Islamic glamour at its best!
Having searched and found a rather old article (imagine in 2004) from The Age, Australia, I am rather impressed that the Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week actually featured this catwalk event. I am impressed that even back then, the Islamic fashion glamour has set standards beyond my imagination. The combination of fabrics with cultural and traditional fashion designing techniques and the use of creative pattern cuttings reflected a truly Malay religio-custom manifestation. Of course, the credit goes to Designer Iva Lativah. Her skills are expressed explicitly within the limited allowance of what a Muslim outfit is deemed appropriated. That is truly art and religion blending in harmony.
Within the stodgy silhouette of Muslim dress, there appears little room for innovation. No necklines to plunge, slots to add, no hemlines to hike or waistlines to kink. That hasn’t discouraged increasing numbers of fashion designers from tackling the ultimate challenge, however.
The straight-up-and-down featurelessness of the typical Muslim gown is in fact, the ideal canvas for a play of colours, textures, and patterns.
Designer Iva Lativah showed this heavenly foursome during Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week, and defied the oxymoron, Islamic glamour.
Silk satin was quilted and cut into a boxy jacket that fell wide over a slimmer, but still generous skirt. Sheer black gauze was used as an overlay on brilliantly coloured and patterned kimono coats, and the graphic weave and prints on fine silks were used as headscarves, in block panels for tabard frocks, or as light stoles hooked through the models elbows.
Lovely stuff.
