Woman’s Mantle (Chyrpy)

Traditional costumes in central Asia have distinctive characteristics that indicate ethnicity, age, and class. One of the oldest examples is a woman’s coat with false sleeves attached on the back and worn over the head. This silk coat in yellow, the color worn by middle-aged women, is elaborately decorated with popular stylized tulips embroidered in chain stitch. Worn consistently by a newlywed, the coat was later only used on special occasions. Although women made and embroidered garments at home, this expensive luxury mantle was professionally made and sold in the marketplace.