utensils of the 18th and 19th centuries. Every part of the yileko has multi-coloured braids, silk threads or twisted metal wires sewn to it, forming spiralling floral motifs, wickerwork pattern lozenges, lahuri patterns, scrolls and spirals. The yileko is lined with white cotton material, with blue felt used at the edges of the crossed opening at the front. The inside of the neck opening has a striped woven seiriti, similar to that used in the vraka.

On the head is worn a tall bright red felt fez with a tassel made of black twisted silk thread.

The costume is completed with black leather skarpinia, which have sharp, turned up toes. The heel is formed of several pieces of thick leather, and an iron horseshoe is attached to the underside with komodromisima, blacksmith’s nails. Wooden nails are hammered into the sole, and can be seen around the edge of the underside. The upper part of the sole has a leather tongue, which is overlapped by the edge of the side pieces. These edges are not stitched, but are fastened by a separate piece of leather in the shape of a bow with a wavy outline, with metal buckles fastened to it.

The costume consists of ypokamison (chemise), vraka (baggy trousers), yileko (waistcoat), kontogouni (sleeved jacket), ttalapouzi (sash), fez and shoes.

The chemise is made of white cotton material and has an upright collar and cuffs. The front consists of a single piece of material with an opening down to the waist, which is closed by four buttons. It is decorated with five vertical pleats on either side of the opening. The back consists of two pieces of material sewn together, gathered slightly where they join the shoulder.

The sleeves are sewn vertically to the body and end in six free pleats to which are attached cuffs fastened by two buttons. There are slits on both sides.

The broad, heavily pleated vraka is made of fine black starched cotton material. The lower parts of the podinaria are lined with white cotton cloth. The inside of the hems is trimmed with a striped silk seiriti, and there are three rows of black silk gaitania on the outside.

A multi-coloured sash, called ttalapouzi, encircles the waist and hips. It consists of three pieces of cloth sewn together with twisted orange silk thread. The use of different colours for the warp and the weft creates check-patterns set in a series of horizontal stripes. The ends of the sash have long multi-coloured fringes.

A velvet yileko is worn above the chemise. It is made of dark blue velvet at the front and black at the back, with a vertical opening at the front. The back and sides are made of a single piece of black velvet. The vertical slit in the back is cross-fastened by two ribbons, of blue and green colour. The front consists of two equal pieces of dark-blue velvet. At the bottom are three button holes trimmed with gaitania, to which are attached two loops made of gaitania and buttons braided of silk threads and ending in tassels. There is a semi-circular opening at the neck, around the inside of which is a striped silk seiriti like the one on the starched vraka. On the right side is a vase-shaped pocket made of mauve velvet decorated with silk braid in the form of a stylised floral pattern. Gold gaitania, multi-coloured twisted silk braids, seiritia and silk threads are used to create a variety of decorative motifs, scrolls, spirals, lozenges and wickerwork embroidery, which fill every surface. The yileko is fully lined with white cotton material, and the opening at the front is lined with black velvet. On the inside of the right side is an old pencil marking: ‘‘D. Savides’’ and ‘‘12 Ellinikon’’ a little lower down.

On the head is worn a fez of bright red felt with a black silk tassel.

The costume is completed by black leather skarpinia with their long, rounded edges turned up. They have a low heel made of several pieces of thick leather. The heel is attached by iron mails, and the sole by means of wooden mails that can be seen on the edge of the underside. The upper part forms a tongue that is overlapped by the edges of the side pieces, which are covered by a silver bow. The inside of the back is lined with soft leather and the back half of the sole is covered by a thick piece of woollen cloth.

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.

Street photograph of two young boys, Kemal Mustafa Damdelen (1912-1964) and Mehmet Paşa, taken by an anonymous photographer around 1925. The taller boy, Kemal Mustafa Damdelen, wears a traditional Ottoman fes (fez, turk. Osmanlı durulla fes) with a yemeni (headscarf) around its lower part. The yemeni (scarf) is ornamented with a lace reproducing the carnation (karanfil) motif all around the edges. His white shirt is made of loom-woven silk fabric (Turkish güğül, from the Greek koukkoúllin = cocoon; the fabric made of yarn from pierced cocoons is called koukkoulláriko). The dizlik (knee-breeches) are also white, loom-woven with double cotton thread. Around the waist he wears a kırmızı guşak (red sash, turk. kırmızı kuşak) also woven on the loom and dyed by local dyers; below the red sash, around the waist, is tied a second yemeni (scarf), decorated with the carnation lace pattern. The çorap (stockings), which come up to the knees, are hand-knitted, ornamented with the tooth pattern repeated in horizontal series on a white background. His black shoes are decorated with a bow-tie. The second boy, Mehmet Paşa, who stands in the same posture next to Kemal, is similarly dressed. He wears a traditional Ottoman fes (fez, turk. Osmanlı durulla fes), and a loom-wo­ven kırmızı guşak (red sash, turk. kırmızı kuşak) around the waist. The shirt is white as are also the dizlik (knee-breeches), which are made of dimido (dímito in Greek is dimity, a strong cotton fabric woven on the loom with four heddles). The çorap (stockings) are hand-knitted and under the knees they are tied with a plain strap with tassels. The kundura/kuntura shoes are black and decorated with a toka (buckle). 

Photograph of Şah Mehmet (1900-1938), taken in 1925. It is a ‘while-you-wait’ pho­tograph with an unrolled painted background showing a tall column on the left behind the young man. He poses seated on a traditional wooden chair, with legs crossed, the right over the left leg. His left hand grasps the upper end of a stick, while the right hand is resting on the left and holds a cigarette between the fingers. He has a short, trimmed moustache and his hair is completely covered by a tall Ottoman fes (fez). He wears a white gömlek (shirt) made of raw silk cloth (sadakor); it has full sleeves with broad cuffs and a turned-out collar. The silk, colourful şalvar (sash) around his waist is from Tripoli (tarab­lus turk. trablus), as are also his şalvar (baggy breeches). The heavily pleated şalvar (baggy breeches) seems to have been made of blue broadcloth and is richly decorated with applied braids made of twist­ed silk threads, forming a wickerwork pattern and solid curving motifs ending in spirals. The decoration is especially thick at the edges of the leg openings around the knee. This kind of şalvar (baggy breeches) is part of the typical attire of the Turkish townsman in Cyprus, and, as shown by several surviving examples, it is usually accompanied with a similarly decorated waist­coat. Şah Mehmet is also wearing long çorap (stockings) with lozenge-shaped designs (baklava) and brand new, gıcırdaklı gonçlu potin (creaking, elastic-sided, leather ankle boots). From his belt hangs a silver chain, longer than two yards (arşın = Turkish measure of length of about 28 inches, 68cm, now obso­lete) with a watch suspended from it.