unconventional alternate source for tunics and clothing

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ineffableone
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unconventional alternate source for tunics and clothing

Post by ineffableone »

So I am sure most of us have seen pretty much all the different places to buy tunics and other period clothing. There is a repetition of the same clothes from just a few different manufactures sold in many places and so not much variety. Not to mention pricing can be a bit high some times for something you wont be wearing regularly.

While living in AZ I had a friend, an oldschool Punk turned Muslim, who turned me on to some of the Muslim clothing. Many of which could easily be used for period looking clothing, but still be high quality and good materials. Some have buttons or snaps, but there are plenty with lacing or other more period closures, or none at all.

A Thobe is the very long ankle length robe like tunics.

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Shalwar Kameez are knee to shin length tunics. (be sure to search for "Men's" as the name is the same for men or women and women's has a lot more search results)

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The Islamic pants too make for some decent period wear.
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Just an out of the box suggestion for folks looking to find clothing. But are tired of the same old offerings that seem made as costume pieces rather than daily wear clothing. Also there are a lot more choices of embroidered and decorated versions, especially from India or Pakistan where they tend towards flashier clothes. Toss a belt around these Muslim outfits and they start looking like tunics from Medieval days.

Here is a good site to get an idea of the different pieces and pricing http://www.alhannah.com/islamic_clothin ... tfits.html though there are tons of others including ebay or Amazon. Something nice is the prices are very reasonable, $20-$30 is pretty normal for most of these, even for some more ornate ones, and there are plenty under $20 too that are less ornate. So shop around and you might be able to pick up some basic kit clothing for pretty cheep. And of course if your in a urban enough place to have a good Muslim population, you can even go find some shops and check them out in person and try them on.
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wulfgar
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Re: unconventional alternate source for tunics and clothing

Post by wulfgar »

I have been to Egypt and I brought something similar back. I wear it occasionally when it's hot and it's very comfortable. The only issue I see is the material that most of these are made of, the shirt I have is very thin and wouldn't last long in the woods. My personal preference is linen and wool. What I am really interested in is the wool blend oversize shawl that listed near the bottom of the page. The wool pakol hats are neat too.
http://www.alhannah.com/products/me434.html
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ineffableone
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Re: unconventional alternate source for tunics and clothing

Post by ineffableone »

wulfgar wrote:I have been to Egypt and I brought something similar back. I wear it occasionally when it's hot and it's very comfortable. The only issue I see is the material that most of these are made of, the shirt I have is very thin and wouldn't last long in the woods. My personal preference is linen and wool. What I am really interested in is the wool blend oversize shawl that listed near the bottom of the page. The wool pakol hats are neat too.
http://www.alhannah.com/products/me434.html
There are wool versions of the "tunics" for colder months. That is just one site I posted as an example, there are tons of others with lots of other variety.
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Kortoso
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Re: unconventional alternate source for tunics and clothing

Post by Kortoso »

Haha, I just found this.

When I was in the USN, we visited Karachi and I bought one of these outfits just for laughs. I think I still have the shirt.

Great idea!
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ineffableone
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Re: unconventional alternate source for tunics and clothing

Post by ineffableone »

Kortoso wrote:Haha, I just found this.

When I was in the USN, we visited Karachi and I bought one of these outfits just for laughs. I think I still have the shirt.

Great idea!
Glad to help inspire a little creative clothing use.
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Southwind
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Re: unconventional alternate source for tunics and clothing

Post by Southwind »

Went to India last summer, ended up wearing salwar kameez-es the whole time. Mine were cheap and not very attractive, but they were pretty comfortable and did well in the heat. When I got home, I looked for a pattern, thinking to make one in a nicer fabric for everyday use and maybe Ranger-ing, but didn't find one.
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deadextra
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Re: unconventional alternate source for tunics and clothing

Post by deadextra »

The cut of clothing over there hasn't really changed since early centuries AD. Another source is the indian Kurta which can be found with embroidered accents. They also tend to have more form fitting sleeves which is the style of European cultures opposed to the straight sleeves on the middle eastern garments.
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