The eye-catching women’s festive costumes kept at the Lipetsk Regional Museum of Local Lore include the “Couple” or “Romanushka”. This was a traditional outfit of the women who lived in the village of Romanovo, Lipetsk Uyezd (now the village of Lenino, Lipetsk District).
The festive costume was produced from factory-made fabrics, with the same monochrome material (satin or sateen) used for both the skirt and the blouse. The color palette of these clothes is unique in its brightness and variety. Only clothes made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries have survived to this day in good condition. The festive outfit from the museum collection dates back to the first half of the 20th century. The skirt was made of four panels of scarlet satin. It is gathered at the waist in a blue cotton self-belt with a string inside. The hem is decorated with satin frills, with stitched-on strips of factory lace. The skirt is accompanied by a loose blouse fastened on the shoulders. There are frills from the neckline to the middle of the chest. The back and chest are adorned with a wide tulle strip with a wavy edge. The tulle strip is decorated with a colored satin applique sewn using tambour embroidery and white cotton threads. The upper edge of the tulle strip is bordered by a blue satin ribbon, gathered on the chest in a decorative bow. The sleeves are set in. They have transverse stitched-up frills below the elbow, trimmed with tulle frills with appliques and colorful satin ribbons. The cuffs and hem are decorated with factory lace. The festive outfit is complemented by a contrasting light blue apron, made of a blue satin rectangle. It is gathered at the waist under a blue border that ends with ties. At the hem, a strip of pink satin is inserted, with appliques sewn on tulle using white cotton threads. The hem is trimmed with tulle frills, and its edges are decorated with white factory lace.
Glass beads formed an integral element of women’s outfits. Necklaces with many beads were usually worn on the chest. The museum collection includes a necklace made of orange and yellow glass beads of rounded and oblong shapes. Glass bead necklaces were also included in the festive costumes of peasants from the Voronezh, Ryazan, Tula, Oryol, Kursk, and Tambov Governorates.
