Burgundy abayas with embroidery: shades and pairings

Burgundy, maroon, wine, oxblood and plum compared

Held side by side, the five are clearly different; apart, they blur into one another. The quickest way to place a shade is to ask whether it leans towards brown, towards purple or towards a bright red.

• Burgundy: red with a measured amount of purple. The balanced middle of the family, rich in both daylight and lamplight.
• Maroon: red pulled towards brown. Warmer and earthier than burgundy, it sits well with camel, cream and antique gold.
• Wine: a touch brighter and juicier than burgundy, with more red showing. It reads as a colour from across a room rather than as a dark.
• Oxblood: the darkest, a brown-red that can pass for black at night. The most understated choice if you are moving away from a black abaya.
• Plum-leaning burgundy: more purple than red, cooler and more dramatic. If your reference looks closer to aubergine, our guide to plum, aubergine and jamni helps you name it.

Embroidery colours that suit burgundy

Burgundy wears gold without effort, which is why our Arabesque designs pair it with gold scrollwork. Gold is not the only route, though, and the thread you choose changes the whole feel of the abaya.

• Bright gold: the classic pairing, festive and warm. It shows clearly in photos and evening light, and over a large area it becomes a statement.
• Antique gold: browner and calmer than bright gold. It flatters maroon and oxblood in particular and looks less formal in the daytime.
• Rose gold: a pink-toned metal on a red-purple ground gives a soft, harmonious finish that suits daytime events and blush scarves.
• Silver: cooler and sharper. It works well on wine and plum-leaning burgundy, and makes sense if you mostly wear silver or white gold.
• Tonal burgundy: thread a shade darker or lighter than the fabric, for a pattern you only notice up close. A good option for work.

Metallic thread and sparkle on dark red

Metallic thread is called zari, and beadwork or sequins can add sparkle to scrollwork. Whether they suit your fabric, the density of the design and its placement is confirmed in the quote. What zari is explains the thread, and gold or silver embroidery goes further into choosing a metal.

Deep reds are among the colours most likely to release dye in the first few washes, so a burgundy abaya with pale or metallic embroidery should be washed cool and on its own. That keeps the red from creeping into the thread.

Scarf colours with a burgundy abaya

The designs in our collection come with a scarf in the abaya’s own colour, which gives the long, unbroken line that suits dark reds; abaya with matching scarf explains why that works. If you prefer to wear a contrast scarf you already own, these sit most comfortably beside burgundy:

• Black: sharp and formal, good for evenings.
• Blush or dusty pink: soft, and it brings light to the face.
• Cream or ivory: fresh and clean, a strong frame for deeper skin.
• Camel or taupe: earthy and relaxed, especially with maroon.
• Grey: cool and modern with plum-leaning shades.
• Avoid bright or orange-red: two reds side by side compete, and the abaya ends up looking faded.

When to wear burgundy, and who it suits

• Winter: deep reds feel right in the cold months. In the UK, an open burgundy crepe abaya over a jumper works under a coat; our winter abayas guide covers layering.
• Eid: burgundy with gold is festive without being loud. Our Eid abayas collection gathers suitable shapes.
• Weddings as a guest: dark red looks rich in photographs. If the bride is likely to wear red, choose a burgundy that leans plum or oxblood so the two do not look alike. See wedding guest abayas and the wedding guest abaya guide.
• Evenings and dinners: a cape or kimono shape in burgundy chiffon over a dark inner dress looks dressed up under warm lights.
• Skin tones: warm or golden skin often glows in maroon and oxblood; cool or rosy skin tends to suit wine and plum-leaning burgundy; deep skin carries the darkest shades beautifully, and colours for dark skin tones has more ideas. On very fair skin the contrast can feel strong near the face, which a blush or cream scarf softens.

Ordering a burgundy abaya

The Arabesque motif comes in all ten shapes. Four that show its range: the butterfly with scrollwork at the neckline and sleeves, the lantern with a stand collar, the cape and the open kimono. The pictures are design previews. Each comes with a matching scarf and can be made in nida, crepe or chiffon at the same price. The butterfly sits in our essential tier, the kimono and lantern in signature and the cape in statement, which today cost £80, £99 and £120. These are launch prices until 31 October. From 1 November the same three tiers cost £99, £125 and £150.

To have a different design made in burgundy, name the shade in your enquiry and add a daylight photo of something you own in that red, because one screen’s burgundy is another screen’s maroon. Delivery and import charges are explained on the UK abaya page and the Saudi abaya page, and the custom abaya service lists every option. You can also ask for a quote for the Arabesque kimono. For other jewel colours, see our guide to green abayas, and for thread ideas on every base, abaya and embroidery colour pairings.