For many centuries, Ukrainians (and people of the Kyivan Rus’ before them, Slavic tribes before them, and Scythian and Sarmatian tribes before them) wore headdresses in everyday life. The variety of headwear was wide and depended on the occasion, status of the wearer, region, season, and other factors. While men’s hats were optional and were used for warmth and as a festive accessory, women’s headdresses were an obligatory piece among the married females. This time, we’ve decided to show you different vintage headpieces of Ukrainian men, married women, brides, and maidens from the 19th – first half of the 20th century.
Opulent wreath of young maiden from Poltava region of Ukraine, Myrhorod district, the late 19th century. It is constructed from yarn pompons, feathers, and worn over a silk kerchief that protected the hair from the wire frame that kept the whole construction together
Married woman’s coif called “ochipok” from Sumy region of Ukraine, Okhtyrka district, the late 19th – early 20th century. It is made from fancy silk fabric that was pretty costly at the time. Usually, females put a kerchief on top of the coif to finish the look
Men’s festive straw hat from Ivano-Frankivsk region of Ukraine, Kosiv district, village of Babyn, the early 20th century. It is richly embellished with colorful yarn decorations
Simple kerchief, casually draped, from Ivano-Frankivsk region of Ukraine, Kalush district, Mezhyrichchia village, the early 20th century. Similar kerchiefs were very popular in Ukraine. Married women wore them daily, maidens and children could use one for warmth in colder seasons
Crimean Tatar karakul hat from Crimea, the late 19th – early 20th century. Modern reconstruction
Women’s headpiece that consists of a red velvet fez and a sheer embroidered veil from Crimea, the late 19th – early 20th century. Modern reconstruction. The skull-cap is adorned with coins and an intricate crescent-shaped brooch
Bright and festive kerchief (it is also rather large, which showed off the wealth of its wearer) from Donetsk region of Ukraine, Kramatorsk district, the late 19th – early 20th century. The kerchief is decorated with a vivid floral print
Married woman’s dark headdress from Chernihiv region of Ukraine, Nizhyn district, the late 19th century. It’s so stylish! The set consists of a chic coif called “ochipok”, trimmed with velvet and decorated with multiple tiny pleats, and a burgundy kerchief
Very curiously draped headwear called “namitka” from Rivne region of Ukraine, Sarny district, the early 20th century. It is a large rectangular piece of cloth embellished with a woven design. Namitka can be draped differently, this variant is very cute and catchy
Simple silk kerchief, married woman’s headgear from Kyiv region of Ukraine, Fastiv district, the late 19th – early 20th century. It’s unembellished and not too bright, but silk kerchiefs were expensive and worn for festive occasions
Another lovely namitka of a married matron from Volyn region of Ukraine, Kovel district, the early 20th century. It’s adorned with weaving, not embroidery. And this long cloth is wrapped multiple times around the head and chin of a woman
Married lady’s coif called “ochipok” from Kharkiv region of Ukraine, Izium district, the late 19th – early 20th century. It is made from a costly fabric with interwoven gold thread. It shines and sparkles wonderfully in the sun
Young bride’s elaborate wedding wreath from Odesa region of Ukraine, Podil district, the early 20th century. This bridal crown is constructed from many tiny elements – glass beads, wax flowers, plastic springs, paper leaves, and so on. It has a hard frame to keep everything in place. And also, notice that the wreath is worn over a number of ribbons put one over the other on a bride’s forehead
Men’s karakul hat from Ternopil region of Ukraine, Chortkiv district, the early 20th century. Boys and men of different ages wore hats, but such gray karakul hats were status accessories, typically worn by lads who were about to marry or young married men
Interesting headwear of a married woman from Khmelnytsk region of Ukraine, Kamianets-Podilskyi district, the early 20th century. Often, similar constructions of 2 kerchiefs were used by elderly women in some Ukrainian regions, but this one was worn by a younger woman (we can see that by the colorful necklace, because older ladies used fewer or no neck adornments)
Men’s karakul hat from Chernivtsi region of Ukraine, the 1st half of the 20th century
Female festive headdress from Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine, Novomoskovsk district, the early 20th century. It includes a silk kerchief and a beautiful wreath made from large artificial flowers
Married woman’s kerchief from Ivano-Frankivsk region of Ukraine, Verkhovyna district, village of Biloberizka, the 1920-1930s. This style of draping a kerchief is typical for western regions of Ukraine – there are 2 cute knots at the temples
