Women’s Coat

This coat from Alaya, dated to 1910, is a striking high-status garment, characteristic of the urban—and affluent—dress tradition of the Greek Orthodox (Rum) communities of Asia Minor. It was donated to the Centre for Asia Minor Studies and Culture (KE.MI.PO.) of the Municipality of Nea Ionia by Maria Kiourtsoglou, godmother to Stelios Kazantzidis. Made of sumptuous velvet in a deep blue tone, it is trimmed with a wide, soft fox fur along the entire front edge, serving both as thermal protection and as an indicator of social standing. The use of fox fur—most commonly red or silver-grey—was a frequent feature of luxurious women’s attire of the period, particularly in coastal towns such as Alaya, where commercial networks ensured access to costly materials.
The velvet body of the coat is embellished with fine, painstaking gold embroidery, chiefly at the points that accentuate the waist and the sleeves. The motifs are vegetal, characteristic of Ottoman aesthetics, and are worked in metallic threads (gold and bronze wire *lama*), a technique requiring considerable skill and typically reserved for garments intended for festive or ceremonial wear. The coat does not fasten at the front; instead, the fur falls vertically in a heavy line, allowing the garment worn beneath—usually formal dress or a long silk gown—to be glimpsed.
The cut is long, reaching almost to the ankle, and flares slightly outward, lending volume and movement. The back retains the simplicity of the form, while the velvet pile—worn down over time—attests to the garment’s age and extensive use. The gold embroidery on the reverse, near the waist, functions chiefly as a decorative accent rather than a structural element.
Such a coat would have been worn by women of the upper social strata or the educated urban bourgeoisie of Alaya, especially during the cold season, on feast days, for social visits, and when attending church. The luxury of its materials made it a component of the dowry, as well as a symbol of an urban way of life—far removed from the everyday dress practices of the countryside.
It is a rare example that captures the aesthetic coexistence of Eastern and European urban influences, combining Eastern-style gold embroidery with a European cut and materials of outstanding quality. It stands as one of the most compelling testimonies to the elegant, cosmopolitan character of the Greek Orthodox (Rum) communities of Asia Minor shortly before the uprooting.
It is exhibited at the Folklore Museum of KE.MI.PO., Municipality of Nea Ionia.
Kindly made available for photography by KE.MI.PO., Municipality of Nea Ionia.