[Artemisia] Ottoman Women's Clothing Class

[Reuben and Arwen]

Sorry everyone for posting this so late.  I was having trouble re-locating the name of one of the lecturers I cited for the hand-out.  These will be available during the class for a printing cost donation, or after Uprising by e-mail.  My apologies for being a slow poke.  Because the list does not accept attachments, I have put the hand-out text below, so you can pre-view the material as promised.  Esther

Ottoman Women’s Clothing ca. 1520-1605
By Esther bat Baruch 2008 edition

Women’s clothing in late Ottoman times was not just for covering the body.  Clothing was elevated to a decorative art that also told everyone immediately who you were and how you were to be treated.  The type of clothing, its color, material, and accessories were indicators of religion, ethnicity, rank, social status, what laws you were subject to, what political party you supported, and what your occupation was.  Clothing was not about personal expression.  (Steele)  What you wore was governed by laws and ‘firman’.  (Krody)  The Ottoman government, headquartered at the Palace, controlled the sumptuary laws and even the production and price of clothing; skimping on fabrics, lining and gluing instead of sewing facings were all punishable offenses.  Spinning, dying, and weaving were also regulated.  Some luxury fabrics produced by the Ottomans were so costly they were kept in the Palace treasury.  (Ozer)  Ottoman kaftans and robes were so precious;
 they were given as gifts by the Sultan.  The clothing of the upper classes was imitated by the populace trying to gain social standing.  Although details of the clothing were subject to fluctuations in style, the general shape and purpose of the garments remained more fixed.  (Krody)  The main garments of both sexes were almost interchangeable.  (Atil) 

Fabric Types and Motifs: 
The Ottomans produced and imported hundreds of different fabrics.  Here are a few of the more common types produced by the Ottomans themselves in Bursa:
Atlas- monochrome compound satin pressed into a moiré’ texture
Serenk- polychrome silk woven in yellow with two or more colors
Kadife- plain silk velvet
Catma -silk velvet with a raised design
Kemha- brocade of silk with wire thread (Atil)
Silk Satin Velvets 
Canfes- a fine lightly woven silk taffeta 
Burumcuk- silk crepe
Cotton Broadcloth
Wools, Mohair, Serge
Aba- heavy wool
Linen (Ozer)
Bez -linen and cotton

Guilds that made the garments:  
Kulahduzan- haberdashers
Kurkchu- furriers
Kazzaz- button and strap makers
Simkesh- silver thread makers
Zerduzan- gold thread embroiders 

Tailors were under a separate organization with numerous departments.  (Chagman)


Rich layers of patterns and colors characterizes women’s clothing.  Ladies of the Palace wore hirka and entari, belts and hats with veils and headbands.  (Atil)  With all the individual items being worn on the body at once, the heavier weight fabrics were worn as the outer layers, with the fabric weight getting heavier toward the outside.  (Denny)  Sleeves, hems, and necklines were all varied to show an outfit’s variety.  The front edges of the entari were sometimes tucked into the sash to show the layers of rich fabric.  Cloth sizes were dependant on loom widths, ranged around 25.5“, and specific need.  (Atil)  Colors were rich and bright.  Dyes were made from: roots, barks, alum, leaves, flowers, fruit, seeds and insects.  (Ozbel)  Ottoman ensembles were a rainbow of color layers and rarely matched.  Some clothing items, such as the sash ends, were sometimes embroidered.  Decorative motifs include combinations of stylized flowers: tulips and
 carnations being the most popular, trees, animals, ogival, crescent moon, star motifs, fruits: pomegranates, apples. (Gurusu)  One of the most distinctive groupings in called the “Chintemani”.  It looks like three large polka-dots grouped together in a triangle and sometimes features wavy horizontal lines.  The polka-dot grouping and the wavy lines are sometimes found separately.  Motif compositions tend to be very large with a repeating symmetrical pattern.  (Krody)  Silk fabrics for clothing were extremely popular despite the fact that wearing silk garments is forbidden in the Koran.  Cotton and linen were worn next to the body, and used as linings, to overcome this religious obstacle.   (Denny)

Cut: 
How the garments are worn and fitted to the body is best seen in figurative paintings or miniatures.  Ottoman garments were closely fitted through the body and slightly belled out over the hips.  The construction of the clothing was simple and rectangular based.  Seams and fancy cuts were kept to a minimum to keep from breaking up the sumptuous fabric motifs.  The focus was on the fabric not the cut.  (Denny) Seam lines were very irregular, especially under the arms at the sides.  Slits appearing to be pockets are actually holes to access things kept in the folded sash.  Self covered ball buttons formed closures up the front of the coats and sometimes adjusted the fit around the wrist.   Short sleeve coats have a cut out curve to prevent bunching in the crook of the elbow.  The most common lining for most clothes is cotton.  Slits were also found in the front armpit to accommodate slipping the arms through and sometimes with detachable sleeves that
 reached the floor.  (Atil)  Although I have only found this so far on men’s garments.   Some ceremonial kaftans are lined in fur.  (Cangokce)  Contrasting silk facings are found around the openings of the coats.   Small stand up collars are sometimes seen.  
 
The Garments:

Gomlek: The unisex undershirt, similar to a T tunic.  Usually made of sheer, lightweight linen or cotton in a very pale shade like white, off-white, very light blue, and very light yellow.  They can have loose or tight sleeves at the wrist.  Mid-calf to ankle length.  There is a slit partway up the front with at least one button at the neck.  The neckline can be a soft “V” or a circle.  No extent garments exist.
Hirka: The fitted inner coat, worn outside the Gomlek.  Can be sleeveless, short or long sleeved.  Lengths vary between mid-thigh and shin.
Antari:  The outer coat worn over the Hirka.  Sleeves can be short or long.  Ankle length.
Yeleck:  Similar to a Hirka but worn outside the Antari.
Salwar:  Pants.  Held up by a thin drawstring sash called an Uchkur. 
Chackshir:  Pants with socks attached (like footy pajamas)
Ferache:  Outer coat, usually made of very dark plain wool.
Kaftan:  An expensive ceremonial over-garment.  Sometimes given as a gift or award for service.
Kushak:  The sash.  A length of linen fabric worn on the waist or hips, folded and twisted to serve a “pocket”.  Many colors were used and the colors did not have special meaning.
Kemer:  A belt of metal or ivory placs joined together or mounted on leather and worn around the waist or hips. 
Hat:  Usually a pill box shape of various heights, flat or slightly rounded on the top with an embroidered band to hold the veil on it.  Can be decorated with an aigrette. 
Veil:  Fabric, usually silk or lightweight linen arranged over the hat.
Yashmak:  Two veils, usually silk or lightweight linen arranged over the hat and face.  (Scarce)
Footwear:  Mest- slippers, Nalin- high wooden shoes, Basmak- high leather boots (Zygulski)
Jewelry:  Small and delicate.  The Ottomans were fond of pearls, rubies, and emeralds set in gold.  Colorful feathers were also used for decorating hats. 

 
 

  Austrian National Library, Cod. Vind. 8626. Painted between 1586 and 1591 by a German artist in the suite of Bartolemeo di Pezzana, ambassador of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II to the Sublime Porte, the Sultan, in Istanbul.

  Nicholas de Nicolay traveled in the French embassy to Istanbul in 1555
 
Works Cited

Krody, Sumru Belger.  Flowers of Silk and Gold: Four Centuries of Ottoman Embroidery.   New York, New York: St Martin’s Press, 2000. 

Zygulski Jr., Zdzislaw. Ottoman Art: In the Service of the Empire. New York:New York Press, 1992.

Gurusu, Nevber.  The Art of Turkish Weaving, Redhouse, Istanbul.  1988.

Ozer, M.E.  Eski Turk Kumas Adlari. Newspot/BYEGM, Istanbul Edebiyat Fakultesi Tarih Dergisi, Istanbul 1952, p. 291-340. 

Ozbel, Prof. Kenan. Knitted Stockings from Turkish villages.  Bankasi Cultural Publications: Istanbul, 1981.

Chagman, Filiz.  Palace of Gold & Light: Treasures from the Topkapi, Istanbul, Palace Arts Foundation and Me-Pa Medya Pazarlama A.SH.: Istanbul, Turkey, 2000)

Cangokce, Hadive, and Bahadir Taskin.  Style & Status: Imperial Costumes from Ottoman Turkey.   Azimuth Editions Limited: London, UK, 2005.

Atil, Esin.  The Age of Suleyman the Magnificent.  Harry N. Abrams, Inc.: New York, 1987. 

Scarce, Jennifer.  Women’s Costume of the Near and Middle East.  New York:  RoutledgeCurzon, 2003.

Denny, Walter B.  Ottoman Fashion:  Impact of Ottoman Textiles and Costume on Europe from the 15th to the 20th Centuries.  Freer and Sackler Galleries Curatorial Conversations Lecture.  Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.  2006. 

Steele, Valerie.  Fashion and Identity from Ottoman Turkey to the Present.  Freer and Sackler Galleries Curatorial Conversations Lecture.  Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C,  2006.

Works Consulted

Atil, Esin.  Suleymanname: The Illustrated History of Suleyman the Magnificent.  Harry N. Abrams, Inc.: New York, 1986.

Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Culture and Tourism. 2005. http://www.kultur.gov.tr/EN/BelgeGoster.aspx?17A16AE30572D31371BE64510F6C8BC9BA31873D26AB328B
Dar Anahita http://www.geocities.com/anahita_whitehorse/ottofemcloth.html
Farhad, Massumah and Atasoy, Nurhan.  Style and Status:  Imperial Costumes from Ottoman Turkey.  Freer and Sackler Galleries Curatorial Conversations Lecture.  Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C,  2005.


This article is the information I have in June 2008.  I will update and correct it as new information becomes available to me.  If you would like to contribute your research, I’m always open to learning more.  Please do not reproduce this without my permission.  If this research helps you with a project, SCA or mundane, I’d greatly appreciate being credited.  Feel free to contact me, Arwen Cochran or Rebba Esther bat Baruch reuben_arwen at yahoo.com