Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2009 - 36

Figure 4. The loose fit of Karzai's piran
tunban and the length of the piran are visible
during a walk with President George Bush in
this 2006 photograph.
Photo credit: White House photo/Eric Draper.

Another element of clothing Karzai has
adopted from the West is his black leather
shoes. Karzai chooses to accessorize his
overall look with a more modern and
Western style shoe.
Karzai primarily wears brightly colored, striped chapan.
The colors of the stripes vary as do their width. Some are as
narrow as pinstripes. Karzai generally wears chapan dominated
by the color green; however, stripes of bright blue, yellow, red,
and white merge in a variety of combinations on his multiple
chapan. The color green is an important color in Islam. It is

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associated with nature and is incorporated into the flags of
countries where Muslims predominate. It is thought that the
Prophet Muhammad wore a green turban. Occasionally Karzai
wears chapan in more subdued colors. On a 2003 visit to Ottawa, Canada, Karzai wore a light brown chapan. It had no visible stripes and its slight surface texture suggests it may have
been constructed of wool.
To many observers in the developing world Karzai's clothing reveals his dedication to the country, but his adoption of a
Western-style suit coat speaks to the modern world where he is
appealing for financial and political support. Western clothing
forms are not entirely foreign to Afghanistan. by the end of the
nineteenth century, Western styles had already begun to appear
in the markets and began to replace more traditional clothing
forms (Gibbon 1999, 168). This was especially true in the larger cities such as Kabul. Karzai in his time abroad studying and
traveling would have become well acquainted with the business
uniform of the West, the suit. Karzai's finely- tailored suit coat is
visible beneath his chapan in figures 1 and 2. He favors darker
colored suit coats devoid of pattern that offer a strong contrast
to his brightly colored chapan.
Another element of clothing Karzai has adopted from the
West is his black leather shoes. Karzai chooses to accessorize
his overall look with a more modern and Western style shoe. His
finely crafted footwear includes both slip-on and lace-up styles.
Piran tunban make up the basis of Karzai's ensemble.
Piran refers to a long tunic that reaches to the knees; tunban
to wide, loose-fitting trousers held at the waist by a drawstring.
The combination of piran tunban is a staple throughout the villages of Afghanistan, but is especially prevalent in the south, a
region dominated by the Pashtun (Trebay 2002). This is the
only element of clothing Karzai wears on a regular basis that
reflects his own ethnicity.
Karzai's piran button in the style of western dress shirts.
In figure 4 Karzai's grey piran reaches to his knees and buttons
from the neck to the waist. Karzai wears piran with band collars (although collared styles are also popular in Afghanistan).
The loose fit and full cut of Karzai's tunban can be observed in
figure 4. (Note that President bush's trousers are quite narrow
in comparison.)
The simplicity and loose fit of the piran tunban coincide
with the Islamic belief that clothing for men should provide
ease of movement and project simplicity (Emadi 2005, 145).
The majority of Karzai's piran tunban are lightly colored. Figures 1 and 2 show Karzai in grey piran tunban. Occasionally
Karzai wears black piran tunban, which creates a dramatic silhouette when combined with his dark suit coats.
Although technically not a piece of clothing, Karzai's
beard is an important element of his overall appearance.
before being appointed and subsequently elected, images of
Karzai show him with a mustache, but no beard. Mustaches
are considered more fashionable among Afghani city dwellers;

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