Arabic designs come of age

An appreciative audience of women enjoyed an informative and entertaining lecture on fashion in the UAE delivered by Reem El-Mutwalli at the Abu Dhabi Ladies Club.

The elegant setting was the perfect locale for the many beautiful dresses which were from the El-Mutwalli's own collection and were modelled by Suhair Khouri. The examples of embroidery were much admired, but the women were surprised to learn how heavy these elaborate gowns could be – some recorded as requiring four men to carry them. However, as she pointed out, such highly ornate garments would be worn only by wealthy women on special occasions, ordinary women content with dresses more in keeping with the demands of daily life.

The lecture demonstrated how design and taste in the UAE has been swayed over the years by influences from other areas of the Gulf and India. Tracing the development of UAE fashion from traditional Bedouin styles made with simple fabrics and decorated with the beautiful teli work, to the highly sophisticated styles of today which use designer fabrics from all over the world, the speaker had her audience enthralled.

Small snippets of information were especially interesting. For instance Reem said that most women used to wear the shaylah to cover their whole bodies, but this was replaced during the '80s by the Saudi shoulder abayah.

Reem El-Mutwalli, whose book Qasr Al Husn recounts the history of the White Fort which is set in the grounds of the Cultural Foundation, is studying for her Ph.D. in Islamic Art and Architecture with special emphasis on costume.