Wedding Dress Models in the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman wedding dress; As per the Ottoman tradition, silvery, sequined and embroidered clothes were considered shameful, so young girls usually wore plain dresses .
Clothing emerged from the need of people to cover themselves in order to protect themselves from natural conditions. The veiling, which initially showed a simple form, developed as a result of people's traditions and individual tastes. Turkish clothing and apparel; It was formed by the influence of its long history, wide geographical area, cultural interaction and belief systems. In this change , the most important ceremonial dress of women in all periods was undoubtedly the wedding dress . Although the model, color and fabric chosen for the wedding dress have changed, the purpose has always remained the same.
As per the Ottoman tradition, silvery, sequined, embroidered clothes were considered shameful, so young girls usually wore plain dresses. The way women can dress fancy; Since it started with marriage, the first flamboyant dress, the wedding dress , has always been an important garment and was considered important in terms of indicating the bride's difference from other women. What made the bride different from other women was the bridal headpiece, veil and accessories that complemented the wedding dress, as well as the wedding dress.
Bridal gowns made of expensive fabrics reflecting the fashion of the period were flamboyant and ornate. While the palace adopted the color of red as the dynastic color , the people preferred vibrant colors such as purple , blue and pink as well as red. The veil covering the bride's face was red. After the 1870s, wedding dresses in lighter colors began to be worn under the influence of the West. Her wedding dress, made of white fabric, was first worn by Kemalettin Pasha in 1898. Abdülhamit's daughter Naime Sultan wore it. The white wedding dress, which started in the palace and became widespread over time, became indispensable in the 20th century.
Ottoman wedding dress and women's clothing was enriched with different dyes, weaving, embroidery and models used according to the rules, traditions and customs of the groups such as palace, city and countryside parallel to the lifestyle lived. In the Ottomans, how many days the wedding would last varied according to the social status of those who got married. A different outfit was worn on each day of the wedding. At the henna night and the wedding day, different clothes were worn, and after the wedding, a dress called 'puffal' was worn. The main clothing items of women; shalwar, cardigan, shirt, dress and caftans. Entaris worn with shalwar are the oldest examples of Turkish women's clothing. Pesli dress is shaped by widening the skirts from the waist down. From the beginning of the 18th century, model changes such as the collar opening, sleeve cut, hemline, and fit of the dress were effective until the middle of the 19th century.
At the beginning of the 19th century, models called three skirts and four skirts became popular. three skirts; These are dresses with slits on the sides, an open front, a few buttons from the waist, and the length is down to the ground.
Three skirts were effective until the 1875s and were used in rural areas well into the 20th century. After the return of Sultan Abdulaziz's trip to Europe in 1867, the demand for three skirts and shalwars decreased, the two-skirt entari fashion began to be seen and the influence of Western fashion began to be felt. There were four-tailed, wrap, heel-beating, dove collar, dominant collar, bag, box-in-the-box ones. The plain ones of these dresses were used as daily, heavily embroidered dresses for weddings, ceremonies and wedding gowns.
These dresses are; They are long garments, usually made of velvet, with a head-to-toe fit and the body part is in line with the body. The neck is rounded and the front is open to the waist. Halal shirt worn inside can be seen from the opening of the collar. With this dress, a crepe or a Yemeni is covered, and a silver belt is attached to the waist. At the beginning of the 19th century, dresses called “ bindallı ”, which were mostly made of purple and burgundy velvet, embroidered with various plant motifs in the dival technique, were preferred as wedding dresses and ceremonial dresses. In the countryside, shalwar was worn as a jacket, using the same embroidery and fabrics.
II. From the reign of Abdulhamid, dresses with bindals were replaced by suits consisting of long skirts and jackets, which were influenced by the West. Skirt-jackets; It was made of silk fabrics such as atlas, taffeta and ruffles. Skirts and bodices with very long tails and made in bindallı style on Atlas fabric were the first examples. These wedding dresses were later replaced by long, flared skirts, bodices, underwire, body-hugging, tops, and capes made of taffeta and glitter woven silk fabrics. With these garments, crepe embroidered head coverings were worn in winter as knee-length and waist-fitting velvet fur-lined coats in accordance with the color and embroidery. Fabric or leather shoes and bags were used in accordance with the same color and processing of the garment. The westernization in clothes was also reflected in shoe models. Wedding dresses, which adorned the dreams of young girls in the Ottoman period, also enrich the dreams of today's young girls.