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Fa s h i on Damascus after dark From Tweety Bird thongs to plastic-scorpion panties, the kitschy Syrian approach to women’s underwear cuts through the image of the all-concealing burka
Amasel Fashion
The Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie: Tabbakh is one of the numerous fashion- istas featured in “The Secret Life of Syrian Intimacy and Design, by Malu Halasa and Rana Lingerie: Intimacy and Design,” an irrev- Salam. Chronicle Books (in association with the Prince Claus Fund Library), 176 pages, $24.95 (paperback) erent new coffee table book that oscillates between academic study and a spoof of a Victoria’s Secret catalog. London-based au- By Darren Garnick thors Malu Halasa and Rana Salam say this kitschy Syrian approach to women’s un- istorians have seemingly turned derwear − examples of which range from over every empty bullet shell from cutesy bird’s-nest bras to bondage thongs her excess energy in sex rather than F-16 belly-dancing region. Egypt has a thriv- H the 1973 Yom Kippur War, paradoxi- made from black leather gloves and fake air attacks.” ing exotic undergarment industry, and cally marking that event as the time when red fingernails − cuts through the image of Halasa, an American-born journalist both Israel and Jordan have factories for Israeli overconfidence deflated and the the burka “in a way that Western feminists whose father is Jordanian-Palestinian, Victoria’s Secret. But Syria’s niche brand, Arab armies got their mojo back − despite have never been able to do.” and Salam, a graphic and interior designer created by a few sewing machines at a the final “W” in Israel’s column. But that “Doesn’t matter whether you wear originally from Lebanon, largely avoid the time in Damascus basements, stands out war also had unexpected economic rever- a miniskirt or a hijab, it takes a certain Arab-Israeli conflict in their book. Not be- for its humor and offbeat imagination. One berations with a far more subtle impact amount of chutzpah to put on some of those cause they don’t have strong political opin- innovative fashion is called “The Curtain,” on the Middle Eastern balance of power outfits,” Halasa said in a recent phone in- ions − Halasa’s Livni wisecrack is hardly a wire frame with retractable drapes cov- − such as its unsung role in launching the terview with Haaretz. “Rana and I ended ambiguous − but more likely because ering a woman’s privates. Syrian bra industry. up admiring those women, and we thought United Nations resolutions are irrelevant “The Syrians are known for being blunt “You cannot celebrate when you’re some women in the developed world could on one’s wedding night. Demilitarized and forthright in matters sexual,” the au- afraid,” recalls Nihad Tabbakh, a lingerie use a little joy like that in their lives.” zones give way to erogenous zones when thors write, “as seen by some of the coun- shop owner in Aleppo’s Old City. “After a Asked to elaborate, the author said she’d these “indoor clothes” are revealed. try’s popular jokes and sexual innuendos.” war, there were many weddings, and wom- be most amused if Kadima leader Tzipi Syria, which ranks fourth in the world in At private bachelorette parties the night en [for the first time] began to wear sexy Livni slipped into something more com- organic cotton production, is far from mo- before a wedding, it is customary for the lingerie.” fortable: “She could consider working out nopolizing lingerie manufacturing in the bride’s friends and relatives to wear re-