Can't Wait Till This Comes Out!!

Looks funny :D

Loose Hijabis..

I'm fed up with my current hijab style and am feeling the need for a more loose, free look: It is almost spring after all, even if it doesn't feel that way. I have been searching for some nice looks to try out that preferably require fewer than half a dozen pins (not likely really) and here's what I found..

A video by the ChicMaya, can't wait to try this look out

If you would prefer not to sweat all day but still want to wrap 2 pashminas in a loose style, try this out:

Other styles I like:

Malayasian:
Chic and party worthy:

More of a winter look:

Alternatively, if you are just bored with life and can't really be bothered (i.e. me..), then this is the look for you:

Free Islamic clothing from EJILBAB.COM

 I would like to introduce all my readers to this Islamic Clothing store www.ejilbab.com

I also would like to inform you about their unique campaign to support  Muslim women specially the newly converted ,  by giving them free Islamic clothing, Hijabs & Niqabs as a gift whenever they place a normal order at the store! 

 Please visit the store for more details www.ejilbab.com 

 and read the following.

NEWLY CONVERTED TO ISLAM?

FIRST TIME WEARING NIQAB (VEIL)?

FIRST TIME WEARING HIJAB (OUTFIT)?

MASHA ALLAH,

CONGRATULATIONS :)

WE ARE HONORED TO OFFER YOU THE FIRST ATTIRE IN YOUR FIRST STEPS ON THE RIGHT PATH

Kindly email us at info@ejilbab.com with your convert or revert story and we ask your permission to publish it (no names) so that other sisters can read and learn from it, in return we'll be glad to offer you a humble gift*** one or all of the following items: which may contain

• Abaya
  
• Jilbab
  
• Isdal
  
• Hijab - any or all kinds.
  
• Niqab
  
• Other gifts - books, CD's, Accessories ... etc.
  

*Gifts are packed within your order placed at ejilbab.com! you can also chose your gift from certain category/ categories when case approved and only after your original order is placed!

**There are many factors that help us decide what your gift will be! Each case will be studied separately.

Gifts are packed and shipped for FREE.

For more information please email us at: info@ejilbab.com

keep us in your prayer (Dua).

Jazakum Allahu Khairan

Fe Aman Allah

Florals Are Here To Stay

Lina and Hannah targetted the spring floral trend head on..

Hijabi Beginner: 5 Cons Of Hijab

I wrote a 5 Pros Of Hijab post a while back so I thought it was only fair to make a post on the cons too. This is so that you know what you are getting yourself into before you decide to put it on making you less likely to take it off later. And by 'it' I mean the headscarf as Hijab is not a cloth you can simply wear and in essence, is something that is applied to both sexes. So here goes:

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1. Finding what clothes your are comfortable with can be a bit of a predicament at the start: Although most women who get to the point of wanting to wear the headscarf will be dressed pretty modestly already, some are not (including myself in that). I found it very hard when I first started wearing the scarf, to decide what 'sort' of hijabi I wanted to be. Abaya? Skirt? Jeans? Leggings..?! I tried them all and in the end settled for the middle (jeans/skirt). I would defiantly recommend you get that nailed and read on it thoroughly before covering your hair. Oh, and doooon't let any old person influence your decision - I did this and it led nowhere. In the end I realised that everyone has had different experiences, you just have to do what you feel is right.

2. 'Muslim' men.. The Quran explicitly and categorically commands men to lower their gaze and guard their chastity before it tells women to lower their gazes and cover. Paradoxically, I have found it is non Muslim men that fulfil this requirement by not 'checking out' hijabis or modestly dressed women and Muslim men that don't. Okay, firstly and obviously, they are not all like this so I am not making a sweeping generalisation but talking from experience. Secondly, this is never eeever a good thing nor should it be flattering - they look at anything that moves, it's really repulsive actually.

*Translation: "Nothing grabbed his attention.. except a french abaya.." - I'm pretty sure this is right but my Arabic reading isn't amazing so could somebody verify?

3. Shopping: Yes, that cute, pink 3/4 length sleeved dress will need to be bought with a perhaps not so cute long sleeved stretch top in future.. sorryy. And cardigans are pretty much a must but, of course, that's only a problem if you're not hot on them and who's not hot on cardigans?!
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4. Bad Bun Days.. :S Basically the equivalent of a bad hair day. I had one on Friday, it was like a deflated souffle at the back of my neck which was really annoying and itchy.

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5. Headphones: Omg, a nightmare to put on in public. It does depends on the style you are wearing and I think the most un-headphone-friendly hijab style has to be the Turkish wrap where you make a knot around the neck..

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Soo that's pretty much it for me, hope it was helpful and doesn't put you off too much :S Oh, of course, there's the whole terrorist bomb thing blah blah blah.. but just as long as you don't wear a back pack (who would anyway?!) on a train/tube/bus and don't have a suspiciously large bun you should be alright..

Reader's Look: Sha Sha's Hijab Style

Sha Sha is a reader and loves to experiment with her hijab which she is wearing part time at the moment. She gets her inspiration from Morocco and loves Berber style and I happen to love her style! Check it out:

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Loving the colour-combo:

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This is soo adorable:

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I found 2 tutorials that are not the same but pretty similar to her hijab style. You can sort of work out how its done anyway, just experiment.

A version with neck coverage, if you want it:

If you have your own unique hijab style and want to be featured, just email me :D

X)

Nothing to do with anything but it cracked me up :D :D :D

Does the Hijab has to be black ? Is it a must for Muslim women to wear black?

Some people have misconception and confusion about Muslim women clothing .Most people think that Muslim women can only wear black .Even among Muslims there is misunderstanding about this ..For example ,I completely disagree with the rule in Saudi Arabia that Muslim women MUST wear black abaya ..

To clear this misconception I would like to post the following evidences that IT IS NOT A MUST TO WEAR BLACK ,BUT  MANY WOMEN CHOSE TO WEAR BLACK  not because it is obligatory, but because it is farthest removed from being an adornment. There are reports which indicate that the women of the Sahaabah used to wear black. 

And a reminder for myself first and all of us ,is that what we wear should not be an adornment itself .We have to be careful with wearing decorated Hijabs and clothes ,which is most common nowdays among us ..

Let's remember that the glitter of this life is only temporary ,and this life is the one way ticket with only one final destination Heaven or Hell...

 

A woman may wear whatever she wants, so long as she does not wear a colour that is only for men , and she does not wear a garment that is an adornment in itself, i.e., decorated and adorned in such a way that it attracts the gaze of men, because of the general meaning of the verse (interpretation of the meaning):

“…and not to show off their adornment…” [al-Noor 24:31]

This general meaning includes the outer garment, if it is decorated. Abu Dawood (565) narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do not prevent the female slaves of Allaah from attending the mosques of Allaah, but let them go out unadorned.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Irwa’ al-Ghaleel, 515.

It says in ‘Awn al-Ma’bood:

“ ‘Unadorned’ means not wearing perfume… they are commanded to go out like this and are forbidden to wear perfume lest they provoke men’s desires with their perfume.

That also includes other things which are forbidden because they provoke desire, such as beautiful clothing and visible and expensive adornment.”

What a woman must do if she appears before non-mahram men is to avoid clothes that are decorated and adorned, which attract the gaze of men.

 No offense to anyone ,but this is not Hijab

It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (17/100):

It is not permissible for a woman to go out in a decorated garment that attracts people’s gaze, because this is something that tempts men.

It also says (17/108):

The dress of the Muslim woman need not only be black. It is permissible for her to wear any colour of clothing so long as it covers her ‘awrah, does not resemble men’s clothing, and is not so tight as to show the shape of her limbs or so thin as to show what is beneath it, and does not provoke temptation.

And it says (17/109):

Wearing black for women is not a must. They may wear other colours that are worn only by women, do not attract attention and do not provoke desire.

Many women choose to wear black, not because it is obligatory, but because it is farthest removed from being an adornment. There are reports which indicate that the women of the Sahaabah used to wear black. Abu Dawood (4101) narrated that Umm Salamah said: “When the words ‘and to draw their veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms)’ [al-Noor 24:31 – interpretation of the meaning] were revealed, the women of the Ansaar went out looking as if there were crows on their heads because of their garments.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

The Standing Committee (17/110) said: This is to be understood as meaning that those clothes were black in colour.

It is natural for us women to like to adorn ourselves ,but we have to be moderate ,we have to control ourselves .We are following Fashion and Hijabi styles and etc.. but we forget sometimes the purpose of Hijab ..It is our duty not to create Fitna ,not to look tempting ,but what do we do ? We adorn ourselves as much as we can when we going out ..We are following our desires and forget the Commands of Allah ...

Let's remember our purpose on this earth and let's remember the purpose of Hijab ...

More Outfit Ideas From Looklet

Two more looks. Products of my free time which is officially over as of tomorrow morning..
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Just add a scarf if your a hijabi, otherwise they're good to go :D

Hijab Fashion: Copycat Style

I love the model's style in this photo, it's so chic and polished but, no doubt, comes with a heavy price tag. Here are some items inspired by the look that wouldn't break the bank..

THE SCARF

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1. Large print floral - ASOS.com

2. Black and orange floral - missselfridge.com

3. Black and pink floral - charlotterusse.com

THE COAT

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1. Black mac - debenhams.com

2. White blazer - forever21.com

3. Red jacket - debenhams.com

THE BAG ^-^

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Okay, they are my greatest weakness so I got slightly ahead of myself when looking for the bags and the price limit slipped my mind a little on some of them. But I have said before and will continue saying, if there is one part of your outfit you shouldn't be stingy with it's definitely the bag. You could be dressed head to foot in Prada but if you ent got the right bag you might as well have bought your gear from Peacocks..

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1. Accessorize - £32

2. Yesstyle - Not available but I'm in love with it so had to be in there, soz.

3. Zappos - $269 (Gustto)

4. Katespade.com - see No.2 comment :S

5. Zappos - $188 (Marc by Marc Jacobs)

(Yehh, I know the bags show no resemblance to the one in the pic, sorry..!)

Smart, Formal Or Casual?

As I have so much time on my hands this week, I have just spent the best part of the morning messing around on Looklet.. Here's smart, formal and casual looks I put together. Just add a scarf :D

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Formal:

Casual:

And my personal favorite, smart:

Feeling Blue?

Ever feel a bit hard done by that you don't quite look like they do in Vouge? Well fret no longer because neither do the models..

Before and after airbrushing (i.e. tweaking them on the computer):

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Still don't feel better? OK, hmm.. Soz, got nothin'

Head-turning hijabs: Islamic fashion lets women cover up in style

London, England (CNN) -- Just because a woman covers up it doesn't mean she can't show off her individual style. That is the belief of a growing number of fashion designers in the Middle East who are cutting conservative clothes with fashionable flair.
Traditionally the Islamic headscarf is a symbol of modesty, but today more and more Muslim women are dressing in eye-catching outfits, albeit with their heads covered.
"Modesty is not the opposite of fashion, and fashion is not about showing more of my body," said Amina al-Jassim, a Saudi designer who makes haute-couture abayas, the long-black cloaks typically worn by more conservative Muslim women, which are also mandatory in Saudi Arabia.
Just 10 years ago it was rare to see women wearing abayas with bright colorful accents and intricate embroidery walking on the streets of the Gulf. Today, they are a common site and their outfits are becoming more more elaborate and bold as the market for such clothing expands.

"What we are seeing now is a generation of local women who are aware of western fashion, educated overseas. They are seeing a lot more outside the smaller communities they live in," said Kerrie Simon, Editor of fashion magazine Grazia in Dubai.
According to Simon the influence of expats has generated a demand for clothing that allows women to express their unique personalities.

 "We are seeing a move to accessorizing the abaya, anything from crystallizing to embroidery."
There is a "fine line," though said Simon, "They wouldn't belt them, or make them shorter, the idea is that the body is covered..
In other words the new popular new styles are not tighter fighting or more body accentuating, they respect the purpose of covering up.
"You can wear the colors of the season, the style of the season...you can get the traditions and principles right and still be fashionable," said al-Jassim. Along with many other designers in the region, al-Jassim also designs eveningwear and travel clothes that break Islamic dress code, but are still popular with local customers who spend time abroad.

Colorful trends, growing sales
Amina al Jassim is just one example of Islamic designers whose business has grown rapidly over the past few years. Today she has three stores in Saudi Arabia, sells her clothes at high-end boutiques across the Middle East, including Harvey Nichols and says she is making in-roads at Harrods in London. Al Jassim spoke to CNN from Lebanon where she had been flown to dress contestants on "The Gulf Star," an American Idol-like program on Dubai TV.

 In Dubai up-and-coming designer Amber Feroz is helping set the pace of the new styles. In October he showcased his Spring/Summer 2010 collection at Dubai Fashion Week, which included diaphanously flowing abayas with electric-colored trim.
"We have a very different way of working with the fabric...We came up with new techniques -- there is no seam. Our fabric is very lightweight. We use a lot of colors" Feroz told CNN. In his latest collection for the Miss Elegant Noura al Hashimi line, Feroz said he combined the concepts of jalabyas and traditional kimonos.

"We are expanding as a brand to sell all over Gulf," he said, adding that the company also had their eye on moving into European and Asian markets.

 In Egypt, where fewer women wear the abaya, but an increasing number are wearing the traditional hijab head coverings, Wegdan Hamza has become something of a national style star. Not only does she outfit local celebrities with her hijabs, but she appears on programs like Dream TV's "The Latest Fashion" to discuss current trends.
"God makes us beautiful and he likes the beauty, so we have to mix and match our outfit correctly, in colors materials and style," Hamza told CNN. "It is illogical for everyone to look the same."
"Not to see through or describe the body -- those are the rules. After that I have the freedom to put on whatever I want," she added.
Hamza's collection of hijabs include everything from the casual and cotton, to trendy -- embellished with flowers or coins, to bridal -- topped with crowns. Currently she says she's feeling the recession pinch, but business has been steadily growing for several years, particularly her online sales to Europe and North America.
Of the designers interviewed only Hamza acknowledged some cultural pressure or criticism to design less showy clothes, but said that she dismisses it completely. The other said women were waiting for their clothing.

When asked about it, Grazia Editor Simon said, "It's not so much a conflict, but an amalgamation of east and west that works quite nicely here."

 

What do you think about Islamic Fashion?

Do you agree or disagree? 

Should we have something like Islamic Fashion ,or should we just stick to traditional styles ?

Please leave your comments !!!

The Hijab Magazine: A Fashion Review

A while back I was complaining that I had spent a ridiculous amount of money on the November 2009 Hijab magazine (pictured). Now that I have received and 'read' it (by which I mean look at the pictures, as they have a single mediocre columnist who writes one page in the whole "magazine"..) I decided I'll review it as I now have a week off uni during which I am at my leisure to embark on any pointless thing I desire, yayy :D Although this should stop you wasting your hard earned cash, so I guess it's not completely without purpose..

I scanned some of the particularly offensive 'looks' in:

Who thought that harem trousers tucked into shiny black, pointy heeled boots, coupled with some sort of hideous crop top from the 90's worn over a red polo neck would look even remotely worthy of space in a fashion magazine??!! And who agreed with them?

The extensive abaya collection, does not fair any better. I give you the towel abaya.. or is it a suit? Whatever it is, clearly it was the same fashion genius responsible for the harem look above that thought sticking bits of old bath towel onto clothes was ground breaking stuff:

I know a lot of you are probably going to think the next look is 'alright actually..' but would you pay for it? Would you even pay for a magazine that featured it? Most people would be able to put a better outfit together at home. This is not fashion, it's non-fashion. And speaking of money, they do not even publish the prices of their featured clothes.. very useful.

This next one is a shocker. I'm speechless. (But vividly reminded of star trek/wars):

Just what every girl wants to be wearing on her wedding day, a dress with bubbles on the skirt and an over sized collar.. A bubble-bearing collared wedding dress. That must be the bright spark that thunked up the harem look again..

Speaking of which... They threw a poncho and yet another collar into the mix and voila - an outfit that would get you sectioned.

To be fair, it's not all bad, in fact I would happily wear either of the next two dresses but the vast majority of the outfits featured in this magazine are disasters. I don't see why you should have to pay about £15 to get it shipped here and then have to riffle through 15 disgusting looks to find one nice one that you could have put together anyway.

Guess I'll be sticking to my weekly Look magazine then..