Minimalist abayas: the quiet luxury look

The details that do the work

With so little decoration, the basics carry the look. These are the points to get right, and the ones worth mentioning in your enquiry:

• The exact length. The hem should clear the floor in the shoes you wear most, or just skim the top of the foot, and stay level all the way round. Too long and it drags and frays; too short and the abaya looks borrowed. Our guide to measuring for an abaya shows how to take the length.
• A shoulder line that sits right. On the tailored and bell shapes the shoulder seam should sit at the edge of your shoulder; on wide shapes like the kimono, the drape should start in the right place so the sleeves hang evenly. Your shoulder measurement settles this, which is one reason made to measure suits a minimal look.
• A heavier, opaque fabric. Crepe hangs with a little weight and holds a straight, fluid line, and it is more opaque than nida or chiffon. Nida also works for a lighter everyday piece. Our comparison of nida, crepe and chiffon sets the three side by side.
• Clean finishing. Straight seams, neat seam edges inside, facings that lie flat on an open front and a hem that hangs level. A plain abaya leaves poor sewing nowhere to hide, and our guide to telling a well-made abaya lists what to check.
• Tonal embroidery in one place. If there is embroidery, keep it close to the fabric colour and put it in a single area: the collar, the cuffs or the back of the neck. The design pages suggest versions with embroidery on the collar or the cuffs only.

Shapes that suit a minimal abaya

The quietest shapes are those with clean lines and nothing that asks for attention:

• Tailored: long and straight with a narrow shawl collar and straight sleeves, the cleanest of our open shapes. See the tailored abayas.
• Kimono: open like a long coat, with wide, straight sleeves, and finished-looking over anything. See the kimono abayas.
• Bell: closed at a round neck, with a gentle A-line and sleeves that flare at the wrist. That single flare is its only flourish. See the bell-sleeve abayas.

Where statement shapes fit

The cape, the pleated abaya, the tulip with its petal sleeves, the layered sleeve and the full lantern sleeve are lovely, but in each of them the shape itself is the decoration. Made in a quiet colour they still read as dressed up, which suits an occasion better than a minimal everyday wardrobe.

The butterfly sits in between. It is plain in outline but relaxed rather than sharp, and in crepe it falls in soft, heavy folds. If you love its comfort, choose it in a neutral with the embroidery kept to the neckline.

Small personal touches

Quiet luxury often keeps its finest detail where only the wearer knows it is there.

• Tonal initials: a monogram in thread a shade darker than the fabric, on one cuff or inside the front edge. Our guide to initials on an abaya covers placement and size.
• A small motif at the back of the neck: our kimono designs already carry a small matching motif there, and on other shapes you can ask for one in place of embroidery at the front.
• A lining: for crepe in pale colours, or simply to make the inside as neat as the outside.
• Proportions: three-quarter sleeves or an ankle-length hem change the feel of a design without adding anything to it.

Wearing it every day, and ordering

A minimal abaya tends to become the one you reach for first, so plan for frequent wear. Washing inside out in cool water and drying in the shade keeps dark colours from fading, and pressing crepe from the reverse avoids the shine a hot iron can leave on its surface. Hang it on a broad hanger so the shoulders keep their shape; our guides to washing an abaya and pressing and storing abayas go into detail. Light, tonal embroidery is also the easiest kind to live with, because it lies close to the fabric and does not catch on bag straps.

To order, start from the design closest to the look you want and tell us what to quieten: the colour, the thread, the amount of embroidery or the proportions. Our essential tier, lighter embroidery on the tailored, butterfly and bell shapes, is £80 with a matching scarf, and every change you ask for is shown with the total in your written quote. These are launch prices until 31 October. From 1 November the same three tiers cost £99, £125 and £150.

We make each abaya to measure in Pakistan and ship it worldwide. The quote includes delivery and any import duties, taxes and fees, and making takes 5 to 7 working days once it is approved and paid in full. See custom abayas, the pages for the UK and Qatar, or go straight to the customise form.