Costume: Fanciful, Historical and Theatrical

by Mrs. Aria

Brahmins are distinguished by the sacred cord, in reality a twisted rope of cotton, which hangs from the left shoulder to the middle of the thigh. A typical costume is evolved from a long, straight piece of material wound round the body from the waist downwards, and drawn between the legs to form a trouser-like division. A shawl, draped about the upper portion of the figure, is manipulated in such a way as to cross on the left shoulder, one end hanging in front and the other behind. A shako-shaped turban and a chaplet of beads put the finishing touches, while on the forehead, breast, and bare arms the mark of the sect is painted with white powder.

From the age of seven, Parsees of both sexes don the sadra or sacred surplice emblematic of the coat of mail worn in ancient times by the Guebers to ward off the attacks of Ahriman, spirit of evil. The dress of the men comprises light, baggy trousers, white stockings, flat-heeled slippers, a tight black coat, usually of alpaca, buttoned down the front, and a high sugar-loaf hat of shiny black.

Nothing more charming could be devised than the dress peculiar to the female followers of Zoroaster. Until she marries the Parsee girl wears wide trousers fashioned from brilliantly-hued silk or satin, and the hems of the legs are adorned with bands of embroidery in quaint designs of birds and beasts worked in the most gorgeous tints. Her inner garment is a long sleeved jacket of white muslin, over which comes the sadra, or loose, square tunic lacking sleeves, and distinguished by the magnificence of its embroideries. The hair, divided in the centre and hanging down behind, is crowned by a little circular cap of black velvet covered with gold and silver embroidery and studded with seed pearls, while on the feet are gaily-embroidered slippers. Etiquette decrees that before her wedding the Parsee woman must submit to having her head shaved, a martyrdom which is responsible for the nun-like band of white material drawn low on the forehead. She continues to wear the trousers, but exchanges the decorative sadra for an even more superb sari. This voluminous drapery is of gold-bordered muslin in warm weather, at other seasons a long, straight piece of silk or satin wondrously coloured and exquisitely embroidered. It is wound round and round the body, outlining it tightly at the back, and hanging in straight folds in front, each evolution being accomplished in pleats, to attain sufficient fulness; and finally the end is drawn over the head, concealing one ear and leaving the other exposed, a practice which explains the single earring worn by Parsee women. In warm weather the sari is of muslin and boasts a wide gold border.

The principal item in the wardrobe of the Hindu woman is likewise the sari, which she arranges as the Parsee does hers. The texture varies according to the means of the wearer. The poor employ cotton, but they invariably endeavour to have an ornamental border of some kind. The simply-made skirt reaches to the ankles, and the chuli, a short-sleeved jacket of diminutive proportions, terminates immediately below the bust, leaving the middle of the figure uncovered excepting for the sari. The hair is twisted in a heavy coil low down on the nape of the neck, a style rendered necessary by the custom of carrying weights on the head.

The poor Hindu, distrustful of other securities, invests such worldly wealth as he possesses in jewellery for his wife, who appears laden with bracelets, of painted wood or coloured glass. As many as twelve rings jingle from the much-pierced rim of either ear, while an ornament, frequently of preposterous size, is affixed to one nostril, and in addition there are anklets, necklaces, and toe and finger rings.

If the outdoor dress of Persian women be any criterion, their husbands must be the most jealous in the world, for not one of the charms accredited to frail femininity is allowed to transpire. The veil and all-enveloping mantle maintain a profound reserve, so that whether the wearer be old or young, slender or stout, attractive or repulsive, remains for ever an impenetrable mystery. Before quitting the seclusion of the Andaran, the Persian woman assumes an effective disguise. First she draws on a pair of dark green or grey trousers, one leg at a time, for there is no connection between the two, and these are fastened at the waist by a belt. Their shape is peculiar; for, baggy to the knees, they fit closely at the calf and encase the foot after the manner of a stocking. Over these is worn an ample mantle of black silk, cotton, or muslin, covering the head and shrouding the entire figure, the ends drawn up at the bust and held by strings, which are crossed and tied round the neck. A thick white veil—an essential item from the age of nine—falls from the forehead to the waist in front, and is pinned at the back of the head to keep it in place, a narrow insertion of net appearing at the eyes, to allow sight to the wearer.

The indoor dress of a Persian lady consists of a full skirt to the ankles, fashioned from cloth of gold, velvet, or some other costly fabric, trimmed with beautiful embroidery. A loose jacket of soft white muslin, decorated with a peculiar kind of lace, forms a vest in front beneath an open embroidered jacket of a shade contrasting with that of the skirt. This jacket reaches to the waist, and has long sleeves conspicuous for turned-back cuffs. A cashmere shawl is draped on the shoulders, and a white veil is arranged kerchief-wise on the head and fastened under the chin with a jewelled brooch, leaving only the oval of the face visible. The brows are encircled by a golden fillet, from the centre of which depends a jewel, while the hair is parted and hangs down behind in three or more plaits, their ends tied with gay ribbons or weighted with pearls or silk tassels.

A variation of this style is noted in the dress of the ladies of Trebizond, their cashmere shawl being smaller and arranged over the skirt in such a way that a point falls down behind. The snowy muslin chemisette is cut low at the throat, and the embroidered coat shows a heart-shaped opening fastening only at the waist with two buttons; and on the head is a small round cap.

Female servants are generally barefooted, their full skirts terminating midway to the ankles, and pulled low down on the hips, so that the short white under-jacket and little coat of coloured material terminating at the waist, expose the centre of the body to view.

The official classes have discarded the turban in favour of the fez, a closely-fitting cap some six inches in height, contrived from black cloth or astrakhan. These are plain, with the exception of the jewelled fez peculiar to the Shah, and of the caps of certain high military authorities, which bear a distinctive badge of a gold lion and sun affixed above the forehead, a field-marshal wearing two lions surmounted by a crown. The turbans of the priests are large and round, those characteristic of the Seyyids, the direct descendants of Ali, being in a bright shade of green. As a rule, the official classes wear trousers and black frock coats that differ from those customary in Europe only in that they are arranged in numerous pleats, which, commencing at the hips, continue round the back. Infinitely more characteristic is the costume affected by merchants, this section of the community exhibiting a partiality for lightish blue cloth of native manufacture. The long coat, or ghaba, is loose and flowing. Double-breasted, it laps over and fastens with two buttons, while about the waist a shawl is wound several times, knotted, and the ends tucked out of sight. The overcoat, or aba, is of rough brown material, open in front, and the wide sleeves terminate at the elbow. A towering fez or a rolled turban is worn, according to the taste of the wearer.