BAMBOO GARMENTS

Arresting examples of a thermal undergarment from the 18^th-19^th centuries. Fashioned from cut sections of the finest bamboo and strung together with cotton threading. Bamboo coats and vests were conceived to protect an overlayer garment from body oils, and, to be worn as insulation between layers of garments, the network of bamboo creating an air pocket that trapped body heat in the winter and permitted air circulation in the warmer months.

BAMBOO JACKET     #1111-0030     $4,100.

BAMBOO VEST     #1111-5230     $2,900.

BAMBOO VEST     #1111-5220     $1900.

Bamboo garments in good condition with original trims and ties are rare- the finest examples are held in museums and private collections. Interestingly, a similar jacket was offered by Christie’s New York in its sale ‘The Imperial Wardrobe: Fine Chinese Costume and Textiles from the Linda Wrigglesworth Collection’, March 19, 2008, lot 125. It made US $8,125 against an estimate of US $4,000-6,000.

Bamboo undergarments date back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and were worn until the beginning of 20th century in China, particularly in Southern China. Although primarily worn by court officials in the Qing Dynasty beneath elaborate silk robes and wedding costumes, these garments are also known to have been worn in Korea, Japan “ase tori”, and the SE Asia Straits Chinese settlements- the babas and nyonyas of what is now Malaysia and Singapore.