2. • Suvalkija– is the latest developed
ethnographic region of Lithuania. This part
of country was laid waste by Teutonic
Order.
• New residents from High Lithuania
(Kapsai) and from Low Lithuania
(Zanavykai) started to move from the other
side of Nemunas. So they took their
clothes which were typical for their
fatherland.
4. Women
• Clothes of Suvalkija’s women are the most
beautiful clothes in whole Lithuania for
their bright colors and ornament
combinations on white shining
background.
• There are two types of clothes of
Suvalkija’s women: kapsai and zanavykai.
5. Aprons Shirts Skirts
Bodices Head decorations Sashes
Jewelery and shoes
To the beginning
6. Aprons
• Apron is the most vivid and the most
beautiful part of national clothes of
Suvalkija’s woman.
• Oldest zanavykai aprons, probably was
in fashion in the middle of XIX century.
The oldest examples of these are sewn
from white linen cloth and decorated
with red patterns.
• The most favorite apron’s motive in
whole region was the geometric
ornament of four lilies.
8. Shirts
• Almost all women’s shirts in this region are
as tunic.
• They usually were sewn of cotton.
• Shirts of women of Suvalkija is very
remarkable for their vide and very wrinkled
on shoulder belt sleeves.
• They were plenty decorated with plants or
geometric figured ornaments.
10. Skirts
• Skirts usually were made of medium
wool.
• Wide, gathered skirts in Suvalkija were
vertically striped. They were dominated
by one main color that was usually
dark and rich (dark red, blue, violet, or
green).
• Symmetrically grouped narrow
multicolored stripes separated wide
areas of the main color.
12. Bodices
• Older bodices in Suvalkija were of the
same cut as those of Dzūkija.
• Around the mid-nineteenth century,
bodices of the Kapsai and Zanavykai
types were already cut differentialy. Both
types sewed fancy bodices from
expensive store bought cloth: brocade,
silk, wool, and damask.
• The Zanavykai type wore bodices had
short laps, while the Kapsai type had long
and flared bodices.
14. Sashes
• Women in Suvalkija wore pick-up
patterned sashes which, like everything in
this land, were woven especially precisely.
• They were distinguished by very plentiful
tassels, into which were woven not only
threads, but also decorative scraps of
cloth.
16. Head decorations
• Kapsai girls decorated their heads with tall, golden
galloons. Zanavykai girls wore narrow galloons or narrow
sashes made of beads.
• Married women wore various bonnets with white linen or
cotton scarf tied in a knot at the back of the head.
• Suvalkija’s women also wore headscarves.
• Women of Kapsai heads usual decorated wide galleons,
which is color of gold. Women of Zanavykai decorate
their heads of some colors threads string head beads.
• Married women wear various hoods, made of white
weave lace, domestic linen and of expensive fabric silk
textile.
18. Jewelery
• Necklaces of chopped coral pieces were
the favorite neck ornaments in this region.
• Women of Zanavykai sometimes wore
“GERKLUTĖS”. It was made of small
beading and sewed into a roller.
Shoes
• Suvalkija women wore leather shoes and
sometimes woodensoles with leather
uppers.
• In the summertime they wore very
beautiful white openwork knitted socks.
20. Men
• Suvalkija’s men clothing are dark with
bright colors decorations.
• Men wore coats, skirts, pants, boots and
hats.
• Men’s national clothes have a typical
accent- decorative pick-up patterned
sashes.
22. Coats
• Men in Suvalkija wore caftans pleated at
the back. These caftans sewn from
somewhat light gray or even white matted
woolen cloth.
• In the second half of the nineteenth
century, the coats gradually replaced
caftans.
26. Other
• Men wore decorative pick-up patterned
sashes around their waists.
• They also wore high boots and hats
with straight brims that were decorated
with feathers and flowers.
