Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Fashion in Jeddah

This woman caught my eye the other day at a mall.  Her abaya (the long black cloak that women must wear here in public) was quite flowy, like a cape.  And instead of wearing the usual scarf wrapped around her head and neck, she wore it turban style, which not many women here.  I thought she looked quite elegant, graceful, and stylish.

7 comments:

Ildi said...

She is very pretty! Great pic!

A Colorful World said...

Her look is so interesting against the backdrop of the mall! By the way, we are enjoying living in AZ. Glad you have a lot of memories here and are enjoying my blog!

Jerry Mc Kenna said...

I once read an article that referred to women in Saudi Arabia as black moving objects (BMO). This lady is clearly not a BMO!

Veeds of Arabia said...

I used to hear the term as MBO -- Moving Black Object.

By the way, nicely shot pic, Susie.

Question: Is there ever an issue when taking pictures of women of whether you are allowed to or not? Or are the rules different for men and women taking pictures. For example, I would not directly take a woman's pic in KSA unless she was an expat in an expat surrounding...though I took a lot of photos of women from a distance.

Also, I note that the woman in your pic does not have the niquab/face covering. This suggests to me that she is not a Saudi woman, though possibly a Gulf Stater or from the subcontinent. What do you think?

Susie of Arabia said...

Hi Veeds - I have noticed that more and more Saudi women in Jeddah are not wearing the niqab any more, although clearly there are many that still do. I have also been surprised to even see some Saudi women not worried about covering their hair either when in the presence of men. This is a great difference from when I first moved here five yrs ago. Things are changing here in Jeddah. You should see how many women are working in sales positions now!
Regarding taking photos, I do try to be careful when women are involved. I don't feel like I am imposing if the woman is not recognizable, shot from the back. She was just so splendid looking, I couldn't help myself.

Amy said...

Very striking!

Amy said...

I am happy to read you have noticed changes in the 5 years you have lived there. Progress!