The Skyrian Costume & Traditional Dress
The traditional dress of Skyros, from the men's baggy breeches and trohadia sandals to the women's layered finery. What islanders wore, and where to see it today.
Last updated 29 June 2026
Like its furniture and its houses, the traditional dress of Skyros is unmistakably the island’s own. It is most famous now for its role in the Carnival, but for centuries it was simply what Skyrians wore, and it tells you a great deal about the place.
In short: Traditional Skyrian dress is distinctive and old. The men’s costume centres on baggy breeches (vraka), a cap and the hand-made leather sandals called trohadia; the women’s is a layered, richly embroidered outfit. You’ll see the finest examples, and the Carnival costumes, in the Faltaits Museum in Chora.
The men’s dress
The classic Skyrian man’s costume is built around the vraka, the voluminous dark breeches worn across much of the Aegean, gathered at the knee, with a shirt, a waistcoat and a cap. On the feet are the island’s own trohadia: distinctive, multi-strapped leather sandals, hand-made by local craftsmen and unlike footwear anywhere else in Greece. This is the dress you see, transformed and half-hidden, beneath the bells and goatskin of the Geros at Carnival.
The women’s dress
The women’s costume is a layered, elaborate affair: long garments, aprons, headscarves and, above all, fine embroidery, worked in the patterns the island is known for. It was a display of skill and status, the everyday and festive versions differing in richness. The embroidery that decorates it is a craft in its own right, part of the same tradition as the island’s textiles and needlework.
Where to see it
You don’t need to visit at Carnival to see Skyrian dress. The Faltaits Folklore Museum in Chora holds a rich collection of costumes, from everyday wear to the finest festival pieces, alongside the carved furniture and ceramics that share its decorative language. Seeing them together is the quickest way to understand the island’s visual world.
FAQ
What did people traditionally wear on Skyros? Men wore baggy breeches (vraka), a cap and the island’s hand-made leather sandals, the trohadia; women wore a layered, richly embroidered costume.
What are trohadia? The distinctive multi-strapped leather sandals of Skyros, hand-made by local craftsmen and part of the traditional men’s dress.
Where can I see traditional Skyrian costumes? In the Faltaits Folklore Museum in Chora, and, worn and transformed, during the Skyros Carnival in February.
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