the.com/abaya

The little black dress of modesty — one garment, infinite ways to still be seen.

means A loose, full-length robe, typically black, worn by many Muslim women over their clothing as an outer garment of modesty.

from From Arabic 'abāyah' (also 'abā'), meaning a loose cloak or mantle — a word with roots stretching back toward older Semitic and Aramaic terms for a coarse outer garment. Historically worn across the Arabian Peninsula by men and women alike as practical protection from sun and dust, it narrowed over time into the women's garment known today, and the simple black cloak became a canvas — plain by design, endlessly personalized in embroidery, cut, and fabric.

origin
Arabic word literally means cloak or garment
misconception
not mandated by Quran, mostly regional custom
fashion shift
now a runway staple in Dubai, Paris
color rule
black dominates, but embroidery does the talking
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