f-f-fashion

[rachel2205.livejournal.com]

So something I've been wondering about is what the heck people wear in Kostantiniyye. I've been doing a bit of thinking about this, but would appreciate your feedback too, especially since I know how some of you are historical costume geeks :)

Given just how AU our world is in some respects, it's difficult to chart a course of fashion history. Now, I've chosen 1850 as a reasonably arbitrary start date for our game, which in the West in our world is full of clothes like this. But in a world that's already well into its industrial revolution, plus a world with less power disparity between the genders, the typical Victorian costumes make less sense. Meanwhile, Ottoman fashion of the same period was a mishmash of the huge range of cultures that society both influenced and was influenced by. (These are obvious basic wikipedia links but they are a reasonable place to start if you've not read much on fashion history.)  Meanwhile, in Kostantiniyye itself, fashions are bound to be an amalgam of the different cultures. I don't want to be too proscriptive in saying what people wear, but if we try to come up with a general vibe of clothing that would be seen as relatively acceptable that would probably be good!

For women, my starting point from a western perspective is a combination of the Victorian dress reform movement and the Turquerie trends of the C16th-18th. The crinoline doesn't seem to me as likely a trend in this world, but bloomers seem rational - modest, allowing movement, and cooler in the Turkish heat than heavy skirts. They bear some similarities to female costume in the Ottoman period too.





For both Jewish and Muslim communities, religious regulations regarding clothing ensure modesty for both men and women (though note that these laws allow for a great deal of flexibility and variety in culture and fashion terms), and given the power of the Ottoman Empire, I imagine this has influenced European trends too. But I think we'd be more likely to see looser, flowing lines in fashion rather than the tighter fits of the late Victorian/early Edwardian period. Perhaps this is a point where New England is diverging a bit (especially since the British are self-consciously trying to raise their global profile) and perhaps are a bit more scandalous with, for instance, showing of decotellage or men wearing breeches - though I imagine that anyone who planned to settle in Kostantiniyye rather than just passing through would modify their clothes somewhat. So a British man might not go wholesale Turkish and start wearing kaftan and looselegged şalvar, but he might change his breeches for trousers...

Also worth noting that this industrialised age allows for mass-produced clothes, widening the possibilities of what people buy, although the well-to-do are likely to still prefer to go to their tailor.

Here are some pics of male and female fashion that I think could be useful pointers. If you have other ideas, please leave them in comments for discussion! I would say that in this city, you could probably get away with quite a lot of different looks as long as you're not, say, going about in a mini-skirt or have a bare head. (SO many awesome hat possibilities!)

19th century painting of Turkish woman by Amadeo Preziosi.

Paul Poiret, a French designer, was very influential in the early 20th century, bringing an Orientalist approach to women's clothing which I think could resonate with our game:


Here's some amazing Turkish bridal wear:


And here are some Ottoman men - we see that there are phases of wearing fitted waistcoats and shirts, though there's usually an overgarment

 

And some beautiful kaftans:



Love this one for a kid:

Who knows what the Byzantines would have ended up doing if their empire hadn't collapsed! But for comparison, here's a lovely pic of two Byzantine saints painted in the 15th century.

And some Dress Reform:


A related, though with different goals, movement was Aesthetic Dress, subscribed to by Oscar Wilde, such as this:

Comments

[rachel2205.livejournal.com]

The thing about the Ottoman Empire was that it was very tolerant to cultural variety, and the types of Islamic fashion inside the Empire were extremely varied. The issue of hijab is one I find very interesting because the laws are so flexible and can be interpreted so many ways. I think if Khadija was wearing niqab or burqa, that would mark her out somewhat, but certainly head coverings would be common. In terms of veils, I would expect that not many women in the city wear them, but that they would opt for something more like the bushiyya than the niqab if they wanted them? A sheer veil rather than the solid cloth of the niqab seems more in line with Turkish trends.

ALTHOUGH I would love it if some badass East Arabian women showed up wearing these.

[nahara.livejournal.com]

Haha! This is all so fascinating... like getting an excellent history lesson in fashion (something I'm not particularly well-read on). :) And man oh man, those beaten-metal veils are pretty damn awesome. Totally badass. The look like decorative female armour. I doubt Khadija would ware anything quite so dramatic, though. ;)