.2024
The Romanian Blouse (also known as the “ia”) is a symbol of identity and, in particular, of Romanian femininity. On the 24th of June, we celebrate the Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse, when all girls wear the shirt made famous by Henri Matisse with the painting La Blouse Roumaine. The work was finished in 1940, after six months of work. The painter had been working on this painting since November 1939. He was inspired by the collection of Romanian paintings given to him as a gift by Theodor Pallady, painter born in Iasi, with whom he was a friend for many years. The painting can be seen today at the National Museum of Modern Art in the Centre Pompidou. The simplest piece of Romanian clothing, made of linen with rich embroidery, colored or simply white, the high-necked shirt, worn by peasants in the choir or in the field, was adopted by the queens of Romania, who turned it into a staple.
The Romanian blouse was an inspiration for the great fashion designers of the world. Yves Saint Laurent introduced the Romanian blouse into the history of haute couture with the launch of the autumn-winter 1981 collection. Since then, “ia” has started to become, like the Little Black Dress, a must-have element in women’s wardrobes worldwide. The Romanian blouse will never go out of fashion.
A Romanian blouse does not belong to any period. All peasant clothes are passed down from century to century without going out of fashion – Yves Saint Laurent
The project is being done in collaboration with the artisans of Șezătorea Borlești, a community that was founded in 2013 and is considered the first șezătoare (get-together) in modern Romania. (Andreea Tănăsescu, La Blouse Roumaine)
Șezătoarea Borlești is the bridge on which we like to stop, generations together, and talk. We have a common language and we no longer pass each in silence
– Maria-Daniela Burghelea-Handaric, founder of Șezătoarea Borlești, Neamț county