HAREM OF THE MAHDIA
HAREM OF THE MAHDIA
TUNISIAN BROCADE
Fabric traditionally used for evening wear like Fouta and Blouza.
The fabric has the particularity of being in relief with sparkling colors for the holidays.
Until the middle of the 19th century, the brides of the Tunisian artistocracy wore a caftan carved out of velvet, silk and brocade richly embroidered with gold and enriched with fine stones.
THE SOUTHERN HOULI
Fabric traditionally used for evening wear like Fouta and Blouza.
Those of the south are bright colors and consist essentially of a piece of rectangular fabric called (houli) and which envelops the body of the woman, held at the waist by a kind of woolen belt, taking the two upper ends each passed over a shoulder without tightening too much to have enough fabric and attached to the part, which overcomes the waist and covers the chest, by a brooch (Khlel) on each side.
There are several models of hooli, from classic to the most modern. The classics are hand-woven and their color ranges from dark purple to light blue. When houli was worn systematically, there were winter houlis (made of wool and other thick fabrics) and summer houlis. From now on, the houli is worn mainly during ceremonies and we see less and less winter houlis. The white houli has almost disappeared, being worn only by a few elderly women while its wearing was once widespread.
The houli can be of solid color, with the edges striped in two or three colors, or striped in two or more colors, with the edges more elaborate, or checkered with the striped edges (then bearing the name of houli hamsi). Modern hooli are most often made industrially; they usually have shimmering and very varied colors, the models changing very often.
