home. costume class. here. here. here. here. here.

the history of fashion and dress. Islam vs. Early Medieval It seems that Islamic garments are quite similar to Early Medieval Western dress. The most obvious similarities are that nearly the entire body is covered. The clothes are worn loosely, not revealing the shape of the body. From what I’ve read, both Islamic and Early Medieval Western garments are long tunics worn over trousers. I read on one site that Islamic women are not allowed to show their legs, particularly their thighs. However, it is all right for them to be bare breasted, although they rarely do it unless they are breast feeding. I think that in Medieval times, women would not be allowed to walk around bare breasted, to say the least. It seems that both styles of dress are based in some solid rules, defining how to dress.                             Wearing modern Islamic dress rather than my clothes would leave me with quite a few less choices, which I suppose could make it easier to get dressed in the morning. The modern Islamic clothes I looked at seem to be all the same, which for me would get quite boring. They are all neutral tones and have no patterns. It seems I would always have to wear a skirt, which certainly would not appeal to me. The modern Islamic does look to be comfortable and due to its baggy, body hiding nature would “hide a multitude of sins” as Tara might say. Despite that benefit, I think I’d rather stick with my own clothes. Rachel Blackwell

RachelMonster.com