Pink abayas in blush, dusty pink or lilac, made to order in your shade

01

Why the pictures are mauve, and how your pink is made

We have not drawn an abaya in pink yet, and we would rather tell you than tint a picture. The closest colour in the collection is Rosebud’s dusty mauve: pink with grey and a little purple mixed in, so beside a clear pink it looks cooler and quieter, while beside beige or grey it reads as pink at once. The rosebuds themselves are a pale pink, stitched along a cream vine. Pink abayas themselves are nothing new to us. We make them to order; we just have no photograph of a finished one to show you yet.

Any of our abaya designs can be made in any colour. Choose the shape you like, write your pink on the quote request, and the shade of the abaya and of its scarf is set down in your written quote. Nothing is cut until you have approved that quote and paid for it. The common pinks, and what each name usually means:

• Blush: very pale, with a warm, faintly peach tint; easy to wear on an ordinary weekday
• Baby pink or light pink: cooler and clearer than blush, the sweetest of the pastels
• Dusty pink or dusky pink: pink muted with grey, the nearest to the mauve pictured here
• Dusty rose: a shade deeper and browner than dusty pink, like a dried petal
• Hot pink, rani pink or fuchsia: bright and saturated, for Eid, a mehndi or a party
• Lilac: a pale purple with a pink lean, one step from mauve towards lavender

02

Ten Rosebud shapes, from a pink open abaya to an abaya dress

The rosebud vine is narrow and likes an edge to follow, so on every shape it traces a different line. Six of the shapes hang open and go over your own clothes, which is what most people mean by a pink open abaya. The other four close at the neck and are worn as the outfit itself, the cut many shops sell as a pink abaya dress.

• Kimono and bisht: the vine runs down both front edges, then round the cuffs of the kimono’s wide, straight sleeves; the fuller bisht adds a line across the back of the neck and round its wide sleeve ends
• Cape: rosebuds outline the short cape over the shoulders, then carry on down the front and round the cuffs
• Pleated: buds down both front edges, stopping just above the pleated, flared sleeve ends
• Tailored: buds on the narrow shawl collar and the cuffs only, so most of the cloth stays plain
• Tulip: a spray over one shoulder that drifts down the front, with more on the curved petal sleeves
• Butterfly, bell, lantern and layered: the closed four, with the vine round a round neck, down a neck opening, on a stand collar and placket, or in a spray from one shoulder

03

Thread, fabric and scarf: getting a pink abaya right

Change the cloth and the embroidery reads differently. Pale pink rosebuds that show well on dusty mauve can almost vanish on a blush or baby pink abaya, so on a light pink ask for a deeper thread, such as rose, mauve or soft gold; on hot pink, cream or ivory thread stands out cleanly. The thread colour on any of our abaya designs can be changed, and it goes into your quote alongside the cloth.

Pink and black, or pink and white, works the other way round: the rosebud vine stays as drawn and the base becomes black, ivory or white, agreed in writing before cutting. Our abaya and embroidery colour pairings guide has more combinations to try.

Pale pinks also ask more of the fabric. A single layer of chiffon is slightly sheer, so blush or baby pink chiffon lets light and whatever you wear underneath show through; ask for a lining, or choose crepe, the most opaque of our three. Nida is matte and gives a soft, even colour. All three cost the same, and nida, crepe or chiffon compares them side by side.

04

Wearing pink: skin tone, pairings and planning ahead

As a loose guide, warm and olive skin looks good in blush, dusty rose and pinks with a little peach in them; cool, fair skin in baby pink, lilac and the mauve shown here; deep skin in hot pink and fuchsia, which it carries with real clarity. How to find your skin undertone has a quick mirror test.

Dusty pink sits comfortably with grey, navy, maroon, olive and ivory, and lilac with silver, grey and sage. Gold jewellery warms a blush, while silver and pearls keep lilac cool. For more ideas, see what colours go with dusty pink and what colours go with lilac.

Pink is a natural pick for spring and summer, Eid, a baby shower or a wedding you are invited to, where it looks festive without taking attention from the couple. Making takes 5 to 7 working days from the day your quote is approved and paid in full. Shipping comes after that and depends on where you live, so mention your date when you write to us.