Ottoman clothing

From Cunnan
Jump to navigationJump to search

Ottoman clothing was similar for men and women. Both wore a gomluk, or undershirt, close to the skin, as well as shalwar (pants), with at least one enteri (coat) over the top, but usually several.

Gomluks

Gomluks could commonly be seen around the neck, at the wrist, or below the enteri, in paintings from late period.

Shalwar

Also spelled Shalvar, Chalwar, Chalvar.

Shalwar more closely resembled "MC Hammer" pants than the harem-pants favoured by modern bellydancers, being loose and baggy at the top, held around the waist by a drawstring, and tapering to fit the leg closely from the knee down.

Enteris

Enteri, or Anteri, were always lined with a different coloured fabric, and varied in length from just below the knee to sweeping the floor. Colours tended to be bright, and most often wearers would layer them with several different colours appearing in their outfits.

These coats were most often fitted to the waist, at which point they flared, although there are examples of period Sultan's coats (for men) that have a more A-line shape.

Veiling

In contrast to many people's idea of Muslim cultures, Islamic Ottoman women did not necessarily appear fully veiled when outside the home, although modest women of good station did tend to wear head coverings of some sort, just as their Christian counterparts in Europe did at this time.