Armenian traditional clothing has developed over centuries. A standard ensemble was formed by the early 19th century, reflecting the diversity of ethnic groups of Armenians. In general, two main sets can be observed in terms of cut, general design, colors, methods and techniques of decoration: Eastern Armenian and Western Armenian.
Women’s clothing of Eastern and Western Armenians was more homogeneous compared to men’s. At the same time, the main difference in the women’s costume of Western Armenia consisted in the color scheme, abundance of embroidery and ornaments. Otherwise, the women’s costume of Western Armenians differed relatively little from that of the eastern regions.
The basic elements of women’s Western Armenian clothing were a cotton shirt and pants. On top of them, women wore a full-length, open-cut dress — antari. Sometimes a heavily decorated apron and a rectangular or trapezoidal bib were added to the attire. After marriage, an Armenian headdress — vart — was added to the ensemble. It was worn over a red fez-shaped hat made of thin felt with a long tassel hanging down the back.
A vart was made of several layers of paper cloth glued together and wrapped with velvet. The front part of the headdress was originally decorated with flowers made of precious stones and pearls. At the end of the 19th century, craftswomen began to depict a garden of Eden with flowers and birds on headdresses with the help of embroidery and lace. A large button was attached on the sides.
A ribbon with two rows of gold coins and a large coin in the center was usually hung under the vart on the forehead, and strings of pearls were placed above the temples, which ended in thin round gold plates. A ribbon with gold coins was presented by the groom to the bride on the wedding day. A large transparent head-to-toe veil was thrown over the headdress when it was worn outdoors. It was traditionally trimmed with a wide lace border, made of white fine woolen yarn for young women and blue yarn for older women.
The vart from the
museum’s collection has a wide rim of burgundy-colored synthetic velvet with a
stylized floral design embroidered on the front. Gold-colored plastic elements
were stitched along the bottom edge. At the back, a white transparent veil was
attached to the rim. The piece was made in 2019 and donated to the museum by
Gayane Levayevna Akopyan, a representative of the Armenian Diaspora in Omsk,
the head of a local dance group.
