The national Tatar costume can be called a valuable monument of folk art. Over the centuries, various changes have been made to it, which have perfected even minor details. A strong influence on the costume was made by Islam and the traditions of the eastern peoples. However, it can also be called only in a collective way, since it combines a wide range of national clothes of the Tatars of various groups.
Such a suit is able to tell a lot about its owner: to indicate the age and social status in society, the character, taste and individual traits.
The national Tatar costume is characterized by a combination of rich colors, the presence of hats with complex ornaments, the presence of numerous types of shoes, as well as jewelry. Only the best masters of their craft were engaged in their manufacture.
The Tatar costume uses long loose shirts resembling a tunic as a basis. Despite their size, they never belted.
Men's shirts were sewn to the knee-length, women's shirts reached the ankles of their owners and had wide sleeves.
Wealthy Tatars could use expensive fabrics - wool, silk, brocade and others. One could meet a shirt decoration with ribbons, lace, braid or frill. Women put on a lower bib under them.
The Tatar national costume also includes pants made of light fabric. Men's - striped, women's - plain. On ceremonial clothing (for example, a
wedding suit) , a bright small pattern could be present.
Outerwear had no fasteners and sleeves and was sewn from factory (wool or cotton) fabric or made at home, as well as cloth or fur (winter version). She was always with a fitted back, wedges on the sides and a right-handed smell. A belt was attached to the outer clothing, which was sewn from fabric.
Women's national Tatar costume was decorated with decorative stitching, fur or embroidery, coins were used in the eastern regions.
Men's and women's hats were significantly different. In the first case, they were divided into home and weekend. They were striking in their diversity, since all types of fabric and all kinds of ornaments were used for manufacturing. The skullcap was the headdress. In young people they had brighter colors, men and old people wore more modest options. When leaving the house, various hats or hats were worn over.
Women also had age-related differentiation. By headdress it was possible to find out the marital and social status of its owner. Girls wore white knitted or fabric kalfaki. Married women, when leaving the house, threw on scarves, light shawls or bedspreads. Decorated bandages were put on top, which helped to tightly hold hats.
National Tatar costume also includes special shoes. As a working option, bast shoes were worn, because they were comfortable and light. The traditional shoes of the Tatars are boots and shoes, which were sewn from leather (sometimes multi-colored) and had both hard and soft soles.