Frequently asked questions

An authentic Romanian blouse is entirely hand-sewn. The decorative motifs are embroidered on natural fabrics that are pleasant to touch, such as handwoven cotton cloth (“pânză topită”), linen, raw silk (“borangic”), or fine muslin (“marchizet”). On the inside of the blouse—especially those sewn with cotton—the embroidery is, with threads and knots apparent. In the case of blouses sewn with silk, since the motifs are mostly geometric, the stitching tends to be quite uniform even on the reverse side. A fake Romanian blouse is machine-embroidered, usually in countries like India or China. The materials are of lower quality, sometimes synthetic. The embroidery—always an imitation of an original design—has a certain stiffness due to machine stitching, and the back side looks quite much as the identical the front. Price is another indicator of authenticity. A hand-stitched blouse is considerably more expensive than a copy, sold at markets or in shops offering counterfeit handicrafts. Durability: A genuine hand-stitched or handwoven blouse lasts for generations. It is very common in Romania for families to own blouses that are over three generations old.