Strandzha and Thracian Area
The Strandzha and Thracian costumes have many similarities. The female Thracian costume consists of a red pinafore, embroidered at the edges of the skirt; an embroidered white cotton shirt and black woolen overcoat embroidered with white lace. Plant ornaments are usually embroidered in red, blue, green, orange and white.
The male costume is black and consists of black pants with bayonets, a red woolen vest (may be green) with black ornaments, a white cotton shirt with red ornaments, a red belt and a black cap.
“Kasache”, “kasak”, or also “kase” is a main distinctive garment in the women costume from the area of Karnobat. It is worn on a holiday or when it is cold, and it is worn by both girls and brides. It is made of a thick black cloth, but it is an impressive and beautiful garment. It has a full back and no sleeves. Its length is below the waist.
The front is open and a has small collar (2-3 cm) around the neck. On the right front there is an outer pocket. The decoration is extremely rich, making the garment unique and noticeable. The seams are highlighted with blue bayonet, and its outer edges are decorated with three rows of black bayonet. At front and on the shoulder curves there are embroidered spiral ornaments made of red, blue and yellow threads, which are called “small kriulci” or “dolls”. The decoration on the back is the most interesting and bright. Triple spirals are embroidered with colored silk and woolen threads. They are called “big kriulci” and resemble the top of a twig. They are sewn to silk thread pins- the “flowers”. Other, smaller ornaments reinforce this plant character of the decoration.
During the cold winter days, the colorful “kase” is worn over the “saltamarka“. The saltamarka is made of a dark blue or black baize. I has a waist length, long sleeves, and forearms which are also open. In the past rich women were distinguished, as they wore a saltamarka made of cloth lined with lambskins.