Miao Cotton Festival Jacket

Black from collar to hem, with all its color saved for the shoulders.

This festival jacket is Miao (Hmong), from Guizhou Province, China, and dates to the 20th century. It is woven and appliqued cotton. Miao women in Guizhou make jackets with bands of embroidery or applique at the shoulders and neckline, and the pattern often differs from one community to the next. The body here is a dense, near-black cloth. The shoulders carry panels of magenta and violet stitching, and a long, narrow strip of fine work descends the front opening. Indigo shows at the cuffs and lining. It is 51 inches wide and 37 long.

Plain on the outside and well dressed at the margins.