The abaya is a traditional garment worn by women in many Middle Eastern countries. It is a long, loose-fitting robe that covers the entire body, except for the hands, feet, and face. The abaya has a rich history that is intertwined with the cultural and religious traditions of the region. In this blog post, we will explore the history of the abaya and how it relates to laundry.
Gone are the days when abayas were just a plain black, traditional design. Now, with the developments of abayas becoming a fashion statement whilst also keeping the modesty, you can find all sort of styles with different colours, embellishments and designs.
Whether you’re choosing an abaya for everyday wear or a special occasion, choosing the right one will compliment your look and figure. Make a simple misjudgement and you can find yourself looking dull and feeling uncomfortable.
The first thing to consider when choosing an abaya is your height. Whether you’re tall or short, abaya’s should reach the full length of your body and shouldn’t be any shorter than a few centimetres below your ankle. When trying on an abaya, test to see what it will look like with and without heels (tiptoe if you can’t test with heels).
You definitely want to look for an abaya that compliments your body and enhances your features. That’s not to say that your abaya should have a tight body fit, but should fit well enough so that you can comfortably wear your own clothes underneath. If you have more of a pear-shaped figure, choose an abaya that is wide at the bottom and tighter on the sleeves. For a slimmer or skinny figure, opt for an abaya that has more layers to accentuate your figure.
No one likes sleeves that are too short or too long, especially when they weren’t designed to fit that way. When choosing the right abaya, make sure the sleeves are at wrist length unless the design states otherwise.
When it comes to choosing an abaya, make sure it matches the season. You wouldn’t want to wear a silk abaya in the winter or a wool abaya in the summer. Make sure to choose abayas with light fabric for the summer and leave the heavy and layered abayas for the winter. Most importantly, make sure you feel comfortable!
If you’re purchasing your abaya online, check the size guides carefully and read the product descriptions for the fabric types.
For professional abaya cleaning, you can schedule a free collection with laundryheap and have your abayas returned to you in less than 24 hours.
It’s important to take great care of your abaya and keep it in pristine condition, so you can always look your absolute best.
Most abayas are made from delicate fabric and some have embellishments like sequins on them, so it’s important that you check the care label for the appropriate cleaning method.
Abayas with beading, sequins or metal embellishments should be hand-washed or dry-cleaned as these are more gentle cleaning processes that won’t ruin the embroideries.
If you’re considering to hand-wash, it would be the same process as hand-washing your ordinary clothes, but just with extra caution.
Here are some key points to follow when hand-washing your abaya:
Just as you would with your regular clothes, separate and wash your abaya with similar colours. This will prevent colours from bleeding onto other fabrics and will avoid unwanted discolouration.
Again, because Abayas are delicate clothing, you want to machine wash them in a way that will prevent damage to the fabric.
After washing, always air dry your abaya and as much as possible, avoid tumble drying. This is because the heat and agitation of the dryer can wear out the fabric overtime, making it look dull. If you hand-washed your abaya, gently wring out the excess water before hanging to dry.
It’s better to press/ steam your abaya using a low heat setting, as this is more gentle for the fabric. This is especially beneficial to your abayas with embellishments.
If you prefer to iron, use a low temperature and iron the abayas inside out. For abayas with embroidery, you should also iron them inside out but use a piece of fabric over the embellishments so it acts as a safety barrier from the heat.
Remember to:
If you’re in need of a top quality dry-cleaner to clean your abaya, Laundryheap will collect, clean and deliver your abayas to you within 24 hours.
