fashion

Ten ways to wear the ghotra

Team Observers — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:09:35 +0200

If you want to dress right in Saudi Arabia, then you'd better read our Observer's guide to wearing the ghotra - do it wrong and you might be unintentionally dressed as an MP, or just ten years out of date.

In the Gulf, where it is a mandatory accessory in official and educational buildings, almost all men don their ghotra before leaving the house. They're usually made from cotton or polyester, but you can also buy a woolly version for chilly conditions. Bizarrely, the headscarves were traditionally made in the UK and imported to the Gulf. But production has recently shifted to Saudi Arabia, entailing a drop both in price - threefold - and in quality.

One of our Observers in the country, Ahmed Al-Omran, who says he rarely wears the ghotra, received an email with the following instructions, and decided to publish this quick guide to wearing the Ghotra on his blog Saudi Jeans.

Harley Davidson trying to cause offence?

Sophie Team Observers — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:10:07 +0200

One of our Observers in Japan, Lee Chapman, photographed this motorbike, complete with Swastika-shaped spokes, outside a Harley Davidson shop in Tokyo. Depending on how you look at it, it could represent the ancient Buddhist symbol for universal harmony, the infamous emblem of Nazi Germany, or, as Lee tells us, simply being "cool".

Lee has been living in Tokyo for ten years. He posted the photos on his blog, Tokyo Times, on Monday.

Since posting this on my blog a few people have left comments saying that it's actually the Buddhist symbol the manji rather than the Nazi swastika. The idea doesn't really work though as it appears on a motorbike wheel. For one, to see the manji you could only look at it from the left side, and secondly, I don't think many Buddhist priests drive Harley Davidsons.

I do think there's nothing nasty in it however. Although it would indeed be found extremely offensive in many other parts of the world, here it's just seen as something cool; Hell's Angels' style from the ‘60s. My boss drives a Harley Davidson and when I told him about the bike he replied ‘Yeh, I've seen them around'. Nothing along the lines of ‘I know, isn't that terrible?'!"

Hijab blogger lays claim to style

Julien — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 13:00:26 +0100

Talk about the Islamic headscarf has long been the preserve of acrimonious debates over fundamentalism, women’s rights and freedom of expression. Blasting intolerance on all sides, Jana Kossaibati presses her right to dress as she pleases – and to do so hijab style.

Jana’s blog, which claims to be the UK’s first style guide for Muslim women, is one of a growing number of websites where women may find out how to mix cultural heritages from different Muslim countries to complement Western styles.

Jana says she first set out to fill a void: there was simply nothing around to tell women how to take care of their appearance while meeting Muslim requirements for dress.
Her blog offers tips for girls eager to anticipate seasonal trends and combine fabrics tastefully, without being ostentatious. But, she says, hijab style is not about what’s “hot” or the latest fad.

Lynn, 14, girl-next-door turned pin-up

Sophie Team Observers — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:51:59 +0100

In a time when retouched photos dominate the pages of even the most serious magazines and newspapers, a gadget launched by the Swedish government in 2007 is once more a hot topic online. A most enlightening "before and after".

The Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs came up with the idea in an attempt to fight the beauty stereotype imposed by the media; in particular women's magazines. The agency commissioned with the campaign, Forsman & Bodenfors, created a site called Girl Power, in which they attempted to illustrate the magic of Photoshop. The model is called Lynn, she's 14, and she's posing for supposed chic-lit mag "Metropolitan". Chin, eyes, chest... in a few clicks, the pretty schoolgirl is transformed into a luscious young woman.

In light of this eye-opening demonstration, we asked a professional: has retouch gone too far?

No brakes, one gear, no inhibitions

Ségolène Team Observers — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:25:36 +0200

Photo posted on Flickr by "nabiis" June 23.

Without brakes, freestanding wheels, and possessing only one gear, the "fixie" can already be seen tearing down the streets of the world's metropolises. This new kind of bike has lured fans with a fervour from San Francisco to Tokyo.

The "fixed gear" was born in San Francisco, the hub of non-motorised wheel enthusiasts. The movement is a kind of idealised version of messenger-style bike riding, cruising through the cities and slaloming between cars. The so-called "hipsters" have turned the idea into a veritable urban art form in which the aesthetics of the engine are as important as its performance.

The phenomenon has gone beyond the bike messenger circle and can be seen in London, Paris and even Tokyo.

In France these bicycles, which work on a system of backpedalling, are not authorised to venture outside the area of competitive biking. But the best underground bikers are enthralled by the idea, as it requires an unparallelled mastery of the engine's technology (riders mustn't stop pedalling).

The tinkerers are also in on the game. The "fixies" (fixed gear bicycles) are most often the result of customised discontinued bicycle frames. In Japan, some are worth their weight in gold.

China's "White Warriors" make their way to Europe

Sophie Team Observers — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:21:38 +0200

Thirty years ago bright white Warrior trainers were worn by only those privileged and cool enough to own a pair of them. Now, they find themselves on the feet of cleaners, construction workers and peasants. So why is student Shumeng Ye trying to get the seventies classics back from "China's working class heroes"?

Shumeng placed herself in the daily lives of the Chinese last year when she came back to China to photograph people sporting White Warriors. She has now compiled the photos to make a book, which is sold online, accompanied by a pair of the legendry trainers.

Britons praise Carla Bruni-Sarkozy's French chic

Julien — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:43:45 +0100

The British public was wowed by Carla Sarkozy's elegance and beauty yesterday when she met the Queen. And they didn't miss out on the chance to compare the French president's wife with that of Prince Charles, Camilla Parker-Bowles, who rarely enjoys any praise. We listen to the view of a British "appearance management" consultant on each woman's choice of style.