Folk Costume of Neum

The traditional Croatian folk costumes in the region of Neum were widely worn until the 1930s.Then as in earlier times, they were fashioned mainly in households of natural materials such as wool and leather.The basic parts of the men’s and women’s folk costumes were of the Dinaric type. However, within this general type, they belonged to the Hum and Lower Herzegovian folk costume styles (Ravno, Neum, Stolac, Mostar, Ljubuški and Čapljina).The very simple clothing in Neum and the surroundings was generally made of homespun cloth, most often in the natural color of the material.

Women’s costumes kept their traditional form longer than those worn by men, who were more easily influenced by clothing from the coast. Women’s costumes are characterized by the long skirts worn by marriageable girls and married women, the long narrow apron without ornament (opregalj), women’s shirts without darts, a small woolen cap worn under a shallow fez and large kerchief.Generally, large gold-plated silver coins with filigree frames and belt buckles of the same material were the main decorative detail on festive occasions.