Women’s zupan

The navy-blue ladies' robe (żupan) from around 1870 comes from Tarnogród. It is an outer garment worn by wealthy women to a costume called sieve from Biłgoraj and Tarnogród. This form of festive clothing was adopted by those involved in the sieve trade. The inhabitants of nearby villages produced wooden hoops, while the poor residents of the towns of Biłgoraj and Tarnogród produced nets. The finished sieves were sold to the so-called sievers, which was a very profitable occupation.

The costumes worn by sievers were distinctive in comparison with others from the Lublin area. It was made from materials imported from various parts of the country or abroad, and the cut of the elements was like that of the nobility. The presented żupan is a coat sewn by small-town tailors from sapphire-coloured factory cloth with a linen lining. It is long, reaching below the calf and revealing about 10 cm of the skirt (length 124 cm, width of the bottom 314 cm). It is fitted at the top, and from the waist down it widens through the folds arranged at the back and side. The back-waist cuts and side gussets are edged with a broad golden shamrock to conceal the seams and decoration. The gown also has four decorative buttons with fastenings. The collar is large, lined, and with lapels which, like the folded parts of the sleeve at the bottom, are covered with a multicoloured fabric such as brocade, silk or jacquard. It was worn in two ways: unbuttoned and buttoned. In the latter case, it had an additional multicoloured material belt with 2-metre-long horizontal stripes. The belt was wrapped three or four times around the waist, and its ends were concealed. This coat was first worn by brides when they went to their wedding to emphasise their high status. Despite its richness and diversity, sieve dresses began to disappear at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, which was linked to the appearance of cheaper and more comfortable factory-made clothes.