Abaya vs jilbab: what is the difference?

What is a jilbab? Four things with one name

When someone asks what a jilbab is, the useful reply is another question: which one?

• One-piece overhead jilbab: a single wide garment pulled on over the head. It frames the face and falls to the feet, with sleeves or sleeve openings and often elastic at the wrist.
• Two-piece jilbab: a long, cape-like top that covers the head, shoulders and arms to somewhere between hip and knee, worn over a full skirt or loose trousers in the same cloth.
• Coat jilbab: in parts of the Levant and in many UK shops, a long, buttoned coat-dress worn with a separate scarf. This version is very close to a closed or coat-style abaya.
• In Indonesia: the word usually just means a headscarf.

Shape, closure and wear compared

Taking the overhead and two-piece kinds as the jilbab, here is how it differs from an abaya in practice.

• Where it hangs from: an abaya hangs from the shoulders, so shoulder width and sleeve length matter. An overhead jilbab hangs from the crown of the head, so it is cut much wider and needs less exact measuring across the shoulders.
• Closure: abayas are open, closed or held with snaps, buttons or a belt. Overhead jilbabs have no front opening, or only a short zip at the chest; the two-piece kind relies on an elastic or drawstring waist in the skirt.
• Head covering: separate with an abaya, so you can change the scarf. Built in with most jilbabs, sometimes with ties behind the head to keep it in place.
• Outline: an abaya can be straight, flared or belted. A jilbab softens the line of the shoulders and arms as well, so it reads as one shape from head to hem.
• Fabric: jilbabs use a lot of cloth, so light, fluid fabrics keep the weight down. Abayas can carry a heavier crepe or a woven pattern.
• Daily use: a jilbab goes on in one movement over whatever you are wearing, which is why many women keep one by the door or in a travel bag. An abaya behaves more like a coat or a dress and is styled with the outfit.

Which suits what

If you like to vary your scarf, want a defined sleeve and cuff, or want a shape that can be belted or worn open over an outfit, an abaya is the more flexible choice. Our guides to abaya sleeve styles and to everyday and dressy cuts show how much variety there is.

If you want one garment from head to hem with nothing to arrange, a jilbab does that with less fuss. The trade-off is warmth and volume: more cloth around the head, neck and arms, which you notice in heat. A very wide butterfly abaya sits between the two, giving a similar sweep from the shoulders down.

What to say in a quote

We make abayas to measure, as Fabric + Stitching or as Stitching Only from cloth you send, and each one is quoted individually. If what you have in mind is nearer to a jilbab, do not rely on the word. We reply in writing with what is possible on your fabric and design; nothing is promised until it appears in the quote.

Send a photo on the quote form and name these details:

• one piece or two, and where the top piece should end;
• head covering attached or separate;
• wrist finish: plain, elastic or a cuff;
• any front zip or opening;
• your height and the full length in your shoes;
• the weight and feel of cloth you prefer.