Abaya

5'10? you need a 64/66 iirc.  i think the wife wears a 64. shes 5'10

Thx freshlikesushi... I've designed and actually made two at 64. It works. At my height, I already stick out like a tall tanned stick, lol! I'm hoping to find some proper options in Jeddah! Any one else have suggestions!?

Again go to the Shatee souk. I just got one there for 180 sars. not the best quality, but with 2 kiddos I won't mind when there are spills on it. They have tons of abaya shops.

Thx much stressedmom! ! Will check it out ASAP! But side SLITS? Now that's a bit risqué, no? Lol

Oops I thought I read slits and you typed spills... Hahaha. Got it.

But formal abayas, where?

pajaroflor wrote:

Thx much stressedmom! ! Will check it out ASAP! But side SLITS? Now that's a bit risqué, no? Lol

You can wear an abaya with a side slit .. as long as you're wearing another abaya underneath

Thx Alliecat... Good to know for my next designs... Maxi dresses are far more appropriate for ease of my stride I found... Pants and jeans cause the abaya to roll and tangle up.... We girls gotta maintain that catwalk! LOL!  I envision Tyra Banks, Heide Klum or Micael Kores shouting " WORK IT, GIRL!"

not slits ---spills my girls are 1 & 4 and I always seem to get their food on me when we are out or shoe marks from carrying them.

it it was slits I think i would have the religious police after me

The more formal ones probably any mall. I looked in a few shops that way. Definitely more expensive, higher quality.

thx dear! Ouf!!! the guess the mall it will be asap after arrival!

I buy from souq shatee. Two days ago I bought one for 130 SR nice with some pretty black beads at the cuffs, nice material.

Hi,

For the fabrics, Look always for Al fursan for being the best “practical “ Abaya fabrics.

The main Abaya souqs in Jeddah are;

AL-Sharq – Steen Street
Al Balad- DownTown
Al Bawadi- Bawadi Dist.
Al Shataa- Al Zahra Dist.
The last two are for good quality practical Abaya's price ranging ( 80-350).

For better quality and more expensive ones you can go to any of the malls (350-1500).
For more expensive silk ones (2000-3000+) My Lady, My fair Lady, Al Sultana, Al Mutahajiba, Al Shal.

The Females in My family choice for Abayas is for a designer called Meera Bawazeer (700-1500).

@Ahmadaq

Meera Bawazeer address or contact number?I consider this thread fully addressed now. Your  help is invaluable and its all duly noted. Many thanks to everyone!

Thanks dear! I will check it out!

My sister in law had called Meera asking for her permeation to give away her number ,she said Ok but as a PM, so i will inbox it to you.

@ahmadaq understood. Totally understand! Thanks again.

Hi All,

I don't want to hijack the tread but as it relates to the title I have added a couple of questions.

I am due to arrive in Saudi in October, residing in Bahrain from mid next year along with my wife. Whilst I spend a few months in Saudi my wife will be joining me for a week of so before Xmas.

She I presume will require an abaya as soon as she arrives, what I require to know is-

Do westerners require one?
Does the abaya have to be BLACK?
Are there any stipulation on design?
What Length is required?
Does it have to cover arms?
Is a head scarf required?

Sorry for all the questions but I can't find the answers anywhere else on line!

Also my 15 year old step daughter will be coming - will she require the same?

Thanks

Paul

Hi there... I sent you a message with details. Good luck!

Boltonboy if pajaroflor didn't answer all your questions please feel free to pm me. Also since you can't go into the abaya stores without your wife you might suggest to her to buy a cheap temporary one online through Amazon so that she has it on when she gets off the plane.
Also I don't wear a head scarf, but I keep one in my purse in case someone does ask me to cover my hair.

boltonboy

here is what i know:

Do westerners require one? yes, all women require one, from the moment they leave the plane

Does the abaya have to be BLACK? NO it doesn't have to be black, but black is the most popular color, i have seen people wearing blue, purple, brown, etc

Are there any stipulation on design? i believe none, as long as it is loose and hides the body shape

What Length is required? i believe it has to be full length, but i have seen very few women (like 3 since 8 months ago) wearing like a coat, knee long.

Does it have to cover arms? yes, this is a must.

Is a head scarf required? as stressedmom said, for non muslim women it is not a must, but i always have it with me just in case.

good luck!!

stressedmom wrote:

Also since you can't go into the abaya stores without your wife you might suggest to her to buy a cheap temporary one online through Amazon so that she has it on when she gets off the plane.

I've seen western women at the airport wearing loose, long-sleeved blouses and ankle-length skirts but if Boltonboy wants to buy one, he can always pick up a cheap one at one of the hypermarkets.

Does anyone know where I can buy these overhead jilbabs from? Im going crazy looking for them. i dont wear the type that begin from the shoulders, i prefer these that are bigger, more loose, fabric starts from the head. it is generally a one-piece.

its ridiculous since ive seen thousands of women here wear them yet cant find a single shop that sells them. they HAVE to be around somewhere! the only one i have and am currently wearing till it falls apart is one i bought from back home in Birmingham (UK) and now my mum is posting me a couple more (sending me abayas from the UK to the KSA) so ironic
this is what they look like. Ive seen most women wear them with niqab.

blog.almoultazimoun.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/jilbab-moultazimoun.jpg

I thought that this type is available in most Abaya shops !! little I know.. 

Ok  let's analyze this, over the head Abays are considered to be for more conservative women, Bedwan women and they are kind of outdated model. That's why you will not find them in malls or shattaa Souq for instant.

For this type of Abayes you need to go to smaller Abaya shops in East of Jeddah. I know for a fact that they sell them near Old Shobra shop near Abdel latif Jamil headquarter. They call it in Arabic Abaya Fouq Al Rass

jazakAllahu khayrun! will try and check that place out soon

In (red sea mall) and (jeddah mall) i think you will find many choices and if you want cheaper go to (al-shatei), in all this shops they have a tailor he will make in your size

Where can I find a good quality abayas?

Good morning,
You can find good Abaya with good price in the souk Al Balad.

Apologies I know this is an old post but Im really struggling to find an overhead abaya or khimar if thats what its called. I cannot find any online and I will be landing into Jeddah jn a few days from UK, did you manage to eventually find overhead abayas/jilbabs in Jeddah? If so, where?
And if not, then would you mind telling me where your mum buys them from In Birmingham?
many thanks

z_khan90 wrote:

Does anyone know where I can buy these overhead jilbabs from? Im going crazy looking for them. i dont wear the type that begin from the shoulders, i prefer these that are bigger, more loose, fabric starts from the head. it is generally a one-piece.

its ridiculous since ive seen thousands of women here wear them yet cant find a single shop that sells them. they HAVE to be around somewhere! the only one i have and am currently wearing till it falls apart is one i bought from back home in Birmingham (UK) and now my mum is posting me a couple more (sending me abayas from the UK to the KSA) so ironic
this is what they look like. Ive seen most women wear them with niqab.

blog.almoultazimoun.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/jilbab-moultazimoun.jpg

Did you eventually manage to find the overhead abaya? If so, where from pls
Also, would you mind telling me where your mum buys them from Birmingham pls

Many thanks