Cotton Chemise – Türkiye

Object Note
Part of an ensemble with seven other pieces that are also part of the collection (ZI2018.500640 ASIA, ZI2018.500640a ASIA, ZI2018.500640b ASIA, ZI2018.500640d ASIA, ZI2018.500640e ASIA, and ZI2018.500640f ASIA).
 
Object History 
This piece of garment was purchased by 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. as a set of ensembles from Jade Bréval, an independent collector from France in 2018 to add to and enhance The Zay Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Initiative collection.
Ms Jade Bréval who had travelled for over 15 years in and around Türkiye had collected items such as this from shops and individuals in small villages and towns that she visited.
 
Object Features 
This is a women’s calf-length tunic shirt or chemise (gömlek Gömlek: (Proto-Turkic: köyŋelek – Shirt; Azerbaijani: köynək – Shirt; Turkmen: koynek­ – long loose tunic dress), a traditional calf-length sleeved undershirt or tunic generally made of a plain white cotton, silk, or linen fabric, some more lightweight than others, worn by both Ottoman men and women of all communities throughout the empire. ) made of thick ivory crushed cotton with thin indigo Indigo: (Latin: Indigo – India, synonym: nil Nīl: (Latin: indigo), Arabised term for Indigo, a natural dye belonging to the ‘Indigofera Tinctoria’ species of plants that have been cultivated in East Asia, Egypt, India, and Peru since antiquity. According to Pliny the Elder, it was named after India as it was the source of the dye.), a natural dye belonging to the ‘Indigofera Tinctoria’ species of plants that has been cultivated in East Asia, Egypt, India, and Peru since antiquity. According to Pliny the Elder, it was named after India as it was the source of the dye.   stripes on the sides and under the sleeves. The sleeves are long and tapering.
It has a round neckline with ivory needle lace (oya Oyā: (Turkish), refers to various forms of narrow needle lace trimmings common to eastern and southern Mediterranean regions and parts of Armenia. Believed to be a derivative of Venetian lace it is considered an indelible part of the traditional craft of Türkiye today. ) trimmings which reflects on the cuffs of the sleeves too. The piece is possibly machine stitched with its fall hemline picoted. The piece is stained in a few places. It is worth noting that this piece is thick compared to the other gömlek Gömlek: (Proto-Turkic: köyŋelek – Shirt; Azerbaijani: köynək – Shirt; Turkmen: koynek­ – long loose tunic dress), a traditional calf-length sleeved undershirt or tunic generally made of a plain white cotton, silk, or linen fabric, some more lightweight than others, worn by both Ottoman men and women of all communities throughout the empire.  in the collection (ZI2018.500642b ASIA).
This kind of chemise would often be worn over a pair of trousers (shalvar shalvār: in Farsi, in the Emirati colloquial: ṣarwāl. In the Levantine colloquial: Shirwāl. Plural: sarāwīl, ṣarāwīl, sharāwīl, ṣarwīlāt). It is loose pants at the waist with folds, and narrow at the ankles. It is tied with a rope at the waist.) and beneath a long jacket (entari Entāri: (Turkish; Synonym: Antari), a traditional Turkish long jacket-like unisex garment worn during the Ottoman era. It often featured an open front with long sleeves and was worn over an undershirt and a pair of trousers and was sometimes layered by a short waist or hip-length jacket. ) and a short waistcoat with full sleeves (cepken Cepken: (Tartar: çepken – Outerwear; Synonyms: Shepken, Chekman, Chikmyan and other analogues in various Turkic languages with varied interpretations), short waist-length jacket traditionally worn by both Ottoman men and women throughout the empire. It usually featured full sleeves, elaborate embroidery, and a short stiff collar with front fastenings.  ). At home, women would usually wear it as is with just the cepken Cepken: (Tartar: çepken – Outerwear; Synonyms: Shepken, Chekman, Chikmyan and other analogues in various Turkic languages with varied interpretations), short waist-length jacket traditionally worn by both Ottoman men and women throughout the empire. It usually featured full sleeves, elaborate embroidery, and a short stiff collar with front fastenings.   on top.
At its peak, the Ottoman Empire spanned three continents and served as the crossroads between the East and the West – the Fertile Crescent, the Levant, Eastern Europe including the Balkans till the southern edge of the Great Hungarian Plain, Northern Africa, and Eastern Mediterranean.
After the conquest of the Arab world in c. 1516-1517 CE its control over the Middle East lasted for four centuries until the early 20th century with the onset of WW I and the Arab Revolt. These four hundred years witnessed many instances of mutual Arab and Ottoman cultural influences and exchanges. Through areas such as social life and art – decorative and performing –we come across several instances of Arab and Turkish culture blending together through the centuries. Just as European fashion was often inspired by the French court this socio-cultural blending between Ottoman Turkey and the Middle East was clearly reflected in its fashion and material culture.
Thus, while emulating Ottoman fashion as the mark of class in the Arab world was one side of the puzzle adapting Eastern European fashion particularly Balkan as part of mainstream couture culture because of the sizeable Balkan population within the Empire was another. Therefore, it is not surprising to find several articles of clothing and their terms similar between the two cultures.
 
Links

• Cangökçe, Hadiye, et al. Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nun Son Döneminden Kadın Giysileri = Women’s Costume of the Late Ottoman Era from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection. Sadberk Hanım Museum, 2010.  


• Küçükerman, Önder, and Joyce Matthews. The Industrial Heritage of Costume Design in Turkey. GSD Foreign Trade Co. Inc, 1996.  


• AĞAÇ, Saliha, and Serap DENGİN. “The Investigation in Terms of Design Component of Ottoman Women Entari Entāri: (Turkish; Synonym: Antari), a traditional Turkish long jacket-like unisex garment worn during the Ottoman era. It often featured an open front with long sleeves and was worn over an undershirt and a pair of trousers and was sometimes layered by a short waist or hip-length jacket.  in 19th Century and Early 20th Century.” International Journal of Science Culture and Sport (IntJSCS), vol. 3, no. 1, Mar. 2015, pp. 113–125.  https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/91778 


• Parker, Julianne. “OTTOMAN AND EUROPEAN INFLUENCE IN THE NINTEENTH-CENTURY BRIDAL COLLECTION OF THE AZEM PALACE, DAMASCUS, SYRIA.” Journal of Undergraduate Research: Brigham Young University, 18 Sept. 2013. http://jur.byu.edu/?p=6014 


• Koç, Adem. “The Significance and Compatibility of the Traditional Clothing-Finery Culture of Women in Kutahya in Terms of Sustainability.” Milli Folklor , vol. 12, no. 93, Apr. 2012. 184. https://www.millifolklor.com/PdfViewer.aspx?Sayi=93&Sayfa=181 


• Micklewright, Nancy. “Late-Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Wedding Costumes as Indicators of Social Change.” Muqarnas, vol. 6, 1989, pp. 161–74. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1602288. Accessed 13 July 2023. 


• Micklewright, Nancy. “Looking at the Pst: Nineteenth Century Images of Constantinople and Historic Documents.” Expedition, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 24–32.  https://www.penn.museum/documents/publications/expedition/pdfs/32-1/micklewright.pdf 


• Ozgen, Ozlen, et al. “Henna Ritual Clothing in Anatolia from Past to Present: An Evaluation on Bindalli.” Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings, 2021, https://doi.org/10.32873/unl.dc.tsasp.0122. 


• Hickman, Patricia Lynette. “Turkish Oya Oyā: (Turkish), refers to various forms of narrow needle lace trimmings common to eastern and southern Mediterranean regions and parts of Armenia. Believed to be a derivative of Venetian lace it is considered an indelible part of the traditional craft of Türkiye today. .” University of California, Berkeley, Dec, 1977.  https://digitalassets.lib.berkeley.edu/envi/turkish_oya_v2.pdf 


• https://www.trc-leiden.nl/trc-needles/techniques/lace-making/oya Oyā: (Turkish), refers to various forms of narrow needle lace trimmings common to eastern and southern Mediterranean regions and parts of Armenia. Believed to be a derivative of Venetian lace it is considered an indelible part of the traditional craft of Türkiye today. -turkey 


• https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/631270 


• https://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/now-at-the-met/2016/peter-hristoff-reading-symbols-in-art 


• http://www.turkishculture.org/textile-arts/oya Oyā: (Turkish), refers to various forms of narrow needle lace trimmings common to eastern and southern Mediterranean regions and parts of Armenia. Believed to be a derivative of Venetian lace it is considered an indelible part of the traditional craft of Türkiye today. -70.htm