Thread: Mme. Abla Fan Club! past AND present..who's with me!

I've been in love with Mme Abla's atalier since i was a baby dancer in the mid 80's.....

at the time i was studying with Aunt Rocky and that was all she ever wore, and those fabulous confections SINCE haunt me :p....i'm lucky enuf to have acquired a couple of vintage ablas, a gorgeous red fringe monster i got on the swap pages, and a super-fringe-monstery dress i bought off weese....and i ain't lettin' 'em go , so please don't ask.

in the last few years i've also seen work by her sister hekmet (which was my first cossie), and noussa, and lovelovelove their work too! it's like red-carpet, haute couture, that is both vintage and modern, with all the best of both worlds......timeless!

i was saddened to find out that she had passed last year, and feel that a gift to dancers and the world is gone, and that her talent, and viewpoint is lost forever...i was THRILLED to find out that her legacy continues with her family...while it's not HER making those lovely confections, i'm relieved to see the same level of beauty, class, and quality continuing, cuz as i said on another thread, 'they don't make 'em like that anymore'....others have tried to imitate, or innovate, but sadly, fall short....i'm glad there's more coming, cuz i don't think our beloved Mme. Abla would want it to stop.

any other fans out there?

I have a turquoise "jeweled goddess" and love it! Every time I think to sell it because I've worn it too much, I just can't do it. It is definitely my go-to costume for the classic belly dancer look. It is built to last.

I never owned one, but I love to look at them. Yes, Rocky did (does) have some lovely dresses from the 80's. That woman could fit you by just looking at you. She left behind a lot of good looking costumes. Maybe it would be nice to have a thread ( or even this thread ), where those folks lucky enough to have one would post a picture of it.

I'm with you on this wholeheartedly, Ruta!!! Love-love-love-LOVE Madame Abla...and Madame Hekmet (In fact, I believe I bought my one-&-only M. Hekmet from YOU(!)--Blue & Silver Hearts??:)).
ETA: I believe that by strict technicality, my small frame is not supposed to be hidden/bogged/wear/have all the lush 'Ole School Madame Abla *FRINGE*-alicious fringeyness, BUT I don't care--I love Her styles & have quite a few of her costumes! So there! :)

i'm definitely a fan and won't publicly admit how many of her works i have ;) she was a true haute couture genius and she is greatly missed.

Absolutely, I love the Ablas and still haven't "got mine yet." And delighted to see how they're preserving the traditional look with their new ones.
Rosette

I love the classic pieces that I have, and I hope that at least a quarter of her quality and love of design goes into the new pieces. At least her name is being carried on!

I love Abla's! I always admired her work and have some myself. I even have stuff I can't fit in at the moment...but can't give them up! My favorite style is the 40's style Abla....I have 2 of them...black and gold and turq and gold. They are like Samia style....just classic!

I love Albas. I have two and they are my favorite cossies.

I had the pleasure of getting one a few years ago and it is wonderful. It is the only "name brand" costume I have and I'm glad I got one just before she passed away. Mine's Royal Purple and Silver.

Originally Posted by Mahsima

I love the classic pieces that I have, and I hope that at least a quarter of her quality and love of design goes into the new pieces. At least her name is being carried on!

fear not, i've seen and handled the new pieces.....the quality hasn't slacked one bit, they're exquisite, and a few more modern styles are out with her signature beading and attention to detail. i'm coveting a green one

I'm waiting for the "one." I love her dresses!

I love them too! I had one but it didn't quite fit me right and I sold it. sigh. I still want one bad!!!

I have two piece with choli-style top, black and gold. It belonged to Candi originally and was my first serious two piece. I haven't worn it in a while but it doesn't leave my possession. There is nothing like a Madam Abla for workmanship.

OK, how can we have a fan thread without pictures! I wanna see.

Ablas in my closet:

Gold loop bedlah
Silver loop bedlah
Gold pailette bedlah belt only (heavy!)
Black lace dress with gold sequins embroidery
Blue skirt and veil set with silver sequins
Red skirt and veil set with black and gold paillettes and sequins
Blue choli top with ruched sarong belt (silver beads and fringe)
Red choli top with ruched sarong belt (black and gold beads and fringe)
purple skirt, sleeves, mini wings set with gold and purple beads, sequins, paillettes
Black fancy baladi dress with green and copper beads and sequins and black, green and copper heavy fringe.

..cr.:I want that many!!

Originally Posted by Souzan

Ablas in my closet:

Gold loop bedlah
Silver loop bedlah
Gold pailette bedlah belt only (heavy!)
Black lace dress with gold sequins embroidery
Blue skirt and veil set with silver sequins
Red skirt and veil set with black and gold paillettes and sequins
Blue choli top with ruched sarong belt (silver beads and fringe)
Red choli top with ruched sarong belt (black and gold beads and fringe)
purple skirt, sleeves, mini wings set with gold and purple beads, sequins, paillettes
Black fancy baladi dress with green and copper beads and sequins and black, green and copper heavy fringe.

I love Abla dresses! Have several that I don't think I will ever part with. And one that I love that I've been trying to sell... (shameless commercial announcement: http://www.bhuz.com/forum/bellydance...ess-300-a.html)

Originally Posted by andalee-oriental

OK, how can we have a fan thread without pictures! I wanna see.

I don't have pics, but here's a YouTube

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2Y0MhJtAt0]YouTube - Nyla Crystal and Brian: Sword vs Drum[/ame]

You can't tell from the video quality, but the belt has tons of multi-colored crystals inside the swirls.

Does anyone know how to contact the Abla family (website, email, phone)? I wanted to ask them if they'd do something custom for me. I really like the older style saidi dresses that she did... the ones with all the panels on the dress. If anyone has one that they'd like to sell, that'd be great too. :)

This is the style that I'm looking for:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ea3ErZ6WT0]YouTube - Djamila - Saidi - Bauchtanz Bellydance[/ame]

I loved many of her designs and they are very well made. Towards the end though I feel like her designs became real headscratchers for me..the epitome of fringemonsters!
Still a classic Abla is a collectible for a reason. She will be missed.

Love those fringemonsters!

i love her older costumes...the new ones are almost too common