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.

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(images: style.com)

Madihah

Madihah sent me some beautiful Eid photos and I thought I would share them with you because I absolutely fell in love with them! If you have any photos of Eid outfits or just of how you celebrated then send them in to hana @ stylecovered .com (without the spaces) and I’ll put together a selection of the best bits!

Thank you Madihah!

Such a gorgeous outfit! It would be interesting to see what people wear around the world see if we can get some traditional outfits and abayas

(images courtesy of Madihah)

Painterly

After a short recess the Hijabi Sketchbook is back, the inspiration image was taken from the More Dash than Cash feature in September 09 British Vogue. I mostly chose it for the hat, which I know is a stupid reason, but I really like the paint splatter. The houndstooth makes a great focus for a maxi skirt (very English heritage), and the styling is great.

More Dash Than Cash Hijab Style

There wasn’t too much to adjust, just making it a long skirt and pulling the shirt sleeve down a few inches. With a polo neck underneath (and headscarf of course). I also put together a video demo of how I created the sketch. Much edited, it now fits into 3 and a half minutes of video! I’ll post it up next week inshAllah, I hope you like it.

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

Muslim Fashion Knitwear

Hijab and knitwear go beautifully together. Whether it’s a chunky jumper, a long cardigan, or a lightweight batwing knit they are one of my favourite ways to add texture to an outfit. I found some lovely examples in this Japanese fashion magazine. I love that dark blue sweater, I would just add a white long sleeved top underneath… yummy!

Good Little Actions

Before you sleep make a few recitations of Surahs or other sayings, then drift off in to a beautifully peaceful sleep (I think it’s bedtime!)

Hadith of the Day

“If your good deeds delight you and your foul deeds distress you, you are a believer.” Ad-Diyya

The Content of Character, Collected by Shaykh Al-Amin Ali Mazuri

• Don’t Forget to vote for your look of the week (it’s all about jackets this week)

Taking you behind the scenes at the photo shoot for MAYSAA's debut collection

Creating the Vision

With an amazing team, and the incredibly talented photographer Lara Jade, bringing MAYSAA’s debut collection to life was the perfect starting point for us. I wanted to do justice to you guys and inshAllah exceed peoples expectations, it was a hectic day but an amazing experience.

Bridging the gap

The collection ‘The edge of elegance’ needed strong models and an editorial edge to break away from the stereotypical image of Islamic clothing. I wanted images that would make people look twice because you wouldn’t immediately see them as Islamic fashion. I want women to feel they can love these clothes whether or not they are Muslim. At the same time I don’t want to ignore all those beautiful hijabis who were the inspiration for MAYSAA, or to dilute my identity as a Muslimah. It’s a fine line to tread and it runs deeper than just fashion, but working with an amazing team helped me to find the balance.

On set action: Model Neeru, with Perry (hair) and Kanako (make-up). Technicians getting everything set up.

What happened

It started with hair and make-up and a lot of ironing! Every look had to be put together on our beautiful models Nhuc and Neeru and then they were ready for set. Behind the lens was Lara Jade, her work in fashion photography is incredible, and I don’t know if I would have felt happy using anyone else for this shoot. I have to say that I was more than a little nervous about meeting everyone with preconceptions of the industry, but everyone was so nice.

On the second day documentary makers came to shoot a short behind the scenes film. They interviewed the team and asked me a few questions, none of which I can remember now! I only have vague recollections of those few minutes so I hope it turned out OK! The shoot ran over two days, and by the end sure that we had those striking images we wrapped things up. I am so grateful to everyone who worked on the shoot, it was an amazing experience and I can’t wait for the next one!

Muslimah friendly fashion: This is the dress that caught my eye, that draping is gorgeous

Muslimah Fashion meets Art

You may not have heard of this Czech designer but she blends art and fashion in a rather beautiful way. The shapes she creates with fabric are so effortless and perfect for Muslimah’s.

Muslimah fashion in technicolour

Sarka Siskova- see more at siskova.cz

Modest style: Loose trousers on the catwalk

There are times in a Muslimah’s life when trousers make life a little easier. Whether you wear them under an Abaya or with a top trousers can be practical, stylish, and modest.

Hijabi style trousers

As part of the MAYSAA collection I’ve been working out how to make trousers work for Muslimahs. The key is in the tailoring, the tricky part is the area over the hips. Most high-street trousers that are loose enough through the leg are tight over the hips and bum, so a long top is the only way not to show your figure.

Hijabi style: Keep a look out, loose trousers often hug the hips

Islamic catwalk inspiration

I’ve taken the best designs from the catwalk and discovered what works best and why.

Muslim Style: Loose tailoring at Louis Vuitton

Islamic fashion: Structured trousers at Missoni

Flat Fronted

Flat fronted means that they have to pleats or gathers at the waist. Flat fronted loose trousers are hard to find. Louis Vuitton and Missoni have both achieved a loose silhouette over the hips by dropping the crotch slightly lower and cutting it similar to a skirt in that it flares slightly out from the waist.

Modest fashion: Pleated front trousers at Max Mara

Pleated Trousers

Loose style: Pleats at Louis Vuitton

Trousers with pleats at the waistband often mean that they will be loose over the hips because of that extra bit of fabric. Luckily this style is very much in vogue at the moment, and is my favourite style.

Gone are the days where pleats spelled old fashioned fuddy duddy styling. Now designers have revamped the silhouette and created a very hijab friendly trend.

Coming soon to Maysaa

For the MAYSAA collection I’ve used this style to create trousers that inshAllah will be everything you need them to be! Look out for them in May at www.maysaa.com and for Autumn/Winter where there will be more styles to choose from.

Hijab Tip: The art of wardrobe arrangement

Lets face it no-one wears more clothes than us which maybe goes some way to explaining why it’s just so darn difficult to pick out an outfit. So here’s a little wardrobe tip to make it a little easier.

Colour blocking

Arrange your clothes by colour rather than item type (i.e. all skirts together). It’s easier to pick out an outfit when what goes together is all in one section.

Muslimah wardrobes: Break up dark tones by putting light and bright colours inbetween

Highlights and accents

If like in my wardrobe you have a lot of neutral tones then pick the main items from there and then use one of two contrasting items from another end of the spectrum.

Choose a colour to suit your mood

I love combining different textures and shapes

The design process

I’m sure you know by now that I’m a designer. I can’t show you the MAYSAA designs just yet but I can show you a few sketches of other designs I’ve done over the years. I think these were mostly done before I became Muslim and started wearing hijab, and they are definitely not Islamic, but you can get a sense of my design style. It will also give you a little insight into the design process.

Casual style: Jeans and a T-shirt

Customizing

Taking something really simple and putting a twist on it can create some great results. It’s a good tip for hijab styling, take something plain that you hardly ever wear and customize it into something you love! I think I’ll do a post about customizing at some point, I have plenty of blank canvases.

Developing designs: playing with length

The Silhouette

It’s always best to start with a silhouette, the outline of the outfit. Especially when I design abayas and Islamic clothing, because it has to be loose, you have to come up with new and interesting shapes.

What do you think?

I’d love to know what you think of the designs, are they your kind of style? Leave your comments and let me know.

Hijab style work outfits

working with wardrobe staples

Whether you’re going to an interview or need to look sharp for work here are some ideas to get you looking smart and feeling comfortable.

Waistcoat wonders

I designed all the main pieces, but they are items most of us already have in our wardrobe. If you like them then inshAllah they will be available from my MAYSAA label before the summer.

But for now, let’s get to work on our work wear…

Wardrobe staples: Three ways to wear a white shirt and long black skirt

Skirts

Keep the bones of the outfit simple, monochrome colours always work well. There’s nothing smarter then a crisp white shirt but if you want a more casual look then team it with a cardigan. First impressions count at an interview, so make sure your jacket works well with the outfit.

Trouser Outfits

Islamic style: Trouser outfits (all my design)

Personally, I like trousers as long as they’re wide enough. They allow more movement if you’re rushing around all day and are comfortable. Here they are worn with a long loose top. If you want smart then go with the waistcoat, it adds structure to the floaty top. If you want a slightly more casual look then complete the outfit with a printed scarf.

The Details

Modest style: Details of the waistcoat and hijab

I love small details on outfits. One of the reasons I designed the hijab the way I did was because so many of my tops had interesting neckline details. So by having this opening you frame these gorgeous design details.

LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.