I have a lot of interest rest in Ottomans. How fashion changed after 1860s in Ottoman women? Ottoman fashion which is shown in Payitaht Abdulhamid in 1890s, was it real? Please explain with pictures
I am sorry for the long wait, I had internet connection problems.
After 1860s is a very specific time but I'll do my best. We can't forget that talking about fashion in a setting like the Ottoman empire is way more difficult because women weren't supposed to be portrayed or photographed so the material is scarce.
It was after the visit of the Empress Eugénie that the women of the palace and the wives of the high functionaries copied as nearly as they could the appearance of the beautiful Empress. They divided their hair in the middle, and spent hours in making little bunches of curls. High-heeled shoes replaced the coloured babouches [slippers]; they even adopted the hideous crinolines and abandoned forever those charming Oriental garments, the chalvar and the entari which they considered symbols of servitude, but which no other fashion has been able to equal in beauty — Zeynoub Hanoum, A Turkish Woman’s European Impressions
The chalvar, called şalvar in Turkish are the characteristic baggy pants that women (and men too) would wear underneath their several layers of clothing. The entari was worn over the undergarments and the şalvar:
These are all XIX century entari.
In any case, rich women began to abandon these clothes for more European ones especially after the visit of Empress Eugénie in Istanbul. This can be seen clearly in children's fashion:
Nazima Sultan in 1876 and Naime Sultan in 1882
Saliha Sultan in the 1870s
In this period [1867], the young ladies and young girls had completely abandoned the old dresses with three tails or trains and the baggy pants underneath; fashion now demanded shirts with a single train which was caught up and attached to the belt – there were now petticoats instead of şalvars or the baggy pants previously worn. The headdresses had also changed with the times and now usually matched the costumes; there were earrings with jewels, medallions and elaborate hairstyles, garnished with precious stones. — Leyla (Saz) Hanımefendi, The Imperial Harem of the Sultans. Daily Life at the Çıragan Palace During the Nineteenth Century
Women changed the thicker cloth they had traditionally used for their feraces (long flowing outer garments) for a much thinner material. They changed their yellow boots of morocco leather for shoes with trimmings of imitation gold thread, which they wore with thin, white socks. They began to use thinner veils and they turned covering themselves into a method for making themselves more alluring, a trend appreciated by Ali Rıza Bey, who commented that ‘the veils of our women, which were a means of ornamenting the face rather than concealing it, became finer. How charming the colourful feraces looked! And these finer veils were unable to obscure the beauty [behind]’. — Ebru Boyar, Kate Fleet - A Social History of Ottoman Istanbul
These photographs are great examples of just how fine veils had become. They basically did not hide any feature and this was a problem for conservatives (and sultans as well):
The çarşafs had become merely ordinary dresses, the feraces had turned into sleeveless capes, the veils had become too thin. [Abdülhamid II] issued an order that this should not occur. Further, women were not to wear coats or short, tight-waisted jackets which imitated military styles — Ebru Boyar, Kate Fleet - A Social History of Ottoman Istanbul
In the photograph above you can see a western dress underneath the ferace and several rows of what seem to be pearls.
In the XIX century, women (especially wealthy women of course) began to go out more, especially to pleasure gardens or at the Bosphorus shore. This meant that new accessories began to be used, among them the parasol. As pleasure gardens (ie. parks) were public places, men and women could see each other in these occasions:
A parasol in the rowing boat! It explains what the person wants to say. For example, if it is bent a little to one side, it means ‘I am annoyed with you’, if it is bent over further, ‘I am really angry’, if it completely covers the face, it means ‘you will not see my face again’, ‘I don’t want to see you, have you still not understood?’, if it swings hard from right to left, it signifies ‘don’t stay, pass by’, ‘return, go’, if it falls slightly to the front, it is in the place of a greeting, ‘welcome, sir’, if it falls a lot, ‘my heart has beaten again’, if it goes to the back, it means ‘oh!’, if it leans all the way over backwards, ‘what a state I am in, see me and have pity!’, if it is held to the side, ‘oh, how fine, what happiness this is!’, if it is opened and closed, it means ‘not tonight, tomorrow’, if it is closed and stays so, ‘we will make an appointment for the following day — Ebru Boyar, Kate Fleet - A Social History of Ottoman Istanbul
Men too had secret gestures:
making signs with the eyes and eyebrows, winking one eye, making as if wiping your face with a handkerchief, smelling the handkerchief with which you have just wiped your face, sighing deeply, and placing your hand over your heart. Placing your hand on your temple and half-closing then closing your eyes means ‘I am dying for you’, unbuttoning of one or two buttons of the waistcoat means ‘my heart is palpitating, I cannot bear this beating’. If you have a cigarette in your mouth, even if it is newly lit, and you take it from the corner of your mouth and hurl it away, this is because women do not like addiction to tobacco any more than its smell. To call over a beggar and give him a few coins demonstrates your compassion and generosity. To be busy looking at the posters outside Manakyan’s theatre is a sign of liking romantic themes such as La Dame aux camelias or Countess Sara. — Sermet Muhtar Alus, 30 Sene Evvel İstanbul. 1900’lü Yılların Başlarında Şehir Hayatı
... clothing made in European fashion, top hats, fancy canes, pet dogs, piano lessons, French language lessons, operas, dances, and balls, to the eventual employment of Western literary forms such as the novel, short story, and newspaper and the print culture it introduced, which had profound effects in creating new visions of Ottoman society and the individuals living within it. These literary forms constructed a new image of an Ottoman as a refined man "introverted, very sensitive, knowledgeable in Western music and literature, conversant in a Western language, positivist, attributing value to human beings, and subscribing to a Western style of life" — Fatma Müge Göçek, Rise of the Bourgeoisie, Demise of Empire; Ottoman Westernization and Social Change
Of course the same craze invested the Palace. Sisters Fatma and Mediha are clearly wearing European gowns and accessories:
Fatma Sultan around 1870 and Mediha Sultan in 1888
In the photograph below we can see Refia Sultan dressed exactly like a European woman in 1865. 1865 is very early but she was very interested in everything that came from Europe.
I was not able to identify these people but they're clearly from the Ottoman empire:
the lady is particularly interesting because not only is she wearing a European-style tiara but she seems to be also wearing the Order of the Charity (the white sash) 1st class, which was usually awarded to princesses.
Here we have sisters Hatice, Fehime and Fatma (all daughters of Murad V). The European style of their clothes and accessories is pretty evident.
Rukiye Sabiha Sultan on her wedding day in 1921
other photo of Rukiye Sabiha Sultan’s wedding
So... yeah, by the fall of the empire clothes were completely European.
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