The Afghan Dress

The Afghan Dress 

I had imagined taking these photographs for a long time and was waiting for the right wintery mix.   

It has been unusually snowy and cold here in St. Louis and you may have heard of the polar vortex affecting our region this winter.  So as school was cancelled and we were all cooped up inside, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to step into the backyard and take some self portraits.  I set up my camera on a tripod and enlisted my daughter to operate the shutter.  She loves creative projects as much as I do.  She also wanted to make sure that I give her credit for this in my post.  Thank you, my dear daughter!  You are amazing.  

So, let’s talk about this beautiful dress.  It is a traditional afghan dress adorned with beads, coins, and colorful accents.  Worn on special occasions such as weddings, it is a prized possession on any afghan girl.  My mom, for example, made her dress by hand with the help of all her girlfriends right before her marriage to my dad.  She was given precious coins to sew into the dress as her gift from her father’s home.  These coins travel through generations of women this way.  Other parts of the dress, such as the end of the sleeves or the chest area, are meticulously hand embroidered using colorful thread or yarn.  Green is a color that is usually worn by brides as it represents youth, fertility, and new life.  Young girls spend hours and days making these pieces and eventually assemble them into a beautiful dress.  Each one is different and each one is precious.  

Share your thoughts with me and let me know what you think of these images.