zupan

See Zupa article for another meaning.

Żupan is a long, colorful man's robe worn by szlachta (Polish class of nobility or gentry) in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The word derives from the name of a garment worn by royal clerks in the 11th century and is of Arabic origin. In 18th-century Poland, the żupan became the most popular item of men's apparel. Typically it was worn beneath a kontusz, and had long sleeves and a row of decorative buttons. Żupans were made of such fabrics as were available to the szlachta. Magnates generally wore żupans sporting gold buttons, and fashioned from expensive fabrics such as silk, dyed crimson, which won their wearers the name, karmazyni or "crimson men". Poorer szlachta usually wore żupans of cheap gray wool, hence their nickname, szaraczkowie--gray men". In 19th-century Poland, the żupan became integral to regional male costumes, including those of common people.

Zupan

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