I was gifted this lovely Jalabiya a few years ago, and every time I've seen it in my closet I have paused because I love it but I am always wary of becoming complicit in cultural appropriation - pretty unforgivable in my book. You can't set trends with other's traditions. I clearly remember having to explain what Henna was to my first grade teacher who was so horrified that she "couldn't think", probably because she had the privilege of accosting a six-year-old instead of you know, picking up a book. I forgive her her ignorance because this was pre-internet and obviously she couldn't actually be expected to be sensitive to something different...I mean she was only a teacher (!), right?! A beacon of enlightenment and knowledge for a roomful of impressionable minds.  Imagine my surprise when Madonna, Gwen Stefani, and more recently Rihanna touted Henna tattoos - so innovative. My empathy runs shallow. So of course, I did my research, introspection, and reflection before I decided  to wear this outfit for an Iftar dinner.

If you're donning traditional garb for purely aesthetic reasons ("it's so cute"), then you are not appreciating the culture. Muslims exist in a sort of international community, our foods, music, and clothing tend to overlap, so while this dress is not from my immediate ethnic roots, it is a part of my Muslim identity. Furthermore, I've never oppressed or mocked the culture, in fact in my time in the Middle East I assimilated. If this was a dress from Topshop, it would certainly be labelled cultural appropriation, but it was gifted to me by an Arab who bought it from a local designer - that empowers the culture. Which brings me to the last condition of cultural appropriation - did I do the outfit justice when I wore it? 

When I was in the Middle East, I received and bought a lot of traditional jewelry because it is similar to my own culture - in fact, it is indistinguishable. I first styled the Jalabiya with simple gold accessories to match the delicate trim, but it looked rather plain.