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A Turkish Lady's Ensemble
The ensemble displayed is the dress worn by
a Turkish lady ca. 1600. Although styles did not go through much change
from the mid fourteenth to mid seventeenth centuries, the costume seemed
to become more elaborate. The outfit consists of many parts, the first is
the gomlek, a filmy ankle length shirt that was left untucked from the pants,
called salvar. The next two coats are called anteri, these coat were made
in many different styles, short and long, with varying sleeve treatments.
The anteri was cut with a bell shaped skirt and fully lined. The inside
edge often had a wide bias cut strip of stamped silk to finish it off. The
anteri boarder was pulled up and tucked into the kusak, a girdle, fabric
or metal tied around the upper hips. A lady's hair was dressed in many braids
and topped off with the tarpus, a hat looking much like an upside-down flower
pot.
The outfit described would belong to an upper class lady or member of the
court and is just one of the many ways to put the ensemble together. Period
sources show that the Turkish woman had a great flair and style with endless
cominations of clothing items, much like todays mundane woman.