TEHRAN, Iran — When this reporter first started coming to Iran 17 years ago, required Islamic dress for women came in only four colors: navy blue, dark brown, grey and of course, basic black.
Slowly, however, Iranian hijab has blossomed into a Technicolor array of hues and figure-hugging styles that satisfy the letter if not the spirit of Islamic law.
It is rare these days to see an Iranian woman under 50 wearing the pitch-black tent-like garment known as a chador, long associated with the Islamic Republic.
Mannequins sport the latest trends in Tehran.
A selection of styles are available.
One aspect of the rules remains unchanged, however, and that is the requirement to cover at least a portion of one’s hair and most of one’s body. With temperatures that in summer soar above 105 degrees Fahrenheit, that can make a woman in Tehran feel like something else associated with Iran: the grilled meat on a skewer known as kabob.
