Festivity is in the air, as preparations for Eid Al-Adha celebrations are in full swing. A heavy rush of customers can be witnessed at markets and shopping malls of Jeddah.
New clothes have always been associated with Eid festivities around the world. But for expatriate women, especially from Indian and Pakistani communities, pulling together an Eid wardrobe is no easy feat. The tailoring process is difficult, from buying the fabric to getting it stitched. Looking for tailors, known and unknown, around the city to make their festive dresses is what the women are engaged in.
It is a trying time for women to convince tailors to accept their orders and deliver them in time for the festive occasion.
It is common to find textile shops hiring their own tailors, so that the customers can buy cloth and also get the stitching done, giving them a margin of profit. Some women think tailors in the market have formed an alliance with all textile shop owners to make the charade all the more difficult.
Mumtaz Khan, a Pakistani housewife, said: “We buy material from a textile shop and get the dress stitched the way we desire. It would be really great if the tailors sprinkled their magic dust and whipped up the picture-perfect outfit for Eid day.”
With Eid around the corner, it is common to see heated arguments between the shrinking tailoring tribe and their customers. An Indian professional, Naila Yousef, said: “It seems that Indian and Pakistani women are used to dodge their tailors during festive seasons.”
Women across the Kingdom have more or less the same story to tell about their tailors. Their grouse is that the tailors never deliver their orders in time. Such delays lead to unnecessary – and at times heated – arguments. There are arguments when tailors reject the orders and there are arguments when the tailors delay delivering the orders.
Fahad Mirza, who accompanied his mother once to a tailor shop, saw some angry women customers. He was taken aback and said: “The emotional and physical turmoil women go through with their tailors is beyond the comprehension of any man.”
It is a situation to watch when women get disappointed with their tailors for rejecting their orders. The tailors’ excuse is that they have loads of work, so even if they accept the orders they may end up not doing a good job.
“It is disheartening when our Eid dresses are spoiled,” Wadiya, a student, said. On the other hand, tailors have their own share of worries with heaps of orders.
Textile shops are witnessing a remarkable shift in the taste of their customers, whether dress material or dress designs. “These days, we see women coming with innovative designs or those they see in magazines, showrooms or movies,” said one shop owner.
Mohammed Shoeb, a tailor, said: “I have around 40 to 50 customers during the current festive season asking for their dresses stitched and delivered in time. There are always a couple of regular customers who will come in at the last minute and demand that we take their orders. Whether usual customers or new ones, we reject such last-minute orders to avoid pestering, confusion and spoiling the dress.”
Another tailor, Mir Ayub, was of the opinion that there are customers who force them to accept their last-minute orders.
Hiba, a young girl who loves to dress up well, said: “All women complain of the hassles of having dresses made according to their taste or style. Now it’s the Eid time when tailors make a killing and we are the victims.”
The subcontinent women want their traditional dresses to be tailored in keeping with the latest fashion. Noman Anwar, a tailor in Aziziyah district, said: “It is a complicated job during the Eid season to get the perfect dress stitched out for the customers. We exert immense efforts to darn it appropriately to satisfy the customers. For some of them, it becomes a matter of life and death if not stitched properly,” he added smilingly.
Going by the unpleasant experiences with their tailors, women have been increasingly opting for readymade dresses. Zoha Zubair, a teacher, said: “Sometimes I don’t find a readymade dress of my choice, but I still prefer one to avoid the hassles of going to a tailor. It is convenient and easy to buy ready-to-wear dresses.”
Tailors disappoint customers with ‘excuses’ during Eid rush
