What Is the National Costume in France?
As France is divided into several regions, each with their differing cultures, the country does not have a national dress. Every region has its own traditional costume, with neighboring regions being significantly different to each other. For many people, the only thing that the French have in common is the fact that men wear pants, ladies wear skirts and both genders wear hats of varied styles and designs.
Regional costumes in France are ideally based on the late 19th century types of rural clothing. In the modern day, traditional regional costumes in France are mainly worn during celebrations and festivals.
For instance, in Alsace, it is possible to come across women wearing white, lace-trimmed blouses coupled with aprons that are decorated in pretty colors. In Normandy, women’s costumes include white flared bonnets. Without any exceptions, women tend to wear caps and full length skirts which reach their ankles. Their shoes resemble those of Finnish women, but they can feature heels for personalization purposes.
As for the men, their clothes include a shirt called a chemise, culottes or breech cloth pants, hose and a vest called a guillette. Knee length pants, either linen or woolen, and knee high cotton socks are common. A small vest without sleeves is worn over the chemise.
