Austrian Redesigning Hayrunisa Disputed Headscarf

An Austrian couturier of Turkish heritage has been asked to redesign the politically charged headscarves of Hayrunisa Gul.

An Austrian couturier of Turkish heritage has been asked to redesign the politically charged headscarves of Turkey's likely future first lady, Hayrunisa Gul.

Her Muslim headscarf has symbolised a dispute pitting Turkey's secular elite and the military against her husband Abdullah Gul's bid to become Turkey's president in an election process due to begin on Monday.

The headscarf, seen by secular Turks as a threat to the separation of state and religion, is banned from public offices and schools although more than half of Turkish women wear it.

But in an apparent effort to show her ideas about fashion reach beyond the controversial scarf, she has asked a designer whose collections adorn women ranging from Catherine Zeta-Jones to Naomi Campbell to update her appearance for her anticipated new role.

"I was approached with some wishes and I'm already working on designs now. They not only involve headscarves, but the general wardrobe for Mrs Gul," designer Atil Kutoglu said.

"I'm working on a very elegant, very modern wardrobe for Mrs Gul," he told Reuters in an interview. "I try in my sketches to bring together current trends and contemporary fashion with the seniority of her future role."

Kutoglu, an Istanbul-born Austrian from whose collections Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik has also picked some of her trademark shawls and scarves, said he would meet Hayrunisa Gul later this week to discuss his designs.

"I have done more than 10 sketches -- from a trouser suit to an evening wardrobe. I used inspirations from Ottoman and Turkish motifs -- that's part of my personal trademark," he said.

He said Gul became a fan of his designs after he met the couple in New York four years ago.

"I've been in touch over the phone a few times since. She inquired about fashion trends and about my collections, and has used some of my silk scarves, but none of my clothes."

Kutoglu, one of the few success stories among Austrian Turks who are often marginalised in the affluent Alpine republic, said his heart was split between Austria and his homeland.

"I was born in Turkey and feel strong ties to Turkey, but I started my career in Vienna and have my headquarters here. Maybe I'm a little bit of a bridge between the countries."