Natania Barron Profile picture
May 3, 2021 35 tweets 18 min read Read on X
1 - It's time for #ThreadTalk & today we're swathing ourselves in the history of the kaftan!

Don't know your kaftan from your muumuu, dashiki, or Banyan? That's okay. We'll get there.

This ancient garment became a Regency staple🎩, a 1960s essential ☮️ & a modern must-have.🧥 A striped and heavily embroidered kaftan style robe. The str
2 - The word itself is Persian: خفتان khaftān. In simple terms, it's a tunic or a robe, often open down the front & tied with a sash.

This kind of garment goes back as far as Mesopotamia, but rose to prominence during the Abbasid Caliphate. This bowl dates from the 10thC. A man possibly holding a weapon and wearing a helmet. Abbasi
3 - That said, the garment itself emerged all over antiquity, & adapted through history. How kaftans are used, and the materials they're made from -- that's where things get sticky.

More on that later. Here's another pretty one, an entari from Turkey. Ucetek Entari from Turkey, a kaftan with floral stripes in g
4 - The kaftan has been interpreted from Japan to Russia, Hawaii to Bangladesh. Sometimes it's tight-sleeved (like in Russia) other times it's short & wide sleeved.

This video details the still complex craft of kaftans in Morocco.

5 - The first kaftan craze might be as early as the 9th century, when reports of Arabic-adopted designs went as far as China.

Later, Ottoman sultans wore ornately embroidered kaftans of costly brocade, silk, jewels & metals. Below: Mehmed I, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Mehmed I, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1413 to 1421 - a
6 - We also think that the Rus people, living as far north as Sweden (and likely the Danes & the Anglo-Saxons) were familiar with kaftans.

Considering that coinage from the Islamic world made it all the way to places like the Silverdale Hoard (AD 900) that totally makes sense. Coins, glass, bracelets, and torques from the Silverdale Hor
7 - Back to the thread. (Sorry not sorry, I can't help a bit of an archaeological diversion.)

The Ottoman Empire paved way for the global adoption of the kaftan. But, really, fundamentally little has changed. See Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent below, rocking that brocade. A sultan with a very ornate red vest over a long kaftan; his
8 - In Algeria, the kaftan has been part of national dress since at least the 16thC. It's a part of traditional wedding ensembles, known as the Chedda of Tlemcen & they are AMAZING. Just all the wow.

This video captures more than I could in words!

9 - As with Algeria, kaftans came to Morocco via the Ottomans & evolved from a garment meant for sultans to every day dress.

This 20thC (PINK!) example makes use of classic textures & embellishments. But important to note: it's a living & treasured craft making kaftans today! Robe of matelassé fabric woven with pink synthetic fibers a
10 - Throughout West Africa, we find kaftans & their relative, the dashiki, in many different countries. Often, varying colors, designs, & cuts have specific meanings. The Senegalese kaftan, or wolof, is pictured here, in a postcard from 1918. A young man in a fez from Dakar wearing a Senegalese Wolof,
11 - Russia, of course, has its own kaftan, but its specifically a tighter-sleeved version. By the 19th C, the kaftan was the predominant symbol of national clothing, and has an essential place in history & folklore.

This ensemble is from the early 20thC; from the Hermitage. Fancy Dress of Count Alexey Alexandrovich Bobrinsky (Boyar's
12 - And if that sounds familiar, you might be reading and/or watching #ShadowAndBone & you've heard the term "kefta."

No coincidence! The Grisha wear kaftans, each designed to represent their magical abilities, with coinciding embroidery. I love the detail, of course. Genya and Alina in Russian-inspired kefta/kaftans. Genya's i
13 - Poland's Krakow coats and military costumes also reflect the influence of the kaftan, as seen here. This late 19thC example is from the Museum Ethnograficzne in Krakow.
14 - In Southeast Asia, Arab traders brought the kaftan along with their wares, and inspired all kinds of interpretations, like this pashmina choga (robe) from Kashmir, dating from the 1850s. Man's robe (choga) made of pashmina, edged with wool embroid
15 - The ornate embroidery of India directly influenced the concept of "court dress" as we understand it; you can 100% see how that showed up later in Russia and the West. Really, "court dress" was in many ways interpretation of the royal kaftans in history. This elegant coat and waistcoat demonstrate how closely the
16 - In the West, we end up with Banyans (which, to this day, means undershirt in India)

Banyans were influenced by kimonos, which were probably inspired by kaftans! & then the colonialists took it all & DGAF about appropriation. This is a re-cut *Imperial Chinese Silk* c 1750 ©Victoria and Albert Museum, London - Man’s banyan and sl
17 - The Banyan becomes a point of status for wealthy men & women of Europe, a garment worn in private but with LOTS of flair.

This is one of my all-time favorites; I love that it's sort of trying to decide if it's a suit jacket. (Bonus: toile the Nantes... le sigh) Double breasted banyan made with high stand collar, generous
18 - In Hawaii we get the muumuu. It's a kind of holokū, a garment which Protestant missionaries forced Hawaiians to wear so as not to offend their puritanical sensibilities. 🤮 Starting in the 1820s.

It has since been reclaimed. Princess Ka'iulani, below. Princess Ka‘iulani standing on top of steps on the porch o
19 - What we think of kaftans now came to the US by way of India in the 1960s. Like with paisley, we have the Beatles & hippies to thank for that resurgence. All the big fashion houses jumped on the kaftan bandwagon.

Below from the 1920s, tho. Rights management is a beast. Blue-green silk velvet gown, embroidered at cuffs and neckli
20 - So, let's visit some of my favorite kaftans that I CAN share with you.

From the (sadly closed) Armenian Museum of France, this stunning silk number gives me palpitations. The edging on the sleeves, coupled with that metallic brocade? Hnngggh. A gorgeously ornate robe/kaftan from Armenia, in gold and re
21 - A shorter-style kaftan, with buttons, from Turkey, dating from around the turn of the 19th C. The detail work and embroidery on this one is really where it gets me going. You could see this on the runway today, I think, no questions asked. A shorter kaftan with embroidery all around it. The brocaded
22 - A French banyan, dating from 1830 or so. Gotta say, this a perfect example of "appropriation but pretty" -- because it is. Ugh.

This silk is likely from the previous century, and possibly a repurposed kimono or court robe.

This was *casual wear.* Not only is this banyan a good example of man's ornate leisu
23 - This Alanic kaftan is recreated, but how cool, right? We're talking 7-9th century here! It's still completely recognizable as a garment. You can see the care taken with the patterned silk. The original linen coat (caftan), preserved in part from the
24 - Another showstopper from Turkey, this Ucetek entari and shalvar is late 19th century. I am a Tremendous Sucker for Purple Anything, and the contrasting embroidery and embellishments are whew. You can see the jewel additions, too. A kaftan from Turkey with embroidered edges on a purple stri
25 - Here is a kimono-inspired number, this time in blue damask, because of course? How could I not share something like this?

The loom width indicates this was woven in China, even though it dates to the late 1600s! Another item that would not look out of place today. ©Victoria and Albert Museum, London - The night gown is mad
26 - Are kaftans singular to a nation? No. Can you wear one? Yes, but you should research it first! Fashion, for many of us, is a choice.

Remember that clothing is power, politics, beauty, art & LIVING history for many. Below: an Armenian lad from the 1600s. An illustration of a young Armenian in traditional blue kaft
27 - You can make 70s style kaftans quite easily. They're really more like old school tunics, and require very little know how.

(Unless you're like me and you've been banned for life from all sewing machines and implements.)

See:
30 - And lastly, I can't share the image directly -- but if I could wear one right now, it would be this one.

Thanks for joining me tonight for #threadtalk! Go forth and swish.

collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O84321/ka…
I've been informed it's #NationalTextilesDay so this is particularly pertinent!
I forgot to include this one, which is one of *many* from Bukhara, Uzbekistan. I could do a whole thread just on the materials and patterns on caftans, because they're so lovely! This is from the 19th century, via the Met. Gold and red brocaded caftan with large figural flowers, tri
If you enjoyed my #kaftan #threadtalk, you'll probably like all my other fabrications (haha). 16?!

Archive: nataniabarron.com/threadtalks/

Chintz, taffeta, Jacquard, tartan, damask, lace, velvet, embroidery, dye, muslin, beading, paisley, undergarments, Elizabeth I, & stripes!
You can't tell me that making an opossum kaftan isn't the most on brand thing I've ever considered.

spoonflower.com/en/fabric/9995…
Another one that I forgot to share: this is a bindalli, worn by Muslim and Jewish women as wedding garb in the Balkans and Anatolia. Front & back for max impact.

Purple & gold = heart eyes.

This is made in Turkey, late 19th century. From the Met.

JEWEL TONES. Worn for weddings and other occasions by Muslim and Jewish w

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More from @NataniaBarron

Oct 18, 2021
1 - Dim the lights, grab the popcorn: #threadtalk is going to the (creepy) movies. 🎃🍿🥤

This special edition features a broad list of films that haunt, terrify & sometimes titillate--but always with style. Horror, musicals, cartoons (& odd Disney choices) we've got 'em all. 🔪 The original release poster of the 1975 cult film, "The
2 - NOTE: Inclusion in this list does not mean my personal approval of their director(s), creator(s), actors, producers, etc. Hollywood is nasty on a good day, & some of these films have not aged well.

These are pulled from *my* personal experience in horror films. So, YMMV. Photo by Raúl Nájera on Unsplash  - a sign on a background
3 - I'm beginning with ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968). Starring Mia Farrow as the mother of a the spawn of Satan himself, I definitely saw this movie way too young (thanks, Mom!).

The poster it fantastic, but it's Farrow's innocent pastel wardrobe that makes the fashion statement. This is a poster for Rosemary's Baby. The poster art copyrigMia Farrow in ROSEMARY'S BABY in a striped cotton dress, emp
Read 29 tweets
Oct 4, 2021
1 - 🎃 Welcome to #ThreadTalk! It's the spookiest month & we're jumping right in with a look at ghostly garb👻!

Thrills, chills & blood-curdling horrors await as we take a trip through history & ask the question: "Okay, but what would that ghost *actually* be wearing?" 🎃 October 3, 2021 - @nataniabarron - #ThreadTalk - Ghostly Gar
2 - We're starting in Japan. Because Japan has the best ghosts & my favorite art. Yūrei (幽霊) are closer to a Western concept of ghosts, but spirits of all kinds are common through Japanese folklore.

This one is from the incredible Bakemono no e, dating from around 1700.
3 - The Yūrei are often depicted as women with long, black hair. By the date of this print, I'd say a kosode (a kimono precursor) would be a good match.

The colors are natural, pale, haunting. You see in the embroidered closeup, too, all the sea grass & shellwork. Just wow. This sumptuous robe is among the earliest extant kosode (gar
Read 12 tweets
Oct 4, 2021
It's astounding how often spicy scenes get trashed in fantasy, but I find I spend way more time working them out--especially because they have to serve a lot of purposes.

For me, it's always an emotional/character moment. The reader is going to be REALLY paying attention now.
This is especially true in a romance, where the characters are coming together for the FIRST TIME.

It's got to have that emotional punch, and a lot of complexity. Otherwise it's like a bad fight scene. Lots of equipment/weapons, and bad choreography.
Personally, for me, *how* a character initiates intimacy, with whom, and in what way, is a big glimpse into who they are.

I love writing it.
Read 5 tweets
Sep 13, 2021
1 - It's time for #threadtalk! Today's topic, the Grand Dame of Damask: Anna Maria Garthwaite.

This silk icon has quite a tale, but so does her stomping ground of Spitalfields, London.

And beyond the frippery? The horrors of 18thC England: persecution, riots & taxes🕍🔪💷
2 - Anna Maria was born in 1688 in Lincolnshire, to Rev. Ephraim Garthwaite & Rejoyce (rad name). The family was well to do & Anna Maria would have had a basic education. She showed early artistic prowess, like in this 1707 cut-paper work of a village w/remarkable detail. This cut-paper work picture shows a country house of around
3 - I mean, look at the incredible detail on this. Each and every tree has a different shape & leaf pattern, far beyond basic representation. The little horse and rider, the delicate horns on the deer. Painstaking work here that foreshadows the skill of an artist, to be certain.
Read 35 tweets
Sep 6, 2021
1 - Welcome to #ThreadTalk, #LaborDay edition. Our topic? Mills, Strikes & Textile Labor.

Buckle up, though. There is a distinct lack of dazzle today.

We're meeting the makers & laborers of apparel history--& how they lived & died for their craft. @nataniabarron - September ...
2 - In Asia, & China specifically, silk became one of the first real fabric blockbusters for trade during the Han Dynasty, beginning the Silk Road.
Traditionally, weaving was left to women while men farmed & sold, and this continued as trade grew. Women working silk together...
3 - Francesca Bray puts it simply in "Textile Production & Gender Roles":“The growth of the textile industry involved new forms of organization of production that made men the skilled workers and marginalized women.”

This is by no means unique to China. It's the story of fabric. ImageFigure 1: Women presenting ...
Read 31 tweets
Aug 3, 2021
1 - Hey folks! It's a surprise #threadtalk on the medieval theme of the moment: #TheGreenKnight! I just had to come out of hibernation to talk about what I saw in the theater.

Velvet! Crêpe! CROWNS! Pentagrams! I've got you covered. Well, at least *partially*. 📗🪓 Dev Patel as Sir Gawain in The Green Knight fro A24 Films. A
2 - Yes, we're starting with that cloak & color choice. Keeping things spoiler-free here, Gawain is seen wearing a golden velvet cloak very early on.

It's quilted, so nice & warm. It's golden, but also a bit ochre--yellow can mean golden, but also... well, cowardice, y'know? Dev Patel as Sir Gawain in The Green Knight by A24 Films in
3 - Velvet is a perfect choice for the nephew of Arthur. It's HELLA expensive (as we've covered; links later). This is SILK velvet. Not polyester crap from the 70s. And it takes skilled labor beyond reasoning to make.

But it also *absorbs light*. I feel like this is essential. Dev Patel as Sir Gawain in the Green Knight from A24 films.
Read 23 tweets

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