Kazak Clothes

The Kazak men and women wear quite different costumes. In order to be convenient for riding, the clothes for men are always wide and well-knit. Women's clothes are colorful and have various styles.

In the past, most of the herdsmen's clothes were made of furs. When hunting in winter, the Kazak men usually wear leather trousers with a big crotch, cloaks made of sheepskin, fox-skin, deerskin, and wolf-skin, overcoats wadded with camel-hair and trousers generally made of cowhide. They wear wide straps, caps made of animal skin and cowhide boots reaching the knees. If they go out or visit friends, they usually wear black overcoats with cloth surface or stripe velvet surface and a wide cowhide strap decorated with silver adornments and an elaborately-made knife. In summer, Kazak men prefer to wear cloth overcoats wadded with camel-hair. They often wear white fabric shirts with high collars and embroidered edges.

Kazak women like to wear colorful one-piece dresses and waistcoats. Their clothes are mostly made of colorful silk, satin, velvet and cotton. Girls and young women wear dresses with embroidered sleeves, pleated skirts, bright or white kerchiefs, and accessories such as earbobs, earrings, bracelets and finger rings. In winter, they wear cotton overcoats of stripe velvet or fur clothes with cloth surface and sometimes overcoats made of sheepskin, fox-skin and wolf-skin. They decorate their colorful caps with owl's feather. In summer, they wear skirts and coats plus waistcoats in most cases. In the past, young women preferred to wear embroidered trousers and decorate their upper garments with silver coins, silver accessories and beads in various colors. Nowadays, only some little girls wear such costume.