Omani Style Abaya

1) This first one is an abaya that I've designed recently. It's made in Oman and it has a Chinese collar, button down front and made from a shiny satin material. Its front and back are plain but the sleeves have embellishments. I've had them make 2 sleeves, one inner plain, fitted sleeve and an outer one which has crystals on the inside and also a bell shape to it. I've included a second picture of just the sleeve to give u a better idea. I also have buttons to close the outer sleeves if I don't want them to show too much. The sleeves have a single silver tassel and so does one corner of the shaila.

2) This second one is an abaya that I bought at the Omani Souk, and its a Bahraini style abaya that's very popular here, its called a Bhisht. Its similar to the farasha style that was popular earlier. Its also made from a satin material, and it has embellishments on the waist and cuffs of the sleeves. It also has a hidden waist band that you can tie under the abaya to give it some shape if you like.

3) This abaya is new Omani style that's really famous here amongst the girls. It's called a "balloon" abaya. I bought it ready-made because it's apparently a bit complicated to stitch. It's one of my favorite styles of abayas as well. I've included an up-close picture of the neck area to show how it's stitched to give it such a beautiful shape. It's plain except for a simple lace around the cuffs of the sleeves and the bottom of the abaya, which I added after I bought it.

4) This is an abaya from Dubai. I'm not sure if there's a name for this style, or if it's typically Emirati, but I really liked it when i saw it. It has a plain front and back, with a small neck opening. The sleeves are really pretty, an inner fitted sleeve and an outer flared sleeve.

The part I like best is the back of it; it has 2 outer folds that come together at the centre of your back, to be tied together based on how you'd like it to look. I'd also like to note that this is a loose fitting abaya, so no matter how tightly its tied, it doesn't show your shape or accentuate any curves because its simply too loose, it just adds a train-like effect to the back of the abaya to make it look more flowing.

The front:

The back:


5) This is actually a jilbab that I bought from Toronto before I left. Its one of my favorite ones and is a beautiful aubergine color. It has 2 layers, an inner layer that's closed, and an outer layer that has slits on either side going down the length of the jilbab. It has a very pretty embroidery pattern on both sides and on the cuffs as well. Its originally Jordanian.