The History of Hungarian and Polish Ethnic Fashions

Fashions have meaning for children of Hungarian and Polish descent. Studying history, the art of textiles and understanding political views provide answers

Looking into the history of ethnic fashions particularly of Hungarian and Polish tradition, one must look into the purpose of their ancestor’s fashion statements. When determining Hungarian fashions, historians have interest in knowing why the women folk expressed their political sentiments in clothing and home textiles. The suppression of the Hungarians began in the sixteenth century by the Austrian Habsburgs. The Habsburg was a member of a Royal German family, famous between the thirteenth and twentieth centuries in Europe. This included rulers of Austrian-Hungary, the Roman Empire, and Spain. Austria’s dominance in an armed rebellion was not well accepted and the Hungarian upper-classes had little in ways to display its discontent without repercussion.

Because the ruling faction had malcontent for Hungary, the king’s anti-Hungarian stance inspired a cultural revival. This revival became a form of Hungarian opposition to appear at patrician social gatherings wearing “Hungarian” dress. This campaign against the Austrian fashion did not sit well with the ruler of Austria, Joseph II. Instead of the traditional uniform of the Austrian regime, the Hungarian fashion was a more common style. This style consisted of a close-fitting, often laced to the top bodice worn over a delicately made cotton shirt, a laced apron, and a skirt embellished with decorative embroidery. To top the fashion statement the women-folk had a headdress of humble Hungarian design.

Passion for Reform in King Joseph II

Joseph II had fanaticism to change everything by force. His reform for a new lifestyle on his subjects was met with a bitter resistance in Hungary and the Austrian Netherlands. These countries were strong in tradition and the Austrian Government was preventing the country of Hungary from developing its own industry. This act was meant to keep the Hungarians in a base economy of agriculture alone.

Around the year 1840, there were attempts in producing an industry in Hungarian textiles. This allowed women of the Hungarian aristocracy and middle-class to wear dresses of domestic textiles. These fabrics were typically blue and adorned with white dots. Many European noblewomen wore dresses to charity balls made from this fabric. To embellish this style the countesses added a lapel pin decorated with a rosette made from the nations colors.

Eight years later, the Hungarians revolted against the Habsburg, forcing the emperor to accept some of Hungary’s demands. To honor their triumph, the Hungarian soldiers and women wore the Hungarian tri-color emblem on their hats and bonnets of red, white, and green. Another celebrated style was the unmarried young ladies would wear an embroidery-beaded headdress. Sadly, the victory had a short life as the revolt ended because of a Russian Czar's aid to Austria. After the collapse of the Hungarian Government, the women began to wear kerchiefs with the domestic blue and white or black textile, a specific design, to show they mourned their lost leader, Louis Kossuth.

Some inert or passive resistance was in forms of sewn mementoes of the 1848 revolution into clothes. This memento would have been a piece of the flag or a badge that could be worn by the women. The women wore minted coins from the year of the revolution made into necklaces and bracelets. Many times the fashions and colors would embody the tri-colors of Hungary.

The revival of colorful and regional costumes, were observed in the mid-nineteenth century. The costume’s popularity was established by the social and economic factors. With this Polish women wore intricately embroidered shirts. These shirts were fastened at the neck with ribbons of many colors. The women wore flower-patterned skirts in layers. Sometimes skirts were worn in two or three layers to give them a plump figure. They wore linen or tulle aprons with cloth, or velvet corsets. These corsets were decorated with embroidery or sequins. On the shoulders of a woman she wore kerchiefs checkered or patterned in an Oriental theme.

At the turn the nineteenth century, Poland's ally was Napoleon's France. The Polish legions were set up in Italy to support Napoleon in his war on Austria. Napoleon defeated Austria, Prussia, and Russia in the battle. With the Napoleonic Code in place, a Polish government was formed and the peasants were given personal freedoms. With these freedoms came the rights to wear what they pleased, even with prevailingly paltry means.

The Polish men would wear jerkins or kaftans, a wide trouser of white cloth with red or blue stripes. They would wear auburn coats handsomely adorned with trimmings and fringes or chwasty (a form of weed). They would wear broad leather belts to look imposing, usually studded with nails and decorative pouches adorned with beading. Another part of the dress was a rogatywka, which is a cloth cap adorned with a peacock's feather. If not, the Polish man would wear a magierka, which is a woolen cap. This was by far the most popular head gear used by Polish men.

With an understanding of the nineteenth century’s Hungarian and Polish ethnic attire, the reasoning behind the styles and designs are easier to define. Now that the political views clearly answer the questions of a country’s culture, descendants can now see these trends of fashion as a birth of Hungarian and Polish history of textile design and fashion.

Patrick Tremblay