All About Abaya
What's one garment that you can wear all year round, through all the seasons be it snow, rain, a blazing sun, those half and half days? An abaya of course. Abayas, contrary to some opinion, can be argued to be one of the most practical and comfortable garments to wear.
Traditionally, an abaya is a long dress starting from the nape of the neck to the floor. It is loose fitting and it’s width is generous with long sleeves. Due to its traditional loose fitting style, women are able to wear whatever they like underneath, be it the traditional leggings and a vest combo, jeans and a cute top or even pyjamas! Now, who wouldn't want to wear pyjamas all day long? *smacks credit card on desk* sign me up(...to our newsletter)!
Abayas are so versatile and can be totally customised to fit the style of the individual. One abaya can get you so many different looks. Whether you choose to style it with jordans, or heels and a cute bag or even casually with some mules and a tote, the options are always endless.
Here, it's all about creating a capsule wardrobe. ‘So what is a capsule wardrobe?’ I telepathically hear your subconscious ask. It's a wardrobe where its contents are totally practical and interchangeable. Where you strictly only have items that you can style in multiple ways. For a while I fell into the trap of buying on trend items: those fluffy co ord sets, graphic acid washed Ts, but after the trend passed, I too noticed myself gravitating to other clothes in my wardrobe and skipping past the jumper with the diamantes. I have so many items that I love individually, but the tops I have and love don't go with the trousers I love and vice versa. Since I've made this transition into a capsule wardrobe, I've noticed that the most practical, comfortable and best looking put-together wardrobe was full of abayas.
Let me give you an example of just one item: a light brown abaya will be our volunteer. I can style this with a light brown, dark brown, emerald green, white, cream, maroon or a baby blue hijab - that’s already 7 different outfits. I can style it with jordans, diamante heels, strappy sandals, ballerina flats, platforms, Doc Martens or chelsea boots - that gives us 14. I could throw on a brown chequered shirt, a white shirt tied at the front, a beige jumper, a chocolate balloon sleeve cardigan, a hoodie, a patterned hawl, a cream coat or a cropped cardi - that gives us 22. Twenty two outfits from just one simple abaya!
So where do abayas come from? Abayas can be dated back to the pre islamic era where modest fashion was at the height of style. Traditionally, women would drape multiple layers of clothing over their heads and shoulders, the more flowy the better. Different colours represented status, class and wealth. The dress of Fatima ra, daughter of the Prophet Muhammah pbuh, is displayed and can be viewed in the Topkapi museum located in the heart of Turkiye; Istanbul. It can be seen that she adorned herself with a beautiful oat woven dress, which was generous in width, wrapped and secured at the front with a tie. You can choose whatever colour suits your style however we always recommend the two most beloved colours to the Prophet pbuh: green or white - representing purity.
Anas ibn Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) is reportad to have said “ The most beloved colour to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was green.” [Tabarani, Mu’jam Al-Awsat; Al-Bazzar Musnad]
The Prophet (pbuh) said “Wear white from amongst your clothes, for indeed they are amongst the best clothes you have, and shroud your dead in them (also).” [Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah and Tirmidhi with variation in wording]
We’ve noticed in the world of womens fashion that pockets are either sized to fit only a grain of rice or they are just totally non-existent. You shouldn't have to choose between staying on trend and practicality, we feel like they should go hand in hand. Thats why, where possible, we always try to do right by you ladies and give you at least the bare minimum of pockets.