The Medieval (But Make It MENA) Edit

Fashion is cyclical, but some things are just timeless. While the West looked to Tudors and corsets, the Arab world had already perfected the art of regal dressing centuries earlier. From Abbasid courts to Andalusian gardens, fashion wasn’t ornamental, it was architectural. Kaftans with sweeping sleeves, golden embroidery as dense as scripture, leather flats molded for movement, musk oils that didn’t just scent the body, but mingled with it, skin and scent indistinguishable.

At the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, we’ve hit a snag in the fashion road. The trend wheel is imploding, taste fatigue is rampant, and the desire for something timeless and established is more prevalent than ever. People want the kind of clothing that speaks in undyed cotton, rich velvety hues, hand-stitched hems, and calligraphy-etched jewellery; something that feels human, in its design and execution.
Bardcore is booming on YouTube, Chappell Roan is serving Joan of Arc in armour, and your algorithm is thirsting for knit bonnets and bloomer-style shorts. But this isn’t some micro-trend debauchery wreaking havoc on your for-you page, it’s medieval, and it’s sticking around. Because if men's opinions are going medieval, why shouldn’t fashion?

In this edition of SceneStyled, we’re going back to basics, the 11th-century-Fatimid-dynasty-kind of basics. Think: silk kaftans as statement outerwear, chainmail-inspired bags, gold filigree earrings, leather soles for modern ground, and perfume oil pens perfect for that medieval pouch of yours.
Because time isn’t real. But taste? Taste endures.