TEHRAN
–– While not exactly trying to put the chic into chador, Iranian fashion
designer Haniyeh Abedi believes the strict Islamic dress code requiring women
to be covered from head to toe does not mean they cannot look good.
"A woman can look glamorous and feminine while fully observing Islamic
values," said 25-year-old Abedi, clad in one of her own designs, a
light-brown gown bordered with motifs of traditional Persian designs and a
colourful headscarf.
In her latest creations, displayed at her north Tehran house, she has mixed a
burst of bright colours inspired by the latest European designs with traditional
Persian costumes.
Young designers like Abedi are fusing contemporary style with modesty and an
ethnic flavour. Their special focus is the manteau -- a French word referring
to a long overshirt or coat, worn in public on top of an outfit.
Samira, 24, a medical student visiting Abedi's display in the basement of her
home, says the colours are inspirational.
"Using bright colours instead of browns, dark blues and greys favoured
by the system gives me a morale boost too," she said, wearing a beige
manteau with orange pockets.
The dour image of Iranian women in shapeless, black chadors -- the word
literally means 'tent' -- may be true of some, but others, particularly in
wealthier areas of Tehran, would hardly look out of place in Paris or Milan. Designer
labels flash under flimsy outer shirts that barely cover thighs and arms.
"I design manteaux because as long as they are loose you can choose any
colour and fabric you want," said Abedi, gesturing at her collection's
light beiges and whites.
Under Islamic law since the 1979 revolution, only a woman's face and hands
should be visible and the garments she wears in public must hide the curves
of her body. Offenders can face fines, a whipping, even jail.
In a tougher-than-usual annual summer crackdown this year, young women
flouting the codes with veils showing too much hair or tight trousers under
too-short manteaux found themselves hauled before the authorities.
But as the police eased off, veils once again have been pushed back and
manteaux hemlines have risen.
Trendy designs are not limited to those who push the dress code boundaries on
the streets. Beneath that black 'tent', some Iranian women are hiding hip
outfits to show off in private. "We have women-only gatherings and I
wear Western-style clothes under my chador," said housewife Zeynab.
Abedi, who studied fashion design in Iran and created her brand called
"Noura" -- a version of the word for light which is one of the
Islamic names for God -- said several of her customers were fashion-lovers in
private.
Her brighter designs will not go down well with Iran's more conservative
ruling clerics, who believe the black chador is essential to protect a
woman's modesty and prevent a "cultural invasion" from the West.
They have found a louder voice since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad swept to
power in 2005 pledging a return to Islamic revolutionary values, and oppose
the more relaxed dress codes that flourished under former president Mohammad
Khatami.
