I can't remember who told me this and it's driving me crazy.
What I was told for the Melaya dress was that somebody's sister -- was it Farida's or Reda's -- was the person who was sort of responsible for "dressing" the troupe, and for this dance, she borrowed the design from a ready-to-wear dress that was in current fashion in the area at the time. I've also heard it was Farida herself.
Of course, "borrowing the design" could mean anything, but to me it meant the design of the close-fitting, asymmetrical, flounced dress. The little pom pom hat seems to have been part of fashion then, and not anything particularly dance-related.
(if anybody can track down this source, and the actual person who did the designing, I'd love to have it.)
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