Embroidered silk-velvet Chapan from Tashkent- Purple

This breath-taking garment is called a Chapan and this one comes from Uzbekistan, specifically from Tashkent, the capital city. It is a traditional robe that is heavily embroidered (by machine, I imagine) and comes with a tie in the front. This one is done is a deep purple silk-velvet and lined in a black fabric, featuring the intricate silver embroidery in a quasi soutache pattern, but sometimes much finer than that. Really this is quite a versatile piece. You can wear it as an elegant light evening coat for the opera, as a fancy topper or as a robe for lounging around the house. It is a stunning piece. These come in one size, have no pockets or self belt-- but they can be be worn belted (BYOB- bring your own belt!). I have never worn this one. It is a work of art! You can see the purple velvet changes a bit with the light and sometimes appears more violet than purple.