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Last few items remaining at sale prices

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 06:43:00 -0400

Our last few items at sale prices are still available to buy. Along with a few of our Saudi items, and while the majority of our '09 diraacs have now sold out we still have our party diraac sets and our very special diraac sets all at greatly reduced prices, these prices are not a gimmick and genuinely cannot be repeated. As a small home-based business everything must go before we can stock our new collection, so grab yourself a bargain now!

Regarding some of the survey responses

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 21:51:00 -0400

I've had a few survey responses back from you guys so I'd like to say thank you for that. We still need more responses so please if you just have two minutes of time free, fill in our survey. It is really appreciated and helps me to make a better site with better products for our customers. So far it seems the item people really want to see more of is the Very Special Diraacs, but there were quite a few respondents saying they'd like to see more everyday diraacs as well. So it seems that the very high end; and very low end diraacs seem to be most in demand, so far.

I also had one respondent say that based on first impressions, they didn't think the pictures were very clear. I do hope this has improved for you now; in the past the size of the pictures was limited and so I could not help that the pictures could only be displayed the size they are on the product page. Now webs.com (my site provider) have changed things so if you click on the picture it will enlarge to the original image size and resolution. I have also cleaned up the existing pictures and adding a cross-process effect to them, with any normal pictures this would make the colours unrealistic and contrast too severe but when you're dealing with bright fabrics, sequins and sparkle in many cases it actually shows things more accurately. Some fabrics such as the fabrics in the djibouti spot set are pretty hard to photograph accurately due to their very dark colour, this is something I am working on and all I can say, is to quote several of my very happy customers 'the pictures don't do it justice' and 'WOW the set was so much nicer and prettier than even the picture showed'.

New collection on its way...need customer feedback...

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:00:00 -0400

I am currently working on a new collection due to launch Summer 2010. However, I am really in need of feedback from my past and potential customers. There is a customer survey banner on the front page of the site; I would really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes of your time to fill the survey in (including the comment boxes).

I have found that certain types of diraacs have been less popular than others; and it is often the types that people were specifically looking for; yet the 'everyday' diraacs have sold considerably better. So, I want customers to let me know which type of diraacs they would actually buy, and not just as a one-off. Many of the party diraacs on my site have been much admired, blogged about and copied many times on polyvore but they have not sold; so it doesn't make business sense to sell quite the same line again. Also the price of quality wholesale fabrics; has risen quite dramatically in some cases since July 2009 which is when I opened the store and created my first collection. So the reality is I will have to raise prices; possibly above the original opening prices. Be aware that the current prices in the store are extremely reduced; up to a third in some cases from the original; and absolutely cannot be repeated.

A lot of you have been asking for silk (xariir) diraacs, I would love to offer more of these, but the cost of silk wholesale fabrics has risen even more dramatically than other fabrics; so if you are looking for silk sets of a decent quality, be aware that the price will by neccessity have to be in the £50-£70 range; but for this price the quality and quality control will be extremely high (i.e. no more getting home from the market to find you bought a set with a stained, ripped gogorad and snagged garbasar!) .

Another thing I am considering is having less of a ready-made range and make more of the fact that we do buy, and make diraacs to your requirements, with items that I can buy to your order being displayed in the shop but not actually in stock; let me know what you think of that. Also let me know if you prefer 'ready made' diraacs, or just the fabric with an alterations service offered; or if I should offer a selection of ready-made and a selection of just fabric.

Another idea I have is to offer some very special, high quality gogorads on their own with fancy tulle, lace and braid trims; these will be made completely from scratch (well aside from actually weaving the lace!) by myself, however due to the quality and workmanship involved the cost would be between £10 and £15 each.

I'd also like to offer the silk garbasars on their own; as well as a small selection of pashmina-type and other scarves and shawls, costume jewellery, housedress and scarf sets, and other accessories.

Please let me know what you think of my ideas. We at diraac fabulous may be good seamstresses, fairly good at webdesign, and great at giftwrapping and presentation but we are not good at mind-reading. So customer feedback is so vital to us.

Style News Winter 09

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:29:00 -0500

Recently; I have been able to visit diraac shops in several London locations and in other cities in the UK; and thus can report back to you on the latest fashions. It seems that like many recent fashion trends generally, the general trend for diraacs now; is retro in fact make that Retro with a capital R. There is a definite 'going back to the 80s' thing going on.

French diraacs (the type of diraac that is plain except for some matching sequin work, jacquard work or embroidery/beading throughout all the pieces) are still a big thing; but this season's designs are very Indian inspired, in plain bright colours and rather garish gold jacquard prints; I am not really keen on this myself but if you're looking for a French diraac which is still incredibly fashionable; but is a classic that will look up to date and isn't hard to carry off; try our French diraacs of which we only have the gorgeous pink, and muted lime left.

Chintzy, flowery prints or 80s style abstracts on plain un-embellished fabrics, in colours such as fuschia, bright teal, and royal blue are the main thing in right now. Gogorads are getting simpler and simpler, last seasons trend was for a plain satin gogorad with a strip of highly sequinned braid or trim; this season is similar but the braids and trims are plain, tapestry type designs. A bit too plain, in my humble opinion, here is a typical example of something very similar to what they are using now!

Gabasars, too are also becoming more plain; one style of garbasar that is huge right now is a tissue fine silk chiffon with small woven in patches of silver and gold threads all over, but some garbasars are now just one colour and with no embellishment but instead they have some type of texture to the fabric such as woven in stripes. After several years of often highly embellished silk or faux-silk fabrics being the fashion; for the diraac itself high quality cotton voile is back with a vengence.

In some of the trendiest shops in London and Birmingham all they are selling now is cotton voile diraacs, Kanebo the legendary Japanese mega-corp who used to make the most desirable diraac fabrics; went bust for a time but now seem to be back to manufacturing, their diraacs are beautiful but be warned you'll often end up paying more than a silk diraac just for the fabric alone, and a set costs in the region of £50 and up, and as is often the case with expensive designer fabrics; the prints seem to get more cheap looking the more you pay. If you're looking for a nice voile diraac set for half the price why not try one of our Saudi diraac or Cotton Voile diraac sets; which retail from £19.99?

Pricing Policy...

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:25:00 -0400

Asalaamu Alaykum and Hi to all of our readers.

I am aware that some of you have questions about the pricing of the diraacs on the site; how I came to the prices and why they seem to be so 'expensive' in some cases. I decided on the pricing bearing in mind the cost of the fabrics; embellishments and notions (i.e. thread, rhinestones et al) and also the cost of the webhosting and paypal fees; and then allowed a fair but not unreasonable amount for profit. I decided to not really charge for my sewing time; but just for the fabrics and notions used to keep the sets affordable. I worked out I would have had to charge similar prices had I not presewn the diraacs even though I worked really hard to keep costs down as much as possible without compromising on quality; but in this case not only are you getting excellent value in the fabrics but you are also getting them tailored for you, essentially for free. This is not to mention the free scarf offer we have with the party diraacs.

We are based in the UK and if you look around in the UK; the average price for any diraac fabric set alone is £50 and tailoring, even in a simple style can cost from between £5 to £20. In many areas the cotton ones still cost £50 themselves; and the wider, more dressy varieties cost upwards of £100; so I feel this site is offering exceptional value for money. I have never seen unsewn diraac sets of the same quality and components as mine; for less than I am selling my sewn for you, embellished sets for and I have visited most of the well known diraac outlets in various cities around the UK.

Now for them seeming 'expensive' to those outside of the UK; particularly those in the US. I apologise for this but it is due to factors beyond my control. When I first started making this site; the exchange rate between the US dollar and pound sterling was the lowest it had been for many years and I thought it would be a great time to start the site; as I was well aware of the lack of availability of diraacs in the US and other countries using US dollars. However these things fluctuate all the time and by the time I got my site up and running the gap in the exchange rate had considerably widened once more. I'd love to adjust my prices so they are fully affordable for those in the US but if I did that I'd not only eat into my profits; but probably at the current exchange rate; be making a loss also which doesn't make any business sense at all. So its something of a conundrum; and I can only hope InshaAllaah the exchange rate stabilises a bit so things can be a bit more affordable for you guys in the US.

New products....

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 11:48:00 -0400

I'd like to apologise for the slight delay in adding the party diraacs, this was due to factors that were beyond my control. However I have been able to put even more quality workmanship into these diraacs than I had originally planned; so I hope the wait will be well worth it. InshaAllaah (God Willing) all five party diraacs will be available to purchase tomorrow (Saturday 18th July) they should be up by mid-afternoon.The top-notch fine silk diraacs; of which there will be two, exclusive designs available; will be added in early August. I'm anticipating spending at least five hours a piece on the rhinestone embellishment alone; so you are getting a lot of personal touches; for a very reasonable price.

Diraac Fashion...

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:44:00 -0400

It seemed up until about 2005; the most shocking departure you'd get in the world of diraac fashion would be the introduction of 45" wide cotton voile fabrics and underskirts that were not nylon affairs pre-made in China. In the four years since; there has been a sudden acceleration of different styles; fabrics and designs coming onto the market, some of them rather a radical departure from previously; but it seems now things are coming full circle. Cotton voiles are back in again as are other simple, plain textured fabrics such as fine crinkle chiffons, silk and high quality acetate satins. Rises in the prices of some natural fabrics; and falling prices in some synthetic types; along with a vast increase in quality due to new technologies over the past few years, have really turned things on their head.

In early 2009; the prints that came into fashion were quite bold, sharp and with a retro flavour that not everyone could carry off; nor was it really to everyone's taste. A diraac with a print of dice and playing cards in green and purple, anyone? (This was a real diraac design I saw in a market in London!). Previous to this there was a trend for chintzy Laura Ashley type prints, with the occasional hand-applied sequin outline; to break up the monotony. When it comes to an outfit like the diraac; in which the print dominates so much; you don't want something too outlandish, but at the same time small insipid prints in blah colours are hardly going to set the world on fire; and may look more like you're wearing your mum's curtains. Thankfully neither trend really lasted terribly long; as they had a limited appeal.

The styles that are in now are in a variety of prints; in a few select colours; although the colourways tend to be more muted than the fashion in previous years (monochrome, dark brown, brick red, and burnt lime are some examples) they are not at all bland; and are really flattering. The type of prints that are in tend to be fairly abstract, although floral prints are creeping in again as well; sometimes with an African or 'ethnic' flavour. Very bold; oversized prints with an Andy Warhol 'pop art' kind of look, especially in pink and blue colourways, are also very much in style. Most fabrics used nowadays are fine and mono-textured; as opposed to the silk burnout fashion of previous years, although synthetic burnouts with the satin effect dominant are still very much in vogue; particularly in extra-wide varieties.When it comes to gogorad, the extremely trendy ones usually have a small narrow straight strip of highly embellished trim at the bottom edge only; this is quite a radical departure from previous seasons where scalloped embroidery or lace reaching sometimes from floor to knee; were in style. I don't think this is a trend that will last too long; as having such a narrow trim on the gogorad limits how you can tuck in the diraac and display the lace underneath; but nonetheless a couple of sets I am going to put up have this type of gogorad so you can see what you think.

As for garbasar; for the past few seasons; moves have been made towards more subtle embroidery as opposed to the huge sequinned, velvet or satin appliques, repeated all over the fabric. Some garbasars now are very generously sized; being around 55" wide and being cut considerably longer than previously. I certainly prefer the newer varieties; they tend to go with a lot of different diraacs; whereas with the heavily decorated varieties the sequins especially tended to limit what the garbasar would go with. In addition if the sequins or patches were not sewn well; or the silk was particularly delicate and thus snagged on the decorative parts easily; you'd end up with a pretty shabby looking garbasar after a couple of wears. Not to mention the garbasars with badly applied iron-on appliques which leaked glue before they have even been used. Considering many garbasars cost a minimum of £15; this was a pretty poor investment.

If you have seen any trends in your locale you'd like to share; or even suggest to sell in the store, please contact me or leave a comment InshaAllaah!

Diraac Fabric Care-A How To Guide

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:29:00 -0400

These are the best ways to wash and care for the diraac fabrics.

1) Cotton diraac. Wash seperately at 30 or 40 degrees, regular spin;with a small amount of non-bio powder or liquid. Use a small amount of fabric conditioner. Reshape while damp and drip dry. Iron on the hottestsetting; with steam but don't leave the iron on one spot for too long.For cotton diraac with sequins; use a 30 degree cycle.

2)Silk chiffon diraac and silk and viscose blend diraac (burnout fabrics). Many machines have a silk cycle; I find this actually leaves the fabric too wet; and thus it can cause damage. Instead turn it inside out and use the 30 degree or warm quick wash cycle; with a pinch of pure soap flakes and a drop of fabric conditioner (preferably one designed for silk fabrics; but I have used normal ecological brand ones with no ill-effects).Remove from the machine immediately when finished; reshape and dryflat; or over something like a stair-rail so it isn't stretched out of shape.

Iron on a medium setting (test first; as some of these fabrics burn more easily than others); on the reverse side. For burnout velvet; never iron; any creases should drop out by themselves and ironing ruins the pile.

3)Silk and/or rayon garbasar. Wash as silk diraac; reshape while dampand iron on the hottest setting (again test but they can usually takehigher temperatures than other fabrics)

4)Polyester or acetate gogorad or diraac fabrics. Wash on reverse on a 30 or 40 degree cycle with a tiny amount of regular, but preferably non-bio powder,spin well; reshape while damp and iron on a low to medium setting.

5)Shaash (viscose bandana), avoid washing or ironing if possible as this ruins the waxed finish. If you must wash them use the shortest cycle possible with soap flakes and no fabric conditioner, but make sure you spin well; excess water ruins the fabric and stretches it out of shape.

6)Thai silk, this requires special care. With Thai silk wash as normal silk but spray with starch (the spray one; like dylon) while wet and iron while still a bit damp, on a hot temperature, on the reverse. This will keep it looking new for longer; try to wash as little as possible as being a hand-woven product Thai silk is more liable to have small holes and other faults and these can become more severe and noticeable if it is washed too often.

A final tip is you can wash the georgette (crinkly type fabric) silk diraacs and garbasars on a quick machine cycle with a tablespoon of soda crystals/washing soda in the dispenser drawer and a drop of an eco fabric conditioner (like ecover); not only will soda crystals get rid of any greasy marks which commonly mysteriously appear on such fabrics;but it will do so without damaging the fabrics or sequins etc (it will usually make the sequins appear more shiny because it removes any soap build up from previous washings). The final bonus with this method is that the diraac/garbasar will dry extremely quickly, usually in less than an hour if hung on an airer or a stair rail (even in winter) and because it dries so quickly it may not even need ironing! Since excessive ironing can damage the fabrics eventually; this is a bonus as well as saving you time!

I have this washing machine; my laundry is not this organised though!

A little History of Diraacs

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:02:00 -0400

A little History of Diraacs

By Umm Abdullah Sophie Jenkins (owner of diraac.com)

The word diraac comes from the arabic word dira3 (ayn at the end)

which originally meant shield in classical arabic but has come to

mean a diaphanous, wide sheath like dress; which is usually worn

with an underskirt (some yemeni variations have matching or white

trousers worn underneath) and a shawl which is traditionally worn

wrapped around the shoulders; or on the head.

The diraac it appears originated in Yemen; and was possibly brought

to Somalia by a group of people called the Mahrah; a semitic; but

non-Arabic people from Al-Mahrah province in Southern Yemen.

This ethnic group have traditionally travelled back and forth between

Yemen; and Somalia and Kenya. In Somalia they are known as Arab

Salaax (Salih) and are a recognised tribe.

Now the diraac can be found all over Yemen, though it is more

popular in Sana and Aden; as well as in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya

and several other East African countries. It is also found in the UAE;

and to an extent Oman but it is not known if this is a recent cultural

import or a more traditional thing.

There are two types of diraac; the house type usually made in

cheap screen-printed rayon challis fabrics in a 36" width, and the

formal type that are made in a variety of occasionwear fabrics and

these days tend to be in a 45" or 60" width.

In the yemeni Arabic

dialect the house type are known as 'Ma3awees'; but in Somali this

word is used for the men's sarongs. In some Somali dialects; such as

the reer xamar; the house ones are known as 'baati', in others

'diraac sheed'. As well as the fabric difference the house variety tend

to be more open from the sides; whereas the formal type are usually

very fitted around the arms. This store specialises in the formal

variety of diraac but the way both types are made is pretty much

the same.

Your typical diraac set consists of a usually sheer overdress (though

not always, opaque satin ones are increasingly popular), a satin

underskirt or full bra slip with a lace or scalloped embroidered trim

on the bottom,and a shawl of some type, usually the shawls are silk

these days but there are variations. Some of the very wide opaque

diraac do not come with a shawl as it is superfluous.

Some diraac sets come with either a shaash which is a bandana worn

by married women and these are usually made in India (though the

concept of married women only covering their hair comes from the

pre-Islamic culture in the region of Somalia and Ethiopia) or a

malqabad which is a filmy rectangular scarf worn by both married

and unmarried women in Yemen and Somalia.

In Yemen a malqabad is traditionally worn either like a bandana;

or draped over the face as a niqab; under a yemeni khimar.

In Somalia it traditionally tended to be worn like a headband;

not covering all of the hair.

It is traditional in both cultures for the formal diraac (and I mean

the dress itself here) to have some 'drag' to it, this is seen as more

elegant and so the diraac can be held with the hand; or tucked in.

I find it more convenient to have quite a long 'drag' as then it stays

tucked in better; but if you don't like to tuck it in it may be more

convenient to have it just about floor length. The underskirt/halfslip,

known as gogorad in Somali; tends to come just under the bust these

days so you can create an empire line look if the diraac is tucked in.