Kokoshnik, Russia

Dancers of a Russian folk ensemble line up in matching kokoshniks, the tall, crescent-shaped headdresses embroidered with gold and edged with pearls. In village Russia the kokoshnik was a married woman's festive headdress, and each region shaped it differently. The imperial court revived it for formal dress in the nineteenth century, which is why the halo-shaped kokoshnik tiara exists. Today it lives on stage with folk choirs and dance troupes, and at Russian-themed weddings.