Woman from Karpasia with routzetti

The costume of the woman of Karpasia with routzetti comprises the following dress items: a skirt called routzetti, the ypokamison (chemise), the sarka (sleeved jacket), the headdress consisting of two scarves, the skaletta (necklace) and podines (boots).   The heavily pleated skirt, called routzetti, is made of woven cotton material dyed a dark red colour, and of a crinkled texture. It consists of eleven panels sewn together with a large number of tucks at the waist. These are covered by a strip of the same material, forming the sash at the waist. One side stitch is connected by a routzela stitch of coloured cotton threads, ending in tassels at the top, unstitched part. Towards the bottom, just above the hem, there is a horizontal pleat hand-sewn with yellow cotton thread. The inside of the hem has a strip of white cotton material, held in place by hand-stitching in the form of a zig-zag line of coloured threads. All stitching is done by hand, with orange thread. The chemise is made of striped silk material woven on the loom in a natural colour. The back and the front are made of a single piece of material, with no stitching at the shoulders. On each side there is a straight panel the full width of the material, which extends in a single piece along the entire lower part of the sleeve. The upper part of the sleeve consists of a separate straight panel. The edge of the neck, the opening on the front, and the sleeve hems are trimmed with silk pipilla (lace), forming an elaborate garland of flowers. The sarka is made of black felt. Is fastens by means of four hooks and-eyes set vertically beneath the breast, leaving a deep opening. The narrow sleeves flare at the bottom. The hems of all the openings are trimmed with garland consisting of twisted gold braid threads worked into a floral motif, spirals, volutes, and plaits, with border of a continuous scroll. The scroll is a decorative feature found in many Cypriot sarkes, of which it is a characteristic finish. The sarka is lined with white cotton material, and the sleeves with red. The headdress consists of two thin square cotton kerchiefs. The inner, which is wound to form a cap, has black printed floral decoration against a white ground and a border around the four edges of fine papilla (lace) and sequins. The outer kerchief has multi-coloured printed decoration on a light red ground. The neck is adorned by a silver necklace, known on Cyprus as skaletta. It consists of three triangular meshes of filigree quatrefoil flowers linked together. The top sides of the triangles continue in the form of a chain of similar flowers that ends in a fastening hook. The three sides of the triangles are decorated by rows of small pendent balls. The female black podines (boots) have a small heel and pointed toes. The heel, which consists of several layers of leather, is fastened on by small iron nails, and the sole is attached by iron and wooden nails. On the stitching at the sides there is an additional strip of leather of the same colour, and two leather loops are sewn to the tops with white cotton thread. The podines come up to the middle of the shins. Their only decorative feature is the white cotton stitching around the heel and three rows of fine stitching, two straight and one wavy, on the finish at the top.