Abaya styles and types: which cut suits you

What are the main types of abayas?

The main types of abayas are open-front, closed, kimono-sleeve, butterfly, coat, kaftan and flared or umbrella cuts. They divide into two families first, closed abayas that go on over the head as a finished outfit, and open abayas that fasten down the front and layer over what you are already wearing. Everything else, the sleeve shape and the width of the hem, sits inside those two families.

The names overlap in real life, because a shop in Multan and a shop in Dubai will label the same garment differently. A butterfly is sometimes called a farasha, an umbrella cut is sometimes just called flared. What stays constant is the shape in front of you, so it helps to know what each shape does rather than trusting the label.

What is the difference between an open and a closed abaya?

A closed abaya is a single finished garment you pull on over your clothes, while an open abaya fastens down the front and is worn as a layer over an outfit that shows underneath. The closed cut is the most versatile, because it is a complete look on its own and works from a university morning to a dawat. The open cut is really a modest overcoat, styled around whatever you wear beneath it.

Open abayas suit women who like to dress an outfit and then cover it, and who want to slip the abaya off indoors and still be dressed. They photograph beautifully with a contrast inner and a belt. The trade-off is that they need that inner to be planned, so they ask a little more of you each morning.

Closed abayas ask nothing. You put one on and you are ready, which is exactly why it is the cut we build the Zee & Zaa collection on. If you are buying your first abaya, start closed and add an open piece later once you know how you like to dress.

First abaya, a beginner's guideWhat to wear under an abaya

What are kimono-sleeve and butterfly abayas?

A kimono-sleeve abaya has a wide, flat sleeve cut in one line from the shoulder, and a butterfly abaya extends that idea into a deep, draped wing that opens when you lift your arm. Both are closed abayas at heart. The difference is entirely in the sleeve and how much fabric it carries.

The kimono sleeve is the everyday version. It gives room across the shoulders and upper arm without any tightness, which makes it forgiving on broader frames and comfortable for anyone who reaches, drives or carries a child through the day. It stays smart without ever feeling like a costume.

The butterfly or farasha is the occasion version. The wing catches the light and moves with you, so it reads as dressed up even in a plain shade. It flatters almost every body because the drama lives away from the body, in the fall of the sleeve. If you want one showpiece abaya for Eid or a family dinner, this is a strong choice.

What is a flared or umbrella abaya?

A flared or umbrella abaya is a closed cut with extra panels set into the skirt so the hem swings out wide, like an open umbrella, instead of falling straight. It is the most movement-led of all the styles. The fabric pours and sways as you walk, which is why it looks so good stepping into a room and photographs so well.

The flare only works in a light fabric. Our Aura umbrella flare is cut in luxury crepe for exactly this reason, because crepe is light enough for the extra panels to move. The same shape in a heavy weave hangs stiff like a curtain and loses the whole effect.

This cut is especially kind to petite women and pear shapes. The wide hem balances the hips and the vertical fall adds height, so a small frame reads taller and a fuller lower half looks even. It is more occasion than everyday, simply because there is a lot of fabric to manage on a busy morning.

Nida vs crepe, which fabric to pickShop the collection

What is the difference between a coat abaya and a kaftan?

A coat abaya is structured and tailored, often with buttons or a belt down an open front, while a kaftan abaya is soft, loose and flowing with no fastening at all. They sit at opposite ends of the same rail. One is the sharpest, most formal-looking style, the other is the most relaxed and easy.

The coat abaya suits tall, straight frames because the structure and the vertical line play to a lean silhouette. Worn belted it reads almost like outerwear, which makes it a favourite for work and for winter over knitwear. It is the style to reach for when you want to look put together with no effort of styling.

The kaftan does the opposite. It skims the body rather than shaping it, so it is the most comfortable cut in real heat and the most forgiving on a fuller frame. Add tilla or resham handwork at the neckline and a plain kaftan becomes festive without ever becoming fussy.

Our tilla and resham handwork

Which abaya style suits my body shape?

The most flattering abaya style is the one that balances your frame, so petite women suit flared and umbrella cuts, fuller frames suit kaftan and butterfly cuts, and tall or straight frames suit coat and closed styles. That said, the closed everyday abaya suits every shape, because a loose cut sized by height skims the body rather than gripping it.

Petite women gain height from a vertical fall and a flared hem, and lose it under a heavy, wide sleeve, so keep the drama low and the line long. Fuller frames look best when the volume sits away from the body, in a soft kaftan or a butterfly wing, rather than in a fitted panel. Broad shoulders relax under a kimono sleeve. Tall women can carry structure that would overwhelm a smaller frame.

None of this is a rule, it is a starting point. Because every Zee & Zaa abaya is cut loose and sized by height, most shapes are comfortable in most of our styles, and a wrong size is covered by the exchange rather than being a dead end.

Size guide, sizing by heightExchange policy

Which style is most formal, and which is best for every day?

The coat abaya and the butterfly or flared cuts read most formal, while the closed everyday abaya and the kimono sleeve are the best for daily wear. Formality in abayas comes from structure and from movement, a sharp tailored line or a dramatic swing of fabric, more than from the shade or the price of the piece.

For work, university and running a day, you want a cut you can forget you are wearing, which is the plain closed abaya or a kimono sleeve in a hard-wearing fabric. For a nikkah, a mehndi, Eid or a family dinner, you want a cut that arrives, which is where the flared, butterfly and belted coat styles earn their place.

The honest middle ground is a single well-cut closed abaya in a good shade, dressed up with a nice hijab and a little handwork. It carries you from a morning class to an evening dawat without a second garment, which is why it is where most women start and where many happily stay.

Wedding and shaadi season abayas

Which style does Zee & Zaa make?

Zee & Zaa builds its collection on the closed abaya, the most versatile everyday cut, with an umbrella-flare Signature piece for occasions. We keep the range tight on purpose. One clean silhouette that suits nearly every body, in premium Nida and luxury crepe, in a set of shades chosen to work together rather than a wall of options you have to sort through.

That means we cover the two cuts most women actually reach for, the easy everyday closed abaya and one showpiece flare, and we cut both loose and true to size in our Multan studio. If you want an open, coat or kaftan style, this guide is here to help you recognise it wherever you shop.

Whichever cut you choose from us, it is the same flat Rs. 6,800 in sizes S to XL, delivered free Cash on Delivery across Pakistan, with a 7-day size exchange from the delivery date.

Shop all abayasAbout the two sisters

Abaya style terms, defined

Closed abaya

A single finished abaya worn over the head, a complete outfit on its own with no front opening.

Open-front abaya

An abaya that fastens down the front and is worn as a modest overcoat, layered over the outfit beneath it.

Kimono sleeve

A wide, flat sleeve cut in one line from the shoulder, giving room across the arm with no tightness.

Farasha or butterfly

A closed abaya with a deep, draped wing sleeve that opens as you raise your arm, made for occasions.

Umbrella or flared cut

A closed abaya with extra skirt panels so the hem swings out wide, best cut in a light fabric like crepe.

Coat abaya

A structured, tailored open abaya, often buttoned or belted, that reads like polished outerwear.

Kaftan abaya

A soft, loose, flowing abaya with no fastening, the most relaxed cut and the coolest in real heat.

Common questions about abaya styles

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