The Parsees drive the finest Arab steeds, but on their equipages
there is a more lavish display of ornament than we should deem quite
in accordance with good taste. The same is true in regard to personal
decoration. They wear immense quantities of costly jewelry, and nearly
all their garments are of silk, generally richly embroidered in gold,
and often with the addition of precious stones. Even little children
wear only silk, infants from the very first being wrapped in long,
loose robes of plain white silk that are gradually displaced by others
more elaborate and costly; while the toilette of a Parsee lady in full
evening-dress is often of the value of a hundred thousand rupees (or
forty-five thousand dollars). The female costume consists of silk or
cotton skirts gathered full round the waist, and long, loose robes
of silk, lace or muslin, all more or less decorated according to the
wealth of the wearer. The dress of the men is composed of trousers and
shirts of white or colored silk and long caftans of muslin, with the
addition of a fanciful little scarf fringed at the ends, and worn
jauntily across one shoulder and under the other arm. Their caps are
made of pasteboard covered with gay-colored silk, embroidered and
studded with precious stones or pearls. The form of a Parsee's shirt
is a matter of vital importance, both in regard to respectability and
religion. It must have five seams, neither more nor less, and be made
to lap on the breast exactly in a certain way.
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