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Originally Posted by Monalisa
Thanks abir for the nice pictures of the circassian dresses and the informations.
I don't exclue that the moroccan traditionnal dresses got many influences from other cultures,but the thing which does from it what they are now is the specificity of the moroccan culture,so you can't find the same dresses in the closer countries for example algeria or tunisia,the "takchitas" are a specificity for morocco.
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You are welcome Monalisa.
Yes, it does exist kaftans similar to Moroccan dress. Maybe the word Kaftan is used in Arab countries (also circassian, turkish ... ) but the details of the dress itself was used in different cultures in Asia, Middle East and Africa. The Kaftan is defined as "a long loose piece of clothing, usually with a belt at the waist, worn by men in Arab countries, a woman's long loose dress with long wide sleeves".
So apart from
the actual influence of the "Moroccan dress" on fashion, I wouldn't consider it's the only inspiration of the designers, since embroidery, sleeves, edges of the kaftan have long history, and still used in different costumes in the world, so it's not unique of the Moroccan dress.
Embroidery
Embroidery and most other fiber and needlework arts are believed to originate in Asia and the Middle East. Embroidery and the embellishment of clothing is certainly a time consuming practice which necessitates that there be actual time to do it. For groups of humans living in marginal areas, subsistence would take precedence over leisure activities. For humans living in areas in which subsistence was much easier, there was time to develop the art. Initially, it may have all started as a way to enhance and, at the same time strengthen seams.
In 1964, a Cro-Magnon hunter's fossilized remains were found at a dig in Sungir near Vladimir, Russia, dating to 30,000 B.C. His fur clothing, boots and hat were heavily decorated with hand stitched horizontal rows of ivory beads. This example would seem to indicate that the idea of couching; whether it was bits of something or a cord of some type, has been around for at least as long as embroidery itself.
Chinese bead embroidery in Siberia, dating from between 5000 and 6000 B.C., include elaborately drilled shells stitched with decorative designs onto animal hides. Mosaics of Byzantium, 500 A.D., depict embroidery of clothing with silk thread, precious stones and pearls. It is possible the Chinese thread embroidery from 3500 B.C. was the origin of thread embroidery, as we know it today. Historical documents record the use of embroidery in China as early as 2255 B.C.
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from
http://www.vertetsable.com/demos_bigfive.htm