Collection of folk costumes in the State Russian Museum is one of the largest in Russia. It includes more than five thousand works. Russian woman’s costume as a phenomenon of peasant life and a bright layer of city culture, which clearly reflects its different layers: the echoes of Slavic pagan ideas and costume elements of ancient Russia, preserved even in traditional clothes of the twentieth century. In folk costume play an important role local art and craft traditions that form the unique shape of clothes of each locality.

Costumes from the Russian Museum, which constitute the basis of the exhibition belonged to women living in European Russia – from the Far North to Kursk and Voronezh, from Smolensk to the Perm region. The majority of these women’s clothing and girlish, men and children’s costume represented by single objects. Costumes of wealthy city dwellers – sundresses, sleeveless jackets, Shuga – made from expensive fabrics – brocade, damask, silk, lace and decorated with gold braid and wide, as well as filigree buttons. Peasant costumes of nineteenth – early twentieth century made primarily from household fabrics. It is among the peasants remained the most ancient stratum of Slavic costume (swing skirts, shirts dolgorukavki (long sleev), horned hats, jewelry made ​​of feathers and fluff).