The Work Abaya: Everyday Abayas for the Office in Doha

A working day in Doha means hours in the car and at a desk. Matte, light to medium-weight fabrics such as crepe and nida recover from sitting with few marks. Before you buy, crush a corner of the fabric in your hand for ten seconds and let go. The creases that stay are the creases you will wear at four in the afternoon.

Sleeves should stay at the wrist while you type, drive and carry a laptop. A neat cuff at the radoon does this better than a wide, open sleeve. Keep lace cuffs for evenings, since lace catches on keyboards, watch straps and bag zips.

Pockets hold a phone, a car key and a staff badge, and spare you a bag between meetings. Novella 009, 013, 014 and 017 all have pockets. Fabric-covered buttons, as on 009 and 011, lie flat under a lanyard or a seatbelt and do not click against a desk.

Work abayas take stairs, car parks and long corridors. Measure the length in the flat shoes you wear to work and let the hem sit about an inch above the floor. Novella sells every design in lengths from 50 to 60 inches, so your work abaya can be an inch shorter than your evening one.

A structured collar or a blazer line looks composed across a meeting table. Novella 014 has a sharp collar and contrasting lapels in a blazer-inspired cut, and 013 pairs a polished collar with a straight cut and light waist shaping. Novella 011 keeps it classic, with a structured collar and vertical panels in black.

Three abayas cover a five-day week with time to air each one between wears. Make the first black and plain. Make the second navy or textured, such as the deep navy 012. Give the third a quiet detail: the adjustable belt on 017, or the subtle vertical stripes on 002. Rotating them spreads the wear, and each abaya keeps its shape longer.

Hang your work abaya by a window when you get home, and wash it after several wears instead of after each one. A clothes brush on Sunday morning lifts the dust of the week before.