This unusual jacket is based on European military styles or riding habits, although obviously intended for quite a small Nepalese woman. The materials used are also far from the usual military conventions, combining European patterned velvets with elaborate cuffs, epaulettes and front panels heavily embroidered with seed pearls, sequins and gold-wrapped thread. Western dress uniforms contributed a great deal to formal wear in northern India and Nepal during the later nineteenth century, with many hybrid garments coming into vogue at the Indian and Nepalese courts. This little jacket is an example of just such a garment, looking more like a piece of theatrical costume than something worn by a young courtier in Kathmandu in the 1850s.