A Royal Show of Abayas

ARABIAN NIGHTS: You’ve heard about a bull in a china shop: How about a white stallion at a dinner party? Rearing on its hind legs, a whinnying horse opened the Saks Fifth Avenue Riyadh and Jeddah fashion show of 22 abayas customized by international designers. Hosted by Saks Riyadh and Jeddah director Dania Tarhini at the George V Thursday night, the spectacle was witnessed by members of the Saudi Arabian royal family plus participating designers Felipe Oliveria Baptista, Adam Jones, Anne Valérie Hash and Martine Sitbon, whose partner Marc Ascoli revealed he’s been working on the fashion section of a new department store in Bangalore, India. Hash, meanwhile, said she’s expecting a special delivery - Alber Elbaz’ pajamas. For a couture show next January, Hash has asked a host of notables, including Jean Paul Gaultier and Bettina Rheims, to send her a piece of personal clothing to be fashioned into a new design. Calling her project “Confidences a travers le vetement” (Confidences through clothing), Hash has asked everyone for a written explanation of what the clothing means to them. “When people give you their clothes, you understand more about who they are,” she said, adding she will stage a teaser show, displaying the donated item in July.