Hot off the haute couture runway
Susannah Breslin is a guestblogger on Boing Boing. She is a freelance journalist who blogs at Reverse Cowgirl and is at work on a novel set in the adult movie industry.
One of my favorite fashion blogs is Jak & Jill, which showcases the work of photographer Tommy Ton. The image you see here comes fresh off the Givenchy runway in Paris, where Fashion Week is getting underway. Is this a burqa? What do you call this kind of face jewelry? I don't know, but I love it. (Image credit: Tommy Ton)
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This outfit is definitely made for movies or TV. Like the Mummy! I can't see myself wearing that much jewelry even on a special occasion but it sure is pretty and I wish I had it. LOL
No, it's not a Burqa. If anything, it's a stylized Dupatta or other sort of modern Hijab. There's no equivalent I know of for that sort of jewelry. It's clearly inspired by Middle Eastern/Indian styles, though.
The overall look reminds me of the orgy scene in EYES WIDE SHUT (That's a compliment--I'm a big fan of the film and TRAUMNOVELLE by Schnitzler).
Can I just say, that as a frequent BoingBoing reader who works in the fashion industry, that I am really excited about you guest blogging?
yes! a fashion oriented guest blogger! this is really exciting for me. (I work in the fashion industry) Now I can finally have my two favorite things, clothes and BoingBoing, at the same time :)
So I thought France banned burquas and hijabs...
wow, sorry for double posting. (my browser crashed after it submitted and when I came back to the page the first post wasn't there, so I assumed I'd have to write a new post)
And how can this be? For he is the Kwisatz Haderach!
Isn't that Klytus from the 1980 version of "Flash Gordon"?
Maybe if Mr. T were one of the Bene Gesserit.
To me it just looks like a hood. They show up in fashion with some degree of regularity.
As to what the jewelry is called... I'd call it fairly cool, in a gaudy 80's fantasy movie sort of way.
It is obviously a C3P0/Palpatine/Leia mashup. Please post the accompanying slash fiction.
Most definitely NOT a burqua -- you can see her eyes, face, throat, etc. -- a burqua conceals EVERYTHING, leaving the woman to look out through a square of netting or lace across her eyes. (and no, Sarko hasn't banned burquas yet -- he's talked about it, but it hasn't actually happened. Hijabs are not allowed in school, along with crucifixes, stars of David, and any other religious symbol, but are legal everywhere else.)
Variation on a hijab? Perhaps.
What do you call the face jewelry? Interesting. Heavy. Cumbersome.
The face reminds me of this:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1389/1440661324_962b53d97c_o.jpg
from The Neverending Story.
The neckpiece reminds me of neck rings (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9aL-IHkgLfY/SObvZYLm9xI/AAAAAAAAAaU/v5zn9pVqq70/s320/The-Giraffe-Women-of-the-Neck-Rings-2.jpg)
The hood is very Star Wars.
I like it, but I'm not sure that I would wear it. Perhaps for a masquerade, or a fancy-dress party?
It is inspired by the Bedouin women's traditional mask : the Omani burqa.
And for those who rant about France "ban" of the burqa, the french law only states that if you are a student or a public servant, at work or in class, you must limit your religious garment to a discret scarf that covers only your hair, because in France religion belongs to the private domain, and should not interfer with your public function.
I'm always disappointed about men's fashion in comparison to women's fashion. Almost all of the interesting outfits shown on that blog were women's clothing and the interesting men's clothing, you would never see in a clothing store.
It's a shame that more men aren't interested in clothing. All i see in men's clothes stores are jeans and t-shirts covered in brand names, or suits. There used to be a store that sold interesting and attractive men's clothing, which closed down within 3 months of opening, thanks to lack of customers.
As Zapan mentioned above, this is a modern interpretation of Bedouin women's traditional dress found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Here's a photo of the Bersheba variant, with information about the embroidered jewelry:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bersheba_dress.jpg
And this is a stamp with an example of the Egyptian Bedouin headdress: http://www.world.webtimbres.com/imgmon/egypte%20femme%20voile%20dune.jpg
It's Darth Bling!
Didn't this chick fight Buck Rodgers with help from Tigerman? Lemme ask Dr. Theopolis, he would know.
That's a Goa'uld if ever I saw one.
It's very reminiscent of the harem from '300'.
Interesting. It reminds me of a combination of Bedouin bridal jewelery and Indian bridal jewelry.
Lovely. I remember seeing a picture in National Geographic when I was growing up of an Indian bride in full traditional dress and I thought it was just the coolest thing I'd seen. All that gold and a beautiful, sparkley sari!
I'd say it's more like the costumes of Ouled Nail women: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kielbryant/207150520/
The look that is shown above is actually inspired by the Bedouin women in the Middle East. A "Burqa" is the style of covering worn by women in Afghanistan an is cultural and pre-Islamic. The type of face covering worn by Arab desert women is a combination of gold and fabic and is called a "Burg'Gau". Two thirds of the Haute Couture industry is purchased by the women in the Middle East hence the homage to them :)