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| Arbëresh woman dressed with Xhipuni |
Costumes are a "status symbol" of the social environment and traditional costumes testify to the Arbëresh culture. Schematized and simplified in their elaboration, they offer the ethnologist a field of research on the ancient dress of the Arbëresh. Women's clothing has presented in the history of the Arbëresh people an element of pride during the darkest moments of history. The functions that these costumes carry are different and show the social order, age, class, work, mourning, representation of religious belief as well as the fact that a person is single or married.
A special accessory of the Arbëresh woman's dress is also the Xhipuni.
"Xhipuni" - is one of the elements of the traditional dress of the Arbëresh woman. This short jacket, tight and open at the front, is part of the bride or holiday costume, the half party costume, and has been present in everyday wear as well. Although it is an element that we find in almost all Arbëresh costumes of Southern Italy, this element appears with special features in these costumes in terms of color, shape, and decorative elements.
On the wedding day, the bride wore jewelry. The bride also wore the gold Xhipuni on top of the dress. The Xhipuni has its sides and wings decorated with gold.
There was also the beaver Xhipuni, decorated on the wings and gloves with gold thread, the sleeves have flower embroidery made of gold silk thread.
