Girl's marriage costume

Ahir people, Gujarat, India

Collected and donated by John Gillow in 1981; 1981.16.5This girl's marriage bodice, choli, is a backless shirt of heavily embroidered and mirrored red cotton. Marriage clothing has embroidered motifs to bring the wearer luck and protection. This costume is worn with a shawl, odhni, made of machine-printed or black printed cloth edged in mushru, a warp-faced satin weave.

The mirrors sewn into the costume are to protect the wearer from the Evil Eye, while the colour red is associated with marriage. This outfit would have formed part of the dowry given to a girl from her bridegroom's family once her engagement was arranged and is worn on special occasions throughout her life, the backless structure allowing it to adapt to her changing size and body shape. The bride may also have received from her family gifts of silver anklets, jewellery, clothing and household items, which constitute the property she takes with her upon her transition to a new family. Embroidered outfits such as this would have taken a long time to produce so today, luxury goods may form the greater part of the dowry.