According to available reports, the colonists wore the costumes from the founding times until the sixties of the 19th century. People did not pay attention to fashion.

Many homes had a loom and several spinning wheels. Women wove, colored the cloth and spun it.

Image 85: The Krasna spinning wheels may have looked like this model from 1822, which is located in the homeland museum of the Bessarabian Germans.

In the beginning and for many years afterwards women and girls made most items of clothing themselves. The cloth was also mostly home produced. In the winter, the women spun hemp and flax threading and made their own linens and clothing. Sheep produced the material for their clothing. The spinning wheel and the loom produced the heavy cloth used for suits and coats of the men.

In about the third generation (from the founding of Krasna), some of the clothing materials were store-bought (traded) in the clothing stores of Tarutino, Arzis and Teplitz. Traded were stocking wool and finished cloth.
In the final decades women did not make all of their dresses themselves any more, but ordered them from a tailor. The tailor also made the outerwear for the men. Women still often made the underwear themselves. Work clothes were made from durable material and Sunday clothing was made of lighter material. The women still knitted socks and stockings.

Living among people of other nationality influenced clothing habits. The men copied the tall boots and skin hats from the Russians. The women used head scarves of black silk and in the winter; they often used heavy woolen shawls instead of coats. (“Groβhalstuch” - large neckcloth)

For footwear, the men wore tall boots, the women shoes and slippers at home. In bad weather, people wore galoshes. Shoes were made by the shoemaker or, in the 20th century, they were purchased in a shoe store on market days.

In early days, men often wore a so-called “Manishke” instead of a shirt. These were a chest cover with a collar and no back.

Over time, the costumes of the surrounding villages became more uniform. The first costumes of the women of Krasna were very long. The fashion, especially for women, started to change after the turn of the century, they became shorter and the materials were better. The costumes kept their rural look and differed quite a bit from city wear.

The Nordlicht (Northern Lights) publication of North Dakota wrote on Decmber 29, 1921:
The Krasna farmers are well-to-do. They are the wealthiest farmers of the Akkerman district…They work with four to eight draft horses, own 20-30 sheep, but they still make the cloth for their own clothing, spin wool and hemp or take the wool to cloth factories in nearby Tarutino. The peoples’ clothing is unifor, black caps instead of hats, simple clothing for the men, nothing fancy. The women are also simply clothed. They usually wear large shawls as head gear, usually in black.

According to a newspaper report from 1931, which is reprinted below, fashion conscience in Krasna was not especially developed, even ten years later. The Staats Anzeiger comments on April 28, 1931:
As far as fashion goes, it is largely neglected in Krasna. It is in the nature of Krasna people not to like exaggerated apparel and the fashion devil needs no adoration. People “dressed to the hilt” are not respected and often made fun of. Also our women folk no longer wear traditional costumes. They should be lauded for not mimicking the fashion trends of the other villages. For instance we have not ever seen a Krasna woman wearing a dress that exposes the knees, causing the people present to blush. To date the Krasna women do not go overboard fashion-wise, although their head shawls are quite elaborate and expensive. Women gladly spend 800 and 900 lei for head gear and they had to be in the colors of white or black. A father’s scolding did not discourage them and in fashion questions they do have a strong mind and usually get what they want. Circumstance achieved what the grumbing fathers could not bring about. Borrowing money is out of the question now and people have not much cash. The merchant can now let his expensive cloths shimmer in the shade or glisten in the sunlight. They have no more use. Although their eyes pop when they see the desired items, they immediately ask for ones for the price of 200 or 300 lei. Men’s clothing has not changed in many years. Instead of the Barnoss, which was worn in early times, now the Paletot is worn, but that is the extent of it.

Here is a glimpse into the Krasna world of fashion: See also Weddings, 5.3, Culture, Habits and Customs

Image 86: Women with striped aprons

Image 87: Margaretha Dirk, Katarina Müller and Rosa Riehl

Image 88: Theresia Kopp

Image 89: The photo shows girls in 1934 wearing the costume developed at the Arzis farmers’ school, reminiscent of the costume of the ancestors.

An excellent description about the clothing of the Bessarabian Germans can be found in the following essay, which also contains photos depicting Krasna clothing: Ella Winkler-Lütze, Von der Kleidung der Deutschen in Bessarabien (About the Clothing of the Germans in Bessarabia), published in the Heimatkalender der Bessarabiendeutschen 1977 (Homeland Calendar of the Bessarabian Germans, 1977), page 42