Get Dressed Properly!
Since the publication of Jennifer Scare's work on Near and Middle Eastern Dress in the 1980s, much has been written about the clothing of the Ottoman Empire. But for women who wear reproductions of Turkish clothing at historical reenactments, Renaissance Faires, and Middle Eastern Dance Haflas, this body of knowledge is lacking one essential piece — a simple guide on how to get dressed. What pieces are essential to be dressed properly? What garments can be omitted for reasons of comfort without compromising the accuracy of the outfit? Where is the line between costume and clothing?
Reconstructing History’s Ottoman Turkish Woman's Getting Dressed Guide is meant to fill that void.
This 30-page downloadable guide, written by clothing historian Kass McGann and backed by 20 years of research, will tell you everything you need to know to dress historically accurately as an Ottoman Turkish Woman from 16th through 17th century Istanbul.
The Getting Dressed Guides are not intended to be books of all knowledge. In these pages you will not find debates about the construction of entari or an extensive list of silks weaves available in 16th century Istanbul. You will simply find a list of garments commonly worn by Turkish women in the 16th and 17th centuries and the manner in which they were worn. General fabric types, notes on hair and makeup and jewelry, and other pertinent information is included, but more detail than this is outside the scope of this Guide. In other words, the Getting Dressed Guides are guides to teach you how to get dressed for this period and location.
If you find a garment listed in a Getting Dressed Guide, you can be sure it was worn in the period covered. If you do not find a garment listed in these pages, that only means it was not common enough for us to include.