So, one of the things I really love about Rus’ is they borrow from every culture they came in contact with which means the sky is the limit on a lot of things.  I love being able to completely change up my look while still staying within the realms of my persona.  I actually used to have a lot more different Rus’ looks than I do now, but my sewing skill went up so I gave away a lot of stuff that the construction was a bit off and then I ended up in a rutt.  I’ve been doing a lot of mock-ups lately though to fix that problem. This post may be fairly similar to other posts but I really feel like necklines are important enough to deserve their own write up.

One of the most unique things about Rus’ is all the different necklines they utilized. Compared to cultures near and around them they have an unlimited array of options. This is ironic of course because they just borrowed from all those cultures.  All of these necklines are suitable for men and women unless stated otherwise.  So, let’s talk about them!

Of course, my favourite and my all time go to is the keyhole neckline.  We can see it in illustrations, engravings, extant pieces and we have record of them being recorded on birch-bark writings (the originals, of course, having been burned by the soviets, damn them).   A keyhole neckline with a pennanular brooch is perfect for any Rus’ persona, male or female.  It’s simple, it’s easy, it’s perfect. Now, this can be done with a round or square neckline.  I’m personally not a fan of the square neckline but there is precedent for it and my fighting tunic has a square neckline. I’d definitely keep it to over garments and use round necklines or collared necklines for the under-rubahkah.

Next, of course, we have the off center keyhole.  Even though many cultures use this neckline, it has come to be associated primarily with Rus’.  There are a lot of reasons for that, primarily that so many Rus’ garments have off center lines, like the kaftan and womans coat. Keep in mind, it is not exclusively Rus’ but for most people, it will definitely give you that extra Rus’-ness. To the left is an extant off center neckline from the Balkans displayed at the Hermitage museum in St. Petersberg

Now, we have just a basic round neckline.  Again, typically, this is for over garments.  Both men and women tended to have their first layer of clothing very close to their neck.  I can’t find any extant examples or artwork depicting bare collarbones. Who knows, maybe we’ll find something some day but for now, I avoid it.  Plus, it keeps awkward tan lines away so, score. Anyway… This is exactly what it sounds like, just a round neckline. I like to give it a contrasting yoke, but it is definitely not a requirement, We have extant pieces without them and we have artwork showing them (though you could argue that they might be a detachable collar).

Finally for non-collared necklines we have the V-neckline.  This is more towards the end of the Rus’ period as far as I can tell and probably can be attributed to their eastern neighbors. It also tends to go hand in hand with an off center closure. As far as I can tell, this neckline is largely male but if you want to use it on female garb, I say go crazy.

So now, let’s talk about collars. I’ve known about them forever but I only recently started delving into them. So far, we have a love hate relationship.  I love the idea of them, but there are no real tutorials for them or even just info on how to make them other than materials.

So, the first collar that is super popular among the Rus’ is a tall collar. For a rubahkah, I like to do the opening for it on the shoulder. I don’t know why, if anything ever hits me there, those brass buttons are gonna hurt but.. whatever. I saw it on one extant piece and now I’m stuck, moving on… You also have extant pieces like the skjoldehamn tunic with a high collar and a front keyhole that has a piece of cloth that buttons over it.  This tunic, in my experience, is widely associated with Rus’ even though the find was in Norway. The best I can guess is because it looks like some depictions we have.  I haven’t made it yet, but I’m planning on it. You also see it with some mens kaftans.  Plus, we have a ton of extant collars like this so you can make a bunch of different ones and still be on point. Many of the extant collars are embroidered, but they certainly don’t have to be. I’ll do a tutorial on this collar when I get home because it frustrates me that there isn’t one and this neckline is fun. I recommend, on collars, to do the embroidery before construction, but sometimes you’re on a deadline and you can always add a little something later, just keep in mind it won’t be as easy.

The next collar is the circular collar. This collar was often matched with cuffs. Both were detachable from the rest of the garment. These were typically made of silk reinforced with birch-bark or felt and were covered with embroidery and bead work.  The most popular extant example is actually out of period but we have artwork showing them in everything so we have a pretty good idea that they were utilized. There are also partial extant pieces and extant cuffs that we can assume had collars to go with them.  These collars typically button on the side, as their construction makes that much easier but I’ve also seen reconstructions that button on the back, like in this reconstruction displayed at a museum.

These different necklines give a drastically different look to the same and similar patterns and allow you to change up your look with minimal effort. It also allows you to achieve a more layered look especially when you utilize external yokes.  Plus its just fun to try your hand at something new.