Sewn-on decorations in medieval Russian women's dress

The paper analyzes variants of sewn-on decorations and the role they playedas a part of medieval Russian women’s dress. Main sources of research are artifacts fromburial sites of the 11th-13th centuries. Two key aspects in the studies of sewn-on decorationshave been singled out. The first is related to their interpretation as markers of dress cut andidentification of the items that formed part of the dress. Horizontal location of decorationsmarks the edge of the neckline. Vertically arranged small bells are interpreted as buttons ofouter clothes. Rows of small bells and other decorations placed along the body of the buriedfemale show the opening that the clothing worn without a belt or other fastening had in the center or at the side. Appliques found in the lower part of the skeleton help clarifythe length of the dress. Symmetrical decorations on the shoulders have been identified,which, most likely, means that the dress had shoulder straps. The second aspect deals withmethods of sewing metal decorations onto the dress and, therefore, issues of clothes useand preservation during the medieval period.