Abaya embroidery motifs: floral, botanical and geometric

The five floral motifs

Flowers are the largest family, and they range from tiny and orderly to tall and open.

• Desert Jasmine: small cream jasmine flowers with gold leaves, on black. The flowers are tiny and evenly spaced, so the effect is crisp from across a room and detailed close up. It is the collection’s black and gold design, covered in our guide to the black abaya with gold embroidery; the Desert Jasmine lantern abaya shows it around a stand collar.
• Rosebud: small pink rosebuds along a trailing cream vine, on dusty mauve. The vine links the buds into one continuous line, which suits long edges, and it is the softest and prettiest of the ten. The Rosebud kimono abaya runs it down both front edges.
• Iris: tall irises in soft blue on slim silver-green stems, on navy. Because the flowers grow upwards on long stems, the motif draws the eye along the length of the abaya. It feels cool and calm rather than sweet; see the Iris tulip abaya, where it falls in a spray over one shoulder.
• Magnolia: magnolia flowers opening along long stems in peach and soft gold, on ivory. These flowers are larger and more open than jasmine or rosebud, and on a pale ground the soft gold gives warmth without much shine. The Magnolia butterfly abaya gives them the wide sleeves they need.
• Acacia: sprays of round cream blossom with soft grey leaves, on taupe. Low in contrast and natural in feel, it is the quietest of the flowers and easy to wear to work. The Acacia cape abaya shows how a gentle motif can still dress up a statement shape.

Lattice, scrollwork and waves: the pattern motifs

The last three are patterns rather than plants. We describe them by what is stitched, not by any historical school or region. If you have a particular traditional pattern in mind, a photo tells us far more than a name.

• Pearl Geometry: a fine diamond lattice in cream thread, with a small dot where the lines cross, on pearl grey. It is almost tone on tone, so it looks orderly and quiet rather than busy, which makes it a natural fit for a minimalist abaya. See it on the Pearl Geometry tailored abaya.
• Arabesque: gold scrollwork on burgundy, made of curling, interlinked lines with no flowers. It is the most formal of the ten and rich enough for Eid. The Arabesque bell abaya places it down the neck opening and on the flared sleeves.
• Wave: flowing wave lines in gold and teal thread with small fan shells along the way, on deep teal. It has a lightness the other two patterns lack, and the shells give the eye somewhere to rest. The Wave pleated abaya runs it down the front edges and above the pleated sleeve ends.

Matching the size of the motif to the shape

Each shape gives the embroidery a different space to fill, and a motif looks right when its size suits that space. On a kimono abaya, a bisht or a pleated abaya, the work runs down both front edges and around the cuffs or sleeve ends: long, narrow bands. Small repeating motifs keep their detail there. Jasmine, rosebud and the lattice repeat neatly along a narrow edge, while tall irises or palm fronds are turned to follow it, so they read as a running border.

The butterfly abaya is different. Its sleeves are cut in one with the body, so the embroidery spreads around the neckline and across a broad stretch of sleeve. Larger, more open flowers such as magnolia have room to unfold there, while a tiny motif can look lost unless it repeats. A cape works in a similar way at the shoulders: its curved edge frames the work near the face, and flowing lines like scrollwork or palm fronds follow a curve well. Our cape abaya guide covers the cut itself.

The tulip and layered shapes place the motif in a spray over one shoulder, an asymmetric placement that suits flowers on stems. The tailored shape keeps the work to the narrow shawl collar and the cuffs, so a fine motif suits it, and the lantern shape frames the stand collar, the front placket and the deep cuffs. As a rule of thumb, the narrower the band, the smaller and more regular the motif should be.

Choosing a motif for daily wear or an occasion

For an abaya you will wear most days, choose a motif with low contrast and small elements: Pearl Geometry, Acacia or Olive Branch, on a tailored, bell or kimono shape. These stay neat at a desk or on the school run and sit happily with any scarf. The design pages also suggest quieter versions, such as embroidery on the cuffs or the collar only. Our abayas for work page brings the pearl grey lattice designs and several tailored abayas together.

For Eid, weddings and evenings out, gold does much of the work. Arabesque, Palm Arc, Desert Jasmine and Wave all carry gold thread, and on a cape, pleated or bisht shape they look properly dressed. Gold looks warmer under evening lamps than at midday, so a motif that seems restrained at lunch can glow at dinner. Compare them on the Eid abayas and wedding guest abayas pages.

Another shape, another colour or a motif of your own

Because the collection pairs every motif with every shape, the combination you want already has its own design page: Iris on a cape, Rosebud on a tailored abaya or Wave on a bisht. If the colour is what stops you, any design can be made in any colour, agreed in your quote, so Rosebud can be worked on navy or Acacia on black. Open the design and use the customise form to say what should change.

If you have a motif of your own, perhaps from an old garment, a tile, a sketch or a picture you saved, send a clear photo taken straight on, and say roughly how large it should be and where it should sit. A design from your own photo is a custom design rather than one of our hundred, so it is quoted individually in a written quote. Our guide to designing your own abaya from a photo explains what to send, and the Send Your Design form is where to begin.

Hand, machine or mixed embroidery

Every collection design can be embroidered by hand, by machine or with a mix of the two, at the same price. Machine work is crisp and exactly even, which suits the lattice and the scrollwork, where both sleeves should match line for line. Hand work has a slightly raised, softer texture that flatters flowers, and mixed work sets hand-stitched details over a machine base. Our comparison of machine and hand embroidery explains the differences, and embroidered abayas made to measure covers placement.

If you would like zari (metallic thread), beadwork or sequins added to a motif, say so in your notes: whether it suits the fabric, the density and the placement is confirmed in the written quote, which shows the full cost before you pay. Collection abayas start from £80, with a matching scarf, in nida, crepe or chiffon. These are launch prices until 31 October. From 1 November the same three tiers cost £99, £125 and £150.

Every abaya is made to measure in Pakistan and shipped worldwide, with delivery and any import duties in the quote. See custom abayas, or the pages for the UK and the UAE.