anybody know Muslim women's dress

[ricky_ticky]

I wondered if anyone can identify the country of origin for a style of hijab that's new to me. Seen in O'hare airport and then on a group of women at the Philadelphia Zoo. It looks to be a cotton fabric with embroidered flours on the borders and hem. There were two garments; a slim but not form-fitting robe with long funnel sleeves, and a cape gathered to a hood that tied beneath the chin and framed the face. The edge of the cape and the hem of the robe were embroidered with bright colored satin stitch flowers.

 

An older woman was wearing this in white with black motifs @ O'hare. She was accompanied by teenagers wearing jeans and modern attire.

 

A group was seen at the Philly zoo - three couples and children. Two young women wore bright yellow garments with multicolored embroidery. An older woman wore a leaf green color. Two female children wore bright pink. All of the female garments were identical aside from the different colors. I had the impression that the women were all wearing some sort of undergarments because of the light weight of the fabric - at least a slip and chemise. The men accompanying wore white "pill-box looking" brimless caps.

 

Attempts at internet research have not been successful. Any ideas?

[Sola]

The first one could be a jilbab. The second sounds like an abaya. Sunnichick might know better.

[anniebgood]

East Asian, Malaysian perhaps?

[Sunnichick31]

I wondered if anyone can identify the country of origin for a style of hijab that's new to me. Seen in O'hare airport and then on a group of women at the Philadelphia Zoo. It looks to be a cotton fabric with embroidered flours on the borders and hem. There were two garments; a slim but not form-fitting robe with long funnel sleeves, and a cape gathered to a hood that tied beneath the chin and framed the face. The edge of the cape and the hem of the robe were embroidered with bright colored satin stitch flowers.

The robe is probably just an abaya, the cape type thing you discribed kinda sounds like a khimar. Did it look something like this?

muhajabat.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/ethiopian.png

Or like this? (it's a Malaysian hijab.)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ptHo71Uqn_4/T ... e-B05B.jpg

[terranova]

I didn't know Muslim coverings differed so much by region. Interesting!

[charizbarb]

I didn't know Muslim coverings differed so much by region. Interesting!

Oh, hugely. Spanish hijabs even look like Jewish tichels.

[skrmom]

The ladies you saw at the zoo may have been Hindu and were wearing saris (sp?). I don't think Muslim women are allowed to wear any bright colors or prints-usually just balck or drab colors.

[Guest Anonymous]

The ladies you saw at the zoo may have been Hindu and were wearing saris (sp?). I don't think Muslim women are allowed to wear any bright colors or prints-usually just balck or drab colors.

Yeah... I don't think that's true.

[emmiedahl]

The ladies you saw at the zoo may have been Hindu and were wearing saris (sp?). I don't think Muslim women are allowed to wear any bright colors or prints-usually just balck or drab colors.

That varies by region but I don't think it is the norm throughout the Muslim world. I know lots of Muslim women who wear beautiful clothing. My daughter went to the same daycare as a North African Muslim woman's daughter. The mother wore the most elaborate prints, and she seemed to have thousands of dresses and scarves. All in bright colors. She was quite beautiful also, and a chemical engineer by trade.

edited for grammatical nightmare

[Peas n carrots]

Yeah... I don't think that's true.

I've met Pakistani and Indian Muslim women who wear sari type robes.

[Hane]

My first thought was that the women may have been Indian and wearing saris, but the headscarf tied under the chin didn't match with what I've seen on Indian women. And, yes, I've seen Muslim women in everything from unadorned all-black to brilliantly embroidered clothing of all colors. I guess it depends on regional/denominational practices.

[Conuly]

The ladies you saw at the zoo may have been Hindu and were wearing saris (sp?). I don't think Muslim women are allowed to wear any bright colors or prints-usually just balck or drab colors.

I don't know where you got that idea from, but Muslim dress varies as much as... well, as much as Christian dress does! Even if we're just counting those Muslim women who wear some form of "modest" clothing as part of their religion, there's huge variation.

[FakePigtails]

The ladies you saw at the zoo may have been Hindu and were wearing saris (sp?). I don't think Muslim women are allowed to wear any bright colors or prints-usually just balck or drab colors.

If you do a Google image search for "hijab" you'll get a sense of the variety of styles and colors Muslim women who cover wear.

[HijabiLady]

The ladies you saw at the zoo may have been Hindu and were wearing saris (sp?). I don't think Muslim women are allowed to wear any bright colors or prints-usually just balck or drab colors.

Totally wrong. I wear very bright colors and prints. You are mistaking Wahhabism for general Islam. That's like mistaking the Duggar's style of dress for mainstream Christianity. You do realize that areas such as Indonesia and Southeast Asia are the most populated with Muslims, right? Have a look at their styles of hijab and I think you will alter your perception of how Muslim women dress.

[ricky_ticky]

No, the headpiece wasn't like any of these veil arrangements. It was literally a cape falling a couple of inches below the shoulder and gathered onto a hood. The hood tied under the chin with a string. The attached image is as close as I can find to the look, although this one is much too fashionable in comparison and made in heavier fabric.

The embroidered flowers also threw me off. The treatment reminded me of embroidery on Alpine, German and Swedish native dress, although the floral forms were not the same. All of the women in Chicago and in Philadelphia wore identical garments. The robes pulled on over the head with a cf closure at the neck.

[Peas n carrots]

No, the headpiece wasn't like any of these veil arrangements. It was literally a cape falling a couple of inches below the shoulder and gathered onto a hood. The hood tied under the chin with a string. The attached image is as close as I can find to the look, although this one is much too fashionable in comparison and made in heavier fabric.

The embroidered flowers also threw me off. The treatment reminded me of embroidery on Alpine, German and Swedish native dress, although the floral forms were not the same. All of the women in Chicago and in Philadelphia wore identical garments. The robes pulled on over the head with a cf closure at the neck.

I'm in Chicago, and I'm wondering if they were Central Asian?

[Coconut Flan]

Were the girls in something like this girl's abaya?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/103496318/c ... abaya-with

[ottergirl]

I know exactly what you're talking about -- very round cape with hood and embroidered flowers around the edge of the cape (and maybe around the hem of the skirt). I'd never seen it before I came to Kenya but now I see it all the time here.

Unfortunately, I don't know the origin of it. All I can say is that I don't think I've ever seen it on an African. I'm pretty sure all the women wearning it have been Asian -- most likely Indian or Pakistani, although there may have been a few from what I'd call more Central Asia (somewhat lighter skin), but I can't be sure.

[kitkat]

It sounds a lot like the burquas that are worn by Bohras, who are a Shi'a sect. I'm not sure why, but they have a very distinctive style of burqua, and Bohra men often wear white caps like the ones you describe. This article has a picture, although the burquas the girls in the picture are wearing are a solid color, not the floral prints a lot of Bohra women like to wear.

[Witsec7]

It sounds a lot like the burquas that are worn by Bohras, who are a Shi'a sect. I'm not sure why, but they have a very distinctive style of burqua, and Bohra men often wear white caps like the ones you describe. This article has a picture, although the burquas the girls in the picture are wearing are a solid color, not the floral prints a lot of Bohra women like to wear.

Like these?

[kitkat]

Just like that. I thought I'd linked that pic properly. D'oh.

[latraviata]

I wondered if anyone can identify the country of origin for a style of hijab that's new to me. Seen in O'hare airport and then on a group of women at the Philadelphia Zoo. It looks to be a cotton fabric with embroidered flours on the borders and hem. There were two garments; a slim but not form-fitting robe with long funnel sleeves, and a cape gathered to a hood that tied beneath the chin and framed the face. The edge of the cape and the hem of the robe were embroidered with bright colored satin stitch flowers.

An older woman was wearing this in white with black motifs @ O'hare. She was accompanied by teenagers wearing jeans and modern attire.

A group was seen at the Philly zoo - three couples and children. Two young women wore bright yellow garments with multicolored embroidery. An older woman wore a leaf green color. Two female children wore bright pink. All of the female garments were identical aside from the different colors. I had the impression that the women were all wearing some sort of undergarments because of the light weight of the fabric - at least a slip and chemise. The men accompanying wore white "pill-box looking" brimless caps.

Attempts at internet research have not been successful. Any ideas?

I just came back from a trip to the UAE. I have seen the very colourful flowered outfits once or twice and the it wasn't local, but we were told from a certain tribe in Oman. In the UAE the local women wear black abbayas over their regular outfit and they are covered with black veils, leaving just a small slit for their eyes and sometimes even the eyes are covered by a voile sort of veil, imagine 104/118F temperature. Of course the men are wearing a nicely light long white kendura or dishdash only covering their underwear.

[ricky_ticky]

Like these?

Yes! That's it! Thank you so much -- I knew I could count on FJ

:P

[Witsec7]

Yes! That's it! Thank you so much -- I knew I could count on FJ

:P

I've only seen them in my town a couple of times. None on campus. My college town of 50k has about 2k in mosque membership and another 3k in students on campus, our Mosque is Sunni, so I do get to see a variety of head coverings and dress. We also have a community of about 1k in what is self described as Modern Muslims. The women dress fashionably and wear hijab, hold professional positions, childcare for working mothers is generational (grandparents) and they have a greater involvement in an interfaith group I belong to.

riffle

[Diana]

Oh, hugely. Spanish hijabs even look like Jewish tichels.

please, can you explain to me what are spanish hijabs?? because i live in spain and i never hear about them.