The inimitable dolce vita of the Arab world
For the hip trendy fashion-forward woman forced to wear a black tent from head to foot – Dolce and Gabbana has the latest thing!
Exclusive: The Dolce & Gabbana Abaya Collection Debut
Mind you – in actual Saudi Arabia as opposed to whatever fantasy version Dolce and Gabbana is working with, those shoes would get that woman arrested if she didn’t get beaten to death first. Also? Her bare face would too. But no matter, because at least the black shroud is pretty.
Storied Italian House Dolce & Gabbana has launched its very first abaya collection and makes its global reveal here on Style.com/Arabia. For the most part, the collection comes in neutral hues—luxe black and sandy beige—while a sprinkling of abayas capture the Sicilian spirit of the house (and make a nod to the Spring 2016 collection) with printed daisies, lemons, and lush red roses. The abayas and hijabs come in sheer georgette and satin weave charmeuse fabrics and include copious lace details along hems. They also appear to feature a lightweight and dramatic drape, which makes this debut collection rife with special occasion overlays to be worn to celebrate the inimitable dolce vita that is distinct to us in the Arab world.
Ah yes, the inimitable dolce vita of Saudi Arabia. Remind me how Raid Badawi and Hamza Kashgari are flourishing there?
New York magazine, absurdly, has swallowed the lies.
What stands out in particular about Dolce & Gabbana’s take is that it gives the lie to the idea that one can’t follow trends and have fun with fashion while also following a religious dress code. “Modest” doesn’t have to equate to dowdy, boring, or head-to-toe neutrals. It’s not just about lowering hemlines and extending sleeves, but preserving the runway aesthetic that got everyone so excited in the first place. Even if Dolce & Gabbana’s dramatic, Sicilian-influenced designs and playful prints aren’t your personal bag, how great would it be to see Moschino‘s kidult-oriented prints, Armani‘s power suiting, or Versace‘s logoriffic wordplay adorning abayas and hijabs?
Decorate your chains, slaves, and all will be well.
Humans infest this planet.
When I was in Egypt in the mid-80s, there were shops full of black cloth. WHere we were in the south, women wore long dresses in black, but didn’t cover their faces or, I think, their heads. Should dig out my photos…I had a wonderful conversation sitting on bales of white cloth in a tailor’s stall when a female relative of his happened by, wearing a long black dress and a huge gold necklace, and we chatted as much as the language difference would allow, with her laughing that if I didn’t have children, my husband would get another wife… But when I went in a shop and saw all the different kinds of black cloth, I was–just amazed. So many different kinds of just black!
That *lace*. That see through lace. The contours of her legs.
I mean, you’d have to be an idiot to think that follows the religious expectations.
Otoh, it screams wealth, and wealth, especially in Saudi Arabia, probably trumps the hell out of the pseudo-authority of the young men looking around for women to beat for disobeying the dress rules.
What it gives a lie to is the idea that Islamic dress frees women from the pressure to look fashionable and advertise their wealth status.
Yeah, best of luck walking around in public in pretty much any part f the Muslim world dressed like that.
This must be aimed at West-dwelling fashionistas, including those into wearing-a-hijab-for-a-day-to-show-solidarity-with-patriarchy. I see plenty of young Muslim college students wearing the typical Western women’s uniform of skintight everything, but topped with a head scarf to proclaim both kinds of allegiance to objectification. I can just see this stuff appearing on campus within months.
In the hijab/niqab/burka-mandatory places? Not so much. The women’s clothing police would be demanding answers in minutes from the responsible male guardians of the inadequately tented. Attention-grabbing prints? “Sheer georgette and satin weave charmeuse fabrics”?? A “lightweight and dramatic drape”??! Heaven defend and preserve us!
^ Yes, this collection is only possible for those muslims lucky enough to not live in a muslim theocracy.
The bars of my locked cage are festooned with roses made out of rubies, so I’m really happy and content…
Will D&G be offering a line in white sheets and pointy hoods this season?
How about exploring Black people’s fashion needs with stripes, cotton sacks, and decorative leg-irons?
I’m surprised that Yale isn’t at a complete standstill this morning over this flagrant appropriation.