Ensemble

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Not only is this banyan a good example of man's ornate leisure wear, but it also illustrates how fine dress silks from the previous century were recycled in the nineteenth century. This is evidenced in the style of the two pieces and the creases and piecing in the fabric, indicating it is from a former garment. Men were often depicted in portraits wearing banyans, for it made an illusion to a gentleman's high rank, general intellect, and social status.

The Costume Institute

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Costume Institute's collection of more than thirty-three thousand objects represents seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children, from the fifteenth century to the present.

Metropolitan Museum of Art