Arabia Felix, the name that the Romans gave to Yemen due to its fertile land, rainfall and green scenery, pretty much summarizes what this country is all about. Even in the toughest circumstances, you can always see Yemenis with a smile on their faces and happiness filling their souls. It makes you wonder “How?” and every foreigner who has witnessed that was unable to find an explanation to it. Yemen is a rich country with so much to explore and learn about. As a stylist, I will uncover for you its fashion side. The vibrant, colorful and vigorous Yemen Traditional Fashion that will sure mesmerize you and take your breath away.

The Fashion

The background

In order to understand this outfit, you have to learn about the process of Yemeni weddings. Yemeni brides wear classical white gowns on their wedding day as everyone does globally. However, the wedding celebration can extend from 3 to 7 days and the intrigue builds up until the main final day. At the beginning of the celebration, the bride wears an oversized dress that covers her body and a head covering that covers her hair and face. Afterwards, she wears the costume I am wearing, still covering her hair but revealing her eyes and part of her face with the semi transparent veil. Finally, on the last day, she wears the white bridal gown with a hairdo and her face revealed for guests to see.

The Outfit

The featured dress is made out of red and gold brocade. Popular colours used in this costume are black, red and green. The hems of the dress and the head covering are embellished with coral, which is widely used in Yemeni jewelry. Although Yemeni women wear a lot of gold, this specific outfit is always worn with silver. As you can see, there is a lot of it! On the face covering, on the forehead, on both sides of the face, bracelets, two necklaces and a belt. The silver jewelry has a Jewish style and this is because of the big Jewish community that lived in Sana’a until the 80’s. They were masters of silver making and their art left an impact on Yemeni style until this day.

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The Makeup

Another important part of the Yemen traditional fashion is the makeup. If you are a bride, you have to wear a lot of makeup. In this particular look, the focus is on the eyes and eyebrows, specially because the rest of the face is covered. The Arabic culture in general puts women’s eyes in the center of attention. Poets and painters have always described in detail the beauty and mystery of the eyes of their beloved ones. I personally think that this costume wouldn’t be complete without such an artistic eye makeup.

The Architecture

What if I told you that Yemen has the oldest skyscrapers? That’s true. And it is located in the city of Shibam (visit UNESCO site here to learn more https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/192/ ). Similar skyscrapers can also be found in the old city of Sana’a. Those houses have a very decorative façade and can be as high as 7 floors. In case you think that this isn’t too high, then what would you say if I told you it was built around the 11th century from mud, stone and bricks?

A very distinctive part of the Yemeni architecture is the Qamariyah. The Qamariyah is the half-moon shaped, colourful top part of the window. The Qamariyah’s frame is made from gypsum which is shaped into a decorative design. Coloured glass is then fitted into the frame creating a beautiful design. When sunlight hits the Qamariya, a pretty painting is formed on the wall or the floor where the light falls. But its function isn’t only aesthetical. It allows light to come into the room when the window wooden doors are closed. In addition, it provides the resident of the house to have some privacy since the glass isn’t transparent. Although construction style and method has changed from the time those buildings were first built, the Qamariyah remained an important part in the Yemeni architecture till this day.

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Credits:
Stylist & Model: Rima Alkhatib @ www.instagram.com/dressing.the.nation
Photographer: Maria Fuad @www.instagram.com/maria_fuad_photography
Makeup Artist: Nada Oshaish @ www.facebook.com/nada oshaish artist
Costume: Shorooq @ www.facebook.com/تراثي في ازيائي
Qamariya pictures: Pinterest