Printed silk tunic dress - Rabat

Object Note  

Part of a lot along with 20 more items (ZI2011.500906 MOROCCO, ZI2011.500906.1 MOROCCO, ZI2011.500906.2 MOROCCO, ZI2011.500906.3 MOROCCO, ZI2011.500906.4 MOROCCO, ZI2011.500906.5 MOROCCO, ZI2011.500906.6 MOROCCO, ZI2011.500906.7 MOROCCO, ZI2011.500906.8 MOROCCO, ZI2011.500906.10 MOROCCO, ZI2011.500906.11 MOROCCO, ZI2011.500906.12 MOROCCO, ZI2011.500906.13 MOROCCO, ZI2011.500906.14 MOROCCO, ZI2011.500906.15 MOROCCO, ZI2011.500906.16 MOROCCO, ZI2011.500906.17 MOROCCO, ZI2011.500906.18 MOROCCO, ZI2011.500906.19 MOROCCO, ZI2011.500906.20 MOROCCO) also in the collection. 

Object History  

This piece, along with several others, was gifted to Dr. Reem Tariq

Ṭariq: (Arabic; Synonym: tulle_bi_talli

Tūlle_bi_tallī: (French: Tulle – a city in France where fine material for veil was first made; Turkish: tel – wire; Synonym: tariq; talli; badla; khus_dozi ), series of small metal knots made on a woven net ground as embellishment. The term is commonly used in the North African Arab region specifically in Egypt.

; talli; badla; khus_dozi ), series of small metal knots made on a woven net ground as embellishment. The term is commonly used in the Levant Arab region specifically in Lebanon.

El Mutwalli Dr. Reem Tariq

Ṭariq: (Arabic; Synonym: tulle_bi_talli

Tūlle_bi_tallī: (French: Tulle – a city in France where fine material for veil was first made; Turkish: tel – wire; Synonym: tariq; talli; badla; khus_dozi ), series of small metal knots made on a woven net ground as embellishment. The term is commonly used in the North African Arab region specifically in Egypt.

; talli; badla; khus_dozi ), series of small metal knots made on a woven net ground as embellishment. The term is commonly used in the Levant Arab region specifically in Lebanon.

el Mutwallī: Founder (CEO) of the Zay Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Initiative, a public figure, speaker and author. An expert curator and consultant in Islamic art and architecture, interior design, historic costume, and UAE heritage. by Sheikha Salama bint Tahnun bin Mohammed Al Nahyan in the UAE between 2005 and 2011. Eventually, in 2011, they were all added to The Zay Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Initiative collection to enrich and enhance it. 

Originally owned by Sheikha Salama bint Tahnun, this garment was likely specially ordered from Rabat, Morocco. Sheikha Salama, a close friend of Dr. Reem and a staunch supporter of The Zay Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Initiative, is married to her paternal cousin, Sheikh Khalifah bin Mohammed bin Khalid al Nahyan. Together, they have three daughters and four sons. She holds a bachelor’s degree in interior design from Al Husn University, Abu Dhabi. 

Following the 1980s, after the inaugural visit of the late Sheikh Zayid bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father and first president of the UAE, to Morocco, it became customary for the ruling family and elite members of UAE society to annually commission suitcases filled with clothing for everyday wear and as gifts for loved ones. 

Object Features  

This is an ankle-length, tunic-style underdress (tchamir

Tchāmīr: (Arabic; Synonym: tashāmīr, tahtiyah), a traditional long shirt worn by Moroccan men and a long underrobe worn by Moroccan women under the more ostentatious overgarments such as the qaftan. While it is typically made from white cotton for men, it is sometimes more decorative for women with prints and trimmings.

) / (tahtiyah

Taḥtīyah: (Arabic; Synonym: tashāmīr, tshamir), a traditional long shirt worn by Moroccan men and a long underrobe worn by Moroccan women under the more ostentatious overgarments such as the qaftan. While it is typically made from white cotton for men, it is sometimes more decorative for women with prints and trimmings.

) for women constructed of a printed silk fabric of (satin Sātin: (Arabic: Zaytuni: from Chinese port of Zayton in Quanzhou province where it was exported from and acquired by Arab merchants), one of the three basic types of woven fabric with a glossy top surface and a dull back. Originated in China and was fundamentally woven in silk.) weave, featuring a round neckline with a thin laced panel, and lace-trimmed embellishment. 

The tchamir

Tchāmīr: (Arabic; Synonym: tashāmīr, tahtiyah), a traditional long shirt worn by Moroccan men and a long underrobe worn by Moroccan women under the more ostentatious overgarments such as the qaftan. While it is typically made from white cotton for men, it is sometimes more decorative for women with prints and trimmings.

is constructed of a printed satin Sātin: (Arabic: Zaytuni: from Chinese port of Zayton in Quanzhou province where it was exported from and acquired by Arab merchants), one of the three basic types of woven fabric with a glossy top surface and a dull back. Originated in China and was fundamentally woven in silk. fabric, possibly of either Italian or French origin. The back and sleeves of the piece is printed with repeats of two different patterns enclosed in square frames alternately arranged. 

While one pattern features geometric shapes, the other pattern features two vases with floral bouquets placed beneath an arched bough lined with floral and foliage patterns. The patterns are printed in peach pink over an ivory base.  

The print pattern in front of the tchamir

Tchāmīr: (Arabic; Synonym: tashāmīr, tahtiyah), a traditional long shirt worn by Moroccan men and a long underrobe worn by Moroccan women under the more ostentatious overgarments such as the qaftan. While it is typically made from white cotton for men, it is sometimes more decorative for women with prints and trimmings.

can be roughly divided into three parts. The two broad side panels and the comparatively narrower central panel. Each side panel depicts an architectural scene of a well-decorated balcony with two flanking windows, each of which has a floral arrangement in the foreground and the sides with more floral arrangements within frames and niches in the background. 

The central balcony depicts a floral carpet with a big bolster with large tassels on the sides over it on the floor, and curtains lushly draped along the side columns and the ceiling. While the central balcony has two domes over it, the two windows have smaller domes and minarets.  

The narrower central panel of the front of the piece is a series of plain rectangular panels in two shades of pink–peach and pale, alternately arranged. A wide lace trimming in blue, yellow, orange, and lavender silk floss Floss: (Old French: flosche – nap of velvet), is a type of silk fibre obtained from the cocoons of wild silkworms. It is characterized by its long, fluffy fibers that are not tightly woven, making it ideal for use in various textile applications such as embroidery, lace-making, and sewing. thread featuring square grids adorns the central panel, with a thin panel of the lace running vertically down the front midriff.  

A similar lace trimming is used to adorn the cuffs of the sleeves and the neckline. The trimming along the cuffs, neckline, and the front (yoke Yoke: (Synonym: Bodice_Yoke), a structured pattern fitted at the shoulders defining the structure of women’s garments. Introduced in c. 1880s it defines the transition between the upper and lower parts of the garments and can now be found stitched-in where the blouse is separated from the skirt by a horizontal seam. ) is edged with a scalloped border.  

A completely unlined and machine-stitched piece, the embellishments on the tchamir

Tchāmīr: (Arabic; Synonym: tashāmīr, tahtiyah), a traditional long shirt worn by Moroccan men and a long underrobe worn by Moroccan women under the more ostentatious overgarments such as the qaftan. While it is typically made from white cotton for men, it is sometimes more decorative for women with prints and trimmings.

are hand-embroidered. It has a tag attached to the underside of the back neckline with Arabic and Latin script. The Latin script reveals the contact details of the atelier and the city where it was made. 

Links 

• Vogelsang-Eastwood, Gillian. Encyclopedia of Embroidery from the Arab World. Bloomsbury Academic, 2016. 
• Besancenot, Jean, et al. Costumes of Morocco. Kegan Paul International, 1990. 
• Scarce, Jennifer M. Women’s Costume of the near and Middle East. Unwin Hyman, 1987. 
• Montaldo, Elisabetta, and Clotilde Sarnico. L’oro Del Mare: L’antico Costume Delle Donne Di Procida. Libreria Dante & Descartes, 2009. 
• Rubens, Alfred. A History of Jewish Costume. Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1967. 
• Stillman, Yedida Kalfon, and Norman A. Stillman. Arab Dress: From the Dawn of Islam to Modern Times. Brill, 2000.