Maxi Skirts to Love
How we Wear them
A mash up of Inspiration
Completing our maxi skirt feature here are some images I absolutely love. If sporty’s your thing then check out the Vogue ‘More Cash than Dash’ feature, although white may not be the most practical colour for a floor length skirt! Or if like me you love the mixed up stylings of Alexa Chung take this beauty for inspiration.
Sorry for the lack of posts, I’ve been so busy in London (including some lovely vintage shopping) preparing for the next Maysaa shoot. Confirmed an amazing team, I’m so looking forward to it, and you’ll be the first to get behind the scenes peeks too.
(images: style.com, British Vogue, unknown)
Vintage Hijab Style
My Maxi Moment
Plain & Print
You know how you discover something you’ve had for ages and fall back in love, well I at the moment when I look into my wardrobe I see only this dress. These photographs just don’t do it justice. It belonged to my grandmother, or great aunt, it’s hand made in so many silk panels and just feels beautiful to wear. I walk feeling unashamedly feminine as silk swishes around my feet.
Style Stories
I wore it earlier in the week whilst falling in love with a leather jacket in Reiss:
Shop Assistant: That’s such a lovely print.
Me: Thanks, I think it was my grandmothers.
I could have said vintage, boho, hand made, but no, I chose the one thing that made me sound like I just rummage through old peoples wardrobes for me clothes (which I do). I wouldn’t mind, but not in front of the jacket, just let me hide my embarrassment far far away from that soft peachy leather.
Hijab Style Inspiration
Something For the Weekend
Love in Layers
I love this, there’s just so much to look at and those two maxi styles in the middle are calling out to me “Wear me, wear me.”… Well if you insist.
(image: W Magazine)
Susie’s Style
An Illustration
Inspired by StyleBubble
Susie Lau from the style blog StyleBubble has the most inventive and imaginative style of any blogger I’ve come across. I’ve been a fan since before I started blogging and she’s been a constant source of inspiration.
You have to love fashion and feel comfortable enough in your own style to stop such avant-garde pieces from wearing you, and she certainly owns her style. If you ever look at those lists put together by fashion magazines you’re bound to find her. She’s become something of an institution and a huge style inspiration to many for good reason, and she was kind enough to let me do these illustrations and use her photos. There are another two illustrations to come!
The Inspiration
(Photograph: Susie Lau of Style Bubble)
Plaid and Fur
Like a Lumberjack
With a hat to match
My very special ebay buy, this Barts faux fur hat was my lifesaver in Paris where it was très froid. I think the trick to wearing hats with a headscarf is finding one that covers your ears. Started off feeling kind of conspicuous I have to say but that wore off when it started to drop below zero, now we’re best of friends.
StyleCovered’s Style Sister
A fashionista Hijabi sister
Zafirah Hanis
Bolder, Brighter
I stumbled across this gorgeous girl when she left a comment on a post here. She has her own blog ‘Bits of Beads’ with a lot more pics. I love how she puts her outfits together in a kind of quirky way. Never afraid of colour and print she’s inspired me to find a bold print headscarf. Lovely.
Weekend Inspiration: Jessica Stam for Vogue China
Pretty Nudes
Maxi Dress
Could be a very misleading title, but never mind. Oh how I love Jessica Stam, and that maxi dress is beautiful. The contrast between the black and the baby pink is perfect it’s Fendi I think. The combination of colours on the Prada dress is lovely, I fell in love with it when it first came out.
Maxi Skirt Styling
Modest Maxi
Window Wonder
Inspired by all the talk of maxi skirts I thought I’d build an outfit around it. The blazer is Zara and the maxi skirt is a trial I made recently.
Celebrity Maxi Skirts
Modest Maxi’s
The Lengths We Go To
As requested by ‘City’ I’ll be putting up a few posts on maxi skirts, one of my favourite trends at the moment. It can be tricky to style them but when you find a style that suits you you’ll find a friend for life. Jersey maxi skirts are a great place to start for something more casual, and go for drapey to feel the swish at your feet à la Miss Bilson. As usual celebrities have picked up on the trend- here are my favourites.
(images: justjared.buzznet.com, whowhatwear.com)
Modest Maxi Dress Moment
Amanda Wakely
Bridal Dream
Amanda Wakeley has the most beautiful selection of modest wedding dresses, you can find them here I’ll show you some more of my favourites as soon as I have a bit of time to put it together, très busy at the moment.
Modest Styling
The Dark Side
Black on Black
Beautiful Vintage
This is my favourite vintage piece, a black sequin and tulle jacket I was given. But it’s so fragile, I think I ripped it about three times taking these pictures. The jumpsuit is from Reiss, another gift… wow I’m a lucky gal. The headscarf will be available from maysaa.com in a couple of months time inshAllah.
Modest Designer Spotlight: Roberto Cavalli
A Lesson in Layers
Spring Summer 2010
Dressing Like A Hijabi
While these layered looks may not be favoured by the main stream I think there is a great deal of inspiration for us hijabis. It’s hard to be covered head to toe and still look casual, and harder still to find trousers that will do the job. So the answer is something we’ve been doing for a while; layer it up with a tunic or mid length dress.
Boy meets Girl
For Cavalli as well as the masc/fem blazer and florals combinations there were some more refined looks to be had. I love the idea of wearing a wrap dress opened up under a long trench or tailored jacket, something I think many of us could rustle up out of our own wardrobes.
(images: style.com)
From My Head to My Tippy Toes
Hijab Style searching
Denim Rush
Putting It Together
It’s not as hard as I thought it would be to make a full on denim look work. A plain white tee is the key to breaking it all up, that and a few well chosen accessories. Ah yes you may have spotted my favourite waistcoat, well you can expect a few more- I just can’t resist it’s pull.
A Little Help
I’m thinking about having more of my own outfits and images and less of the more generic designer posts. I’m thinking I’ll concentrate on the sketches, modest maxi dresses, inspiring magazine editorials and a lot more photos like these (the ones above). What do you reckon?
Loading ...Alexander McQueen
Fragile Things
And Ponderings
Last Goodbye
To say that Alexander McQueen had an influence on me and my design process would be an understatement. I’ve said this before but he was the designer I aspired to be in terms of this beautiful clash between craft and imagination. I think in selfish ways I feel gutted that I will never see another collection, never own a dress fresh from the new line (a little ambition of mine). It also makes me realise how important it is to be grounded. Sometimes talent is not enough, and our minds and bodies are too fragile to bear the pressure and expectation we put on them. I’m so grateful to Islam and too those people who support me, this is not an industry to go into alone.
He won’t be let go and forgotten, at least not by me.
Modest Maxi Dress Moment: Costume National
Black and Blue
Resort 2010
A great colour with some simple styling, maybe just add a little more on top! Loving the glasses, geek chic!
(image: style.com)
