Trousers

These voluminous trousers are of a type worn by women in some of the Zoroastrian communities in Iran. Fine blue cotton that can be easily gathered has been used to form the upper part of the garment, and it reappears at the bottom of each leg, where it is gathered into a narrow cuff at the ankle. In between a strong blue cotton has been used that is coarser and more hardwearing, but less suitable for gathering.

Coloured strips of fine cotton embroidered with a lace-like pattern in red and white and in red and black have been sewn together and then attached to the coarse cotton legs. The seams between the strips have been disguised by red or black silk threads that have been laid along them and stitched in place with white silk through both thicknesses of fabric. The small rosettes within the lace pattern were also embroidered through both thicknesses.

Strips of block-printed cotton have been used on the inside of each leg, partly because printing was cheaper than embroidery and that part of the trousers would not been seen. Also, the inner leg is subjected to much wear and tear and printed fabric would have been cheaper to replace. If you look at the black strip to the right of the printed one, you will see that a patch of plain black cotton has been sewn on top of the lower part because the lower part of the embroidery has worn thin and has torn in places.