Fashion Shows Sweep Into the West Bank

The West Bank city of Ramallah is not internationally known for fashion, but organizers hope that its Palestinian Fashion Week will draw more attention to local designers.

The three-day show, which ended Saturday, saw models prowl the catwalk in the only major fashion show in the Palestinian territories. Their outfits included both short dresses and conservative frocks with headscarves.

The collections showed a blend of traditional Palestinian embroidery and modern designs. A creation by Jordanian-Palestinian designer Intisar Abdo mixed Arabic calligraphy on chiffon for a stunning evening dress. Designer Fayzeh Pearl showed off more traditional designs, including beaded wedding dresses and colorful formal attire.

Tamer Halabi, an organizer of the event, said the show in part shows that "we Palestinians exist."

"We are surviving, we have talents, we have designers, and we can compete with world fashion houses," Halabi said.

Here's a series of Associated Press images from the fashion show in Ramallah.