Italy

Lace and jewelry are commonly used for costumes. Everyday costumes are different from special occasion costumes. Special occasion costumes are made from more expensive material and they have more lace and ribbon trim. The dress up style was originally used as a wedding dress but over the years the style has been made in different colours for other occasions as well. Many Italian Canadians make costumes that represent their home town in Italy. The skirts are normally red or green. They also wore an apron with lace.

Korea

Koreans use cotton and hemp for clothing, but silk has become very popular for festive occasions. The women wear an outfit made up of two pieces. The chogori is a very short blouse tied at the front. The long full wrapped skirt is known as the chima. The clothes are bright and detailed. The young female children wear a smaller version of the same outfit. The men wear a loose jacket, a chogori and baggy pants. The Koreans have kept this basic style for centuries. They wear their outfits at home and for special occasions.

Germany

Men usually wore a white shirt and a small bow tie and on their legs they wore knee breeches, long white socks or high boots and no one wore long trousers. The Bavarian men’s costumes have always been more ornate. They wear short leather breeches called lederhose with shoulder braces covered with embroidery. Their hats were also decorated with flowers and feathers. The women wore full skirts, short spencer jackets over a puffed sleeve blouse, white aprons and colourful kerchiefs. A small child would wear a gaily decorated headpiece.

Netherlands

China

The dress is mainly white and the slippers have flowers in red and pink with leaves and stems. The women’s dress is called cheongsam or Hong Kong sheath and they are tight fitting with a high collar. The dress is usually slit at the one side, five inches above the knee. The women wear a simple chignon hair. The man’s costume is a silk jacket and silk trousers as well and kung fu boots made from cloth and hard soles at the bottom. Silks have been used around the world for centuries to make Chinese dresses and other costumes around the world as well.

Sweden

The Swedish dress is usually worn at the folk festival. There are more women’s costumes seen in Canada than there are men’s costumes seen in Canada. In Sweden today some communities whose people hadn’t worn a costume for a very long time are researching the past costume styles for their areas. Most Swedish Canadians are attempting to preserve their authentic dress are continuing to bring costumes from their homeland. The traditional woman’s costume has these several basic items: full-sleeve white blouse, sleeveless vest, neck scarf, ankle scarf, ankle length skirt, apron, head-covering, stockings, and low-heeled shoes. Men’s costumes include shirt, jacket, knee length trousers, knee socks, black shoes, and hat.

Phillippines

The clothes are very colourful. They are made from banana or pineapple fibres or silk or cotton. The women wear necklaces and rings and they wear their hair up with flowers, petals or pearls in their hair. The sleeves of the women's dresses are called butterfly sleeves. The women wear colourful hip scarves. The men's shirt is called a tagalog and they wear a kerchief around their neck. The men's clothes are very colourful. They wear their special clothes for special occasions.

by Matt - grade 2

Japan

The kimono is worn for special festivals or dances. The kimono is a colourful piece of rectangular cloth. They wrap the cloth around them and then they put the sash on. The sash is tied on the waist in a bow at the back of their sash. The sash is called an obi. It is usually red, white, blue or green and it is very nice. The women carry a bright parasol and a fan. They wear cotton socks and sandals. 

by Steven - grade 2

Ukraine

The costumes are worn when they are dancing and special Ukrainian celebrations. The men's pants are red or blue and they are puffy. The pants come to their knees. They wear a sash around their waist. The women colourful dresses and aprons and usually high red boots. They wear a head band with flowers on it and long colourful ribbons.

by Gregory - grade 2

Scotland

Plaids were first introduced from Ireland in the sixth century. The plaid and sock are green and white. The jacket is green, and the blouse is white. Scots draped a piece of long plaid over their shoulders, to symbolize their family. They were called tartans. By the eighteenth century plaids were woven into some of the tartans that we know today. The plaid kilt was originally made for men, but in the mid-twentieth century women in Canada began to wear it for highland dancing. However, many Scots still prefer the pleated, checked skirt worn with a vest and dancing slippers. Kilts are still worn by men in country dancing groups. Women wear a long gown with a plaid pinned to one shoulder.

by Joelle - grade 5