In modern day Libya, people dress in diverse ways. Most residents in urban areas of Libya wear Western clothing, with boys wearing trousers or jeans and shirts and girls wearing jeans or trousers and long sleeved tops. Some Libyans prefer to wear more traditional clothes, especially on important occasions¹.

Some of Libya's older generation prefer to wear traditional costumes on special occasions, for example, to Friday prayers or marriage ceremonies.

Men’s traditional outfits vary slightly from area to area, but are fundamentally similar across the entire Libyan region. The traditional Libyan men’s outfit includes a long tunic (‘jalabiya’), long trousers (‘sirwal’) and a vest (‘sadriya’) often embroidered with black silk and fastened at the front with buttons.

Shashiya

Libyan men wear a black or red shashiyah used as a headdress. Men in Tripolitania have a preference for the black shashiyah, while the men in Cyrenaica wear both red or black. Occasionally, a white, cloth cap is worn underneath the shashiya, especially when indoors. A large cloak called a ‘jarid’ is used to wrap around the body in a style reminiscent of a Roman. However, in Libya, the jarid is put on the right shoulder and the remainder is brought around up and over the head. Footwear usually includes leather riding boots, leather sandals or slippers².

Farmla

The ‘farmla’ is a sleeveless top, the front of which is adorned with decorative thread and is the most common traditional costume worn by men in Libya on special occasions and formal events. It is worn with a loose knee-length shirt and loose trousers; a stitched jacket (‘zaboun’) and the aforementioned jalabiya tunic. There are different perspectives on the origin of the farmila. Some believe that the top was passed on to Libyans by the Ottomans during their rule of Libya, while others believe that it predates the Ottomans and developed in the Berber communities.

There is also a form of farmla worn by Libyan women, which is similar to the men’s farmla, but is embroidered with golden and silver threads and is embellished with gold buttons: it is also worn on special occasions.

The farmla is stitched using a needle of 5 cm or less, a piece of fabric and lengths of appliqué cord. A skilled person can turn the piece into a beautiful work of art. The traditional farmila requires the colour of the cord and the material of the garment to be similar, but modern designers have introduced new styles using bright colours, and combining white and gold cords with dark-coloured fabric, which is not seen in older designs³. There are five main patterns used for decorating the men’s farmila and the stitching is dependent on the occasion⁴. The Dafirah, Al-Koustik, Lalaja and Sanadiq stitching patterns are amongst the most popular⁵.

On Alboudri, the bride dresses in a traditional pink, striped, dress, folded up into cushion-like pads or bows at the back and hips (Al-houly Al Boudry or ‘the pink dress’) , and wears a matching scarf on her head. Along with this dress women usually wear a large amount of typical Libyan jewellery on their hands, ankles and a Libyan belt and carry a traditional hand fan. On this day, the bride receives gifts of clothes, jewellery and makeup from the groom’s family. It is a tradition that the groom's family gives food including cheese, bread, eggs and some drinks along with the clothes and jewellery. All gifts received from the groom’s family are shown to the guests and are also displayed to the women attending ‘Al-henna day’⁹.

After Alboudri Day, comes Al-Henna day, where the bride is decorated with henna. Women from the community will also be invited to have henna designs applied. Sometimes Alboudri and Al-Henna are celebrated on the same day but this differs depending on the region¹⁰. Al-Henna celebrations are slightly different in each region. For example in Tripoli, henna is applied on fingers only, while in Misrata, henna is applied on both hands and sometimes even feet.

On Al-Henna Day, henna is placed on a tray and the bride is decorated either by family members or, in some cases, the families will invite skilled professionals to assist. String is used to cover the parts of the body which need to remain henna free. In olden times, the string would be fashioned into different shapes and laid across the appropriate part of the body to obtain patterns on hands and feet. The henna is applied in a paste and then wrapped in cloth to keep it warm and to speed up the development time. The process can take from a few hours to all night. The longer it is left in place, the deeper the red tint produced on the skin¹¹.

There are several traditional jewellery items identified with Libya, usually worn on special occasions. The necklaces are often heavy and can be as long as knee length, and the bracelets can be 4–6 inches wide. The large silver brooches once used by women to attach their robes are now made from gold and are usually decorated with a “khamaiseh”, a hand shaped symbol, or other charms that are believed to ward off the evil eye¹².

Dress code in Libya changes from area to area. In cities, men normally wear t-shirts and shorts while women wear three quarter length pants and skirts, t-shirts and long sleeves. There is no legal compulsion to use a head scarf, although expat women may do so as a nod to local custom. Libya has designated expat beaches where bathing costumes are worn. Outside of the larger cities, where expats are not seen frequently, the dress code is usually modest wear. Long sleeves and full length skirts along with a light shawl are recommended for women visiting these areas¹³.