Uçetek Entari

The entari, or robe, was the main element of women’s dress in the Ottoman Empire, worn together with a chemise, or gömlek, and baggy trousers, or şalvar. Made for a woman with a very slight build, this entari is narrow with less fullness in the skirt than many other examples. The narrow dimensions allow a full appreciation of the complex silk and cotton fabric, with its repeating dark green stripe of a leaf design, separated by alternating black and maroon stripes of twisted lines, executed with extra warp threads. The dark green of the leaves are enlivened by embroidered centers of red or gold, with two sets of red centers for every set of gold. The embroidery would have been added as the fabric was woven, an extremely time-consuming and thus expensive process. Golden wrapped thread is used for some of the stripes. The structure of the garment is typical for Ottoman entaris, with a small stand-up collar, long sleeves open until the elbow, high slit on each side of the skirt and triangular pieces added to front opening and each side for added fullness. In this case, a single triangular panel has been added to each side, rather than two separate pieces for front and back. A tear on one side along the fold at the garment’s side resulting from the stress put on the fabric at the widest part of the garment indicates the weakness in this construction method. The straight edges of the entari are all finished with a knotted fringe made of metal-wrapped cord. The garment is lined with a coarse white cotton fabric, with a green striped fabric, related in concept but less elaborate than the entari fabric used to line the open sleeve ends. There are five buttons and loops at the upper bodice to hold the entari closed.