By Hermoine Macura-Noble
Special to The Times Kuwait
With the advent of the holy month of Ramadan, designers are launching their breezy modest looks that can take you from the office to a special iftar or suhoor with family and friends. From embroidered abayas to sand, sea, and water-inspired kaftans, Ramadan collections this year offer plenty of chic options with the inspiration focused on bringing us back in touch with creation and the creator.
Mastermind behind the clean brand illi, Emirati-Moroccan designer Rawdha Thani is offering new takes on the abaya this holy month. Her Ramadan collection features soft pastels and tie-dye abayas in ribbed crepe fabric covered in swirls of gray and blues. With a philosophy that celebrates the individuality and confidence of women, empowering them to feel beautiful and comfortable in their own skin, the collection features high-quality fabrics and unique designs that cater to the needs of today’s fashion-forward women. “With attention to detail and a passion for style, illi brings a touch of sophistication and elegance to every woman’s wardrobe,” explains Thani.
Another brand to watch is the Saudi label, Dal. Exciting pieces featuring a beautifully crafted Ramadan collection are based on a muted palette of smoky blue, blush pink, ivory, and gold. Mixing simple materials with sequins, such as striped kaftans in mocha, with a collar of sequins in gray, peach, orange, and silver, Dal has a variety of open-front abayas which can take your outfit from day to night effortlessly.
UAE-based Indian designer Pallavi Puri is also set to launch her eagerly awaited spring-summer collection for the holy month of Ramadan. After highly successful innings in the UAE fashion circuit, where Puri has showcased her designs across the region in various exhibits and shows, the birth of her own boutique was a natural progression to serve her discerning clientele on a more personal level. Gradually growing more nuanced to include dynamic design and cultural aesthetics elements of Dubai’s fashion scene, Puri’s latest collection is an ode to modern elegance.
Reinventing summer couture with georgette, crepes, and satin silk, the Pallavi Puri spring-summer styling remains elegant, breezy, and eminently comfortable. Her new collection’s predominantly ivory and champagne backdrop includes deeper blue, enigmatic gray, and occasional Venetian reds, allowing for a spectacular convergence of moods and tonality. The collection consists of bold avant-garde pieces that lean on a free-spirited bohemian aesthetic with elements like feather details and exquisitely embroidered falcon and stallion motifs.
“The inspiration behind my 2023 Ramadan collection is the elegant modern woman who beautifully remains rooted in tradition. While I was curating this collection, I wanted them to stay relevant in a continuously evolving fashion scene with my dynamic elements of designs and cultural aesthetics,” says Puri.
Puri is an established influencer on the Dubai fashion scene. She uses her keen intuition for trends and successfully incorporates new elements to classics like jambiyas, kaftans, and abayas in this collection, adapting them to stay relevant in a continuously evolving fashion scene.
Whether you are looking for a whole new outfit or an abaya to layer over existing wardrobe staples, the Ramadan collections this year will keep you looking chic and fabulous on all occasions.
By Hermoine Macura-Noble
The first Australian English speaking News Anchor in the Middle East. She is also the Author of Faces of the Middle East and Founder of US-based 501c3 charity – The House of Rest which helps to ease the suffering of victims of war. For more from our Contributing Editor, you can follow her on Instagram, here.
