Arabick Lifestyle

Arabick lifestyle

Eastern luxuries like silk, olive oil and spices became part of daily life for smart European families of the 17th and 18th centuries. The West was fascinated by the ways of the Arab world and the Ottoman Empire. Everyone who was anyone wore eastern fabrics and styles, including turbans for both men and women.

In 1666, the eastern fashion of coats and trousers for men appeared in London, replacing forever the close-fitting jackets and woollen stockings they had previously worn. Traders and diplomats working in the East wore local outfits with pride. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, an influential ambassador's wife, remarked on the comfortable and modest dress of Ottoman women, and wore it herself.