The Ancient Mayan head dress was worn as a ceremonial and fashionable garment, as well as an element of a soldier's uniform. They were adorned with bird feathers, ususally those of the Quetzal, sewn together using colored animal hairs or plant fibres. The quetzal is native to Mesoamerica, and is coveted for its colorful and long feathers. The head dresses were meticulously hand sown by craftsmen, and often included other aesthetic elements. Animal heads were once beleived to transmit positive abilities to the wearer, and became common additions to the colored feathers, as did beads, jewlery, and other luxury items.

The head dresses were worn by both men and women of prominence. Only the wealthy and/or powerful were permitted to wear these beautiful accesories. Kings wore them to showcase power, warriors for strength and endurance in battle, and the wealthy for status. 

In modern times, head dresses are still worn as celebratory or ceremonial garments. The feathers are now taken from various sources, and are synthetically colored. This has allowed for more vibrant and surprising designs, in addition to the traditional quetzal appearance. Each head dress is hand sewn, so no two are alike. Although no longer worn for official ceremonies, head dresses are an integral part of Mayan culture that is showcased to tourists.

Contemporary head dresses, although heavily evolved in appearance from the ancient ones, still contain certain elements that can be traced through history. The feather pattern and general shape of the garment has remained constant through time, even though the materials have changed. 

Motifs and symbols also still remain from ancient times. The ancient Maya were fascinated with death and sacrifice, which can be seen in the animal skulls and some patches that are used today. The memory of past tradition is kept alive through this costume. The Mayan head dress serves a cultural vessel that carries the traditions of the ancients in its adornments.

Image Sources:

http://www.windsorstar.com/life/gallery+best/1022782/story.html
http://marylouiseblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/mayan-headdress-cultural-lesson.html
http://www.johnsheaodonnell.com/gallery_travel.html
http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/668929/123878995/stock-photo-mexico-city-feb-portrait-of-male-aztec-indian-wearing-traditional-clothing-and-headdress-at-123878995.jpg
http://greenglobaltravel.com/wp-content/uploads/67367_1681802526906_7409384_n.jpg
http://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2011/79e05034-4349-4a5b-b7c6-d148daef6ec7.jpeg
http://southamericanjazz.wordpress.com/
http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/454414/454414,1312742621,1/stock-photo-tulum-mexico-july-unknown-man-in-mayan-traditional-ornamental-feather-headdress-playing-on-82503907.jpg
http://dailyoffice.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/resplendentquetzal-natlbirdofguatemala-thornjanson.jpg

Highland dress has been traditionally worn by the Scottish for centuries; however, the trend did not originally belong to the Scots. The Scots are historically the Lowlanders of the area and viewed the Highlanders as completely barbaric. As time passed and this rivalry ended, the concept of 'clan tartans' came to be and the Lowlander Scots adopted the Highland dress as their own and now wear it proudly as a sign of their family heritage. This outfit in particular is tradtionally worn by men.

Traditional Highland dress is typically brought out for parade, the Highland Games, dances, festivals, bagpipe playing, and formal events such as weddings.They are also worn by people in the service.

The Kilt: Originating from a long length of tartan cloth which was wrapped around a man's body, belted at the waist and pinned at the shoulder, the kilt has developed into a more complex garment these days. The kilt was chosen because it is warm, it does not restrict movement, and when made out of the traditionally tightly woven wool it is almost completely waterproof. The tartan only ever goes over one should in order to keep a man's sword arm free at all times. Much of a man's stature is derived from his kilt, which is why the kilts are traditionally worn for all formal and cultural occasions. In some cases, the kilt can be replaced with a trew, a modern trouser version of the kilt.

The Sporran: This purse-like accessorie is both fashionable and functional. One of the oldest and untouched pieces of the Highlander dress, the sporran is effectively the pocket of the outfit. The sporran must be worn at the front of the kilt and should hang between two or three inches below the belt of the kilt. Sporrans can be made of leather or fur or a combination of the two. The more ornamental sporrans have metallic features and are typically worn for more formal occasions. 

Ghillies: The leather shoes of Highlander dress are thick-soled, completely tongueless, and high laced over long socks or hose. The shoes were originally made without tongues so that the wearer's feet would dry off quickly if they were to get wet, and the laces were made to tie so far up the leg so that the shoes could not be pulled off if someone were trudging through thick mud. These days, most men where ghillie brogues which look much like dress shoes without the tongue and with extra lacing. Ghillies are more reserved for women's styles and for dancing.

Sgian Dubh: The name of this knife is derived from the Gaelic which means 'black wood', representative of the black bogwood commonly used for the handle of the knife. This single edged knife is traditionally tucked away in the man's stocking. The hilt of the knife remains visible out of the top the of sock, which is why the hilt is very ornate. Traditionally it is a utility knife for the owner, primarily employed for the preparation of fruit, the cutting of materials, or protection from wildlife. Nowadays, this knife is merely ceremonial piece of the Highlander dress and is considered more as a piece of art than as a tool.

Sources:

http://www.tartansauthority.com/highland-dress/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_dress

http://www.tartansauthority.com/highland-dress/

http://www.piobmhor-of-scotland.co.uk/hdhistory.htm

http://www.scottish-history.com/kilt.shtml

http://www.westcoastkilts.com/kilt-history/kilt-history/

Image Sources:

http://dirndls.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/traditional-lederhosen.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JqxUMSN1IKE/UfyUpauk_TI/AAAAAAAAAu4/78QbwdUR754/s1600/German-Traditional-ClothingStyle1.JPG

http://www.dmarge.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/kitzbueheler-alpen_maenner-in-lederhosen-1_cby-fotowerk-nusser-aichner.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TpFIlK4DmLI/TkJ6hFIrcUI/AAAAAAAABE4/fuaoTHxxSNk/s1600/sailorsuitandlederhosenfilmblog.jpg

http://www.rollonfriday.com/Portals/0/images/lederhosen.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Goasslschnalzer_in_Tracht.jpg

http://www.destination-munich.com/image-files/traditional-dirndl.jpg

http://thejadebangle.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/de21.jpg

http://www.destination-munich.com/image-files/girl-dirndl.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dwmG-If237I/UfyUrihBhSI/AAAAAAAAAvY/vOTQIwAkFv8/s1600/German-Traditional-ClothingStyle4.JPG

Research sources:

http://www.randomhistory.com/2009/02/24_wigs.html

http://www.wigs.com/blog/tips-tricks/did-you-know-a-brief-history-of-wigs

http://twonerdyhistorygirls.blogspot.com/2011/03/accessories-head-to-toe-part-4.html

http://limerickslife.com/peruke-makers/

I chose to examine the sari, a feminine garment that is close to home, and yet is worn very differently all over South Asia. The sari itself is merely a long piece of fabric, usually about six yards in length and three yards in breadth. The manner in which it is worn, or draped, indicates the origins of the wearer, and it is this facet of the sari that fascinates me, given the fact that the fabric has no shape until it is wrapped around the body. The images above show the Kandyan sari, or the osariya, worn primarily in Sri Lanka. It has a frill at the waist, and the sari blouse often has puffed sleeves. (See here for instructions on how to drape the osariya.) The whole costume consists of the sari, a sari blouse, an underskirt, and traditional jewellery.

It was adopted by upper-class women in the provinces of Kandy in Sri Lanka. Today, it is considered the national dress of the island, although feminist historian Nira Wickramasinghe points out that this method of draping the sari has “a definite origin from across the Palk [Strait]” (i:e: from India).[1] Sinhalese nationalists proclaimed the drape to be “the true Sinhalese dress, a morally acceptable dress because it covered the entire body,” and (male) nationalists laid down the sari specifications: “A proper blouse should cover the breast, stomach and back completely. A cloth ten riyans long should be worn as the osariya or sari.”[2]

Wickramasinghe notes that the main reason for the choice of the osariya as the national dress was because of its Kandyan origins. Sinhalese nationalists viewed the Kandyan kingdom, historically more insulated from colonial influences than Sri Lanka’s maritime provinces, so despite the fact that the sari itself had origins elsewhere, “it was seen  not only as the ‘moral dress’, but also as the authentic, unspoiled and ‘pure’ dress of the Sinhalese.” This invented tradition follows Hobsbawm’s observation that the invention is necessitated by a temporal rupture (in this case the bid for independence from the British) and has a very small group of initiators (here, a vocal group of nationalist Sinhalese males). I am particularly intrigued by the act of collapsing time and the carefully imposed erasure of the fact that the osariya is in fact testament to miscegenation and hybridism in Sri Lanka, rather than purity. (The nationalists did such a good job that I did not realise until I commenced my research that the osariya was not necessarily Sri Lankan origin!) Included in the images is a picture of a batik sari - although the batik dyeing process originates from Indonesia, it has migrated to Sri Lanka, and a batik osariya is considered an "authentic" Sri Lankan dress.

Today, the osariya is the uniform of stewardesses on Sri Lanka’s national airline (see image); meanwhile, a 2009 article on the website of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka, bemoaning the lack of a common standard for attire of athletes representing  Sri Lanka, lays down the rules for the Opening Ceremony dress for women: “The female costume consists of a handloom saree, the osariya worn in the Kandyan style. The set of jewellery and accessories consist of the traditional agate “Agasthi” necklace, “kudu karabu”, “hawadiya”, and the bracelet similar to the “bola valalu”.[3] All of these stipulations ignore that not all Sri Lankan women necessarily identify with this garment . While the Sinhalese comprise Sri Lanka’s major ethnic group, they are not its only constituency. Also, naturally, only a small number of Sri Lankans actually hail from Kandy.

I am also interested in what we call a “made-up” Kandyan, in which the sari (which is time-consuming to drape) is literally deconstructed – it is cut up into several smaller pieces that are worn somewhat like a wrap-around skirt with a frill. It then becomes particularly easy for working women, or for young Sri Lankan women going to college in other parts of the world to quickly dress themselves in their “national dress” for cultural events and other occasions, while it would usually require considerable deftness and practice to wear a sari without assistance.

[1] Nira Wickramasinghe, Sri Lanka in the modern age: a history of contested identities (Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai'i Press, 2006), 93

[2] Ananda Guruge (ed.), Dharmapala Lipi, (Colombo, 1963), 37, qtd. in Wickramasinghe, 93

[3] An attire for Athletes representing Sri Lanka, http://www.srilankaolympic.org/2009/07/an-attire-for-athletes-representing-sri-lanka/, accessed September 5, 2014

The Czech kroj is the traditional costume worn in Bohemian nations.  There were/are many variations on the kroje based on region, county, village, economy, and societal factors.  I focused on the traditional women's dress and it's variations.

Every kroj is comprised of the same parts, but it is these parts that can vary and have different meanings based on the factors above.  However, all of these parts have the same basic foundation.  For example, embroidery is always lavish and traditionally done by hand, sleeves are large and tied above the elbow, but can vary in length.

Skirt - variations in length and color due to region of origin and marital status.  Sometimes petticoats are worn underneath (up 24 in some villages!) and are generally very stiff from starching.

Apron - variations on size of embroidered flower motifs designates region of origin.  Aprons will always be the same length as the skirst undernearth.

Blouse - will always have large sleeves, tied above the elbow.  These can vary in length and intricacy of embroidery due to region/village of origin.

Headpiece - these range from wreaths of flowers to huge hats.  Married women generally cover all of their hair and single women are denoted by the wreath of flowers.  Tall hats are worn by brides on their wedding day.

Collar/Shawl - these range in height, width, and coverage of shoulders.  Czech collars tend to be bigger and more extravagant than Slovak collars.  Shawls that cover the shoulders and the chest are Czech, and Slovak shawls are shorter with less shoulder coverage.  Special shawls are worn by brides on their wedding day.

The traditional kroj has become Americanized and this version is seen at many heritage festivals throughout the country.  While this version is still composed of the pieces described above, there is far less differentiation between them.  The Americanized version has adopted a red skirt (in varying lengths), white blouse and shawl (with far less extravagance and volume in the shoulders), black vest, white apron, and head covering (usually a small white cap for married women and a wreath of flowers for single women).  These elements are generally worn with red socks or tights.