Most people around the world know too little about Lebanese national costumes. And that’s a pity, as some of the Lebanese folk garments are really interesting. A lot of Middle Eastern historians and ethnographers think that some Lebanese fashion trends and clothing traditions even influenced European traditional fashion. Some people consider that a Lebanese headdress called “tantour” inspired 19th-century women to wear hennin-like headgear – similar high conical headpieces.
Let’s determine the 5 most interesting and typical items of folk clothes in Lebanon, whether it’s the main garment or an accessory.
Sherwal – Lebanese baggy pants
These trousers traditionally were the most common piece of clothing for the lower body for men. But women in Lebanon also wear baggy trousers. The sherwal pants are wide baggy trousers, narrow from the knee down. Lebanese males usually wear black or dark blue sherwal. The cut of such trousers is perfect when paired with high leather boots – traditional footwear of Lebanese men.
Modern Lebanese men's attire
Gambaz – long women’s dress
This is the main female garment in Lebanon. It is an ankle-length dress, often with slits at the sides so that baggy pants or a skirt peeked from under the dress. But this dress is very modest and proper. One of the main religions in Lebanon is Islam, so the local clothes are always modest. A gambaz can be sewn from different types of fabric, for example, festive dresses are often made of silk. A gambaz can be rather colorful, adorned with embroidery, lace, etc.
Modern Lebanese gambaz
Tantour – high conical headdress
This is one of the most typical and well-known Lebanese traditional accessories. It is a women’s headpiece of a rather extravagant and unusual shape. This headdress is a very high conical hat that was extremely popular among Lebanese women in the 19th century. This headdress consisted of a tight-fitting cap with a high silver (or sometimes even gold) cone attached to the cap. The height of such a headpiece could reach 30 inches. To keep the construction in place, it was tied under the chin. Also, it was embellished with pearls, gems, pendants, and designs on the surface of a cone. There was usually a silk veil attached to the cone that reached the woman’s waist and was draped around her shoulders. This headdress was a status item used by wealthy married women, who usually got it as a gift from their grooms on the wedding day.
Jubbe – hip-length jacket
This simple peasant jacket was worn by men and women as outerwear. It was mid-thigh-length, collarless, and with no fastenings. Sometimes, there were slits at the sides. Most often, it was made from dark fabric.
Labbade – archaic Lebanese headdress
This Lebanese headdress is very old, ancient even. It was used by the local peasant men for a very long time. It is a cylindrical hat made from camel wool, with a white or black&white scarf wrapped around the hat.
