The Circle Scarf

About a year ago, when Lady Gaga's first album was released, she was seen making appearances while wearing a scarf around her head:

I was hoping that it would become more popular for the general public but I haven't seen much of it yet. It looks like Rihanna was supporting the look as well:

I would prefer not to promote American Apparel's clothing but, in the interest of this post, they are selling a version of "The Circle Scarf" in their stores and online...so maybe this headcovering is being recognized as fashionable in the west...again.

American Apparel's Circle Scarf Online

"Modestes" Photography Exhibit

This event is at the Red Cross Museum in Geneva, Switzerland until 24 January 2010.

I attended this exhibit when it first opened in September and I was surprised by the photography which was shown. Alexandra Boulat (the featured photographer) portrayed women in the middle east in less of an orientalist view then most European photographers. The images represented the less admired aspects of some women's lives in the Middle Eastern region with photos showing Middle Eastern men and women who became transvestites, women in hospitals with acid burns, women in poverty...over all, it was a very disturbing collection.

It continued to portray Middle Eastern women as helpless sufferers in the name of Islam.

The title of the exhibit was very misleading. Modesty is usually considered a beautiful thing but instead, this exhibit portrayed modesty as an involuntary result of suffering.

Maybe other people saw the exhibit in a different light, but in my opinion, it could have exhibited at least SOME of the beautiful aspects of Modesty in the Middle Eastern region.

The Realm of the Unspeakable

"[There is] a radical difference between interior and exterior, which relfects the split between the intimate and the social life of the metropolitan being: outside, the realm of exhange, money, and masks; inside, the realm of the inalienable, the nonexchangeable, and the unspeakable."

(The Architecture of Fashion, p.210)

This is another beautiful quote that is used to describe architecture but can unquestionably be applied to fashion and modesty in Islam.

I especially enjoy the way the quote describes the "inside", "the realm of the inalienable, the nonexhangeable, and the unspeakable". I wonder what thoughts this invokes in you because for me, the inalienable, the nonexhangeable, and the unspeakable in realtion to our private lives is a beautiful thought for me. The unspeakable is not a negative thing; something which is so beautiful, one would not dare to articulate its beauty in fear that words could not do it justice.

Protecting Sexuality in Design

"a cauldron of sexuality behind apparently innocent surfaces"

(The Architecture of Fashion p.198)

Personally, when I read this quote, I automatically thought of the designs of many courtyards in the United Arab Emirates. The exterior facades or "innocent surfaces" hide and protect the beautifully decorated interior designs.
















The arabesque designs and flowing tile work can be associated with the "cauldron of sexuality" that the quote suggests.

Similarly to architecture, the concept of the hijab can also be related to this quote. A "innocent surface" of basic cloth behind the "cauldron of sexuality" which, to me, is a beautiful description of women. Describing sexuality as powerful and beautiful thing that is protected by an "innocent surface".

I also want to note that I took this quote from the book, The Architecture of Fashion, and this book does not talk about fashion and architecture of the Middle East. It focuses more on design in the West. This is important to note because I want to emphasis the fact that our concepts of sexuality, and protecting it is not unique to any part of the world. It is a shared view, different cultures have evolved to express this in different ways.

The Aesthetic Qualities of Fabric

It is interesting to look at the many types of fabrics that are now available for designers to manipulate and play with in order to create interesting new designs.

Here are a few pictures of fabrics and their interesting and unique qualities they might embody. I removed any color from the photos as to avoid an emotional response to color as opposed to the more basic form of the cloth.

The reason I think this is important to this blog is due to the fact that fabric itself can express so many things and allow such a variety of manipulation. Do we really need extra ornamentation added to our clothing in order to stand out. The pure beauty of fabric should not go unnoticed. It is can be modest yet so intriguing.











The sequins connected by a thing string allows for a certain degree of transparency and layering.

















The gauze-like quality gives more structure to the crinkling fabric. There is still a level of transparency allowing on to play with the different levels of light or fabrics when layered.














This fabric is obviously thick enough for pleating. The tension of the pulling on the fabric is more apparent and makes us want to see what
is causing that stress (conceptually).
















The lace is so feminine and so light.

Women's Barrier in Mosques

With the 5th season of the Little Mosque on the Prairie premiering in January 2010, I thought I would bring up an interesting architectural topic relating to one of the shows first episodes.

The issue of the Women's barrier in Mosques...

In episode 2 (season 1), the newly formed mosque must decide if they should or should not have a wall separating the men and women during prayer.

The two main characters had different ideas:

Baber, the more conservative Muslim character, first initiates the construction of a partition wall:

Rayan, the Muslimah feminist character, feels that there is no need for a wall and that having the women sit in the back of the prayer hall is a sufficient barrier.

In the end, there is a partition wall constructed but it is smaller, with a slight screen, and women have the choice to either site behind it or sit to the side of it.

It is an interesting compromise. What do you think about the physical partition in mosques?

Hijab Cartoon