Traditional Costumes in the World of High Fashion

Fashion designers adopt typical clothes from different countries and add them to their collections. These garments are worn by famous models on the catwalks of Pars, London, New York, San Pablo and Buenos Aires.



Kimonos, for example, are traditional Japanese style clothes. "Kimono" meant "something you wear" originally. Long ago, people in Japan wore kimonos every day. Now, people only wear a kimono for special occasions such as formal ceremonies.

A kimono is a robe shaped like a "T". Normal kimonos reach to the ankles, and have very long sleeves. Kimonos for women usually have colourful designs of flowers and butterflies. People wear a wide belt called an obi with their kimono. Obi belts are also colorful.

Women's kimonos are all the same size. Ladies fold them and tuck them to make them the right size. People who are very tall or heavy have to have kimonos especially made for them.

There are different types of formal and casual kimonos. Kimonos are usually made of silk, but there are cotton and polyester kimonos as well.

Kenzo, the famous Japanese fashion designer, introduced the kimono in his fashion shows and John Galliano showed kimonos in one of his last collections for Dior.



A sari is a type of clothing for women. It is mostly used in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. It is a very long strip of cloth which women wrap around their body. There are different kinds of saris for different occasions.

British model and actress Elizabeth Hurley wore a 4000 pound ($7800) pink silk sari for her traditional Indian-style wedding to Indian businessman Arun Nayar. The costume had been created by Indian designer Tarun Tahiliani. She required her dames of honour to wear a pink sari too. Chanel also included saris in their last Paris collection.

A kilt is a traditional Scottish garment, usually in a tartan pattern. It is worn by men and its origin has to do with the heavy rains that fall in Scotland all through the year. By wearing skirts, men did not get their trousers dirty! In the XX century, the kilt began to be worn by women and fashion designers incorporated them in their collections as well. British designer Vivienne Westwood revolutionized fashion by adopting kilts and traditional elements of Scottish design such as tartan fabric in her collections.

A poncho is a garment designed to keep the body warm, or if made from a watertight material, to keep dry during rain. It was created by the Peruvians and is now known in over 150 countries over the world. Alternative ponchos are now designed as fashion items. They are the same shape but of different material. They are designed to look fashionable and provide warmth while remaining breathable and comfortable, rather than to ward off wind and rain. These are often made out of wool or yarn, knitted or crocheted. Some fashion designers have even created them in fine materials such as silk or velvet. Enchanted Emerald Forest offers bridal ponchos made in chiffon in a variety of delicate colours such as white, lavender, ivory, baby pink and mauve and some other audacious hues such as red, purple, powder blue, royal blue, black and fuchsia pink.

Espadrilles are casual flat or high-heel fashion sandals wich usually have a canvas or cotton fabric upper and a flexible sole made of rope or rubber material moulded to look like rope. They were typically worn by gauchos and by workers but today even most Hollywood celebrities have at least one pair of them in their wardrobe. Floral print espadrilles for men became a sensation last spring. High-heel canvas espadrilles have been popularized by Stella McCartney in momochromatic or tropical print versions.

Fans look typically Spanish but they really have an Oriental origin. Japanese and Chinese fans are made of paper on a bamboo frame, usually with a design painted on them. In the 15th century, Portuguese traders brought fans to Europe from China and Japan. Top fashion designers have used fans as accessories for their haute couture dresses. Victorian fans made of delicate lace are commonly incorporated in bridal collections. Fans made of white feathers are also used to complement wedding apparels.

Last year the French firm Louis Vuitton and Spanish actress Rossy de Palma co-designed limited edition fans. The actress is an ambassador to OrphanAid Africa to where a portion of the fans' proceeds were donated.