Manteau | aaarticle.com

The manteau is the long overcoat worn by women in modern Iran, the everyday garment that, with a headscarf, meets the country's public dress code. From loose and plain to fitted and fashionable, it is the canvas of contemporary Iranian street style.

Overview

A manteau (from the French for coat) is a front-opening coat reaching from a long, loose form to, in fashion, a shorter and more tailored one, worn over trousers or leggings with a headscarf (roosari). It covers the body and arms while leaving the face and hands free.

How it is worn

It is put on like a coat over ordinary clothes and worn buttoned or open with a scarf, its length, cut, and colour ranging from the plain and dark for formal or official settings to the bright, embroidered, and close-fitting for everyday fashion. It is the main way Iranian women express dress sense in public.

History

The manteau came into general use after the 1979 revolution made public head-and-body covering a legal requirement, replacing the older chador for many women with a coat-and-scarf that could follow fashion. It has since become a fast-changing field of design and quiet contest over how the rules are worn.