Girl’s embroidered tunic dress – India

Object History
This pink silk girl’s tunic dress was gifted by Mrs. Laila Athari, a distant relative of Dr. Reem Tariq El Mutwalli Dr. Reem Tariq 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., for The Zay Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Initiative collection on her visit to Dubai in 2016. Mrs. Athari had acquired it as a set with a matching pair of trousers in the 1990s as a part of her bridal trousseau. Unfortunately, the trousers had long worn out and discarded.
 
Object Features
This is a peach pink silk girl’s tunic dress (kamiz Kamiz: (Arabic: Qamīs: tunic; from Possibly late Latin: Camisia – Linen Undergarment; Synonym: Qamīs), a traditional loose fitting long tunic or shirt worn by both men and women in South and Central Asia and the Arab world. Typically extending below the waist it is usually paired with a pair of trousers. /qamis) 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 with cap sleeves and front and side slits. It has heavy embellishment in the front executed through embroidery and (appliqued Appliqued: (French: appliquer – Apply), ornamental needlework where small pieces of decorative fabric are sewn on to a larger piece to form a pattern.) using 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. threads, beads, sequins, braided 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. ribbons, and braided silk cords in shades of pink and ivory featuring arrangements of floral motifs.
Usually worn over a pair of trousers (salwar

Salwar: (Farsi: shalvār; Synonym: ṣarwāl, shirwāl ), trousers featuring tapering ankles and drawstring closure of Central Asian origin. They disseminated in the Indian subcontinent between c.1st-3rd century BCE. Although exact period of its arrival in the Arab world is disputed their widespread adoption is confirmed from the 12th century.

) this kamiz Kamiz: (Arabic: Qamīs: tunic; from Possibly late Latin: Camisia – Linen Undergarment; Synonym: Qamīs), a traditional loose fitting long tunic or shirt worn by both men and women in South and Central Asia and the Arab world. Typically extending below the waist it is usually paired with a pair of trousers.  has a V-shaped neck with a front opening and a metallic snap fastener. The hem around the front slits and fall are embellished with a thin ivory 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. ribbon twisted and appliqued Appliqued: (French: appliquer – Apply), ornamental needlework where small pieces of decorative fabric are sewn on to a larger piece to form a pattern., with small beads at regular intervals.
Similar hemming is reflected around the neckline and plackets as well as the edges of the sleeves. A variety of embroidery styles are incorporated to embellish the field of the piece such as (chain_stitch Chain_stitch: An embroidery technique where a looped stitch is made in a continuous chain-like pattern. Each stitch is formed by looping the thread through the previous stitch, creating a linked chain.  ), (blanket_stitch Blanket_stitch: A basic sewing stitch used to secure the edges of fabric or create decorative borders by looping the thread over the edges of blankets, quilts, and other fabrics and pulling it through, forming a series of evenly spaced stitches that resemble a chain. ) and (satin_stitch Satin_stitch: (Synonym: Damask Stitch), is a type of flat embroidery stitch that creates a satin like smooth and shiny surface by closely spaced stitches, covering an entire area or shape.) on flat as well as raised surfaces, as well as (French_knot French_knot: A decorative needlework technique that involves creating small, raised knots on fabric to add texture and depth to a design and is done with a single or multiple strands of thread. The knots are created by wrapping the thread around the needle before pulling it through the fabric. ) and (Peiking_knot Peiking_knot: (Chinese: Peiking – old name of Beijing capital of China; Synonym – Chinese_knot), is a Chinese traditional knotted embroidery technique that involves creating raised, textured designs using small, tight knots. It originated in the Ming Dynasty and was popularized in the Qing Dynasty. ). Certain raised areas are created by appliqueing braided ribbons on the fabric and then covering the ribbons with 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. threads in satin_stitch Satin_stitch: (Synonym: Damask Stitch), is a type of flat embroidery stitch that creates a satin like smooth and shiny surface by closely spaced stitches, covering an entire area or shape. and blanket_stitch Blanket_stitch: A basic sewing stitch used to secure the edges of fabric or create decorative borders by looping the thread over the edges of blankets, quilts, and other fabrics and pulling it through, forming a series of evenly spaced stitches that resemble a chain.  embroidery.
Only the front of the piece is embellished while the back is plain. The piece is completely unlined and has been created with a combination of machine and hand embroidery and stitches.
The combination of embroidery styles, materials, and colours suggests a possible Parsee origin. Parsees were originally people from Iran of Zoroastrian faith who migrated to the subcontinent in multiple phases starting from the medieval period up until the late 19th century.
As primarily an entrepreneurial and trading community they have always had close ties with the Far East, especially with China through the Silk Road. Their bond was not deterred despite their migration to the Indian subcontinent. They settled around the port cities of present-day Gujarat, India from where they gradually spread all across the Indian subcontinent especially the bustling metropolises with access to ports like present day Indian cities of Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Pune and Karachi in Pakistan, with strong roots still in Gujarat.
 
Links

• Coleman, F. M. "Typical Pictures of Indian Natives." Time of India 1897. 


• History of the Parsis, Including Their Manners, Customs, Religion, and Present Position. Dosabhai Framji Karaka. Macmillan and Company, 1884. 


• Ganesh, Kamala. "Intra-Community Dissent and Dialogue: The Bombay Parsis and the Zoroastrian Diaspora." Sociological Bulletin, vol.57, no.3 (2008): 315-36. 


• http://www.jstor.org/stable/23620804. Accessed 12 June 2023. 


• https://world4.eu/parsis/ 


• https://world4.eu/parsee-school-girl/


• https://www.britannica.com/topic/Parsi


• https://www.indianetzone.com/43/parsi_costumes.htm