Expression of Ethnic and Social Identity: Transition frorrn Regional Clothing to Unified Fashion in Latvial Anete Karlsone Clothing, especially the folk costume, is one of the features showing social and ethnic ictentity. The aim of the paper is to study issues of the expres- sion of ethnic and social identity found in the press of the 19th century about the development of the Latvian festive dress at a time when this kind of dressing was adopted from the European fashion and started to dominate in the rural areas of LaWia; at a time when the first attempt was made to create a special Latvian-style clothing that might unite rural pe- ople and town-dwellers, the wealthy and the poor. Dr. Anete Karlsone, Department of Ethnology, Lataian Institute of History of the Lataian University, Akademijas lauk. L, Rtga LV-1050, Latoia, e-mail: an et e.knr I s o n e@ gm ail. c om Introduction Transition from traditional clothing (folk costume) to a unified fashion was a process that differed slightly in time in various European countries. On the whole, it lasted approximately from the end of the 18th century until the be- ginning of the 20th century. The development of clothing in Europe was no- tably influenced by the French Revolution as it created changes in society. The boundary between the traditional and the modern clothing was marked in the 19th century in many countries including Latvia. With reference both to forming the nation and the sparead of ideas of national romanticism in Europe beginning at the end of the 18th centurp interest in folk cultural heritage and history of the nation grew considerably. These processes, cofiunon for all of Europe, found expression in the development of clothi.g i. Latvia as well. As at present, 1 The study is part of the project "Ethnic and sociopolitical processes in Latvia: analysis of stereotypes" in the program "Letonika". LIETWOS ETNOLOGIJA: socialinds antropologijos ir etnologijos studijos. 2007,7(16),91-101.