Certain faiths specify clothing designed for maximum modesty. But, drabness, too? No way. Orthodox Jews, Sikhs and Muslims follow the rules with fashion flair. Using accents such as jewelry, expansive buttons, appliques and lace, many have wardrobes that are . . . : Divine Dressing
Atma Kaur Khalsa sits in her white BMW, her white silk scarf blowing behind her white cotton turban and white cotton knit dress, waiting for the traffic light to turn green.
Khalsa, a follower of the Sikh Dharma religion, is on her way to Saks Fifth Avenue to check out the latest fashions--white fashions, that is.
Although most Angelenos throw on a T-shirt when it’s hot and a sweater when it’s cold--and buy whatever brand or style of clothing strikes their fancy--adherents of certain religions must work within specific guidelines when choosing their clothes.
For practitioners of Sikhism, Orthodox Judaism and Islam, dressing is not simply a matter of taste and comfort--it is an extension of their religious conviction. But many of those who live a religious lifestyle find they are still able to express themselves and their style within the dress restrictions.
Although most American Sikhs dress only in white, which denotes purity of spirit and focuses attention on their spiritual path, Khalsa says, they are allowed to individualize their looks with different styles, shades of white and accessories. (Many Sikhs in other countries do not wear white.)
Sikhs, both men and women, wear loose-fitting clothing made of natural material, usually on top of leggings, which allows members to sit and move easily during their daily minimum of 2 1/2 hours of prayer. They do not cut their hair because they believe the body is perfect, and they wrap their locks in a turban that represents their “crown of spirituality.”
Khalsa, a Sikh for two years, works as an image consultant in her own company, Optimal Image Consulting Diversified. The transition from a “high-fashion environment” to her Sikh lifestyle was a bit awkward at first, she says. But she has come to reconcile the two.
“I went from black Chanel suits and pumps to a veil and turban and all white,” says the 38-year-old Los Angeles resident, who accents her white, beige and bone outfits with gold and opal jewelry. “It took awhile to develop a sense of style. But now it’s fun. There are different turban fabrics and styles and different ways to tie a turban--higher, wider, shorter. You can wrap it in white chiffon or muslin. And I still enjoy shopping at Saks and Neiman’s.”
Orthodox Jews have their own dress restrictions as well but, like the Sikhs, Orthodox practitioners say style is important.
“I think about dress as another way of expressing my creativity,” says author and teacher Xianna Shiffman, a 41-year-old Orthodox Jew from North Hollywood who teaches part time at Valley Torah High School. “I like fringes, points, gold metallic--garments that flow and have movement, not things that are stiff or static. I like to look poetic.”
Orthodox Jews, especially women, are required to dress modestly, covering their knees, elbows and collarbones, and wear skirts and dresses instead of pants. According to the Orthodox philosophy, women should look attractive but not provocative--feminine and gracious, but not sexy.
“People are always complimentary,” Shiffman adds. “The fact that I’m Orthodox isn’t something people would know to look at me. It’s possible to be stylish and modest at the same time.”
Observant Muslim women must also dress modestly and must be completely covered except for their face and hands, while men must be covered from their navels to their knees. Men and women are expected to dress conservatively: A typical woman’s outfit consists of a long, loose shirt over loose-fitting pants. Among the most observant, “outer garments”--floor-length coats--are worn over the clothes at all times except when with close relatives or at work.
“We are supposed to hide our beauty so we don’t attract the wrong type of attention,” says Shamim Sheik, a Muslim who is a substitute teacher in Los Angeles. “We show off our beauty among the ladies, and we compete within ourselves. We have a lot of style, but we show it off to each other and to our husbands only.”
Bilquis Ahmed, a Muslim woman who lives in Redondo Beach, wears the traditional garb but says fashion is still a consideration. “I always coordinate the colors I wear with my scarves and my clothes,” says Ahmed, 32, a microbiologist for the Orange County Water District.
Even if fashionable, not all those whose clothing reflects their religious observance meet with acceptance in their manner of dress.
Ahmed typically wears a scarf around her head folded in triangles and pinned under her chin. “Some people think I’m a nun because I have my hair covered,” she says. “When I go out with my friends, they say people stare. But I never notice it. And during the Gulf War and the Iran revolution, people would look at me like I was a terrorist.”
Ram Das Khalsa (all Sikhs take the last name “Khalsa,” which means “pure one”), a lawyer who has been a Sikh for 22 years, wears the traditional men’s garb and has encountered judges who aren’t tolerant.
Khalsa, 48, says that during his pre-Sikh days as an attorney in San Diego, a lawyer with a head injury began wearing a turban to cover his scars. After Khalsa began wearing his headgear, a presiding judge “thought there was a movement beginning for all attorneys to start wearing turbans”--and demanded an affidavit proving Khalsa was wearing it for religious reasons.
Dr. Leslie Rosenthal, an Encino dentist, has managed to combine his religious observance with his profession. At work he wears a black suede yarmulke, on which is painted a white tooth wearing a tiny, cranberry-colored yarmulke. The yarmulke-capped tooth has become Rosenthal’s logo, and he has it printed on his stationery, pens, mirrors--and even refrigerator magnets.
“It’s been excellent publicity,” he says.
In addition to the yarmulke, Rosenthal, 45, also wears tzi tzis, or long, knotted strings tied to a man’s undergarment that hang at the waist. Some men wear the tzi tzis outside their shirt, while others tuck them in. The tzi tzis act as a constant reminder of the 613 commandments Jews are required to fulfill according to the Torah.
Another commandment forbids men to shave, so many Orthodox men have very long beards. But men are allowed to cut their hair, and Rosenthal keeps his beard trimmed; if it gets too long, he finds, it won’t fit under his dental mask.
Local businesses and entrepreneurs have found that catering to the special clothing needs of the religious communities can be profitable.
Gloria Riomales-Urbano, who caters mostly to Sikhs in the tailoring business she runs from her home in Los Angeles, works with her customers to design a style that’s right for them. A woman’s bana , or outfit, can cost $200 to $250.
“There are different styles, and I make every outfit differently,” Riomales-Urbano says. She spices up clothing by using combinations of gold and navy piping on the edges, dark beige and white fabrics with bright, expensive buttons, lace and appliques.
“That’s what makes the outfit,” she says. “The traditional white clothes are boring--they revise (the garments) to make (them) more fashionable. Even with men’s kurtas (calf-length dresses sashed around the waist with a cummerbund), I make hidden buttons with cuff links to look elegant.”
Many Jewish women receive their fashion tips from Deborah Gordan, an Orthodox woman who has worked for 10 years as an image consultant. She strongly believes being frum (religious) doesn’t have to mean being frumpy.
Most married Orthodox women cover their hair, either with scarves or wigs. But this, Gordan insists, does not preclude attractiveness. She trains stylists to work with her wigs and advises clients to wrap themselves in designer scarves.
“I work with the total image,” says the Encino resident. “As long as you know the restrictions and how to work around them, it’s not difficult at all. People stop me at Nordstrom and fall over when they hear I’m married to a rabbi and have six kids.”
Diane Zander, whose upscale clothing store in Encino bears her name, is one of a number of boutique owners who buy clothes with Gordan and other Orthodox customers in mind. Many shops also work with designers to alter fashions.
But what’s “in” today, Zander says, fits right in with being Orthodox.
“Fashions today are wonderful for Orthodox women,” she says. “Long skirts are in-- soft, flowy, billowy looks, high necks, vintage looks--as long as they are not see-through skirts, they are perfect.”
Naziha Wareh, a Muslim woman who lives in Garden Grove, is developing a clothing catalogue for Muslim women that would include her original designs as well as imported dresses, long shirts, head coverings and coats. Head coverings are especially hard to find in Southern California, she says, as are the long coats used for outer garments.
“You can get scarves in cotton or chiffon, but there is not a lot of variety,” she notes.
Wareh uses color and details to make her designs attractive but not too attention-grabbing.
“It’s important to be neat and conservative, but you can be elegant and have style at the same time,” she says. “You don’t want to attract too much attention like the very high fashions do, but you still want it to look pretty and coordinated.”
