The article describes the author's experience working as a costume designer for a museum exhibition featuring costumes from the musalsal (Arabic TV series) "De'ah Da'iah" (The Lost Village, 2008). The designer recreated costumes for two lead characters, Jouda and Asa'd.
Key challenges mentioned include:
- Finding accurate items matching reference images from a series made 15 years prior
- Locating correct sizes, requiring creative solutions like "stitching two shirts together" for proper fit
- Sourcing a specific snake print fabric no longer in trend, eventually finding alternatives in local souqs
- Hand-knitting a red scarf after learning from the designer's mother
- Creating custom body padding to match each character's different proportions
The designer also contributed to set dressing for a scene from "Al-Malik Farouk" (King Farouk, 2007), which involved acquiring period objects through loans and local sourcing, researching authentic Egyptian documents, and "designing custom graphics for the wall behind the desk, lit from behind."
The author reflects that the project was "a collaboration between creative fields ranging from design, fashion, interiors, graphics, lighting, and exhibition development."
