Fall Runway Styles

Stop the Chill

As the weather starts to bite, out come the coats and up come the hoods. This season they’re draped in wool and jersey, or wrapped pashmina style in heavy fabrics. All of this of course is very beneficial to hijabis. Far from the casual hoodie, these runway picks are dramatic and sleek.

Tall Tales

With the trademark tartan of Vivienne Westwood Red Label I can imagine it feeling like being wrapped up in Grandma’s soft old (albeit very expensive) blanket. I mean that to be a compliment, it would be hard to beat that feeling! Speaking of Grandma- it seems that at Fendi “Little Red Riding Hood’ has grown up and moved to some slick city. And it seems her inspiration even reached the likes of Peter Jensen who added a quirky edge with the sheer blue hooded cloak.

Topshop Unique

A collection with a little bit of everything, from great wearable hooded trench coats to draped jersey snoods. The key to it all was layering, mix and match colours, textures and prints in a very Autumnal palette. The result is well crafted London street style, well what else would you expect from one of the UK’s high-street giants.

(images: style.com)

Don’t forget to vote for your look of the week

This week you can cast your judgement on head coverings

Wrap It Up

There were a fair few designers using head cover ups this Autumn, from wool hats to headscarves and hoods. Of course most of them would need some hijabi modification, tuck in a few strands of hair here and there. But there are some lovely bases to work with. Who does it best? It’s up to you…

(images: style.com)

Oversized or delicately designed hoods, there is so much to love.

A Hijab History

A look in to his past seasons show that his love of understated luxury and exquisite design has always been a big part of his aesthetic. His style is investment pieces rather than changing with the tide of trends, and I think if your going to spend that kind of money then it should be just that.

The hoods are so close to being headscarves it’s hard not to see the comparison with Islamic fashion. I would love to wear one of these stunning hoods, they look so elegant.

Sheer and metallic fabrics with all the fine drape Ackermann does best

Still So Fresh

These past seasons still look fresh and have those long lasting trends that never go out of style. I love his colour combinations which are so refined and grown up, but the dramatic cuts and shapes mean they are as far from dowdy as they can be.

I love the blue maxi dress, it's stunning and perfectly hijab fiendly.

Get the Look

Super Size Try oversized tops and jackets, wrap them and tie with a belt but fold the fabric over the belt to hide body shape.

Tone Down Keep colours to a minimum, take one colour and play around with shades close to it.

Texture Because you’re keeping colours straightforward you can go wild with texture. Sheers, satin and metalics make great accents.

Layer The key is Layering, get a basic look and then add on sheer layers or interesting drape. (Top Tip: take a lightweight jacket/cardigan or wrap dress and wear it upside down, you’ll get a really interesting shape.)

Tilda Swinton looks stunning in this Ackermann outfit proving that you really can wear the looks right off the runway

Celebrity Following

Tilda Swinton is a huge fan of Ackermann, she has often worn his creations at award ceremonies and it goes to show that his style is timeless and ageless. I think she looks gorgeous!

Tilda Swinton is a huge Ackermann fan, and we can see why!

Images nymag and style.com

3.Polo neck

The polo-neck is the unsung hero of the Muslimah wardrobe. You don’t realise just how valuable they are until you find they are all in the wash, they don’t have an interchangeable replacement. At the moment I have 2 in black and one in cream, neutral works best because… well it works with almost anything. Lightweight jersey is best for layering, even in summer they aren’t as bad as you might think. I have a few niggles when it comes to wearing them under anything with thin straps, for me anything longer than capped sleeved works fine. I love the look of the Shipley and Halmos outfits, utter understated chic.

2. Hoodie

I think I posted a while back about the benefits of the hoodie. They are so versatile and look great over a headscarf, which is great if you’re a bit nervous about wearing one for the first time. I wore one the day I took my shahada, though I didn’t have the hood up over the scarf, it was one of the few things I was able to wear from my former wardrobe without any adjustments. From the tracksuit zip-front styles all the way to elegant embellishment they are a great way in to Islamic fashion.

Art of the Abstract: Alexandra Groover creates sculptured hoods that are stunning but simplistic

1. Long Skirt

Long skirts are another one of my favourites, but they are surprisingly difficult to get hold of. When you do find them they are either too much like evening wear or too casual. So if you are lucky enough to already have one then take good care of it. A big part of MAYSAA will be long maxi skirts, and I can tell you they are one of the hardest things to design once you take into consideration all the needs of a Muslimah. InshAllah I hope I come up with designs you will love wearing, and ones that are more versatile than what you can find on the high-street. But having said that, there are moments when designers get it juuust right!