How to Choose Your First Abaya: 7 Things to Check Before You Buy

Buying your first abaya feels simple until you are scrolling through hundreds of them. Open or closed, linen or silk, plain black or a color you will actually reach for? I have watched friends buy the wrong one more than once. It looked right on the screen and felt wrong on the body. So here is the short list I run through every time I choose an abaya. Seven checks, in the order I do them.

1. Get the abaya length and size right first

Everything else is secondary if the length is off. An abaya should graze the top of your foot in the shoes you wear most, not pool on the floor and not stop at the ankle. Check the abaya size chart against your real height with shoes on. Look at the shoulder measurement too, because a dropped shoulder changes how the whole piece hangs.

This is where made to order helps. Every TAL piece is made for the order you place, so you are not stuck with whatever size happens to be left on a rail. If you sit between two sizes, I go by height first and shoulders second.

2. Pick the fabric for your real week

Fabric decides whether you wear an abaya twice a week or twice a year. For daytime in the UAE, I start with a linen abaya or a linen blend. It breathes, softens with every wash and looks better slightly lived in. Crepe drapes more and creases less, which is why it works for long office days. Silk and satin are for evenings, when you want the fabric to catch the light.

If you only buy one to start, make it something like The Hajar Floral Embroidered Linen Blend Wrap Abaya. The linen blend handles heat, and the wrap shape gives you a waist without a belt.

Featured Product: The Hajar Floral Embroidered Linen Blend Wrap Abaya

3. Decide between an open abaya and a closed one

This is the biggest style choice, and it changes what you wear underneath. An open abaya works like a long coat: you style it over a dress, a co-ord or wide trousers, and the outfit underneath shows. Kimono shapes sit in this family too, with wide sleeves and a soft band at the front.

The Shereen Mocha Brown Kimono Band Open Abaya is the kind of open piece I would hand a first-timer. The brown is easier to style than people expect, and the band keeps the front lying flat.

Featured Product: The Shereen Mocha Brown Kimono Band Open Abaya

A closed abaya wears more like an abaya dress. It is one piece, done, which is exactly what you want on a rushed morning. The Jawahir Knotted Button Detail Closed Abaya is a good example: a clean line with one detail doing the work.

Featured Product: The Jawahir Knotted Button Detail Closed Abaya

4. Look at the sleeve, not just the body

Sleeves are where most abaya styles show their personality, and where most of the daily annoyance comes from. A very wide sleeve looks beautiful and gets in the way at a keyboard. A fitted sleeve is practical but can feel plain. My middle ground is a straight sleeve with something happening at the cuff.

The Huriya Black Pearl Mesh Cuff Abaya does exactly that. The body is a simple black abaya, and the pearl mesh cuff is the only thing you need to notice.

Featured Product: The Huriya Black Pearl Mesh Cuff Abaya

5. Check the closures and details up close

Zoom in before you buy. Buttons, snaps and ties tell you a lot about how a piece was thought through. Covered buttons sit flat and look polished. Hidden snaps keep a closed line. Ties let you adjust the fit through the day. If the details look fussy in the photo, they will feel fussy in real life.

For modern abaya designs that still feel calm, I like The Raiqa Sculpted Collar Abaya with Covered Buttons. The collar gives it shape and the covered buttons keep the front quiet. It works from a meeting to a dinner.

Featured Product: The Raiqa Sculpted Collar Abaya with Covered Buttons

6. Choose a color you will wear on a Tuesday

For a first abaya, black is the honest answer. It goes with everything, it hides a coffee spill, and you will never feel underdressed. Your second can be brown, beige or a deep green, all colors that behave like black but feel softer. I would save a bold print for your third, once you know which shapes you actually reach for.

7. Think about what goes under it and where you will wear it

An abaya is only as good as the layer underneath. With an open style, plan the full outfit: a slip dress, a co-ord or a simple under abaya dress in a matching tone. With a closed style, a light inner layer keeps linen from clinging in the heat.

Then picture the week. If most of your days are office and school run, start with a closed linen or crepe piece. If you are buying for weddings and dinners, go for silk, a sculpted collar or a detailed cuff. One abaya bought for your real life will get more wear than three bought for an imaginary one.

Related reading

• How to Choose the Perfect Abaya for Your Body Type
• Flowy vs. Structured: Which Summer Abaya Works for You?
• How to Wash & Care for Your Abaya - Complete Guide

That is my whole process: length, fabric, cut, sleeve, details, color, and the life you are dressing for. Get those seven right and your first abaya will not be your last. For a calm place to start, browse the Classic Abayas Collection with this list open in another tab.