How to Dress Like an Ottoman

Adornments—fur lining, gold applique, beads, and leather—layered the costumes that members of the imperial court used to draw attention to their status, and that members of the many ethnic groups comprising the empire used to display their heritage. “When he placed the identical fez on all officials and allowed only a select few, such as the grand vizier, to wear headgear with a distinguishing feature, he laid claim to a new kind of sultanic control,” wrote Ottoman historian Donald Quataert in the International Journal of Middle East Studies in 1997. The illustrations from the costume book below are just a snapshot of the many regions and cultures comprising the Ottoman Empire at this time.

Source: www.atlasobscura.com