Robes that would make a Jedi jealous

It won't be long before Moroccan Jedi robes becom popular in the US. They certainly make a pleasant fashion statement.

That the jalaba is an indigenous garment of the Maghreb is news to no one save perhaps the author, and comparing them to Star Wars is
just stupid.

I completely agree with the first comment. Pointing out that djellabas are straight out of star wars is what you do as a 20 yr old college student visiting Morocco for the first time. It should never pass as journalism. That globalpost considers it as such makes me less inclined to take their reporting from Morocco seriously in the future.

The skeptical spokesperson may be right. Popular fashion of the late 1960's and early 1970's adapted native styles from around the globe, including djellabas. (See www.folkwear.com for patterns.) Ethnic designs reflected, first, anti-establishment attitudes, and later, recognition of being part of a global community and support for back-to-the-earth movements. It's likely those imaginative, often-handmade clothes were in the costume designer's head long before the crew landed in Tunisia.

My goodness, there are a lot of touchy Star Wars fans in here.

Nice catch by the author on the inspiration for the Jedi robes, whether LucasFilm admits it or not.

If by "touchy Star Wars fans" you mean straight up haters, then yes, they sure seem drawn like moths to a flame to this story. And like moths to a flame, they burned and fell to earth when their petulant over-sensitivity dragged down any attempt at rational discourse. Seriously, no need to insult to make a point. Are you haters perhaps upset at the implication that Monsieur Lucas was totally unoriginal in coming up with design ideas (and for that matter story lines) for Star Wars? Oh, wait, considering how well he did in his follow-up to Indiana Jones, I must be wrong.
Take a chill pill and just enjoy a well-crafted, light-hearted piece of cultural reporting. Either that or get your butt on a plane and go there and do the damn story yourself. Or, perhaps we should trust in the words of Obi-Wan, "There was nothing you could have done, Luke, had you been there."

This story is interesting and engaging -- and it is precisely the combination of lighter cultural pieces with complex social and political analyses that sets GlobalPost apart from other news websites. Not just politics are newsworthy. The djellabas of Morocco are fascinating, particularly since they apparently transitioned from male to unisex clothing after a foreign diplomat's wife wore one at a public function around the time of independence.