Kazakh national clothes

The national clothing of the Kazakhs was influenced by history, economic, social and climatic conditions. For centuries, Kazakh clothing has been characterized by simplicity and rationality. Clothes were usually made for four seasons. Often clothes were trimmed with fur, embroidery, and decorations. They sewed clothes from leather, fur, thin felt, cloth, which the Kazakhs made themselves. There were also imported materials - silk, brocade, velvet - which the wealthiest Kazakhs could afford. Cotton fabrics were also widely used.
Animal skins occupied a special place in the national clothing of the Kazakhs. The light fur of marten and sable was most valued. Fur coats were made from skins, in Kazakh style. A fur coat covered with silk was one of the most expensive items in a bride's dowry. It was called bass tone. The Kazakhs were familiar with the technique of sewing fur coats from swan, loon and heron down. Only noble people wore a fur coat covered with blue cloth and trimmed with beaver-cok tone. Fur coats were also made from domestic animals such as goats. Long hair was plucked from them, leaving the undercoat; such fur coats were called kilka-zhargak. The Kazakhs made suede from goat skins, from which they sewed robes, raincoats and trousers. It was not uncommon for clothes to be decorated with embroidery.
Hats were a very interesting outfit, as they were a kind of indicator of marital status. Girls mostly wore skullcaps and a warm hat with a fur trim. Borik belonged to girls from a rich family. The wedding headdress - saukele - occupied a special place in girls' clothing. Saukele could cost up to one hundred selected horses. Saukele was an obligatory part of the dowry and was prepared for the girl long before the wedding. Long pendants - zhaktau - were a mandatory addition to the saukele. With the birth of a child, a woman put on a headdress that corresponded to her status as a married woman and did not take it off until old age. Kazakhs respected women who wore a white headdress, which meant that the woman was either a mother or a grandmother. Such a headdress consisted of two parts, the lower one, a kimeshek, worn on the head and the upper one in the form of a turban; both parts of the headdress must be made of white fabric. Men wore various skullcaps, summer and winter hats.
In the old days, men's shoes were no different from women's. These were boots. Boots were sewn according to the seasons; there was only a slight difference in the design of the shoes of young and elderly Kazakhs. Young people wore high-heeled boots. The Kazakhs had common footwear - heelless boots - ichigi, which covered their legs. They wear leather galoshes, which they take off when entering the house.
I would especially like to note Kazakh jewelry for women. Since ancient times, Kazakh girls have worn massive earrings. The larger the earrings, the more valuable they were considered. Ancient earrings were often made from rhombic and round plates connected to each other by chains. The hair of Kazakh women was decorated with medallions. Inert Kazakh jewelry was made of silver, often gilded. Different stones were used for decoration; it could be pearls or semi-precious stones. Kazakh national jewelry is not only jewelry, it is also a national culture and history, the roots of which are lost in the mists of time. Kazakh women also wore rings, the rings were either cast or chased. Their rings and rims were soldered together. Rings could be massive, decorated with filigree, inserts of gems and granulation. Clothes could be decorated with various types of fasteners and buckles, also decorated with gems.