I've seen a fair number of women here wearing dresses made from a particular fabric. It is clearly artificial, some rayon or polyester weave (a guess, but a pretty good one; a foreign man cannot go up to a woman and ask about her clothes). What is worthy of remark is that this fabric is the exact blue color of the burka. The dresses sewn from it are modern (though still asian; they drape and pleat much more than western dresses) and are often intricately embroidered in silver or white thread.
Yes, there is a nod in one direction to tradition by using the color; and a suggestion that these women will be taken on their own terms and make their own decisions - at least abut what to wear.
Two striking images from my second week:
A woman dressed in a light gray power suit, pants, high heeled black leather boots. Very professional. Blue burka completely covering her head, but also billowing behind her like a cape as she marched off to her next meeting. No heads turned to see her pass but mine.
And I finally saw a woman in a full black chador, covered from head to foot, not even her hands were showing. She had added another wrap to her head (and around her shoulders; it was cold) so that even her eyes were nearly hidden from the gaze of others. All of this was skin tight.
There is the phrase "nothing left to the imagination", but, of course, in this case everything was still obscured - and the imagination was fired. This was not an incitement to prurient thought: it was a command.
She was tall and proud, defiant ("fuck you!") and playful ("don't you want to fuck me too?"), and as this daughter of Lilith swung her hips down the street, every head turned.
Posted by Martial