Elenany Launch Party!

Exams are over, I'm in one piece, and there's lots to catch up on!

First off, you may remember my interview with designer Sarah Elenany back in February about her new Islamic clothing brand, Elenany. Great news - the Elenany launch is taking place on the 6th May at the Truman Brewery ('tis not an actual brewery) and everyone is invited!

But if you can't make it, the online shop will be up and running on the 7th May. Click on the invite to enlarge:

Mind the Gap!

Just a quick post to let you all know that there will be no new posts until May, as I've got big exams coming up and won't have time to update. Please keep me in your duas :)

Don't forget that submissions are still open for you to be featured in Hijab Style! As well as street style shots, maybe you have an pretty hijab style to teach us, or perhaps you customise your own clothes? E-mail your ideas to hijabstyle @ hotmail . co . uk

And in the mean time, here are a few things to keep you busy:

LOSVE's new collection is now available online; check out their gorgeous range of tunics, skirts and eşarps.

Remember my post about Bon Magazine's Grey Gardens feature? Well it's been made into a tv film starring Drew Barrymore and airs tonight on HBO. Is this going to signal a headscarf fashion revival??

Check out this article about Rabia Z's sub-label, Ruby, which is being showcased at the Oasis Centre in Dubai.

Matthew Williamson's spring collection for H&M will go on sale on 23rd April. I'm hoping it'll include some hijab-friendly pieces similar to the maxi dresses he designs!

The Shukr Spring Sale is now on - bargain prices start at just £14.95.

Style Inspiration: Mango

I first saw this image on the back of the Mango Summer '09 brochure. What caught my eye first were of course the super wide leg trousers - very hijab friendly! And on closer inspection, the longer length white cardigan is also perfect for Muslimahs. I'd swap the vest for a thin long sleeve tee for opacity and add a cream hijab. The long pearl chains and corsages finish off the look by adding feminine details to a few key basics:


Loving the look? Shop for it at Mango.

Hijab Style in Khaleej Times

Check out Hijab Style's latest press feature in an article over at the Khaleej Times, which focusses on the new ground that the blog is breaking. On a similar note I was also pleasantly surprised to find out recently that Emirati site The National named Hijab Style 'Website of the Week' back in November 2008!

Here's an excerpt:

Hijab Bloggers
Hannah Elizabeth
17 April 2009

[...] Another style-focused blog that has been making waves in the UK and beyond, Hijab style (www.hijabstyle.blogspot.com), is written by a young English student Jana Kossaibati who manages to take time out of her full time medical degree to write and post articles for young, fashionable hijab wearers about how to adapt clothing found on the British high street for more modest dressing.

She started the blog in 2007 in response to the lack of anything in the fashion media that was geared towards muslim women and has found the response has been overwhelmingly positive. She has gone on to contribute fashion pieces on Hijab dressing for the The Guardian newspaper and reported for Vogue.com from the Arabian Fashion World event in London this month.

Jana believes that the pervasive feeling among hijab wearers is one of being ignored or misunderstood and that her aim is to show fashionable Muslim women how to express themselves through their wearing of the hijab and raise awareness about what the wearing of the hijab really means. The articles and pieces on her blog show readers how to mix and match current styles from the high street as well as how to employ tactical layering to create a more modest look. She also introduces hijab-friendly designers from around the world including the UAE-based Rabia Z. The latest post discusses Dubai Fashion Week and the new Arab designers that showed there.

While hijab wearers in the Gulf may be lucky enough to enjoy a variety of options, modest dressing Muslim women in the West are still struggling to find a voice in the fashion community. According to Jana “There are many, many groups that are not paid enough attention in the fashion community — be it a lack of plus-sized clothing to a lack of darker-skinned models, the fashion industry still has a long way to go in terms of its inclusiveness.

“But that’s not to say that Muslim women need to be exclusively pointed out, because that in itself still leads to ‘otherization’ of the hijab, and the view that it is still something ‘foreign’. What would be good to see is Muslim women’s involvement in general fashion discourse, bringing their own approach to the table like any other women.’

Where fashion editors and advertisers may have previously felt that the market for modest dress wasn’t significant enough to address properly, young Muslim women are now a consumer force to be reckoned with. The problem now is with the mainstream media’s reluctance to tackle a subject about which they are ill-informed, which places even more importance on alternative media such as blogs.

While many in the west believe that hijab-wearing women are in some way ‘hiding’ themselves or shying away from self-expression though fashion, Jana insists that “Islam celebrates beauty and a pleasant appearance is not an exception to that.”

Jana crossing over from blogger stylista to Vogue correspondent shows the influence that these women have over a market underrepresented. While subscribers to the hijab style blog are more than happy to carry on taking the fashion advice posted, it shouldn’t be long before the marketing men spy an opportunity and hijab-wearers are paid some long-overdue attention. Where the internet leads, the glossies follow; hijab fashion should be gracing a magazine near you very soon.

Six of the Best: Maxi Dresses

So we've seen what top designers had to offer, now for more affordable maxis! To hijabify your dress, add a light linen blazer, jersey shrug or cardi. Try dressing up with a stacked heel and bangles for evenings, or gladiator sandals for a relaxed holiday outfit. And whatever your needs, the high street is full of beautiful maxis in a range of prices:

Top left to bottom right:

For the young hijabi: Orange foil maxi dress £40, Debenhams

For the trendy hijabi: Orchid maxi dress £83, Fever

For the plus-size hijabi: Paisley maxi dress £28, New Look

For the pregnant hijabi: Print maxi dress £60, Mamas and Papas

For the tall hijabi: Mahayana maxi dress £75, Long Tall Sally

For the chic hijabi: Secret Island dress £65, French Connection

Style Spotlight: Maxi Dresses

Spring/Summer dressing for me is epitomised by the maxi dress; breezy, relaxed and perfect for holidays! The Spring 2009 RTW runways were full of a variety of maxis, as well as inspiration on how to wear them:

Monique Lhuillier spices up plain white with shades of brown and gold, whilst Douglas Hannant uses subtle pleats to add movement to a simple silhouette:

Patchwork prints at Duro Olowu and Just Cavalli:

Soft floral prints by Barbara Tfank and stronger colours at Naeem Khan:

Dennis Basso makes his maxi hijab-friendly with a textured jacket:

Carolina Herrera takes the look into evening with a tailored jacket, and Alberta Ferretti adds an interesting shrug:

Which look are you loving this year?

Images: Style.com

Dubai Fashion Week A/W 09

Dubai Fashion Week A/W 2009 took place 5th-9th April 2009. The event brought together a variety of local creative talent, showcasing kaftans, evening dresses, abayas and more. There are often a lot of modestly-inclined designs, but the website is notorious for taking ages to put up the runway photos. I've managed to find a few, but do check out this brilliant slideshow from The National which has images for all the designers. My favourite this time round I think has to be Amal Murad's designs for Redaa. Maybe it's Brit thing, but the tartan prints on the abayas just look so chic!

Day 1: Royal Rickshaw

This company specialises in glamorous kaftans; I adore this first faded pink number:

Image: Pankaj Sharma


Images: ITP

Day 2: Mimi Fashion Designs

Mariam Al-Mazro of Mimi Fashion Designs also took part in the last edition of DFW back in October. Her designs still follow a similar theme of bright panelled full length dresses, but she's expanded into tunics as well as more conventional evening gowns:

Images: ITP

Chitra Amarnani, for Studio 8:

Day 3:

Homa Qamar, one of the Emerging Talent designers:

Image: AME Info

Day 4:

Sisters Reem and Hind Ali Beljafla of DAS

Amal Murad of Redaa:

Images: ITP

Behind the Scenes with Rabia Z

It seems like the media can't get enough of Rabia Z; I posted one such video here back in June 2008. But it's always fun to see what goes on behind the scenes! Don't mind the 30 second advert at the beginning, and a small pause before the feature:

Abaya on the Runway

British designer Julia Clancey presented this dress as part of her Autumn 2009 line during a fashion show in Beverly Hills, California, on April 4th 2009. It looks uncannily similar to many a Khaleeji abaya; I'm loving the beaded butterfly sleeves:

Image: Getty Images

Arabian Fashion World Photos

Update: Check out Hijab Style on Vogue.com and my brief write up of the event!

Last night I attended Arabian Fashion World, which I've posted about several times already! The event was fantastic, and it was such a good opportunity to see the designs I blog about first-hand. My favourite of the night was, of course, Rabia Z. I had taken so many photos but for some reason they seem to have disappeared off my camera! These ones really don't do her collection justice - it was honestly some of the most creative hijab fashion I've seen. And if like me, you're eager to get your hands on some of her designs; the good news is that Rabia hopes to stock her collection at UK department stores. What's more is that one of her lines, Ruby, will be especially designed for the affordable price range (think H&M).

Below are some photographers' images, and scroll down to see a few of mine:

Rabia Z:

Amina Al-Jassim:

Samira Haddouchi:

Images: Reuters

These are what's left of my photos (not to be posted elsewhere please):

Jizdaani handbags at the reception:

Aruna Seth's Swarovski studded shoes:

Me with Saudi designer Amina Al-Jassim:





Samira Haddouchi's designs: