What terms are used when making a caftan dress?

This little dictionary will allow you to see more clearly in the technical words that are used for the manufacture of a Djellaba or a caftan dress, as well as in Moroccan craftsmanship. 

MAÂLEMS & MAALEM 
Master craftsmen embroiderers, tailors, but also specialized in the realization of mdammates and chrabel. The work of maâlmias as well as that of the embroiderers represents the cultural heritage of Morocco. The preservation of these crafts is essential for the sustainability of the know-how of traditional Moroccan sewing.

TAKCHITA 
The takchita is a version of the Moroccan caftan dress, revisited by Moroccan designers. It is composed of at least two pieces, the tahtiya, which is a caftan, and the fouqia or dfina which is an open and often transparent caftan. It can have up to four or even five today. The takchita is magnified by belts of various original and richly worked shapes called "Mdamma".

MOUZOUNA 
Respectively beads and small sequins, used to make all or part of a pattern on the caftan. The beading, made of rhinestones, crystals, sequins and sometimes even cultured pearls, is meticulous and time-consuming work carried out by hand by the embroiderers. Lamia Lakhassi has made it her trademark, designing entirely hand-embroidered outfits, mainly floral motifs.

AQDA 
(Eye and button) Row of buttons and name of the caftan originating from the city of Salé

BADIYA 
Women's tunic with short sleeves. In its sophisticated version, the badiya is a kaftan in its own right, richly worked and belted. Lighter and easier to wear, it has enjoyed great success over the past 5 years, due to the modernization of the kaftan dress.

BELGHA
Soft leather slipper, also made today in the fabric coordinated with the kaftan dress.

BERCHMANE 
Trimming work done by hand by two people, one braids the threads while the other secures them, usually on the jellabas. It is a work borrowed from the traditional men's wardrobe.

MARICHANE 
(Shining) Calais lace woven with gold threads.

BRID 
Embroidery in relief from India, made with silk thread and particularly in head. Rabéa Telghazi Salmeron, originally from Tangier, tirelessly reinterprets floral and geometric motifs in brid.

BRIM
Technique whereby the maalem, using a small instrument, quadruples the thickness of the silk or gold thread before it is ground or sewn onto the caftan.

CHEBKA 
Needle lace work forming a net that is placed at the ends of the garments. It is a derivative of lesson, the fine lace made of silk thread on the miss men. The chbika has become the emblem of the great lady of Moroccan Couture Tamy Tazi. Large, multicolored and complex floral motifs, the chbika by Tamy Tazi is now a must. Extremely difficult to achieve, it takes nearly 6 months of work for the embroiderers to make a finished caftan of this famous lace in head and silk thread.

CHEDDA 
Way of adorning and adorning the bride according to the regions of Morocco, including Fez, Rabat and Tangier for the best known.

CHERBILE
Traditional Fez slipper made of velvet entirely embroidered with gold thread. A must in the traditional women's wardrobe.

DFIRA 
Braid of passementerie affixed between two strips of meloui.

KFAL 
Jewels that we hang on the mdamma. These are different belt buckles in chiseled solid gold or silver adorned with precious stones. Nowadays, the fekroune unfortunately tends to disappear from the trunk of fashionistas.

FOUKIA
(That one wears above) Sleeveless piece that is worn over the kaftan and which generally remains open. It is sometimes called dfina.

FSSALA
Traditional T-shaped caftan cut. Today, the caftan is getting closer to the body and becoming more and more feminine.

GANDOURA 
Long and loose tunic made of a single piece that was originally part of the male wardrobe. A bit like hippie fashion, the gandoura is very successful with the international jet-set in search of exoticism. Reinterpreted by big names in fashion – Versace, Emilio Pucci, Martin Margiela…-, it has become a very trendy piece. Abroad, it is commonly called "kaftan".

HAUTE COUTURE 
Franco-French label granted by the French Federation of Couture to a defined number of houses required to respect strict and binding specifications. The term is unfairly used by many Moroccan designers, sometimes barely graduated from local schools and fashion.

HRIR
Natural silk thread available in multiple colors.

HZAM
Wide fabric belt, originally made in silk brocade, which wraps around the waist to tie in front.

JABADOR
Male set consisting of three pieces – harem pants, tunic and waistcoat, usually made in cotton weaves vital (Swiss sailing) inmlifa (fine wool) with finish mom or silk thread.

JELLABA (djellaba)
Hooded tunic traditionally down to the ankle, a must in the Moroccan wardrobe for both women and men. The jellaba, like the kaftan, is constructed ‘after a “T” shape. Regularly brought up to date, it has undergone many transformations in recent years, to the point of being distorted into a mini-dress...

JOHARA 
silk fabric originating from Lyon, worked in successive solid bands and floral motifs, used for miss to wear under caftans and finished dars. They are still used today for miss of jellaba and under the labssa fascia of the bride.

KHANJAR
Turkish influence embroidery design in the shape of a dagger (dagger or carrier) historically applied on male caftans. It is traditionally made of yarn of head gold or silver on brocades and brocaded in silk by the maâlems to adorn the pockets of the caftan. Much appreciated, lekhanjar is one of the recurring and timeless motifs of Moroccan clothing culture.

KHMISSA 
(Hand of Fatima) Lucky charm and protection against the evil eye, in gold or silver, traditionally placed on the belts of young brides.

KITANE 
Trimmings in silk thread or head rolled up, used by maâlems to adorn or finish the kaftans.

LABSSA (the dress)
Bride outfit (labssa lkbira) but also the name given to the caftan when it consists of several pieces. Generally, the declares is made of a mansouriya worn over a less elaborate coordinated kaftan, and both belted.

M'RAMMA
Silk weaving loom.

MAJDOULE
Fine and long cord in braided silk or gold threads that are wrapped several times around the waist. Practical and light, the majdule is worn more or less high, sometimes even in takhmal as a fashion accessory.

MANSOURIYA OU DFINA 
Upper part of the caftan when it consists of two pieces. Crafted in a lightweight fabric, the mansouriya or dfina is usually more elaborately embellished than the rest of the outfit, and has larger side and front slits to show off part of the kaftan worn underneath.

MDAMMA
Initially a simple accessory, the mdamma (belt) subsequently became an element of identity making it possible to display one's social class, wealth and origins. The mdamma traditional is a rigid belt made from hand-embroidered fabric attached to a cardboard or canvas frame. The mdamma in fabric are coordinated with the caftan, but there are different sizes and styles. Among the most traditional, the mdamma but salli samm (gold or silver) from Fez is a must in the women's wardrobe that can be matched with any type of caftan. The mdamma b-dhab or b-nakra (in solid gold or silver) was traditionally part, mainly among notable families, of the bride's dowry. The mdamma, just like the caftan, follows the trends, whether it is its shape or its width. Originally 7 to 8 cm wide and entirely embroidered with skalli, the mdamma evolved, in the 80s, until becoming a spectacular corset-belt in the early 2000s. After having been cheerfully denatured and made importable (its width can go up to 15cm), the Moroccan belt returns to proportions more human and more aesthetic, with widths of less than 13 cm, and also gaining in flexibility.

MOUKH OU MSSEWESSE
Thread embroidery design head in the shape of a brain made by the mom with the shipyard.

RANDA
Fine needle lace work. Originally, the finds was applied to the collars and sleeves of miss for men.

SADRIYA
(Vest) Male garment of Turkish and Andalusian origins taken up by women as an ornamental accessory of the caftan. The universe of the vest has many variations: extra-short, sleeveless, with small epaulette sleeves (also called oudinates), etc. The 2000s brought the waistcoat back to center stage, first long and belted, then today very short, like a bolero.

SELHAM
Moroccan cape with a hood originally part of the male wardrobe. It is traditionally made of woolen fabrics oh no from Ouazzane, Sousdi and Mlifa for men and finer woolens for women.

SAROUEL KANDRISSA
Loose, puffy pants tightened at the ankles, usually worn under the kaftan.

SFIFA
Trimmings in silk thread or head braided by the maâlems on the mramma or made by machine. The sfifa, extralarge is traditionally emblematic of Labssa Lakhzaniya (Royal Court)

SKALLI 
Gold or silver thread used to embroider kaftans.

TABTINE
Kaftan lining, usually silk. Beware of linings, they can hide manufacturing defects and sometimes reserve unpleasant surprises: machine work sold for handmade or rough finishes.

TAKRIR 
Crochet pattern in silk thread with pompoms, initially made for traditional Moroccan salons and rarely taken up by couturiers.

TEKHMAL
Silk thread cord used to roll up the sleeves of the moroccan kaftan. the tekhmal in its sophisticated version is gold adorned with precious stones (usually emeralds and rough cut rubies found in ancient Moroccan jewelry). The last two decades have seen the emergence of tekhmal made of elastic, adorned with scraps of kaftan fabrics as well as mini-tekhmal more commonly known as "scrunchies" to place directly on the sleeves. More practical but unattractive accessories until Leïla Benmilh (Shérazade Couture) designed, in 2007, a range of sophisticated darlings, accessories in their own right, which can also be worn on Western blouses.

TARZ
Embroidery in its most global sense. There are several types of embroidery from different regions of Morocco. For example, the style lhsabalso called tarz al gharza, originally from Fez, is made using a canvas on which the embroiderers count the holes. It is identifiable by its geometric patterns in monochrome silk thread. the style ntaa is known for its monochrome. It is made with gold thread on silk velvet. the tarz tetouani, recognizable by its multicolored floral motifs, is worked in volume. There is also, among others, the style hand meknassi, characterized by its square or diagonal stitch, and the style rbati with multicolored floral motifs. The list is still long !

ZWAK
Generic name for ancient embroidery techniques and patterns made with gold and silk threads.