Page 34 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Brittany

32  INTRODUCING BRIT T AN Y

Traditional Breton Costume

There were once 66 different types of traditional
Breton costume and around 1,200 variations. Breton
clothing differed from one small area to the next.
In the 19th century, it was possible to tell at a glance
the precise geographical origins of any Breton.
Colours also indicated an individual’s age and status:
in Plougastel-Daoulas, young women wore a small
flowery shawl, married women a shawl with squares,
widows a white shawl, and, when they had lost a close
relative, a winged headdress. Unmarried men wore Femmes de Plougastel au Pardon de Sainte-Anne
by Charles Cottet (1903)
green waistcoats, and married men, blue jackets.
Bigouden Costume Lace gloves
In the area of Pont-l’Abbé, Embroidered
capital of the Bigouden region, Shirt sleeve
traditional costume is very
uniform. Women were still
wearing it as everyday dress in Chupenn,
the early 20th century. According a man’s coat
to their wealth, they either wore
richly decorated, layered bodices
or modest embroidered cuffs.
Embroidered
waistcoat

Child’s
bonnet

Jewellery
In Cornouaille and western Brittany,
the most popular pieces of jewellery
were “pardon pins”, brooches made
of silver, copper or blown glass.

Lace and Embroidery
Aprons worn on feast days, women’s bodices
and men’s waistcoats are richly embroidered with silk,
metallic thread, and steel or glass beads. Executed in
chain stitch, motifs include floral patterns featuring
palmettes and fleur-de-lys, and stylized elements
such as sun discs and concentric circles. They are
always very bright, like the orange and yellow plum
paon motifs that are typical of the Bigouden.
Lace-makers from Tréboul, in Finistère

Embroidery from Pont-l’Abbé Embroidery from Quimper Detail of a beaded costume

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