Your Intrepid Fashion Reporter on the "Aladdin"

I showed these pictures to commenter Yosefa, who informed me that they are called "harem pants." So Israeli religious women from Bat Ayin didn't invent them. Bat Ayin is a community in Gush Etzion known for its "hippy" styles.

Last week I stopped in at several of the religious stores to search for some of these pants. One store, actually called Bat Ayin, had a few, but not as baggy, and in tweedy materials for the fall. The
saleswoman said they are called "aladdin." I asked if she had any
lightweight ones, for hiking, and she said she would order one. So far
she hasn't gotten back to me. I wanted one for a hike through the
Majarassa stream near the Kinneret, which we did this past Friday.

In a different store, I was told that aladdin refers only to the very baggy styles, not the more fitted ones pictured below. The dark one by Rama, from last year's collection, went for half-price at NIS
200. The light one, at the Evelina store and of much lower quality,
cost NIS 250.

The pants at Evelina also didn't have a care label, which is against the law here in Israel.

In the interest of blog research, I tried on the Evelina pants. I found the pants much more restrictive than a wide skirt. I felt like I was wearing a diaper.

When I asked my daughter if they are allowed to wear aladdinim [pl.] in her high school, she said that the issue came up about two years ago (where have I been??). The girls may not wear them, even on
school trips. It's a slippery slope toward wearing pants, I guess.

At Majarassa, with a group from my husband's company, the women all wore conventional skirts.

And we'll have to talk about the elaborate scarf ties that perching a large amount of hair (?) on top of one's head, as pictured in the upper left, another time.

Here's a link (Hebrew) for getting the "turban" look.

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