New obsession - cloud collars

Persian cloud collar, 15th century.

I haven't posted in a while because I've been doing pretty much nothing on the creative side. I made some brooches for their Maj's and some other random odds and ends but no heavy research and minimal ceramic painting. Well, right until Tamar asked me what I wanted to wear for my Pel ceremony. Frankly I hadn't given it much thought because saying 'sure' was a hard enough decision. Then I got to thinking, maybe I should wear Indian, because it's unusual and hell, it's not often you get to drape yourself in all your best garb and parade around Then I thought, maybe Persian,  because you know, pants.

So I started researching both and fell down a minor rabbit hole called cloud collars. Seems like they were something the Chinese had been doing their garb for quite some time but it also features in middle eastern art of the time as well as turning up in Indian manuscripts. The illusive images I'm hunting are from the time of the sultinate. The images that feature both Indian and Persian ladies in different poses and types of garb.

Anyhoo, while I hunt for them, I keep getting distracted by these collars. I've only seen them on one other sca-er and he was wearing Mongolian at the time. I'm thinking it might be a nice pun on my newly registered name Ant Blowme (pronouced bloom) of Saint-Cloud.

I have a little pinterest collection started up for cloud collours, timurid designs and other related items but a basic run down is as follows:

Cloud collars are an embroidered gold design on a long tunic like outfit that buttons down the front. It typicaly is lined in a darker fabric and has a turned collar. The tunic can feature long (past the wearers hands) fitted sleeves or shorter wider sleeves. The short sleeves may also feature embroidery. Both short sleeve and long sleeve garments were worn over a similar undergarment of a striking and contrasting colour. I'm not sure yet if the embroidery is appliqued on or applied to the fabric directly. There are very few extant cloud collars from this time period but it's not clear if the original garment was made from the same piece of cloth. The following image, Visit to a Dervish, contains a selection of men wearing both cloud collars and non decorated garb as well as long and short sleeves. The colours indicate the cloud collars were made of the same colour fabric of applied directly.

 

Visit to a Dervish. 1560-1561.  Christies, Sale 6622, lot 12.

Spikey and small, point just reaches point of shoulder	Short matching sleeves, more vine like. Drops just onto arm
Small collar and chest (not waist lobe). Also, wear it like a straight jacket!	Dark lining for sleeves and collar but additional plane lining? Circular collar
Extra lobes down to the belt, collar extends to mid arm. Embroidered sleeve guy has no collar.	Paired buttons, wide collar, lining dark but not contrasting.
Slightly cloud like, long sleeve	Two lobes to belly button, very child drew a cloud shape