Dressed for an Occasion

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1939. My Dad's twin, Jonė, went to the same high school, Saulės Gimnazija, that my Mom atttended. Mom and Jonė only knew of each other, however, because they were not in the same class. The Chicago-based Sister of St. Casimir staffed the school.

 

As World War II approached, it became fashionable for young women to wear folkdresses to social occasions. Jonė here wears the folkdress her Mother, Tatjana, sewed in 1939. My Mom also had a folkdress made around this time. Each woman's costume was authentic to the Lithuanian region from which the woman's family originated. The regional focus led to a lot of variety among the garments. Here, for example, some girls wear white aprons, while other's aprons are dark. Some motifs are geometric; others are floral. There also are differences among the vests.

 

(The Balzekas Museum in Chicago has a great collection of folkdresses.)

 

Thanks to my Toronto Cousin for making this photo available to us.