Fashion and Clothing in the Qajar Era: Reflections of Identity, Power, and Western Influence
- themuseumoftime
- Nov 20
- 6 min read
The Qajar period represents one of the most significant chapters in the history of Iranian clothing. During this era, garments were not merely functional means of covering the body but also powerful symbols of social identity, class distinction, and cultural transformation. As Iran’s contact with Europe expanded, fashion began to change as well, resulting in a fascinating fusion of tradition and modernity within Iranian attire.
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Women’s Fashion and Clothing in the Qajar Period
Women’s garments in the Qajar era were a world of texture, color, and layered elegance. A typical outfit began with a long dress of cotton or shimmering silk, soft against the skin and often patterned with delicate floral prints. Over this, women wore a short, fitted jacket or vest, its edges embroidered with metallic threads that caught the light as they moved. Beneath it all were the famously wide trousers, bright, billowing, and full of personality. In some regions, a short, flared skirt was slipped over the trousers, adding an extra layer of movement and charm.
Hair was usually braided, sometimes in two thick plaits, sometimes in several narrow ones, and then covered with a silk scarf or a flowing chador that framed the face. For formal gatherings, weddings, celebrations, visits to the royal court, women adorned themselves with small decorative hats, perched lightly atop their scarves, adding a touch of sophistication.
These garments were never plain. They were alive with creativity: embroidered roses blooming across sleeves, sequins shimmering like tiny stars, and mirror work glinting with every step. The colors were bold and confident, deep reds, turquoise blues, saffron yellows, each piece reflecting not just fashion, but a sense of identity and joy that defined the era’s feminine aesthetics.
Another detail that stands out (especially when looking at Qajar portrait paintings) is the delicate lace that often trimmed women’s garments. Lace was not as common in everyday dress, but in formal portraits, it became a symbol of refinement and status. You can see it framing the edges of sleeves, peeking out from under embroidered jackets, or forming intricate collars that softened the bold shapes of Qajar fashion.
Painters of the era loved lace. They highlighted every tiny loop and floral pattern, letting it fall like soft white clouds against richly colored fabrics. In many portraits, the lace appears almost weightless, as if a gentle breeze could lift it from the sitter’s shoulders. Sometimes it was imported, sometimes handmade, but always treated as something precious. These lace details created a striking contrast with the vibrant silks, metallic embroidery, and mirror work, adding a layer of delicacy to the powerful visual identity of Qajar women.
In paintings, this lace wasn’t just decoration; it helped shape how women were remembered. It softened their posture, framed their faces with light, and emphasized the elegance and dignity that Qajar artists loved to capture.
Men’s Fashion and Clothing in the Qajar Period
Courtly men of the Qajar era dressed with a restrained yet unmistakable grandeur. Their robes (labadeh and the long, sweeping qaba) were tailored from velvets so deep they seemed to drink the light, or brocades woven with subtle gold threads that glimmered when they moved. These garments flowed gracefully, giving their posture a quiet authority. Beneath them, their trousers were deliberately plain and dark, secured with a soft fabric belt. The simplicity of the trousers only made the richness of the upper garments more striking.
On ceremonial occasions, a sword or dagger rested at their side, not out of necessity, but as a mark of lineage, honor, and the long-standing etiquette of the court.
And atop it all stood the tall felt Qajar hat. In portraits of the era, these hats rise like pillars of authority. They were symbols of masculinity, dignity, and rank, an instant signifier of one’s place in the social order. To wear one was to step into a role, to carry oneself as a man of the court, bound by tradition yet wrapped in elegance.
But the Shah (The King), he was a world of his own.
The king’s garments were crafted not just to be worn, but to be seen. His robes were often covered in elaborate embroidery, dense with gold and silver thread, forming gardens of pattern across the fabric. Jewels (emeralds, diamonds, rubies) were stitched into collars or sewn into belts, sparkling under candlelight and reflecting the power concentrated in his figure. His coats were richly lined with fur, giving weight and presence to his silhouette as he moved through palaces and audience halls.
The Shah’s headgear elevated him even further, literally and symbolically. While courtly men wore tall felt hats, the Shah’s crown and ceremonial caps were extravagantly decorated with gems, feathers, and metalwork. Each piece declared sovereignty, wealth, and divine favor. In some portraits, the king’s garments seem almost too radiant for the canvas, as if the artist struggled to capture the shimmer of every thread and stone.
Altogether, Qajar men (especially those of the court) dressed not merely to cover the body, but to express identity, hierarchy, and the pageantry of a world where clothing spoke as boldly as words.
Transformation of Fashion and Western Influence
From the reign of Naser al-Din Shah onward, a quiet but unmistakable shift began to unfold in Iranian fashion. As the Shah himself traveled to Europe and returned with tales of Parisian salons, glittering theaters, and modern photography studios, Western aesthetics slowly seeped into the urban wardrobe. Women in cities like Tehran and Tabriz started experimenting with new silhouettes: puffy dresses with layered skirts, fitted bodices that hinted at the European corset, and delicate blouses with lace-trimmed collars that felt completely different from traditional garments.
These changes did not happen overnight. They drifted into society almost like whispers, first through the royal court, then through aristocratic households, and eventually into the wider public. Photography played a remarkable role in this cultural exchange. With the rise of portrait studios, families had their photographs taken wearing the latest fashions, capturing not just their likenesses but their aspirations. Each photograph was a small window into Europe, a visual message of what elegance could look like across continents.
Magazines, imported fabrics, and even illustrated catalogues found their way into Iran, offering new patterns, sleeve shapes, and ways of draping fabric. Little by little, wardrobes grew more eclectic. Traditional garments remained, but now they lived side by side with ruffled sleeves, cinched waists, and skirts that swayed with a distinctly European rhythm.
This era marked the beginning of a fascinating blend, a moment when Iranian fashion began to weave foreign influences into its own rich textile traditions, giving rise to styles that felt modern and yet uniquely local.
Clothing in Qajar photography
Studio portraits from the Qajar era are among the most important visual sources for understanding the clothing styles of the time. As photography spread through Iran (first within the royal court and later among urban families) it captured people in their finest attire, preserving details that written descriptions often overlooked. In these carefully arranged studio photos, every fold of fabric, every piece of jewelry, and every embroidered motif becomes a clue to the era’s aesthetic world.
The photographs taken during and after the time of Naser al-Din Shah, who personally encouraged the art of photography, offer remarkably clear insights into how people dressed, posed, and presented themselves. Fine silks, brocaded coats, lace trims, and layered garments appear with striking precision under the camera’s still gaze. Even the textures of hats, belts, and veils can be studied frame by frame.
These studio portraits do more than document fashion, they reveal aspirations, social roles, and the subtle blending of Iranian and Western influences. Thanks to these photographs, the clothing of the Qajar era lives on not just as memory or description, but as vivid, tangible evidence of a transformative period in Iranian material culture.
Conclusion
Qajar-era fashion reflects a dynamic intersection of tradition, identity, and emerging global influence. Through its layered garments, intricate embellishments, and gradual incorporation of Western styles, it reveals how Iranian society navigated continuity and change during a transformative historical period. Thanks to the preservation of studio photography and surviving textiles, the visual language of Qajar clothing remains accessible today, offering scholars and designers a tangible connection to the past. Ultimately, the fashion of this era stands not only as a cultural artifact but as an enduring source of inspiration, demonstrating the adaptability and richness of Iranian artistic expression.
author: The Museum of Time, Banafsheh Mehrparvar
20 November 2025, lastest update
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