Women's costume from Łowicz - a story heard between the room and the hall.

In our village, they used to say that a woman in Łowicz costume could "brighten the day more than the sunrise." It's no longer known which grandmother said it first, but such phrases circulated through homes like memories no one wanted to lose. Older housewives would say that on Christmas morning, a woman had to rise before the rooster. First, she had to clear the ashes in the stove, then she had to braid her hair, and finally—with reverence—she had to put on a starched white shirt.

This is how we used to tell it: that the outfit was prepared slowly, as if each part had its own story.

Regional Team Boczki Chełmońskie PHOTO: Joanna Pytlewska-Bil

---

Striped garments —woven like a summer rainbow. When you said "Łowicz costume," colorful striped garments immediately came to mind. We used to say that a woman chooses colors the way she chooses words—she has to feel them. There was no book of meanings. These were more like village parables:

• red adds courage,

• green brings hope to the fields,

• bile brings joy.

But the most important thing was that each skirt was different. One more fiery, another more calm, as if each woman weaved her own character into it. The stripes were arranged wider or tighter, bolder or more delicate—according to taste, preference, and whatever the weaver had on her loom. And that's why it was said that "you can recognize a striped skirt like a person—by their temperament."

Regional Team Boczki Chełmońskie PHOTO: Joanna Pytlewska-Bil

Corset - pride worn as a celebration

In the countryside, corsets were spoken of with reverence. Older women would say that "they fit best on those who remember who made them." Sometimes a daughter would inherit a corset from her mother or aunt, and over time, add her own flowers. This wasn't a rule, but rather a family tradition in some homes. But thanks to it, corsets became like little diaries—written with thread, not words. Flowers gleamed from the velvet fronts: roses, poppies, tulips. Each embroidery was a gesture of a hand that held both work and patience. No wonder a woman in a corset looked as if she carried a touch of Christmas light within her.

Scarf - women's wings

The scarf was like the final chord of a song. In our village, they used to say that a woman in a Tibetan scarf resembled a flower that had stepped out onto the road to catch a little more sun. Younger women often chose brighter patterns, older ones—more muted and larger. There was no precept. It was simply rural elegance: to emphasize oneself, not to shout with color, but not to skimp on it either. The scarf warmed on a cool morning, protected from the sun, but above all, it gave a woman a softness and dignity, a quality that was not spoken of, but felt.

Accessories - the power of accessories

"Without red beads, the outfit seemed speechless." In women's Łowicz costume, beads were a mandatory accessory—worn loosely around the neck, in several strands, so that the strong red would beautifully contrast with the white shirt and accentuate the embroidered corset. In the past, real beads were prized, later their cheaper counterparts were most often worn, but no one could imagine a formal outfit without this red embellishment. It was said that they boosted self-confidence and "brightened a woman's face like a poppy in a meadow."

Young girls braided their hair and pinned flowers into them—fresh in summer, artificial in winter, most often roses or small flowers bought at the fair. Even entire wreaths were worn for church fairs and larger celebrations. Older women more often wore a headscarf, but the floral accent remained—whether in the headscarf itself or in a small ornament pinned close to the braid. As the saying goes, "a flower in the hair adds youth, and beads add dignity."

---

Colors that last

Today it is said that the Łowicz costume

It's a tradition. But for the ancient women of the countryside, it was something more—a festive ritual, a way to show joy, hard work, and pride in who you are. The colors changed over time, the dresses became richer, the embroidery bolder, but one thing remained constant: the belief that these colors held the memory of the people who created them with their own hands. And the older women would say, "Wear it proudly, for it's ours."

Regional Team Boczki Chełmońskie PHOTO: Joanna Pytlewska-Bil