As money, religion, and fashion collide in oil-rich nations like Saudi Arabia, the conservative traditions of the past are starting to lose their hold on menswear. Especially when it comes to the Islamic white robes called thobes. Until recently, a man had a choice between white or... white. Now, a group of fashion-forward designers in Saudi Arabia are taking the thobe to the outer limits of modern Middle Eastern fashion.

After getting tenative approval from top Saudi opinion-makers, like the absolute monarch King Abdullah, designers have begun marketing a bold new variety of thobes. Apparently, some Saudi men are embracing the colorful changes, strutting their stuff in stylish thobes that kinda make us wish we could get away with wearing a robe all day. One designer has even begun marketing the "iThobe", a twist on the traditional thobe with an iPod pocket and headphone openings -- available in either blue or white. Unfortunately, women in Saudi Arabia are still stuck with traditional black robes and veils.

[via GlobalVoicesOnline]