Figure 1.--Here we see the children of an unidentified Bosnian family, pobbly in the 1930s. They are wearing suits and other dress-up outfits. Click on the image for an assessment of the boys' clothing provided by a reader..

The wrenching political changes experienced in what is now called Bosnia have resulted in enormous cultural changes which among many other matters include fahion and clothing. After being incorprated in the Roman world the area was part of the European mainstream and European culture and fashion. This changed with the arrival of Slavic tribes, but they were evntually Chritinizd and became part of medieval Christindom with its culture and fashion. This changed with the Ottoman conauests and annexation. Bosnis was cut off from Western Chtristendom and major develipments like the Renaissance, Reformation, and Enligtenment. Ottoman fashions and cultural influences became widespread--more so than mny other areas of the Ottoman-controlled Balkans. Quite a numbr of Bosnians converted to Islam. Austrian control brought Western namely German influences. Several centuries of Ottoman control, however, meant that the Balkans including Bosnia lagged behind the rest of Europe. This oncluded the economy. And of course poveryy and backward economies has a major impact on fashion and clothing. Importan strides were made after World War I as part of royal Yugoslabia. But then the horror of World War II followed by Communism. This mean that the economy lagged behind Western Europe, but Bosnians and Yugoslavs gradually adopted the same pan-European fashions that became standard in the West.

Created: 10:53 PM 12/29/2016
Last updated: 9:28 PM 12/30/2016