The exhibition presents such age categories as childhood, adolescence, youth, maturity and old age using examples of traditional costume complexes and individual garments of the peoples of Eurasia of the XIX–XX centuries.

At the same time, if age–related features manifested themselves in changes in some structural elements of clothing, then status signs were always expressed in the use of more expensive materials, the sophistication of accessories and the choice of precious metals in jewelry - one of the most important markers of gender, age, social and property status. The degree of their use increased as they approached the age of marriage, peaked during the period of highest fertility in the youth group and among young married couples, and decreased in old age.

Socio-age regulation was clearly manifested in the costumes of the Eastern Slavs (Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians), the peoples of Northwestern Russia, the Volga region and the Urals, Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Crimea, while the age differences in clothing were insignificant among the inhabitants of the taiga and tundra zones of Siberia.

From birth to adolescence, children of both sexes wore shoulder-length, simple, loose-fitting clothing (a shirt or dress), often made from adult clothing. For many peoples, the distinctive feature of the clothes of children and the elderly was the use of old, plain fabrics, the absence of specially created decor.

In the clothes of youths (boys and girls) The characteristic ethnolocal features became more and more clearly evident. For example, boys and girls in the Caucasus from the age of 5-7 wore clothes similar to those of adult men and young women. At the same age, girls of the upper classes of some peoples of the North Caucasus wore a corset and wore it until marriage. In the Volga region, girls' clothes also did not differ from adults, but they were accompanied by a minimal amount of jewelry, while the clothes of younger children were sewn with numerous amulets – cowry shells, etc. The abundance of various amulets – from patchwork to sewn jewelry details – was the main feature of children's clothing among the peoples of Central Asia.

In a number of traditions, the next stage in a girl's life after infancy was marked by piercing her ears, and the onset of adolescence was marked by the acquisition of modest jewelry, including homemade or obsolete ones from her mother or grandmother.

As they grew older, the clothes of girls and young men became more colorful and ornate, reaching their maximum by the age of marriage. Their costumes were significantly different from children's, being a kind of transition to wedding, and then to mature age clothes.

The wedding was one of the most important moments in life, marking the transition to a new socio-age group. During the wedding, the woman changed her hairstyle and girlish headdress and remained in this status until the birth of her first child, while there were also changes in the design and elements of her clothes. For example, in Central Asian women's shirts, the horizontal slit of the collar changed to a vertical one, which was associated with the convenience of breastfeeding. An apron appeared in the costume complex of a married woman on the island of Saaremaa, and a large conical fibula appeared on the women of the Seto people.

A woman's awareness of her own vulnerability during pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding was marked only by the presence of neck, chest, and waist jewelry in this age group, as well as jewelry that included amulets made of silver, coral, carnelian, and other materials.

The breastplates that covered the breasts of the Finno-Ugric peoples, the massive silver fibulae of the sylg setu, the Mari and Chuvash breast ornaments with a clasp and a large leather pendant were considered exclusively feminine.

With the birth of children, the woman's costume gradually lost its multicoloration, and less and less decoration remained on it. The use of jewelry by a woman after the age of 40 was often condemned by public opinion, it was believed that from this age there was a transition to the socio-age group of old women. However, even in old age, it was allowed to wear modest earrings and symbols of personal piety (a cross, an incense, an icon) or a string of beads.

The costume of the old men was characterized by an almost complete absence of ornament and the predominance of dark color combinations – blue, black, and white. In the Russian tradition, elderly people usually did not buy new clothes, but wore old ones; in the Volga region, they continued to wear the clothes that were in use during their youth; for the elderly in Central Asia, tradition clearly prescribed the use of white and blue cotton fabrics, and among the Baltic-Finnish peoples, archaic forms of clothing such as shirts were used as funerarylong sleeves or sundresses with false sleeves.

The Russians

In Russian folk culture, clothing was strictly regulated as a social and age-related structure. Status characteristics (gender, age, and importance in community life) determined the characteristics of clothing.

For example, young children and the elderly, who were incapacitated, were usually not allowed to wear clothing made of new fabrics and therefore wore the clothes of the adult generation. Another distinctive feature of children's and elderly clothing was the lack of specially designed decoration, except in cases where a child's outfit was remade from an already decorated item (a towel, shirt, etc.). Children and adolescents did not have their own outerwear or shoes: either the family shared one, or children wore adult clothing as needed.

The costume of young men and women of marriageable age differed from that of previous age groups. It included significantly more details, was predominantly made from new materials, and for festive costumes, expensive factory-made fabrics were purchased. Young people's clothing was the most colorful of all age groups, complemented by a wealth of embellishments.

Unlike the costumes worn by young men and women, adult clothing gravitated toward traditional fabrics, details, and cuts. With age, the color palette of costumes became more subdued, decoration took up less space, and the amount of embellishment gradually diminished.

Older people's clothing was white or dark and generally devoid of decorative elements. Furthermore, any embellishments were almost completely absent from their costumes. Headwear and footwear were soft: felt hats for older men, bonnet-type caps and scarves that covered the forehead and neck as much as possible for older women; felt boots on their feet.

Peoples of North-West Russia and the Baltic States

The development of traditional festive and everyday clothing among the Baltic-Finnic and Baltic peoples was determined by natural and climatic conditions, the historical and cultural landscape, cross-cultural connections, and religious worldviews.

The basic principles for characterizing costumes were gender and age. Four distinct age categories are clearly distinguished in the region: childhood and adolescence, maturity (fertile age), and old age.

In the clothing of children from 4-6 months to 4-5 years, gender was not clearly defined. Boys and girls wore simple, loose-fitting shoulder garments (shirts or dresses). Given the climate of the Barents-Baltic region, summer clothing for children was made from soft but warm fabrics (wool, broadcloth). Headwear (bonnets, hoods), knitted stockings, and mittens were essential accessories.

The clothing of adolescents (boys and girls) clearly identified gender, and as they approached fertile age (the subgroup of young men—brides and grooms), the characteristic features of ethno-local complexes became increasingly apparent. Adolescents wore repurposed clothing, as well as costumes imitating adult clothing.

The largest group included people of fertile (reproductive) age, who were characterized by festive and ritual clothing complexes that contained, in addition to age and gender characteristics, information about ethnicity, ethno-local, class, and social affiliation.

The distinctiveness of the elderly's clothing was rooted in its archaic forms, as folk tradition dictated that clothing be prepared for a person from adolescence for the rest of their life. Therefore, on church or family occasions, the elderly wore the same clothes they had worn in their youth; it was not customary to have new clothes made for the elderly.

Volga peoples

In the costumes of the Finno-Ugric (Mari, Mordvins, Udmurts, Besermyans, Komi) and Turkic (Chuvash, Tatars, Bashkirs) peoples of the Volga-Ural region in the 19th and early 20th centuries, age differences in clothing were not clearly evident. Girls' and women's costumes typically differed in headdresses and jewelry. Each headdress corresponded to specific hairstyles. Mari girls wore their hair in a single braid; women wore their hair tightly twisted into a bun. The change of hairstyle and headdress occurred during the wedding ceremony, symbolizing the girl's attainment of married status.

In some areas inhabited by Udmurts and Chuvash, the shirts of girls and married women were decorated differently. Older people continued to wear the clothing of their youth. With age, the amount of embellishment in women's costumes diminished. Children's clothing was no different from that of adults, but girls wore minimal jewelry. Various amulets (cowrie shells, etc.) might be sewn onto the clothing of small children.

Peoples of Siberia

The traditional clothing of the peoples of Siberia—tundra reindeer herders, taiga hunters, marine mammal hunters, and steppe pastoralists—had distinct ethnic characteristics, shaped by the unique economic structure and climate. Clothing conveyed information about a person's gender and status, but among many peoples of the taiga and tundra zones, age-based clothing was undifferentiated. The Chukchi were an exception: older men wore a kukhlyanka (a jacket) made of white reindeer fur, while younger men wore variegated or brown reindeer hides.

Among the Mongol-speaking Buryats and Kalmyks, girls' and women's clothing differed significantly in composition, cut, and decoration. A mandatory element of a woman's attire was a sleeveless jacket, worn over a robe with a waistband and sewn-in sleeves. The cut and pattern of an adult girl's costume represented a transition from a child's to a woman's. It retained elements of a child's robe, but also incorporated features characteristic of a married woman's attire: a waist-cut robe or a straight-cut robe with a gathered hem.

Among the Kalmyks, differences in girls' and women's attire were evident not only in the cut of the shoulder garments but also in the shape of the headdresses.

Among most Siberian peoples, children's outerwear was usually modeled on adult clothing. However, there were exceptions. For example, small children of the Evens, Evenki, Chukchi, and Koryaks wore overalls as winter outerwear.