Pious Fashion: How Muslim Women Dress by Elizabeth Bucar (review)

Until recently, the concepts of veiling and fashion were seldom discussed together. Much of the research within the social sciences and humanities literatures has understood and studied veiling as an ideological symbol, representing either (Islamic) patriarchal domination or opposition toward Western imperialism and colonialism. This analytical approach was based on a view of the Islamic veil as a representational form—an abstract object full of political and social meanings but devoid of materiality and aesthetics. As such, in its abstract form, the veil has existed outside the domain of fashion, consumption, and the market. In recent years, researchers from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, including sociology, anthropology, geography, gender studies, and marketing, challenged this restricted view and directed attention towards understanding the intricacies of the veil as a commodity form. An increasing number of research articles and edited collections provided detailed accounts of the practices of producing, marketing, and consuming fashionable Islamic clothing across different geographies (e.g., Abaza 2007; Almila and Inglis 2018; Balasescu 2003; Gökarıksel and Secor 2010; Jafari and Sandıkcı 2016; Jones 2010a, 2010b; Lewis 2013, 2015; Sandıkcı and Ger 2005, 2010; Tarlo 2010). A common thread among this work has been to situate the rise of modest fashions within the dynamics of the global political economy and unpack the complex interactions between individual choices and practices of veiling and institutional forces shaping the design, development, and manufacturing of modest fashions. Elizabeth Bucar's book Pious Fashion: How Muslim Women Dress, which provides a close look into the sartorial practices of young Muslim women living in Tehran, Yogyakarta, and Istanbul, constitutes a welcome addition to this burgeoning literature.

The book is organized along the locations chosen for the study. Chapters 1, 2, and 3 focus on Tehran, Yogyakarta, and Istanbul respectively and Chapter 4 provides a comparative discussion of the findings across cultures. In the Introduction, Bucar explains that she is interested in understanding and describing "the wide range of meanings conveyed by what women wear" (1) and "deciphering how Muslim women negotiate a variety of aesthetic and moral pressures" (2). The major contribution of the study, according to the author, lies in its comparative approach. Comparison enables the reader not only to realize that pious fashion comes in many forms but also identify local differences as well as cross-cultural similarities in veiling practices. Bucar justifies her choice of research sites as a move away from the stereotypical Western perception that equates Islamic dress with the dressing style of Arab women. By focusing the analytical attention on the fashion practices of pious Muslim women located in three non-Arab countries, she underscores the global diversity of pious fashion. Data collected through ethnographic field work provide the author with a detailed understanding of the differences in sartorial practices.

The following three chapters are structured in a similar manner. Each chapter opens with a brief historical overview of the socio-political context and then moves onto the research findings. The findings are presented in two main sections: "style snapshots" and "aesthetic authorities." The former describes the prominent trends during a particular season and depicts the details of particular outfits. The latter discusses various individual, institutional, and ideological forces that shape and regulate what is considered to be a proper dress in that location. The uniform organizational structure of these chapters eases comparisons across cultures. However, it also results in a rather flat reading experience, in which there is little room left for any unexpected and surprising insights and relationships.

Chapter 1 focuses on Iran and explores hijab in Tehran. Iran constitutes the entry point for Bucar to the Islamic contexts and covering practices. As she acknowledges, through her encounter of "bad hijab"—covering practices that are deemed as religiously questionable—she realizes that "what is classified as appropriate or inappropriate is defined by local cultures of style" (25). While this is rather well-established knowledge and applies not only to modest fashion but any context, it informs the overall logic of the chapter, in...