Lifting The Veil On Fashion

The words Islam and couture aren't often used in the same sentence. But Turkish gown guru Rabia Yalçin is making her debut at New York's Fashion Week, alongside such industry heavyweights as Donna Karan and Nicole Miller, at a Feb. 9 fund raiser called Designers for Darfur. The Istanbul-based designer dresses modestly in public in accordance with Islamic tradition. And at first blush, her gowns seem similarly demure, but with the slip of a button, they become more than a little provocative, as shown at left. "In private, clothing should reflect a woman's sensuality," Yalçin says. But her goal in public is "to show the beauty of the flower, while covering the flower." Will Paris and Britney convert?