Clothing

The pictures are of 3 girls and a little sister from my conversation club illustrating young people's dress. 2 of the women's wear shops, men on the street talking, and a children's shop. Please note the colors and the elaborate children's clothing.

Clothing in Azerbaijan is more European than Asian. A person’s clothes and appearance is very important. If there is dust or mud on my clothing, people are very quick to tell me. Everyone wants you to look your best. I go walking around with my young friends from the Conversation Club, and they straighten my collar. It is expected clothes are to be clean and ironed.
The teachers at Linda’s school are primarily women. They all wear long dresses to work. Linda has yet to see one of her fellow teachers in pants at work. At the Central Library where I work some of the women will wear nice slacks to work. I wear a dress shirt and tie with black trousers.
Younger women are a different matter. The college students primarily wear pants and especially jeans. The jeans must be dark and have some form of design on them. Many of the jeans have embroidery, sequins, or beads.
The young men wear dark slacks, black jeans, or dark blue jeans. I have seen a very few men of age wear jeans, and those wore black. However, let it be noted that jeans are slowly taking over. Next year I am sure I will see more men in jeans, and perhaps older women.
When people go out on the streets, they dress up. Casual dress is for home. At home anything goes. Linda and I wear sweats around the house. Note in the pictures of stores the house garments for women. The are long tunic top with pants and usually velour, and of any color or design.
The work place is usually cold, so people wear several layers and usually their coats while at work. Women wear very long coats that protect their dresses from the mud and dust of the street. Many women wear scarves or knitted hats. Men wear hats like I wore in the Bible Study group picture, or Russian style round fur hats. The young men rarely wear hats, and the children wear stocking hats.
Women wear gloves in the winter, and I do. Most men do not wear dress gloves although I have seen them for sale. If a man is wearing gloves, it is usually work gloves while performing labor. I am sure the men must wear gloves in the colder climates around Azerbaijan. I want my hands warm, so I wear mine.
Shoes that are worn in the street are not worn in the home and must be removed at the door. Most people use house socks and a few slippers. Every home has several pairs of slippers to wear out in the yard or even to the local market. The slippers are rubber or plastic and cost about $2. Shoes are to be clean and shined. Dirty shoes are a sign of laziness. Dirty shoes will get looks of displeasure from the citizens. Women’s shoes generally have stiletto heals or older women become more practical. Poor older women wear a rubber almost overshoe type of shoe with heavy multicolored stripped wool socks. Men’s shoes can be quite narrow at the toe. Everyone from the PC said the shoes here are poorly made, but I may try a pair next year. There are sports shoes available, but they are poorly made.
Men wear suit coats everywhere. I have seen a man herding sheep in a suit coat and collared shirt. The pants may not match, but the coat is worn. Bus drivers and men walking the streets all have on sport or suit coats. Young men wear turtleneck sweater shirts and leather jackets more than the suit coats, but still a few do.
Athletic wear is popular, but most people do not own many clothes. People are very dressed up, but will own only 1 or 2 dress outfits. We will see teachers wear very nice clothes, but it is the same dress every day. I normally wear the same shirt to work for one week, to fit in with the staff. We did not bring a lot of clothes, but have much more than the average Azerbaijani citizen.
The best term for the women’s clothing is gaudy. Linda will spot an attractive black dress, and then on one side it has a sequined rose about the size of New Hampshire. Everything must have rhinestones, embroidery or sequins. Again, the average Azerbaijan citizen has a very limited wardrobe.
School children come to school dressed very nice. They are always clean in spite of the fact that the water is not always available and cold. Their clothes are usually uniforms of black trousers or skirts with white shirts and blouses or white turtleneck sweaters. Some of the boys wear black suits and some vests with ties. Children come to school in coats, hats, and scarves. The buildings are often cold so they keep on their hats, coats, and scarves.
When children go outside the parents dress them with multiple layers. The children and adults always dress warm even if it is warm. The children’s clothing for the street is always dressy, but play clothes for home and local streets.