DEEP BLACK
Love the silhouette

“An abaya can be a very powerful fashion statement, because it is all-black. The challenge is to be creative within its inherent limitations. What you really have to work with is the elongated form.

It is only if you love the silhouette that you can actually translate it into a fashion statement.” That’s Michelle Desouza, a designer and artist, who is trying to reinvent one of the most traditional forms of clothing worn around the world today, and sell it to people who’ve never worn one in their lives. Just for the look of it.

“People stick to traditional styles when buying abayas, of course, because they have always been about tradition. But you rarely see ones that explore complex details like collars, hints of colour, changes in the silhouette. We have seen a few stylish injections recently because of exposure to the media and influences from designers in Dubai and Bahrain, but on a certain level nothing has really changed.”

So Michelle took the abaya and designed it. Think collars, lapels, necklines, Elizabethan-inspired embroidery, oriental styles, deep purples and reds. All that on something that is, at its most basic, a patch of black cloth. “The pity is that although an abaya can be incredibly elegant it hasn’t been explored to its fullest potential.”

Michelle didn’t start off as a designer of clothes, merely as a student and teacher of art. “I initially wanted to look up the abaya purely for its artistic appeal, and started to experiment with different cuts and forms. Fashion has always been inspired by the art of the time. Traditional art in the Middle East hasn’t really been studied as an influence on fashion. I wanted to tackle this issue by designing abayas that showed the influence of different periods of local art.”

“My first collection was created with what was locally available, commercial satin silk. The next one will explore pure silk, patterns, extremely constructed silhouettes and influences from India.”

And will traditional wearers actually be convinced to switch over? Maybe not, but Michelle is aiming at a fresh market. “There is a big divide between what is Western and what is Arabic. My abayas bridge this gap, and are aimed at people who wouldn’t normally have worn one. If they were in my size I’d wear them too.”

APPENDIX

From our archives

Dhofar’s answer to the traditional Omani laysu (now increasingly run over by the generic abaya) is the Thob Dhofari. What really sets this southern ladies’ all-encompassing garment apart is its rich prints and a back that is longer than the front, left trailing behind the women as they walk. In true Dhofari charm, the dress even comes with its own story.

Legend has it that an Arabian king used to sprinkle a magic powder on the ground, and young women who walked over would fall in love with him. To escape his charms, Dhofari women donned a long flowing dress that swept the powder away as they walked over.

The real pride of the house is the special thob kept for weddings, made of black velvet and adorned with shiny embroidery. Too heavy and hot to be worn on a usual muggy Salalah day, this is best kept for special occasions, and may cost up to RO300.