16.30 GMT-12:30 PM/EST
These are Iranian models ditching basic black for more colorful clothes in a rarely held, government-sponsored fashion show. Their traditional Iranian fashion is fused with Western style in 60 outfits, some sell for as little as $40... another way for Iran's fashion police, as some may call them, to convince women they can still put the chic into their Islamic costumes.
This comes after, quote: "Thousands were arrested for non-compliance with the obligatory dress code," according to Amnesty International's 2008 report on Iran.
Enforcing these codes generally comes in the form of swift annual sweeps by police especially early in the summer, when heat drives more people dressed in lighter clothes out on the streets. (GFX: Iran imposed its dress codes in the wake of the 1979 Islamic revolution, making women wear long loose robes or coats and cover their hair in public.)
This year, however, their crackdown is reportedly heavier. For the first time, police shut 32 clothes shops and hairdressers. They questioned women and men about where they bought their clothes or had their hair done. They stopped passengers in cars for breaking dress codes... all in an attempt to ban the sale of shorter coats and lighter headscarves, along with Western hairstyles. (GFX: Dress code enforcement began to ease in the late 1990s under President Khatami.)
Police spokesman Nader Sarkari defends the crackdown, saying, quote: "Why should some individuals take it upon themselves to commit an act society has deemed a violation?"
For years in Iran, some women have tried to break the Islamic dress code. In 1991, hundreds reportedly clashed with security forces in Isfahan leaving 300 women arrested. Two years later some 800 women were arrested, reportedly for dress code violations, including wearing sunglasses. According to Iran's Penal Code, such violation received a reprimand of 74 lashes until 1997 when women refused to submit to it. The penalty is now reduced: ten days to two months prison or a cash fine of 50,000 to 500,000 rials.
Nonetheless, 21-year-old Sana still finds a way to exercise her freedom: few weekend hours high up in the mountains. In this report on "Iran's Hedonistic Youth," the graphic artist says, here it is ok to let her guard down and forget her worries.
Sana: "The clothes we wear here are much more comfortable, as you can see. Up here, I feel like I'm in another country. I've got so much more freedom."
Sana's friend: "I don't have any intention to cover my head; certainly not when the guards aren't outside. It is enough bother to wear this in town."
Back in the city, many women keep pushing the envelope with Iran's dress code, some wear short, colorful coats that show their body shape... while others let their headscarves slip, revealing much of their hair.
Perhaps the recent state fashion show, some believe, will convince some women to creatively express themselves while sticking to the rules.
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7:45Iran: Undercover fashion in Iranby 20071305261,641 views
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