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Traditional Costume
In former times, Mongol women wore traditional silver and coral jewellery – rings, necklaces, earrings and pins, Head and hair decorations (for married women) divided the hair into extraordinary-looking ‘wings’ on each side of the head. The hair was clipped back with silver pins, plaited and passed through two silver tubes that dropped to the waist on both sides. Mongolian men still carry embroidered pouches for their drinking bowls and tobacco, which are tucked into their sashes, along with a modern cigarette lighter instead of the ancient flint and steel!
Mongolian Deel
The deel, the colourful national dress, is worn by men and women. It is an elegant three-quarter-length gown that buttons at the right shoulder to a high round-necked collar. That worn in winter is made of cotton lined with sheepskin, and in summer of silk with traditional patterns and designs, in shinning bright colours - red,orange, blue and green. The winter colors are darker-deep purple and dark blue. A colorful sash of a contrasting colour is worn. The sleeves are so long that they cover the hands so Mongols never need wear gloves. Heads are covered by exotic fur hats and scarves.
In towns, people dress for work in conventional European clothing, and in the capital it is not surprising to see pinstriped suits for gentlemen and chic, well-tailored couture suits for ladies, although the usual scruffy duffel coat and beret or bobble hat are more commonplace. However, everyone has a best deel for special occasions. In the countryside the deel is the practical everyday working garment and may be quite dirty and shabby from wear and tear. A deel has multi-purpose uses, acting as a blanket at night, as a mini tent when getting dressed or undressed, and as private canopy when there is no cover (for miles!) and you need to relieve yourself with a little dignity.
Mongolian Boot
Mongolian knee-length boots, gutal, have exotic upturned toes and are made of brightly coloured leather, stenciled and incised with patterns. The leather is also stained in different colours and decorated by scoring the surface or stamping with a hot iron. Nowadays, gutal are almost exclusively the footwear of wrestlers. There are worn with thick felt socks embroidered round the top. Today country people don long Russian leather boots, or felt boots that are both comfortable and warm in winter (but not waterproof).
Mongolian Hat
The unusual spiked hats worn by Mongol men in the past have sadly gone out of fashion for everyday use, but may still be seen in museums or stage productions. Fur hats, or padded hats with ear-flaps, are worn in winter, and in summer trilby hats are popular with the men while the women wear shawls or scarves. However, traditional Mongolian hats, especially those for men, are used mainly during wrestling competitions to honour the winner. They are uniquely designed and sculpted, complete with their raised top knots and cause a real stir when worn in the West.