Object NotePart of an ensemble that includes a pair of trousers and a jacket (
ZI2020.500741a ASIA,
ZI2020.500741b ASIA) and was purchased along with seven other pieces not related to the ensemble (
ZI2020.500741c ASIA,
ZI2020.500741d ASIA,
ZI2020.500741e ASIA,
ZI2020.500741f ASIA,
ZI2020.500741g ASIA,
ZI2020.500741h ASIA,
ZI2020.500741i ASIA).
Object HistoryThis green embroidered Sindhi woman’s loose blouse dress 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. from Kerry Taylor Auctions, London in 2020 to be 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.
Object Features This is a woman’s hip-length loose blouse of Sindhi origin (
Sindhi_cholo
Sindhi_cholo: (Hindi: choli / kanchli from Sanskrit: kanchuki – a chest band which was one of the three pieces of a full women’s ensemble from ancient India), a loose-fitting tunic traditionally with long sleeves worn by the Sindhi women of South Asia. ) which could also be categorized as a completely embroidered pullover shirt (
gaji
Gaji: (Sindhi), a hip length loose shirt completely covered in embroidered embellishment worn by the women of the Sindh region of South Asia ) worn by the Sindhi women of South Asia.
While the
Sindhi_cholo
Sindhi_cholo: (Hindi: choli / kanchli from Sanskrit: kanchuki – a chest band which was one of the three pieces of a full women’s ensemble from ancient India), a loose-fitting tunic traditionally with long sleeves worn by the Sindhi women of South Asia. is common to all Sindhi women the
gaji
Gaji: (Sindhi), a hip length loose shirt completely covered in embroidered embellishment worn by the women of the Sindh region of South Asia is worn by the women of lower Sindh. This would be usually paired with a pair of loose Sindhi style (
salwar
Salwar: (Farsi: shalvār; Synonym: Ṣarwāl, shalwar, sharwāl, salbāl, sirwāl, khalag), pair of ) trousers (
kancha
Kancha: A pair of wide trousers often traditionally worn by women from the Sindh region of South Asia. It is often characterised by its gathers or pleats at the waist and falls loose only acquiring gathers or is bunched up around the ankles. ) or (
suthan
Suthan: (Sindhi), a pair of wide trousers traditionally worn only by the men from the Sindh region of South Asia until the early 19th century. It was gradually adopted by the women too and was characterised by its gathers or bunches near the knees as opposed to just the ankles. ) and a long fabric to loosely drape over their head and bust. Older Sindhi women sometimes would wear a long robe over it.
The base fabric is possibly a yarn-dyed (
tussar
Tūssār: (Sanskrit: tasara – shuttle), produced from larvae of several species of silkworms belonging to the moth genus Antheraea. They live and sustain themselves in the wild forests with trees belonging to Terminalia, Shorea robusta , and other food plants native to South Asia.) silk in (
crimson
Crimson: (Persian/Arabic and Turkish: qirmiz or kirmiz – red), is a vivid red color originally made from the dried bodies of a scale insect of the Kermes genus native to the Mediterranean region and was used as a dye for clothing and textiles.) red which has been densely embroidered with floral and scallop motifs 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 of three different shades of green in (buttonhole_stitch) and (
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. ) style embroideries.
It has a round neckline with an opening on the left side with no fastenings. It has small side slits near the hem. Both the front and the back are embellished in equal density. It has a white thin
tussar
Tūssār: (Sanskrit: tasara – shuttle), produced from larvae of several species of silkworms belonging to the moth genus Antheraea. They live and sustain themselves in the wild forests with trees belonging to Terminalia, Shorea robusta , and other food plants native to South Asia. lining and has been completely hand-stitched and hand-embroidered.
It is worth noting, that although such a neckline had been traditionally in vogue in South Asia and the Indian subcontinent and is still in fashion, it is rarely seen outside of the region. However, traditional women’s (
kandurah
Kandūrah: (Arabic: qandūrah, pl. kanādīr, synonyms: ghandurah
Ghandūrah: (Arabic, pl. qanādīr, synonyms: qandurah, darā’ah, dishdāshah, jalābah, jallābīyah, qaftan, mqta’, thawb or tobe), a loose, short or long-sleeved, shirt like (qamis) tunic with frontal neckline opening, worn by both sexes. Each Arab region has a different term for what is essentially a similar garment with various small differences., qandurah
Qandūrah: (Arabic, pl. qanādīr, synonyms: ghandurah
Ghandūrah: (Arabic, pl. qanādīr, synonyms: qandurah, darā’ah, dishdāshah, jalābah, jallābīyah, qaftan, mqta’, thawb or tobe), a loose, short or long-sleeved, shirt like (qamis) tunic with frontal neckline opening, worn by both sexes. Each Arab region has a different term for what is essentially a similar garment with various small differences., darā’ah, dishdāshah, jalābah, jallābīyah, qaftan, mqta’, thawb or tobe
Tobe: (Arabic: thawb, Pl. Athwāb/thībān), can be pronounced thawb or thobe based on locale. The standard Arabic word for ‘fabric’ or ‘garment’. It can refer to a qamīs-like tunic worn by men and women in the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, the southern and south-western ports and islands of Iran, and some countries in East and West Africa. More specifically, it can refer to the square-shaped Bedouin overgarment worn by women. ), a loose, short or long-sleeved, shirt like (qamis) tunic with frontal neckline opening, worn by both sexes. Each Arab region has a different term for what is essentially a similar garment with various small differences. , dra’ah, dishdāshah, jallābīyah, jalābah, jillābīyah, qaftan, mqta’, thawb or tobe
Tobe: (Arabic: thawb, Pl. Athwāb/thībān), can be pronounced thawb or thobe based on locale. The standard Arabic word for ‘fabric’ or ‘garment’. It can refer to a qamīs-like tunic worn by men and women in the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, the southern and south-western ports and islands of Iran, and some countries in East and West Africa. More specifically, it can refer to the square-shaped Bedouin overgarment worn by women. ) loose, short or long sleeved, shirt like (qamis) tunic with frontal neckline opening, worn by both sexes. Each Arab region has a different term for what is essentially a similar garment with various small differences.) in the UAE have shown evidence of such necklines (
ZI1968.50021a UAE,
ZI1980.50047a UAE,
ZI1986.500192 UAE,
ZI1998.5004 UAE). Although a possible reason for such similarity may be attributed to the close trade relationship between the two regions, it is however a mystery as to why the prevalence of it is unique to the UAE.
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