Ounass Abaya Designs

Ounass brings together clothing from local and international designers. Design descriptions draw on Ounass listings and photographs.

Shape, panels and folds

Orfa: Cape-style Blazer Abaya

Orfa’s beige design places a cape outline around the long, clean front of a blazer. Two dark buttons sit high on the body, while a fine dark line traces the upper opening. Those small contrasts give the eye a starting point within a large area of pale fabric. The shoulders are defined, but the cloth falls away from them in broad panels, with the hands emerging through long openings at the sides.

The photographs show the front ending above the longer fabric behind it. That stepped outline is central to the design: the outer shape can be appreciated even when the front remains simple. A compact bag held low would leave the buttoned area visible. The model name points towards tailoring, while the cape construction gives the garment its particular arrangement around the arms and back.

Elna Line: Panelled Abaya in Crepe

Elna Line uses broad white front panels against rust-brown fabric. The white begins near the neck and continues to the hem, creating a much stronger division than a fine contrast trim would. Short white details across the pockets repeat that relationship horizontally. Two gold-toned elements near the upper opening add a smaller point of emphasis without covering the large areas of plain colour.

Ounass lists crepe, an open front, front pockets and an accompanying sheila; the inner is separate. In the photographs, a white inner carries the light central colour through the outfit. That arrangement makes the brown outer sides particularly clear. The pocket details also give the design something to notice above the hem: the same two colours organise both the long vertical shape and the shorter lines across the body.

Apple Wang: Bow Abaya in Summer Tweed

A small, flat bow sits directly below the rounded neckline of Apple Wang’s off-white abaya. It is a contained detail, positioned high enough to be read alongside the shoulders rather than the skirt. Fine vertical seams continue down the front, and the outline widens towards the hem. Small gold-toned details at the horizontal pocket openings provide two further accents within the otherwise closely matched palette.

The listing describes structured shoulders, discreet front fastenings and a sheila, with the inner supplied separately. The photographed surface has a fine repeated texture, giving the pale fabric interest beyond its colour. Summer Tweed is the material name used for this model. With the bow as the main focal point, a scarf arranged clear of the neckline would keep that defining feature visible, while the long seams remain the stronger lines lower down.

Beige Collection: Pleated Embroidered Abaya

Long pleats give this brown Beige Collection design a clear downward direction. Around the waist and hip area, diamond-like folded openings interrupt those straight lines, creating a more concentrated pattern before the pleats continue towards the hem. The effect comes from how the cloth is arranged: the raised and recessed sections make the front more intricate than its single dark colour first suggests.

Notched lapels frame the upper opening, while the broad sleeves end above the wrist in the product photographs. The listing also identifies three-quarter sleeves, an open front and a sheila; the inner is separate. A plain light inner, as pictured, makes the two decorated front panels easy to distinguish. The useful detail to examine closely is the transition from the compact diamond arrangement into the longer folds below, rather than only the overall amount of pleating.

Borders and botanical details

ZAH Design: Contrast-trim Abaya

ZAH Design’s beige outer uses a very narrow brown-red line around the opening and sleeve ends. It gives definition to the pale fabric without creating a broad band of another colour. Small floral marks low on a front panel provide a second, quieter detail. Their scale leaves much of the garment plain, so the long outline remains more prominent than the motifs.

The product photographs show the outer hanging open over a buttoned blouse and trousers, then brought closer together. Those views make the narrow edging easier to follow. Ounass lists an open front, long sleeves and a matching sheila, with the inner separate. The blouse’s buttoned neckline belongs to the photographed styling, so the abaya itself is best understood through its uninterrupted opening, small lower motifs and restrained contrast at the wrists.

Amber Feroz: Embroidered Abaya in Linen

Amber Feroz places two elongated botanical forms beside the opening of this white linen abaya. Fine dark lines and pale tan areas create a combination of slender stems and wider leaf-like shapes. The motifs begin around the middle of the body and extend downwards, leaving the shoulders and much of the upper front plain. Their length follows the garment rather than spreading across it.

The broad, softly turned front edges contribute another long line. Ounass identifies washed Italian linen and machine embroidery, while listing the inner separately. In the photographs, pale clothing underneath allows the dark outlines of the embroidery to remain easy to see. The design offers a particularly clear distinction between the motif’s outline and its filled areas: both contribute to the image, but the fine black strokes are the details that stand out at a distance.

SH Collection: Embroidered-trim Abaya Set

This green SH Collection set makes its decorated edges the principal feature. Broad strips of matching embroidery run down both sides of the opening, with repeating curved, leaf-like shapes producing a scalloped outline. The same family of forms spreads around the sleeve ends. There, pointed edges extend beyond the plain cloth, so the decoration changes the visible boundary of the garment as well as its surface.

The photographs present a muted sage-like colour across both the outer and inner. Ounass lists an abaya and inner dress, with a matching sheila also included. Keeping those large areas close in colour gives the worked borders room to stand out through texture and shape. A bag carried below the cuff would leave the projecting sleeve detail unobscured; the long front borders already provide a strong repeated element through the rest of the outfit.

HQ Travels: 3-piece Abaya Set

HQ Travels frames this linen set with narrow lace bands down the open front. The bands remain fairly straight, while their small repeating forms give the edge a more intricate surface. Matching decoration returns around the wide sleeve ends, finished with a fine pointed outline. The plain fabric between those borders occupies most of the garment, allowing the repeated trim to remain easy to follow.

The listing names the colour Fern Green; the photographs show a pale grey-green appearance. The set contains the abaya, a round-neck inner dress and a sheila. The inner’s simple neckline creates a calm central area between the two long borders. Here, the cuffs and opening work as a coordinated frame: each repeats the same narrow decorative language, without introducing a separate large motif across the body or around the lower hem.

Decoration on dark grounds

Al Mraikn: 3-piece Embroidered Abaya Set

Colourful floral sprays sit against a black lace-patterned ground in this Al Mraikn set. Pale green, lilac, cream and yellow details climb the front and appear again around the sleeves. The clusters are separated by long areas of black, giving each spray a distinct outline. Smooth bands beside the opening provide a particularly quiet border next to the more intricate floral and lace surfaces.

The scalloped cuffs and lower edge continue the patterned treatment beyond the main flower clusters. Ounass lists an abaya, sleeveless inner dress and matching sheila. The black inner visible in the photographs creates a continuous dark centre, allowing the coloured decoration to remain concentrated on the outer. A small accessory in one of the flower colours would pick up an existing detail; repeating several shades at once would add a different kind of colour arrangement.

Merras: Bead Embellished Trim 3-piece Abaya Set in Nada

Merras pairs a black outer with a copper-brown inner dress. A narrow bead-decorated edge follows the opening, connecting the two colours without covering much of either surface. The cuffs are considerably broader and more densely worked, with diagonal leaf-like forms appearing in copper and gold tones. That change in scale gives the wrists a stronger decorative role than the long front border.

Ounass identifies Nada fabric and includes the abaya, inner dress and sheila. A closer photograph shows the black scarf lying across the shoulders, leaving the copper central panel visible beneath it. The important colour relationship is therefore carried by the clothes themselves. The narrow opening trim links the dark outer to the warm inner, while the cuffs repeat that warmth further out at the arms, creating two different kinds of emphasis within one set.

Louzan: Embroidered Lace Abaya in Nida

Louzan’s black design combines spreading floral decoration across the upper front with much longer lace details below. The flowers draw attention across the body, while the narrower patterned strips continue downwards. At the sleeve ends, scalloped lace gives the cuffs a distinct edge. Areas of openwork also appear towards the sides, introducing visible gaps within the otherwise dark composition.

The retailer specifies Nida, embroidery and lace at the front, sleeves and sides. The inner is separate. In the photographs, a plain black inner makes the different black surfaces easier to distinguish without introducing another colour. The design can therefore be read at two scales: the floral groupings establish the main upper pattern, while the fine lace becomes more apparent closer up. Keeping the front unobscured would preserve the connection between the short spreading motifs and the long strips beneath them.

Ammaniyas: Appliqué-embellished Abaya in Organza

The black organza in this Ammaniyas design carries a pale, irregular scrolling pattern across a broad outline. More concentrated floral appliqué sits beside the upper opening, with slender decorative strands descending from those clusters. The garment’s wide sides create a generous shape around the body, while the hand openings sit within that larger expanse of patterned fabric.

Ounass describes crushed sheer organza, bead and sequin appliqué, border trims and a matching sheila; the inner is separate. The photographs show the transparency clearly around the shoulders and lower edge. A dark inner, as pictured, supplies a continuous background for the pale surface pattern. The upper floral clusters remain distinguishable because they are more concentrated than the marks spread across the rest of the cloth, giving the design both a large-scale pattern and a closer focal area near the face.

Layers and movement

Roua AlMawally: Abaya and Dress Set in Chiffon and Velvet

Roua AlMawally brings translucent dark blue chiffon together with dense velvet borders. The velvet follows the opening, lower edge and sleeve ends, giving a clear outline to the sheer fabric between them. In the photographs, the outer extends broadly around the arms, making the sides more expansive than the dress underneath. The change between transparent and solid areas is central to the appearance.

The included dress has an overlapping front and a matching waist tie. Its visible V shape sits within the longer velvet frame of the outer. This creates two separate lines at the centre: the crossing arrangement of the dress and the downward opening around it. The retailer’s set description confirms both garments. When considering this design, look at those layers together, since the inner supplies a substantial part of the photographed colour and shape.

Aquillora: Crystal-embellished Abaya

Aquillora’s light blue abaya uses cascading fabric strips to break up a long plain surface. Several descend from the upper front, while others appear beside the arms. Their curved and pointed ends create separate hanging lines over the central fabric. The strips vary in length, so their edges stop at different places rather than forming one continuous decorated hem.

The listing identifies crepe, front ruffle attachments and crystal embellishment at the lapel, with the inner separate. The photographs show a narrow sparkling line near the upper opening, much smaller in scale than the falling fabric around it. The neckline rises before the front folds turn downwards. If the ruffles are what attracts you, a scarf kept nearer the neck would leave more of their upper arrangement visible; the longest strips carry that detail well below the waist.

SHATHA ESSA: Bead-embellished Abaya

SHATHA ESSA’s off-white design places a dotted sheer layer over a pleated inner dress. The outer has a wide round neckline, while the inner begins lower, making the two layers especially apparent across the upper body. Narrow solid bands finish the sleeves. Fine gold-toned cords descend from the shoulder and front areas, ending in tassels at several different lengths.

Ounass identifies the tulle overlay, beading, tassel details and included pleated dress. The small surface dots are spread widely, while the tassels create a few longer vertical accents. Below them, the inner’s fine pleats provide another repeated line through the pale fabric. This is a composition built from several delicate elements: dotted surface, narrow cords and close folds remain distinguishable because each has its own scale and position within the overall white silhouette shown in the product photographs.

Ruya Studio: Embellished Abaya in Satin

Large irregular shapes in gold and silver tones interrupt Ruya Studio’s smooth black front panels. Broken horizontal lines fill the shapes, and small reflective details emphasise their edges. Some decoration sits around the shoulders, with larger areas lower on the front. The plain black fabric between them keeps the separate shapes recognisable instead of turning the whole surface into a continuous pattern.

Fine translucent pleats form the sleeves and extend below the smoother front hem at the sides and back in the photographs. That difference gives the outline a second layer as well as a change in texture. Ounass names satin, embellished trims, an open front and a sheila. The strongest contrast is between the broad, closely decorated front areas and the fine vertical lines in the transparent fabric, so both the complete silhouette and a closer view reveal distinct details.

Motifs across the garment

Al Mraikn: 3-piece Fringed Set Abaya

This off-white Al Mraikn set concentrates its strongest contrast on the lower part of the outer. Long dark strands form a dense fringe across the front panels, with irregular pointed contours where they begin. Above that area, the shoulders, upper body and sleeves remain comparatively plain. The sudden change from pale cloth to dark fringe gives the lower garment a clear visual weight.

Ounass lists an open front and a set containing the abaya, inner dress and sheila. The pale inner remains visible between the dark fringed sides in the photographs, preserving a light vertical area at the centre. The detail is best understood through that separation: long strands cover the outer panels, while the inner continues behind them. A short necklace would introduce interest higher up; leaving the neckline plain would keep the fringe as the main focus.

Rauaa Official: Pearl-embellished Abaya in Crepe

Rauaa Official places most of this pink abaya’s ornament along the sleeves. Small pale dots and branching floral forms extend down the outside of the arms, becoming more concentrated near the cuffs. The front remains comparatively plain, with a shallow V neckline and a long central line. The photographed colour is a muted rose shade, giving the pale decoration a clear but gentle contrast.

The listing specifies crepe, thread and pearl embellishments, a front fastening and a sheila, with the inner separate. Looking along one sleeve makes the change in scale particularly clear: small repeated marks higher up lead into larger leaf-like forms near the wrist. A bracelet worn over the cuff would cover part of that arrangement. The distinctive feature is therefore the progression along the arm, rather than a single isolated flower or a border repeated around every edge.

Pallavi Puri Resort: Printed Abaya

Broad lavender borders surround the pale ground of Pallavi Puri Resort’s printed abaya. Brown-red loops, strap-like lines and ring forms curve across the upper areas and near the hem. Grey horse imagery appears lower on the panels. The motifs vary considerably in scale, with wide pale spaces between them, so the design reads as an arranged composition rather than a small evenly repeated print.

The border follows the opening, cuffs and lower edge, bringing those different images into one frame. Ounass lists an open front and wide sleeves. The photographs show how the long front panels divide the print while keeping the lavender edging continuous. A plain scarf in a related pale shade would repeat the frame’s colour without adding another motif. The main visual decision is whether you prefer the large figurative details or the quieter stretches around them.

Feryal Al Bastaki: All-over Print Abaya

Feryal Al Bastaki’s print moves through burgundy, lilac and blue marks, with darker teal areas gathering towards the hem. Closer viewing reveals tree shapes within that lower landscape-like image. Higher on the body, the many smaller marks create a mottled surface, so the recognisable imagery emerges gradually rather than appearing as a single large emblem in the centre.

The open front has no broad contrasting frame, allowing the print to remain the dominant feature across the cloth. Ounass describes a sheer finish, long sleeves and a sheila, with the inner separate. In the photographs, a pale inner creates a clear opening between the two printed panels. The lower image is worth viewing in full: cropped photographs of the upper body would show the colour pattern, but leave out the darker tree forms that distinguish the bottom of the design.

Explore the design decisions

For the broader relationship between cut, fabric and an outfit, read our abaya design guide. To follow makers’ creative choices through documented collections, explore the stories of Mauzan and NAFS.