Saed News: We will take a look at Farah Pahlavi's collection of expensive outfits—clothes she bought with the people's money and flaunted. Stay with us.
Saed News Political Service Report: Farah Pahlavi, in an interview with Vogue Arabia, recalls that her tailors used to sew a blue thread into her clothes to help her conceive a son. The Parisian jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels was chosen to create the royal coronation collection, including a 150-carat emerald crown adorned with 1,541 gemstones from the imperial treasury. A replica of the crown is still displayed on a shelf in the queen's residence in Paris.
The Hermann Historica auction house in Munich, Germany, announced that the dress belonged to Farah Pahlavi’s (Diba’s) Iranian clothing collection. They also stated that they possess a letter from the Iranian Imperial Embassy dated 1975, confirming the authenticity of this silk gown.
Farah Diba commented on the dress, saying it was likely an early version of a gown she had gifted to someone years ago.
According to Farah Pahlavi, she wore the embroidered silk dress only once but later received a letter from a young girl in Eastern Europe who had become enamored with it.
Diba said she gifted the dress to the girl as a wedding gown and had a similar one custom-made for herself with a different design.
Farah Pahlavi entrusted the design of this dress, which blended Iranian textiles with modern fashion, to Keyvan Khosravani, drawing inspiration from Iranian handicrafts. The embroidery was done by a team of artisans, including Mahtab Nowrouzi, a blind Baluchi needleworker, who deviated from the traditional black and red embroidery of the time and used blue and gold threads instead.
Mahtab Nowrouzi passed away eight years ago.
The Hermann Historica auction house in Germany, known for auctioning valuable antiques, recently stirred controversy by selling Adolf Hitler’s hat and personal belongings of Eva Braun, Hitler’s wife. Many Jews and opponents of Nazi Germany protested, arguing that auctioning such items glorified a historical figure they consider one of Europe's most despised political figures and a war criminal.
This auction house had also sold a 19th-century American soldier’s medal, which sparked protests from U.S. political figures, including Ted Cruz.
Farah Diba married Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, in 1959 at the age of 20. Her wedding dress was designed by Yves Saint Laurent, who was then a 22-year-old working at Dior.
A large portion of the clothes belonging to the Shah, Farah, and other royal family members is still preserved in different parts of the palace. Two separate rooms are dedicated to their wardrobes—one for the Shah’s clothes and another for Farah’s.
The Shah’s wardrobe is located on the left staircase between the ground floor and the first floor of the palace. Several of the Shah’s and Farah’s garments, particularly those with embroidered decorations, are stored here.
In this room, there is an embroidered silk gown almost identical to the one auctioned in Germany. However, unlike the auctioned dress, which had blue and gray embroidery, this version features a blend of gold and gray embroidery. The gown is displayed on a mannequin, accompanied by an embroidered hat. Next to it stands a male mannequin dressed in the Shah’s suit, with an embroidered silk vest matching the colors and design of Farah’s dress—creating a coordinated look between their outfits.
According to Farah Pahlavi, when she gifted the blue embroidered gown to the Eastern European girl as a wedding dress, she had another one made for herself with a different design. It is possible that the dress on display in Niavaran Palace is the one she had made later. The overall design, including the embroidery on the collar, cuffs, and hem, closely resembles the auctioned dress, except for the color and pattern differences.
The Pahlavi family spent the last 11 years of their time in Iran living in Niavaran Palace. On January 16, 1979, the Shah and Farah departed Iran from this palace, marking a historic moment. Photographs and interviews with foreign journalists captured the scene as they descended the few steps of the palace, briefly addressed the press, and then left in separate helicopters bound for Mehrabad Airport, where they departed the country for good.
In the early days following the Shah’s departure and the victory of the revolution, the condition of the palaces, especially Niavaran Palace, was chaotic, and some items were looted. However, in later years, all remaining items in the palace—approximately 34,000 artifacts—were cataloged and placed under the supervision of the estate's administrator.
Some of the Shah and Farah’s garments, as well as those of other royal family members—such as the Shah’s mother, sisters, and children—are housed not in Niavaran Palace but in the Sa’dabad Palace Complex.
A few years ago, a museum dedicated to royal clothing was established in a two-story building near the entrance of Sa’dabad from Darband Street.
The first floor of the museum showcases historical clothing, particularly from the Qajar era and various Iranian ethnic groups, which are unrelated to the royal family. The second floor, however, exclusively displays the clothes of the Shah’s family, including Farah’s wedding dress, the Shah’s mother’s attire, and some of Ashraf Pahlavi’s outfits.
This museum also features several embroidered garments crafted by Baluchi women. These garments, worn by Farah and other royal family members at various events before the revolution, are well-documented in photographs. However, no dresses similar to the one auctioned in Germany can be found in this museum.
If any such garments exist in the Sa’dabad complex but are not on display, they would be stored in Mellat Palace’s archives, which was once a residence for the royal family. Access to this archive is strictly regulated, requiring official authorization from the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and the presence of estate administrators, security personnel, and other officials. Even the estate administrator cannot enter the archive alone.
The collection of embroidered garments for Farah and the Shah was designed by Keyvan Khosravani in collaboration with Mah Monir Jahanbani and stitched by skilled artisans.
The embroidery work on these garments was executed by approximately 80 women from Qasemabad Bamposht Village in Sistan and Baluchestan Province.
The idea of incorporating Iranian handicrafts and traditional arts into the queen’s wardrobe was an initiative aimed at revitalizing the country’s textile heritage. However, in reality, this effort did not significantly improve the lives of artisans, many of whom—especially female needleworkers—continued to struggle with poverty.
In recent years, renewed interest in embroidery has sparked efforts to create artistic pieces such as clothing, jewelry, and accessories, providing a modest boost to the livelihood of embroidery artisans.
A 2016 thesis by Mohammad Anvar Mollazai and Abdolbasir Hosseinbar, graduate students at Isfahan University of Art, examined the impact of embroidery on the economy of Baluchi women, particularly in Qasemabad Village. Their research stated:
"Embroidery is a historically significant and culturally defining art in Baluchistan. Almost all women and girls in Qasemabad Village, regardless of their health or physical condition, engage in this craft. However, despite their dedication, signs of poverty remain evident due to the dominant role of middlemen who exploit the industry."
Keyvan Khosravani was born in 1939 in Tehran and initially specialized in architecture. According to Wikipedia, he spent 13 years working to revive traditional Iranian textiles, including Esko silk, Qalamkar (block printing), Cheshm-Doozi of Isfahan, and Baluchi embroidery. Some of his designs are part of the permanent collection at the Paris Fashion Museum.
Although the initiative aimed to promote Iranian handicrafts, the actual living conditions of many artisans remained difficult.
The embroidered garments created for the Shah and Farah were crafted by Keyvan Khosravani and Mah Monir Jahanbani with the help of Baluchi women artisans from Qasemabad Bamposht Village.
