Crowning Glory: A Feast of Slovak & Moravian Headdresses

Slovak and Moravian folk dress (kroje) is stunning, with each piece more beautiful than the last. A full kroj is made up of many components, including skirts, aprons, vests, and sashes. Each region and village has a different style of folk dress. This exhibit focuses on the crowning glory: the headdress. 143 Slovak and Moravian headdresses are on display. Hours of labor and generations of meaning, mystique, and creativity are infused in each treasured heirloom.

Many of the most elaborate headdresses are actually bridal crowns or wreaths. Some headdresses are embellished with mirrors as an added protection against evil – if a jealous villager shoots the “evil eye” at the bride, the evil will hit the mirror and go back to the sender. Others have intricate beadwork in a range of colors and shapes, while another style exhibits silk flowers and yards of embroidered ribbon. An important part of the wedding rites occurs when the bride is “capped.” Her bridal headdress is ceremonially removed by her mother, godmother, or bridesmaids and replaced with an elaborate cap or headscarf that signifies her status as a married woman.

Helene Cincebeaux and her mother, Helen Zemek Baine, spent five decades visiting villages in Slovakia, Moravia, and Bohemia. They were invited into homes to see beautiful hand decorated textiles as well as hear fascinating stories, memories, and legends behind the pieces. The treasures they found on these trips led to the Baine/Cincebeaux Collection of Slovak Folk Dress & Folk Art. The Collection has more than 5,000 pieces and has been exhibited all over the United States and the world.