“Armenian traditional dress mirrors the cultural idiosyncrasies of our nation, a centuries-old history which is as rich and varied as our multi-dialectical language. Armenian costumes were one of the most prominent ways of expressing and maintaining our cultural identity. Historical events resulted in the formation of Eastern and Western Armenian costume styles, the patterns of which highlighted class, identity, position in life, wealth, regional identity, and gender all of which are recognisable by people.

The clothing in these pictures represents Taraz of Western Armenia-Vaspurakan. Western and Eastern Armenian traditional dresses differ. In Western Armenia, women’s Taraz was more opulent with gold or silver embroideries. Another significant difference was that in all western provinces, the apron was a necessary attribute of the woman’s costume. This was tied to the waist, chest or the lower back.”