The Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie

[Al-khiyal]

The Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie Edited by Malu Halasa & Rana Salam

The most outrageous and exuberant lingerie in the world comes from a place you'd probably never expect: Syria. Adorned with everything from faux fur artificial flowers and feathered birds to plastic toy cell phones these intimates flash lights play music even vibrate. Well known across the Middle East — in Syria the lingerie forms an important part of the folk tradition around trousseaus and weddings — it is openly displayed in the markets and souks. Authors Malu Halasa and Rana Salam have brought together a diverse and dramatic collection of photography and writing including the voices of Syrian women celebrating this little-known niche of fashion design in all its playful glory.

[Al-khiyal]

The Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie : Intimacy and Design

Edited by Malu Halasa and Rana Salam

By documenting the lingerie culture of Syria, this book reveals a previously unknown side of Arabic design, fashion and sexuality. The most outrageous and exuberant lingerie in the world comes from a place you’d probably never expect: Syria. Adorned with everything from faux fur, artificial flowers, and feathered birds to plastic toy cell phones, these intimates flash lights, play music, even vibrate.

In Damascus and Aleppo, approximately 200 lingerie companies vie for a highly competitive domestic market, where styles change from season to season. The lingerie forms part of the popular traditions surrounding marriage for the country’s Muslims. Despite the traditionally closed and religious nature of Syrian society, the revealing lingerie is sold openly in the souks or alongside bridal gowns and bathrobes in dedicated women’s clothing stores.

The Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie sheds light on social mores of Syrians, both Christian and Muslim, thereby questioning western preconceptions about Islam. The book also celebrates other design aspects of Syria from traditional textiles in regards to fashion and textiles and imagery of women in traditional illustrations, prints and popular packaging.

With contributions by Ammar Abdulhamid, Malu Halasa, Noura Kevorkian, and Kaelen Wilson-Goldie Photographic essays by Iman Ibrahim, Gilbert Hage, Omar Al-Moutem, Wael Hmeida, Reine Mahfouz, Issa Touma.

[Bent_Bladi]

LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I thought they'd never mention it!! lol

there was this one time when my cousin and i were shopping and we accidentally walked into this bra that had a bird on it (right in the middle lmao) and it started singing "7abibi 2arab BOS W BOS BOS!!" lol .......... man these arab guys and their fetishes...

[amalgamate]

um... they're tacky, ugly and overly ornamented!

I actually didn't see elegant ones there... well, i didn't really do much searching but iv'e passed by a couple stores and noticed their freakish styles.

[Bent_Bladi]

oh come on amalgamate... you don't gotta be ashamed of your collection

[amalgamate]

WHAT!! iwle BB! whachu sayin exactly? my collection is incomparable to those flimsy, kiddish, neon-colored pieces of cloth!

one time when i was engaged before- my aunt in syria gave me this HOT YELLOW polyester long sleeve lingerie.

omg i took it and thanked her ...but i didn't come back to the states with it!!

[Bent_Bladi]

i feel ya... i have a closet full of nasty syrian stuff that i didn't have the heart to give away cuz my aunts spent ~so much time~ looking for them