This pair of red patola trousers contains an eight star pattern enclosed in a square, a popular Indian trade pattern that was widely copied in the Indonesian archipelago. Its cuffs contain metallic embroidery, matching the accompanying jacket. Patola silks were made in Gujarat, and utilized a resist-dye method on the threads; the cloth’s pattern was only visible after it had been weaved. They were highly prized in the Javanese courts, and were only occasionally tailored into trousers for the aristocracy. This piece is part of a set of Javanese aristocratic dress, and includes a dodot, a European style military jacket, a cotton belt, and hats; it is representative of cross-cultural Javanese court dressing in the 20th century.
