The Lady of Susa: Reconstructing the clothing of Achaemenid Persia (Part 4)

Today we dye!

Dye, not die.... Although if done improperly, I imagine one could accidentally do both.

I'll start off with the "big" dye project:

Saffron.

 Saffron pickers via

Yes, I'm going to dye with saffron. It is the only dye in this costume that I can do accurately (I'm hoping this doesn't bite me in the bottom later on) as true Tyrian purple is impossible for someone of my dyeing capabilities, and regular murex-dyed cloth is next to impossible.

 So, without further ado, I present to you my attempt to dye with saffron the way my ancestors did.

The Kurta Conundrum.

I have 30 yards of three different kinds of trim, all in a Mughal motif, and all destined to become border for the late-Mughal/British Raj era kurta churidar for a Tawaif/kathak.

The picture doesn't even remotely do justice to the fabulousness of these trims

So what's the problem with this kurta?
Well, it really comes down to this: It's not a kurta at all.

Constructing an Elegant Entari (part 5, The End!)

Author's Note:

I've been very bad. I left for a family trip over the entire week leading up to Thanksgiving weekend, and left this post here, finished, yet unpublished. Shame on me. So rather than rewrite the entire thing I'll just post it as it should have been posted, and leave some footnotes at the end.

Constructing an Elegant Entari (part 5, The End!)

It's finished, finally!

Well, finished for now that is. It needs a good run through the washer (which will happen in a week when I have access to a washing machine that won't destroy silk*) before I can stitch the appliques to it, and consequently each time it will need to be washed, it will probably have to have them removed, then replaced later.

 You're just going to have to wait, now aren't you?

Constructing an Elegant Entari (part 4)

This entari is driving me insane. I've become very bored, very quickly, with its curvy shenanigans. So before I continue on with this rant and pictures, I'll give you some nice Ottoman music to listen to while you read.

Tamburi Cemil Bey

Gol Duzi (A Constructive Break from the Entari)

It's been silent far too long here. It's very hard to keep updates on costumes that, well, aren't moving along so fast or are just filled with boring tasks.

The entari has been giving me some trouble. I just have no desire to work on it right now. It's very tedious in a sense because it's very repetitive, but not in a way you can easily "lose" yourself in.

So I'd like to share with you another project that I've undertaken in preparation for some of the other articles of clothing I will be working on later. It's an ancient form of art from Iran, dating back thousands of years, called gol duzi. I believe in English, it may sometimes be called "Rasht work" after the city of Rasht that uses gol duzi to attach felt appliques to garments.

Detail from a panel from Rasht, Gilan, Iran, here

Constructing an Elegant Entari (part 3)

I think this color is absolutely grown on me.....

I was on the fence about it before. In fact, I made an entari out of it because I felt that if I used it for a curaisse dress along with my white&pink shot silk like I had originally planned to about a year ago, I'd never have worn it, the color is that bright, even as "accent" fabric.

And you know, I still think that'd be so. I mean, it's a much stronger "pink" than I'd usually use for Victorian gowns. Though I know the color was around, and was worn, it just wasn't my color for Victorian gowns. With jewel tones I tend to prefer "Paris" greens, purples, blues, reds, teals, and maroons; pinks only make it into my costumes in pastel colors.... not jewel tones.

But this color is perfect for an Ottoman gown. It really is, and that's making me fall for it.

Constructing an Elegant Entari (part 2)

Yay! Progress despite the heat and general mayhem!

It really has been unbearably hot here the past few days, and all the driving we've been doing this weekend for pattern sales, helping our friend find a car, and getting lost in the wilderness looking for wine.... it's been crazy! And that's coming from an LA girl who's used to heat, smog, driving, general mayhem, and whatnot.....

So the Entari now measures 65" long on the lining, 55" long on the silk. The trim is underway, but it's proving difficult. I've managed the sleeves alright, but the curves are tedious and difficult to navigate at times.

Cutting the scallop/wave pattern

Constructing an Elegant Entari (part 1)

So I miscalculated my silk measurement. It was not 5 yards of 45" silk as I thought, but 4 yards of 55" wide silk.

Is it a problem?

The Fuchsia of Doom strikes again! 

Epic Entaris

The Entari is a big part of the Ottoman dress. They're a simple garment made magnificent with luxurious fabrics, beautiful trims, and elaborate needlework.

And they're our next project.

The Fuchsia from Hell

My last choli post mentioned that I was busy this weekend. A few reasons why, but let's discuss the interesting ones.

For this post, let me introduce the next project via its fabric, a huge piece of fabulous fuchsia, and the issues that said fabulous fuchsia caused.

The fabulously and fantastically infuriating fuchsia fabric

Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai? (part 3)

It's been a busy weekend. So busy I haven't had time for pictures, which is a must for this blog, given the whole "costuming" aspect of it.

Even the project itself, costumes excluded, is heavily about aesthetics. So there was no way this post would ever go up without pictures.

So I'll try to pick up where I left off.

Trim, wasn't it?

Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai? (Part Two)

Last post we started off with the choli and ended at the mock-up.

So that's where we'll pick up.

Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai?

For our first post, lets start out with something manageable; the choli.
Well, I hope manageable.

The choli, along with the sari, is probably one of the most recognized pieces of Indian women's clothing.

Madhuri Dixit in Devdas, wearing a Sari and Choli from

This seemingly simple, though often elaborately decorated garment, translated as "blouse" in English serves several functions. Namely though, it helps preserve modesty in covering the breasts while supporting them. In a place where the climate is so varied, but often rife with humidity and heat, yet where modesty is expected, the choli is the perfect piece of clothing for the job.