Polish traditional clothing

Polish traditional clothing can be divided into two categories, the peasant folk costumes (Polish: stroje ludowe) which vary by ethnographic group and the universal national costume (Polish: strój narodowy) based on the clothing of the nobility which is worn across all social classes ever since the Partitions. They are typically not worn in daily life but at folk festivals, folk weddings, religious holidays, harvest festivals and other special occasions.

National costume

The Polish national costume originated from the clothing of the 18th-century Polish-Lithuanian nobility, which combined Western late medieval garments, old Slavic elements, and Eastern fashions (Hungarian, Persian, Turkish, Tatar, and Cossack). At the beginning of the 18th century, Poland entered a fashion conflict known as "the War of the Kontusz and Frock," in which the Polish nobility was split between adopting Western fashion and keeping Old Polish clothing. After the partitions, this made the Old Polish costume an important symbol of Polish identity, leading to it being frequently mentioned in Polish literature and playing an important role in the Polish national epic Pan Tadeusz.

By the 19th century, the Polish national costume had become widespread among all social classes and was even adopted by other ethnicities, such as Germans and Jews. This was particularly true in Galicia, where Austrian authorities did not suppress Polish identity. Wearing the national attire continued to be fashionable during the Second Polish Republic, serving as a stereotypical symbol of Polish identity in international media. Although it was later suppressed in the Polish People's Republic due to its aristocratic origins, the film adaptations of Henryk Sienkiewicz's Trilogy successfully renewed public interest in it.

Other than being worn during important celebrations, it is worn when dancing the polonaise and the mazur and by bractwa kurkowe, burgher societies dedicated to the defence of their cities.