“How do the Egyptian women dress? I want to know all; and if you don’t tell me, you shall never be forgiven.”
To hear, under such circumstances, is to obey.
Before receiving that letter I had contented myself with looking at the pretty faces of the Egyptian women, for many of them are pretty. They are rather vain of their beauty, and thus unlike their sex in all other countries. Many of them keep the word of promise to the ear, but break it to the hope, as I have already explained, by wearing veils of such a slight texture that the features are clearly discernible through it.
It is not considered polite to look at Moslem ladies when out for a promenade; at any rate, such is the Koran’s injunction to the faithful, and they are generally careful to observe it. But I was of the infidel race, could not read the Koran, and furthermore was carried away by that fatal attribute of my sex, curiosity. What wonder, then, that I violated the Egyptian code of etiquette, and embraced every opportunity to see the faces of the Oriental beauties?
On the receipt of that letter I invoked the aid of an American lady residing in Cairo, and set about the study of Egyptian fashions.
The Egyptian women display considerable taste in their dress, quite as much as one could expect in a country where there is very little change of fashion from year to year.
They wear an under garment, with very full sleeves reaching to the wrist, made very loose and full, and which does not in the least impede the movements of the wearer. Then comes a pair of very wide trowsers, such as we see in pictures; they are held around the waist by a running string, and the lower ends are fastened in the same way just below the knee. The trowsers are made very long, so that when fastened in the way described they hang down to the feet. They are of colored, striped, worked, or plain material, and may be of silk, cotton, or muslin, according to the taste and ability of the wearer.
The next article of apparel, is a vest or wrapper of the same material as the trowsers. It fits the body with reasonable closeness, and is made to button down the front to a little below the waist, from which point it is open, and it is also open at the sides from the hips downward. According to the strict rule of the Orient, this garment should reach to the floor when the wearer stands erect, but many ladies wear it in the form of a loose jacket reaching only to the waist and gathered in rather loosely.
For the girdle a shawl or embroidered kerchief is folded diagonally, and tied loosely in such a way that the knots are not visible. The sleeves of the vest are made much larger than the arm, but are cut open below the wrist so that they do not interfere with the movements of the hands. Sleeves not much unlike them, are sometimes the fashion in Occidental countries.
Outside of the foregoing they wear a long dress or caftan of cloth, silk, or velvet, entirely open in front, hanging loosely and open at the sides like the vest, but having sleeves that reach only to the wrist. It is sometimes plain, but is more generally embroidered with gold thread or colored silk, and it should be of sufficient length to trail on the floor when the wearer walks about. Sometimes a short jacket or sacque of the same material as the above garment, and embroidered in a similar manner, is worn instead of the caftan, particularly in the warm weather when the latter would be too heavy.