Bindalli Wedding Jacket

Bindalli (bindallı in Turkish) dresses, worn for weddings and other occasions by Muslim and Jewish women of different social classes in the Balkans and Anatolia, were sometimes accompanied by jackets such as this one, which would have been worn over the dress. The purple velvet fabric of the jacket would have matched the dress fabric, and the motifs of the all over dival embroidery would have been related to those appearing on the dress. The jacket is hip length, with the same round collar, dropped shoulders and straight sleeves that characterize many bindalli dresses. The all over embroidered design on the jacket body consists of large scale floral motifs, garlands and flower vases, with additional and slightly more delicate floral designs on the sleeves. Signs of wear along the sleeve and jacket edges indicate that this elaborately embroidered garment was worn over a long period of time, perhaps by multiple owners.