PARIS – A redheaded horsewoman in a flowing, made-to-measure Islamic gown atop a snorting steed opened what can only be deemed Paris’ most unusual fashion show of late.
The display, a sumptuous affair held Thursday at the French capital’s George V Hotel, showcased haute couture abayas, the body-covering black robes some Muslim women don over their clothing in public and required in Saudi Arabia. They are usually accompanied by a headscarf and can be worn with a niqab, a face veil covering all but the eyes.
Designers who tried their hand at making over the abaya included Christian Dior’s artistic director John Galliano, French luxury labels Nina Ricci and Jean Claude Jitrois and Italian houses Blumarine and Alberta Feretti.
The show began with a bang, as the carrot-topped cavaliere – decked out in a Galliano-designed abaya exploding with firework of colored sequins and dangling fringe – rode her mount into the hotel’s subterranean salon.
Twenty models followed on foot, wearing abayas heavy with rhinestones or airy in gauzy fabrics.
“I realized that most of the Saudi clients are wearing designer brands, but they’re covered by a black abaya,” said the show’s organizer, Dania Tarhini, general manager of Saks Fifth Avenue in Saudi Arabia. “It is an obligation to wear the abaya there, but let them feel good about it.”
The timing of the Paris show was propitious: Four days earlier, French President Nicolas Sarkozy struck a nerve in the Muslim world by declaring that full-body veils such as the burqa are “not welcome” in France, saying they make women prisoners. A top Muslim group in Britain called Sarkozy “patronizing and offensive.” Lebanon’s most influential Shiite cleric called on Sarkozy to reconsider his comments.
Tarhini, a striking brunette of Lebanese origin who’s lived in Saudi Arabia for the past seven years, acknowledged “it wasn’t easy” to convince designers to take part in the project.
At first, “they couldn’t imagine how to make a designer abaya,” she told The Associated Press in an interview. “I explained to them the concept is to (make women) look good and also to promote their brands …. Then they accepted.”
Tarhini said the initial batch of made-to-measure abayas – worth between €4,000-€8,000 ($5,500-$11,150) – would be given as presents to Saks’ most faithful Saudi clients.
Ready-to-wear versions of the robes by the 21 designers featured in the Paris show are expected to go on sale in Saks stores the Saudi Arabian cities of Jeddah and Riyadh in September. The gowns, which are to retail for €1,800 ($2,500), could later be sold in the store’s branches in neighboring Bahrain and Dubai, Tarhini said.
Saks’ senior vice president for international business ventures, David Pilnick, said the project aims to build bridges between cultures.
“In countries like Saudi Arabia they have to wear these plain, very conservative garments and that’s not going to change, so it’s nice to have fashion,” he said in an interview after the show.
Most of the gowns on display Thursday adhered to standards considered appropriate for wear in Saudi Arabia: All were black, most were floor-length and many had a built-in head covering or matching veil.
The few translucent models, like a bell-sleeved gown embroidered with white and yellow flowers by Venezuelan designer Carolina Herrera, were meant to be worn over evening gowns, Tarhini said.
“Everybody’s waiting for a change in a good way,” Tarhini said. Some women in Saudi Arabia “don’t want to feel obliged (to wear the abaya). They want to wear it to look fashionable, as well.”
Associated Press – June 26, 2009
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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posted June 26, 2009 at 7:37 pm
Better, I think, to get rid of the government that requires people to wear such things. And of the idea Islam requires such coverings; since a lot of Muslim women don’t wear them I presume it’s not a requirement of the religion.
But, better still to get rid of that, too. Free your mind as well as your body.
posted June 26, 2009 at 9:13 pm
Worth a try…some will sell, some won’t.
posted June 26, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Anything to make a splash and an honest buck!
posted June 27, 2009 at 5:38 am
This is off topic but the topic of the article is not very interesting.
Be sure to read Charles Blow’s Op Ed NYT piece on conservative/Republican hypocrisy. In particular check out the graphic that ranks states highest to lowest on Divorce Rates, Teenage Birth Rates and Subscriptions to Online Porn (suitably adjusted). In every case the red states dominate the tops of the lists. Conclusion: despite their claims to high morality, in fact conservatives can’t handle basic moral issues nearly as well as liberals.
Sorry cknuck, y’all suck.
posted June 27, 2009 at 5:54 am
On the other hand, Roger Cohen’s OP Ed piece is right on topic. It’s about women in Iran and how they are front and center in the demonstrations and how they also helped revolt against the Shah (our Dictator-for-Hire) but then lost their rights when the religious leaders subjugated them.
So pardon me if I don’t see anything “charming” about thousands of dollars for articles of subjugation.
posted June 27, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Well said nnmns. Anway they might wear designer clothes under their stifling black material so they can all wear them to coffee hour with other women and compare their outfits, but what good is that if you are not a Lesbian?? It’s the men you want to impress in the heterosexual world of fashion. The equally stifling men who won’t allow them to wear clothes like a human being, would not allow them to wear robes in color, emblazoned with sequins and beads either, unless it was with other women or them. Such craziness! I watched an Iranian man once in a dept. store being shown all the black dresses for his wife, I suggested since I was near that maybe grey would nice. He looked at me, and said it isn’t dark enough. Poor wife got another black dress.
posted June 27, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Thanks for posting the 2 websites. The one on Iran and it’s brave women…Wow!
posted June 27, 2009 at 2:59 pm
The Muslim movement in France is very interesting we should pay close attention to what is happening there as the Muslim population grow after all the predictions include the U.S.
posted June 27, 2009 at 7:30 pm
I’m sure we have many Muslims here in the US, cknuck, and may get more. I’ve seen some of the women at one of our malls, with their children. They wear either just a head scarf or some wear Western clothing, but are fully covered. Seen no face coverings. I have no problem with whatever they want to wear. I don’t think our country would be inclined to forbid a woman from wearing the traditional full Muslim coverings. IMO that would be interfering with a religious tradition. I would hope the Muslim women who live here would be wearing full covering by choice, but one never knows.
posted June 27, 2009 at 10:22 pm
I agree pagan but the situation in France is that Muslims are predicted to out populate all other citizens, some say purposely.
posted June 28, 2009 at 4:32 am
If I were French that might well be of concern to me. I’d want the Muslims to be comfortably invested in French society, which I think too many are not. The large number of Muslims in France is a result of French colonialism in Algeria and of allowing the Algerians French citizenship as I understand it; I could easily be wrong, it’s been a long time since I read much about that.
posted June 28, 2009 at 12:20 pm
cknuck, I’m sure the French are concerned with the Muslim population “taking over” the country. Valid? I don’t know that much about it. However, how is forbiding the covering going to stop that? Force the women to wear modern clothes? Talk about control! Perhaps the French should consider having more children per family.:o)
posted June 28, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Just conceivably denying the burqa would make some Muslims decide to go to where they could dress as they feel the woman is supposed to. It might serve as a filter to keep the more sensible ones and send a few of the conservative ones away. I have no idea if that’s any part of the motivation for doing it.
posted June 28, 2009 at 3:32 pm
France is a small country and would probably like to keep their physical and mental image as French people. I think what they object to the most is the ideology that accompanies wearing Abeyas. They most not compromise what they are known as, frenchman.
posted June 28, 2009 at 10:51 pm
And speaking of Muslims and America, I just came across this shocking article about a lot of people, including high ranking officers, in our military in Afghanistan and Iraq waging war against Islam. There is no surer way to make enemies of the Islamic world than to let these crazies represent us. We knew there are problems with religious radicals in the military; it sounds like there may be major problems.
posted June 29, 2009 at 8:10 pm
nnmns:
Thanks for the reference to the article on our “Christian ” troops, in the Army. Why is it so important to be a CHRISTIAN ???? Not a great way to make friends and influence people. All religions are created equal…if one must have a belief in something not provable.
posted June 30, 2009 at 8:09 pm
pagan and nnmns you both amaze me, look through enough stuff and you will find something to attack Christians with and it gives you both a lot of joy.
posted July 1, 2009 at 4:36 pm
The soldiers, cknuck, Christian ones or any other religion, have no business promoting religion in the country (S) they are stationed in. They are usually there to fight/protect/occupy or whatever in the countries they are in, but not preach or give out Bibles,Qurans or whatever other religious book they have. In this case, giving Bibles to Muslims isn’t exacty “kosher” or smart. If a Muslim wants to convert, they’ll find a way.
)
As to the Abaya, those with money will buy special ones or not…and maybe even adopt Western clothing after getting a taste of overly priced clothes, in the form of the special, decorated Abaya’s. Maybe, cknuck, they’ll even become Christians.
posted August 1, 2009 at 1:22 pm
ALLAH THE ALMIGHTY IS ALREADY ON EARTH !!!
The sigh of His arrival: A face in the sky video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_OAauYfPwE
For details:
Please stop in http://manaalmahdi.wordpress.com
Please refer to someone incharge fitted whatever doctrine you are.
This is an exceptionally distinguished essence fitted all mankind.
Thanks,
Krulayar
posted August 11, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Video update: english version
The sign of The Almighty’s arrival: A face in the sky video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIsZ9bXqhxA