Today's collection is based on the holdings of smaller collections created back in the 19th c., as well as collections of the former Croatian National Museum. The fact that it includes items from the entire Adriatic ethnographic area (Istria, Croatian Littoral, Dalmatia, Dubrovnik area with Konavle, and all the islands) from mid 19th c. until the present day makes this collection one among the most significant of its kind in the country. The collection includes ensembles and individual parts of women's, men's, and children's clothing and footwear. Some ensembles even appear in several variants (summertime - wintertime, everyday - solemn, wedding, etc.)

The complexity of the Adriatic area's ethnographic situation may be observed on several levels. Traditional wardrobe brings together cultural elements of different origin. Apart from the easily recognizable Dinaric and Mediterranean ones, intertwined on this small portion of land, we should also mention the decisive influence from the northwest (Alps), as well as from the southeast (Levant). The diversity and variety of the Adriatic region traditional clothing was only increased through population migrations starting from the 15th c. The urban centres' clothes was, on the other hand, changing along with European fashion trends.