Khulood Thani, the famed Emirati designer, and creator of the Bint Thani label, held an interactive session sharing insights into choosing the right abaya, at Azyan Exhibition and Conference, which concluded on Sunday, at Al Jawaher Reception & Convention Centre (JRCC). In the engaging session titled Find Your Abaya Style in the Midst of Changing Fashion Trends, Khulood unboxed six brilliant tips for Emirati and Arab women to help them make the right selection of abayas. The session brought to light the importance of choosing the right abaya, as dressing is a women’s first impression.
Khulood insisted that women must decide their abayas, by keeping up with fashion trends that are prevalent in the world of gowns, while maintaining the elements of elegance and personal appearance.
Step 1: Identify your lifestyle
At the commencement of the session, Khulood advised women to begin by the selection of an abaya by identifying their lifestyle and then accordingly decide. She said, “I would recommend that every Emirati woman should have one black plain abaya, as it adds to the wardrobe as a formal attire that can be used on different occasions by just changing the accessories with it.”
Talking about colourful abayas, she said that one needs to select the right accessories and jewelry to go with colourful abayas. She further advised participating women to choose the right colour and design of abaya, so that it complements their looks and ensures a beautiful appearance.
Step 2: Embroidered abayas
As embroidered abayas are a trend, women should still avoid wearing them at workplace, Khulood said, adding that embroidered abayas are better suited for afternoons, and must be worn on certain occasions only. She noted that the colours of embroidery threads, require women to wear certain accessories with them and hence light colour-embroidered abayas are always a better choice.
Step 3: Pick the right colour
Abayas are the cultural attires of women in the Gulf region that had evolved over the years in design and purpose. In olden days, women used to choose simple and black plain abayas for a traditional look. But things have changed since the past decade, as in the fashion world, abayas have witnessed a remarkable journey from black to colourful and from traditional to stylish.
During her session, Khulood emphasised that the colourful abayas are usually best suited for young girls, while working women should prefer black or one-tone abayas.
She said, “When choosing a colourful abaya, a woman must take into account the weather, and stay away from the stark colours as much as possible. You can choose quite calm and sandy colours, such as beige, brown, sandy and pale green, that suit the climate of this part of the world and also add to the elegance of the attire.”
Step 4: Bisht or Open abaya
For women who prefer an open abaya or the “Bisht”, it is important to carefully select the colour combinations. “Follow the rule of contrasting colour,” she said adding that if the open abayas contain colorful embroidery, the underneath clothes must be simple and quiet in colours.
“However, if the abaya is black, the garments worn underneath can be multi-colored,” she chipped.
Step 5: Try before you pick
One of the most important advices that Khulood shared with her audience was to try clothes before buying. She said, “Choosing a design is usually very personal matter, so the look differs from one woman to another. I advise every woman to try a piece, before buying it – this helps to choose the right design and right colour.”
Khulood advised women to pick colours that reflect light as these colours make women look classy and elegant, as opposed to dark intense colours that absorb the light.
Step 6: Have a personal style guide
The session ended with Khulood advising women to keep a personal style guide that determines their preferred style, especially during travels, so that they are ready with accessories that match the dresses they decide to wear.
She stated, “Creating a personal style handbook is absolutely necessary, and it is a prerequisite during traveling. It helps one maintain the travel dresses and experiment with them by changing the accessories, bags, and shoes along with other accompanying fashion elements.”
