Baggy White Pants

Are the pants worn by a man or a woman? If they’re worn by a woman, they’re underpants, or don. Women commonly wore don as their only leg coverings. If the pants are worn by a man, does he look underdressed? If he’s underdressed, the white pants are also don.…

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Saçbağı

When a woman wore her hair in a single braid down her back, she could tie a jeweled tassel of gold or silver chains, a saçbağı, to the end. (It’s pronounced “sach-baah-ih.”) The 17th-century poet Karacaoğlan hints at the evocative power of the saçbağı: As she wakes up in the morning, praises…

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Istefan

The “crown” some women wear around the base of their hats is called istefan, from the Greek word for “diadem.” Except at court, istefan were decorations, not status markers; a toddler wears one in a 1574 watercolor of her, her mother, and a servant in the street.

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Dolama

In the 16th century, the word dolama, literally “wrapping,” was an adjective that indicated the garment was intended to be worn on the outside of the outfit. It was used only rarely, probably because people generally used a garment’s specific name. For example, in Istanbul-area court records, kaftan refers to…

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Çuka/Çuha

Literally “wool broadcloth,” a çuka or çuha was an overcoat made of, yes, wool broadcloth. Wool broadcloth was a top-quality fabric whose cost could rival that of many silks, a mainstay of any gentleman’s or lady’s wardrobe (as well as the winter wear of any less well-to-do person who could…

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