Bezarashvili, Ts. Women's Clothing in the Mountains of Eastern Georgia (Kalis samoseli aghmosavlet sakartvelos mtianetshi), 1974. In Georgian

ბეზარაშვილი, ც. ქალის სამოსელი აღმოსავლეთ საქართველოს მთიანეთში (ეთნოგრაფიული მასალების მიხედვით). / საქართველოს სსრ მეცნიერებათა აკადემია. ივ. ჯავახიშვილის სახელობის ისტორიის, არქეოლოგიისა და ეთნოგრაფიის ინსტიტუტი.

თბილისი : მეცნიერება, 1974.
120 გვ. : 14 გვ. ილ. ; 26 სმ. ტირაჟი 1000 ეგზ.
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Bezarashvili, Ts. Women's Clothing in the Mountains of Eastern Georgia according to ethnographic materials (Kalis samoseli aghmosavlet sakartvelos mtianetshi). / Academy of Sciences of the Georgian SSR. Ivane Javakhishvili Institute of History, Archaeology, and Ethnography.
Tbilisi : Metsniereba (Science), 1974.
120 pp.: 14 plates of ill.; 26 cm. Print run: 1,000 copies.

This 1974 academic study is a foundational ethnographic work by Tsetsilia Bezarashvili, dedicated to the rich and complex traditions of female attire in the high-altitude regions of Eastern Georgia. Published by Metsniereba under the auspices of the Javakhishvili Institute, the monograph focuses on the historical provinces of Mtiuleti, Gudamakari, Khevi, Khevsureti, and Pshavi.
The book provides a rigorous analysis of the "mountain style," which remains one of the most distinctive branches of Georgian material culture. Bezarashvili examines the functional and symbolic aspects of the clothing, from the heavy wool fabrics required by the harsh climate to the intricate embroidery and silver adornments that signaled social status and tribal identity. The study is particularly valuable for its focus on the Sadiatlo (ceremonial) and everyday garments, documenting specific regional variations in cutting techniques, color palettes, and the use of traditional ornaments.
The edition features 14 pages of illustrations, including detailed drawings and photographs of rare ethnographic specimens. These visuals capture the famous Pshav-Khevsurian cross-stitch patterns and the unique structural elements of the mountain dress that distinguish it from the more urbanized styles of the Georgian plains. Bezarashvili’s work is based on extensive field materials collected mid-century, preserving knowledge of traditional garment production—from wool processing to the final stitch—that was already beginning to vanish.
With a very limited print run of only 1,000 copies, this large-format monograph is a bibliographic rarity. It is an essential resource for ethnographers, costume designers, historians of the Caucasus, and anyone interested in the preservation of Georgian folk heritage.