Vest (yelekkin)

Double-breasted vest with a standing collar. The front consists of four pieces of imported purple silk fabric with a bouquet of two red flowers with yellow stems and small leaves, and larger leaves in green. The vest has a small triangular opening on the chest and fastens diagonally on the left side with a black cord. All the openings are adorned with soutache. At the edge of the front opening, there is a series of loops made of cord, forming a festoon pattern. At each arm opening, a little below the shoulder, there is a decorative black tassel. The right side features an internal pocket with soutache at the opening. The bottom of the pocket is triangular. The outline of the pocket as a whole is emphasised with a double row of stitches, as are also the seams that join the pieces of fabric forming the front part of the garment. The back is a single piece of striped woollen fabric, with alternating brown and olive green stripes, accentuated by a herringbone pattern in olive green and beige. The back of the waistcoat is 10 cm shorter than the front, an interesting design feature also observed in other Cypriot waistcoats. The back has a central vertical opening and soutache loops. It is drawn tight with ribbons in red and blue. The collar is decorated with a double zigzag and is finished with soutache and double cord joined lengthways in the centre. The vest is lined with white fabric.   Dimensions: Front height 49 cm., back height 39 cm., width 43 cm.   Donation: N. Triantafyllou. Purchased for 4.50 Cypriot pounds.