Përmet is located in the southern part of Albania, on both sides of the upper course of the Vjosa River. In the Përmet region, at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, six distinct costume areas were identified: Shqeria, Dangëllia, Cerja, Rrëza, Dëshnica, and Malëshova (also known as Labe).
It should be noted that, in general, the traditional clothes of the Përmet region, for both women and men, had similarities not only among the different ethnographic areas but also with the clothes of neighboring regions.
From the research conducted in the villages of this region and from documentary data, it was found that at the beginning of the 19th century, women’s clothing consisted of a long shirt over which a black woolen cibun was worn.
Later, woolen dresses in black, dark blue, maroon, brown, or red began to be used. Women wore black scarves with flowers on the sides; they wore woolen socks in different colors and cowhide shoes. In the second half of the 19th century, the attire with a shirt and cibun was replaced by a dress made of imported fabric, mostly worn by brides and young women.
Meanwhile, the women of the city of Përmet had abandoned their traditional clothes earlier and generally wore contemporary clothing. A characteristic of their dress was the long satin dress extending below the calves.
Besides the dress, this outfit included a vest and a jacket made of fabric adorned with gold threads, a silk shirt, a headscarf decorated with lace, thin cotton socks, and black shoes with low heels.
