Collection of Greek costumes " Victoria G. Karelia"

The collection of Greek costumes " Victoria G. Karelia " was created,originally as a personal collection, by the founding member and President of the Lyceum of Greek Women of Kalamata, for many years,V. Karelia.

The fruit of the 50-year collector's effort was donated to The Lyceum Club of Greek Women, in order to be integrated into an established agency for the protection and promotion of the Greek tradition. Since then, as a sign of recognition and  with a token of appreciation,in a tangible way of showing  gratitude ,it has been marked, following the unanimous decision of the Board of Directors of L. G. W. K., with the Collector's name.

The collection includes a complete costume sets, female and male, from all regions of Greece, gold-plated cloaks, excellent samples of the art of Terzides,  (Jews-'Epirus descendants) as well as jewelry, which doesn't only cover the completion of costumes, but they hold and important- autonomous, part of the collection.

THE EXHIBITION

The classification of the costumes of the exhibition follows the typological division of the folklorist Angeliki Chatzimichalis in dresses with segouni, dresses with Kavadi** and dresses with gowns/garments.

On the ground floor are presented the local costumes with segouni, the investor,as in the official representative of the rural and livestock world of mainland Greece.

On the first floor the costumes of nomadic and semi-nomadic group populations, meet the costume world of all those communities with commercial and craft activities, with local costumes, with kavadi and anteri.***

On the second floor, the dress – tsoukna, schematic variation of the byzantine dalmatian, meets with its Renaissance version, the manifold, that is, dresses of coastal and island regions, with commercial contacts with the West.

 THE VISION

"The works of the popular-folk tradition sometimes return to the peoples who gave birth to them, so that they can freely admire them, appreciate them and be inspired again by them"

"We envision new perspectives through which ,one can approach the Greek outfit/attire reaching the core,which is made of a relentless transformation of the inner world of our people in light"

"In an ablative environment, clothes break away from time as their grace opens, in a Pure Space,thus, performing, a transition from the common historical dimension, in one dimension, where we are dealing with values, which are perceived only in them, as is the beauty"

Victoria Karelia, Collector

*   Segouni: sleeveless coat(segouni), dress, apron and headscarf.

** Kavadi :The Kavadi was a long garment which was open vertically or crosswise. The sleeves vary, sometimes narrow and sometimes wide. Was worn during the past years, usually over the breeches and shirt and was made of striped cotton or adorned with gold fabric.

*** Anteri: Long dark hieratic garment,of clergy and monks, which is usually worn under the rob, covering their body before the cassock.