Shulanite traditional fashion is the traditional and historical fashions of the Shulanite culture and still influences everyday wear or is itself worn for formal wear.
Shulanite fashion, like their culture, has a strong gender divide with many articles of traditional clothing being attributed as masculine or feminine; more modern clothes do have some more androgyny but there is still a lot of influence from the gender divide.
Women’s clothing tends to be much more decorative than male clothing, with a lot more jewelry and fancy fabrics/embroidery.
Clothing
Base layer
The base layer is made up of a long loose tunic top, falling anywhere from the hip to the knees, and a bottom layer made up of loose trousers. The tops often have loose sleeves which often fall to the wrist but may also be quarter-length or shorter.
Feminine tops tend to have a more flared waist and silhouette whereas masculine tops tend to be a bit shorter -often only falling to the hip or mid thigh.
Masculine clothing tends to have higher, often collared, necklines whereas feminine clothing tends to have rounder and sometimes lower necklines.
Outer layer
An open-front jacket is common for masculine fashion and is considered an aspect of male attire, especially if it is formal. It is rare for women to wear these jackets, but some more modern street fashions utilize them. These jackets may be worn open or buttoned closed and are often the most decorative element of male attire.
The sleeves of the outer layer may be full-length or shorter, with shorter sleeves often being used to show off the fabric of the base layer.
Women, especially married women, may also wear a large shawl or wrap that they wrap around their body and over their head to keep warm and for modesty.
Shoes
Traditional shoes tend to be ankle-high or slightly taller, like short boots, and often have a short heel regardless of gender.
Headgear
Women’s Cap and Veil
Women will often wear a small brimless cap, sometimes slightly conical and often rounded at the top. that can be decorated for formal wear or plain for everyday wear. These are often quite short, only a few inches high, but they may also be taller, especially for formal outfits or high ranking women.
Women will also often wear a head veil -or set of veils depending on the style- that covers their hair. These can be heavily decorated for formal events or can be simple and utilitarian for daily wear.
Smaller headvails will simply be draped across the top of the hat, being allowed to drape down the back of the neck, sometimes being arranged to cover the shoulders as well.
Larger veils or outer shawls may also be worn, especially for warmth or for more formal events, these often cover more of the wearer's neck and shoulders. These larger wraps are often worn by older women, especially married women and women of high status.
The veil and cap can be worn separately or together, often with the veil being draped over the top of the hat and pinned in place.
Hairstyles
Traditionally, everyone kept their hair long, at least shoulder length. As for hairstyles, braids are the most common hairstyle worn, with one or two braids being the most common.
Women will traditionally grow their hair very long, almost never cutting it, and keep it tied into two braids or another braided hairstyle. Symetrey and middle parts are very common in Shulanite traditional fashion, and are still popular in non-traditional fashion.
Men will often have their hair a little bit shorter than women, sometimes cutting it short for utilitarian purposes. Men tend to have less flashy hairstyles than women, with hairstyles being more focused on keeping it out of the way.
Jewelry
Bracelets and rings are the most common form of jewelry and are worn by everyone, with women tending to also wear a lot of necklaces and large dangly earrings, especially for formal events.
Hairstyles are often decorated with hairpins and hair is often tied off with special hair accessories called hair cuffs which involve a cuff and a pin to hold the hair in place. More modern versions involve adaptations like clips and elastics to keep them in place.
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