Object History
This cloak (abayah) was donated to The Zay Initiative by Moza al Mansuri, a BS graduate of al Ain university and school headmistress in Abu Dhabi. She is married to her paternal cousin and has 3 daughters and 2 sons. Moza ordered it from a tailor for a wedding and subsequently wore it a few more times at various large formal gatherings.
Object Features
This type of cloak (abayah) was meant to be worn in public and social ceremonies or events such as weddings. According to Emirati traditions, women customarily do not remove their abayah in public and usually, cloaks are worn draped off the head (abayat_ras), engulfing the body and obscuring the inner garments.
By the late 1970s women used sheerer silk for the abayat_ras, they lifted and gathered it up to their waistline, and over their wrists, and this became known as (abayah_shel). Wearing the abayah in this way revealed the lower part of the undergarment that was generally heavily adorned. From the 1980s onwards, with the introduction of the more stylized off the shoulder cloak (abayat_chatif), they started to select the sheerest of cloaks (ibi) in order to allow the ornate garments underneath to be revealed. Others resorted to keeping the front parting open to allow the frontal panel of their inner gown to be visible, thus focusing all decorative adornment on to this visible section of the garment.
Eventually, many women became less interested in showing the dress underneath, focusing instead on the design and embellishment of the cloak (abayah) itself, as in the case with this example from the 1990s, demonstrating the true evolution of the abayah.
The hand beading embellishment (shak) on this garment was completed using different shaped golden beads. In addition, the decorative neckline (halj) is accentuated with an extended embroidery line down the front part of the abayah.
The general cape like design of this abayah has become more elegant, simulating western designs, in contrast to their earlier baggy formless ibi. This type of abayah became popular as a fashion statement while still adhering to traditional customs.
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