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Fabulous Full Figures, Part 2: Leyla Lanty - Page 3

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Here is Leyla's description of how she came to own it:

"Mahmoud had several models for this gown in his atelier in several colors, but none in fuschia, which was what I wanted. I asked him if he would make it in fuschia with gold sequins and beads and he said "Sure!" His lady tailor took my measurements, shouting them through the closed door of the fitting room to her business partner, her brother. Two or three days later I came back for a fitting which showed that some adjustments in length were needed. About a week later I came back to pick it up. It fit perfectly and looked gorgeous."

Leyla is partial to this dress because it seems to be revealing a lot more than it really does. The clean vertical line from neck to hips presents a figure-flattering effect. The sequin and bead patterns also contribute to the vertical line. The other major feature which doesn't show well in this particular photo is the very full skirt which flairs out whenever she twirls.

Red Hagallah

This dress was designed and crafted by Mahmoud el Ghaffar at his atelier "El Wikalah" in Cairo. The photo was taken by Leyla's dear friend Marcia Morris Conklin:

Another Cairo costume from Leyla's collection, this hagallah dress is a stage version of a traditional dance dress from the western desert area of Egypt. This one is a slightly modified version of the black and green hagallah dress shown in Part 1 of this article.

Leyla wears this dress for folkloric style dance, which often includes dancing with the cane. In Middle Eastern tradition, a cane is considered part of traditional masculine garb. A woman wouldn't use a cane for any purpose other than assisting her in walking if she were unable to walk without it. A woman dancing with a cane is saying "I can dance with this masculine item in public!" It is a sassy and flirtatious dance.

Click here if you'd like to see additional pictures showing this costume from two other angles.

Turquoise And Black Dress

Here is another elegant costume that was designed and made by Mahmoud el Ghaffar at his atelier "El Wikalah" in Cairo. The photo below was taken by Leyla's dear friend Marcia Morris Conklin:

When asked why she likes this dress, Leyla replied:

"This dress is another case of love at first sight. I love this dress because of its simple lines and beautiful turquoise floral sequin and bead embroidery."

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