Bindalli Wedding Dress

Worn for weddings and other occasions by Muslim and Jewish women in the Balkans and Anatolia, bindalli (bindallı in Turkish) dresses were typically made of velvet in deep jewel tones, such as this purple velvet. They were decorated with extensive gold embroidery in a style called dival, which employed the floral designs which give this group of dresses their name, bindalli, meaning thousand branches. The round neck, front opening, dropped shoulders and full sleeves seen here are typical of bindalli dresses. This example has particularly extensive gold embroidery almost completely covering the dress fabric, with large scale blossoms, chains, tassels and other motifs coming together to create a bold and striking embroidered design. Popular among women of different economic classes, bindalli dresses vary in the extent of their embroidery; this example would have been made for a woman from a wealthy family.