Nowadays people in Tatarstan, especially those living in cities, wear the same clothes as people from megapolices around the world. Though there are some features which belong only Tatars – tyubeteika, shawl, cotton headshawl and so.
But few dacades ago the Tatar traditional costum was different. Traditional clothes of men consisted of a broad and long shirtsleeve (kyul’mek), easy with straight backs dressing gowns (yshtan), and a camsole (kamzun). In winter cold time men dressed in fur coats (tun) or multon coats (tulup). Men’s headgears were tyubeteika, round fur caps, malahay, and hats – in summer and spring; felt and fur hats in winter (burek). Bukhara dressing gowns were also popular (chapan) and scarfs, as outer clothing had no high and turn down collars.
Traditional female clothes had much in common with men’s clothing. The main parts were a long shirt (kyul’mek) and trousers (yshtan). Female clothing was richly decorated with embroidery and trim. Women also wore camsoles made of velvet and an apron. A special element of Tatar women’s clothing was a kalphak. The Tatar women had a variety of headgears: different kinds of shawls (yaulyk), ear-flaps, etc. The Tatars also wore leather boots (kata, chitek, kevesh) and multicoloured shoes. Young women also wore breast ornaments made from corals and coins. The Tatar girls walked with an uncovered head, the adult girls and women always carried cotton shawls.
