Eid is one morning, and most men want to look like they made an effort without looking like they are in costume. Here is the practical version.
The short answer: dressier than Jumu'ah, less formal than a wedding. Clean, well fitting, and a little more detailed than what you normally wear to the mosque.
Is there a required dress?
No. There is no religious requirement for a particular garment. The tradition is to wear your best and to be clean and presentable, which a pressed shirt and trousers satisfies completely.
If you want something traditional, a Moroccan kaftan is the usual choice, because the embroidery gives it occasion without being loud.
Which color
Two honest considerations, and they pull in opposite directions.
The room. Eid prayer halls are bright and crowded. A rich color stands out where black disappears into a sea of other black. Emerald green, deep burgundy, indigo and royal blue all photograph well, and the photographs are the part you keep. Our emerald green Moroccan kaftan and burgundy Moroccan kaftan are the two most bought for Eid.
How often you will wear it again. Black and gray carry over to an ordinary Friday. Emerald green does not, quite.
So: if this will be your only Moroccan garment, buy a black kaftan or a gray one and wear it fifty times a year. If you already own something plain, this is the year to buy the green.
Warm weather Eid
Eid moves through the calendar, so some years the prayer lands in real heat. A gandoura is the better answer then. Three-quarter sleeves, lightweight fabric, and the embroidery still sits at the neck so it reads as an occasion garment.
A long sleeved kaftan in high heat, standing in a packed hall, makes for a long morning.
Cold weather Eid
If the prayer is outdoors or the morning is cold, a winter djelleba over your kaftan is the traditional answer, and it looks far better than a coat over a robe. It also covers the whole garment, which a jacket stopping at the hip cannot.
The part people get wrong: timing
Every Eid we get messages from people who ordered the week before and are hoping.
Shipping takes 2 to 5 business days after a 1 to 2 day processing window. So order at least two weeks out. Popular sizes in the best colors sell through first, and restocking does not happen before the day.
Check the size guide before you order rather than after. Returns are for faulty items only, and a garment that arrives two sizes out with three days to go is not a fixable problem.
Finishing the outfit
- Footwear. Leather sandals, babouche slippers, or plain leather shoes. You will be taking them off, so pick something you can slip out of.
- Headwear. A kufi or taqiyah, if you normally wear one.
- Underneath. Plain undershirt, no visible collar.
- Fragrance. Traditional, and appreciated. Apply lightly, since you will be shoulder to shoulder with people.
A short checklist
- Order two weeks ahead, minimum
- Measure against a garment you already own, laid flat
- Pick for the weather on the day, not for the photo
- If it is your only one, buy a color you will wear again
- Try it on when it arrives, not on the morning
Browse the Eid collection.