Literally “Kurdish,” the kürdiyye overcoat was popular among both sexes in the later part of the century. It was so popular, in fact, that it’s bizarre that we have no good description of it. Standards set by the marketplace governors make it clear that by 1624, it came down to the mid-calf and was loosely fitted through the waist, with full-length sleeves that were generously sized.
Although the kürdiyye was frequently made of sensible çuka (wool broadcloth), the wealthy people of Galata also invested in top-of-the-line kürdiyye made of silk or brocade and lined with fur.
By the 18th century, the kürdiyye had lost its sleeves and become a fashionable ladies’ overcoat. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, writing in 1717, describes her top-of-the-line kürdiyye: “The curdee is a loose robe they throw off, or put on, according to the weather, being of a rich brocade (mine is green and gold) either lined with ermine or sables; the sleeves reach very little below the shoulders.”