You're looking at the world’s oldest woven linen garment called the Tarkhan Dress. At 5100 to 5500 years old, it dates to the dawn of the kingdom of Egypt. After it was found in the early 1900s, archeologists have concluded that it signals the complexity and wealth of the ancient society that produced it. The rips at the bottom of the garment also suggests that it probably fell past the knees originally.

A handful of garments of similar age have survived to the present day, but those were simply wrapped or draped around the body. The Tarkhan dress, on the other hand, is ancient haute couture. With its tailored sleeves, V-neck, and narrow pleats, it would look perfectly at home in a modern department store. ...