Paper short abstract:

This paper will present personal story based on the process of dressing up in traditional costume, referring to different social roles and meanings of traditional costume in modern Croatian society. Applying the affect and emotion lens, gave new, creative potential to this "old-fashioned" theme.

Paper long abstract:

Observing traditional costumes through the lens of affect and emotion is a new approach to this subject and also a brand new creative potential of this research field. This paper will present one part of my research in which I observe traditional costume as a part of material culture that comes in direct touch with the body and has the power to change the way others look at the person that is dressed in it. On the other hand it is used to send a message in different social interactions. In short, traditional costumes cause different effects with each person differently, depending on the type of public social event. The research includes not only mine personal experiences of traditional costume, but also perspectives of the person dressing me up, persons watching me in the context of a religious event I was part of, and all the sensations while I was dressed, and after I took my traditional costume off. Also, the paper will describe the whole process of dressing up in traditional costume which demands specific knowledge and skills, but also meeting the specific social criterion.

Finally, connecting traditional costume with pain and discomfort on the one hand, and admiration and social approval on the other, the research reveals exceptional affective potential of traditional costume. Also, it implies great creative potential to the traditional costume research and a new glance on seemingly outdated theme.