Five of the Best: Winter Coats

If there's one thing to like about cold, wet and windy weather, it's the opportunity to get into a cosy coat! And although it's not Winter quite yet, it can take time to find the perfect coat to suit your style and work with the rest of your wardrobe. This season, details such as pleats, large buttons, textured fabrics and bright colours are key. Here are my top 5 high street picks:

Grey pleat wool mix coat £70, Miss Selfridge; Rosy coat purple £79.99, Fever; Retro style blended wool coat £130, Esprit; Jade bib front duffle £65, Dorothy Perkins; Kitty Coat £160, French Connection.

Giveaway Winner

There were almost 700 entries into the 2nd Anniversary Giveaway, but we now have a winner! Congratulations to Khadija Jamal from Cardiff, UK who was chosen at random to win the Persian Petals abaya courtesy of Aab. If weren't lucky this time round, you can still check out their sale section, with abayas starting from just £25.99.

Thank you to everyone who entered, and for all your lovely comments. Look out for more great giveaways coming your way in the future inshallah!

Two Years On

It's been exactly 2 years today since I started blogging on Hijab Style! Some of the things achieved this past year include putting together a fashion feature for emel magazine, speaking at Fashion Matters at the V&A, writing for The Guardian newspaper, taking part in a video report with them as well, reporting about Arabian Fashion World for Vogue.com and even contributing to a PhD thesis! Alhamdulilah, the blog has been making waves since last year, and I hope I'll be able to offer even more to readers in the coming year.

Now, anniversaries usually mean presents, and this time, I have a present for Hijab Style readers!

To celebrate the blog's birthday, I'm giving away this beautiful Persian Petals abaya with matching hijab, courtesy of Aab. This pink silk abaya normally retails for £250, but today you have the chance of winning it for free!

Since it's the first giveaway, I'm going to make it easy. All you have to do is e-mail in your full name and city with 'Anniversary Giveaway' in the subject line to hijabstyle@hotmail.co.uk

Hurry though, as the deadline for entries is midnight GMT on Monday 28th September. The lucky winner will be chosen at random and have the abaya shipped to them directly. Don't forget to tell all your friends and family too!

Pretty Pictures: Shopping in Saudi

I love this photo of a Saudi woman shopping in Jeddah; the sleeves of her abaya, and the fun accessories that she's looking at! I'm normally not too keen on mixing and red and black, but this is a good example of where just a hint of a bright colour can look beautiful against a black base. Why not try this look out yourself and sew on some coloured lace along the sleeves of a plain abaya.


Image: Reuters Pictures

Chanel Chic

This set was inspired by the Chanel Fall '09 collection. A classic black abaya is one of the most versatile garments around, especially in the colder months. I've teamed this one with a cropped tweed jacket - I love the modern take on a classic! Finish off with smart shoes, a quilted bag, statement ring and light chiffon hijab for an elegant take on runway style:


Cropped tweed jacket £38, Promod; Cotton Connection abaya £84.99, Aab; Classic black hijab £24.99, Aab; Black flapover quilted bag £15, Dorothy Perkins; New York statement ring £12, Accessorize; Alecia court shoe £59, Jones Bootmaker.

Shukr Sale

Right now Shukr are giving 20% off all orders with the code FITR20. The offer is valid until 28th September 2009. Here are some of my favourite picks:

Naielah Dress £48.95; Mumtaz Embroidered Skirt £39.95; Valentina Shirt £34.95; Sequined Wrap £9.95.

Style Inspiration: Armine A/W 09-10

Each season, I anticipate the new collection from Turkish hijab brand Armine. I love the way they style their catalogue shots; the runway-inspired outfits are always so chic and modest.

For this Autumn-Winter collection, Armine featured plenty of double-breasted coats, swing jackets and feminine tailoring. I especially liked the delicate ruffles on the shirts and the layering of shorter sleeved jackets over long sleeve tops. You can view the whole catalogue here.

Eid Mubarak

Hope you all have a wonderful day! Posting will resume as normal tomorrow, inshallah. Why not take some snaps of your Eid day style and send them in to hijabstyle@hotmail.co.uk !

Elenany Eid Sale

British modest clothing brand Elenany are giving 30% off their products in a one day sale tomorrow, Sunday 20th September!

Don't forget to check out my interview with the designer and our video feature on The Guardian.

Autumn Style Essentials: Part 2

A couple of days ago I posted Part 1 of the Autumn Style Essentials post. Here's Part 2 with even more fantastic finds:

4. Bags

Aside from stuffing all your girly necessities into (purse, phone, keys, tissues, water bottle, wipes, pens, etc), a handbag is one of the easiest ways to add instant style points to an outfit. If you're looking for a bag for everyday use, black, tan and grey are always classic options, and look out for fun embellished clutch bags for evening occasions and going out:

Oscar Workbag £69, Mischa Barton Handbags; Patent satchel £76, Kew; Grey stud front slouch bag £25, Dorothy Perkins; Arconate tote £40, Aldo; Terisa clutch bag £35, Fiorelli.


5. Jackets

Military coats, boyfriend blazers or trophy jackets, outerwear is the perfect modest style solution. Do make sure you find one with the perfect fit for you:

Grey Chambray Blazer £45, Miss Selfridge; Tempest Jacket £115, French Connection; Jewelled Jacket £120, Topshop; Wool Pleat Jacket £129, Kew; biker jacket £69, Esprit. 6. Tailoring It's time to ditch the denim and smarten up; but tailoring is not just for the office. Wide leg trousers in textured fabrics look oh so chic teamed with long cardigans. Add a personal touch with jewellery and patterned hijabs. This season look out for longer length jackets too: Long subtle check jacket £169, Planet; Fine wool Highgate jacket £189, Jigsaw; Black waterfall waistcoat £30, Dorothy Perkins; Puppytooth wide leg trouser £35, Topshop; Tweed wide-leg trousers £250, Marc by Marc Jacobs.

Monika Jufry: Islamic Fashion Trendsetter

The Jakarta Post published an article yesterday about Indonesian designer Monika Jufry:


Nayu Novita
Wed, 09/16/2009

Does choosing Islamic fashion mean a woman must abandon hope of looking stylish? Not so, according to Monika Jufry, the Muslim fashion designer behind well-known labels Sessa and Monika Jufry.

Rather, she says, a clever woman adjusts her style to match her character and lifestyle, and can look chic and trendy without letting the beauty of the body peek through the clothes.
“Someone who usually looks sporty doesn’t need to force herself to become feminine just because she wears Islamic dress,” says Monika.

“She can adjust the model, color and details of her headscarf and the tops and bottoms that she usually wears. This allows Islamic fashion, which covers the body from top to toe, not to give an impression of being heavy or full.”

Monika, now 34 and mother of two children, became a designer “by accident”, taking it up in 1998 with the aim of making Islamic fashion more fashionable.

Read the rest here.

Oriental Red Carpet Fashion Show

Dubai Ladies Club hosted the Oriental Red Carpet Fashion Show on the 3rd September 2009. The three winners in their respective categories were: Fatima Al Hashimi (Jalabiyas), Athija Al Mazroui (Abayas) and Mariam Al Mazrou (Ready-to-Wear). You can read more about the event here.

Here are some photos from the evening. I was most impressed by Fatima Al Hashimi's designs. Her gorgeous pink and blue jalabiyas in particular manage to combine modesty with chic and modern cuts to make the perfect Muslimah evening dress:

Fatima Al Hashmi

Images: Ahlanlive.com

Autumn Style Essentials: Part 1

If you're starting to shop around and stock up on wardrobe essentials for Autumn, there are some items that come in handy for every wardrobe, no matter if you choose to wear trousers, skirts or abayas. I've put together a two-part post with some of the best Autumn hijabi style finds:

1. Cardigans

Knitwear is the easiest way to update your wardrobe for the Summer-Autumn transition. With the weather cooling down, it's a lot more comfortable to layer clothing, and cardigans are an easy solution to short sleeved tops and dresses. Basic colours like black, grey and navy work well with almost anything, and try looking for a couple of other colours that complement the rest of your wardrobe. There's plenty of styles to choose from this season too, from long to short, patterned to draped:


Long cardigan £14.99, H&M; Extra fine merino cardigan £19.99, Uniqlo; Blue/grey drop shoulder cardi £22, Dorothy Perkins; Draped jersey cardigan £85, Splendid; Rose Applique Cardi £69.95, Uttam Direct.

2. Boots

Both stylish and practical, a good pair of boots are worth investing in, especially when you live in as cold and rainy a country as the UK! Whether you go for knee-high or ankle boots, look for quality that will last you more than one season. Right now there are plenty to choose from so you'll be sure to find a pair that suits your style:

Brown Resoul boot £110, Faith; Meltdown mink leather £85, Office; Kilve double boot £69.99, Clarks; Spire black boot £99, Jones Bootmaker; Dasher pull on boots £95, Topshop.


3. Neck Scarves

Stylishly modest, I love the look of neck scarves worn with hijab. Seen on the runways and available in abundance on the high street, they're an easy way to add a dash of colour to plain outfits. Check out my post here on how to wear them:

Earth Print Silk Scarf £22, Topshop; Checked cotton scarf £15, Esprit; Vintage Rose Print Scarf £15, Miss Selfridge; Pink silk paisley tassle scarf £12, Dorothy Perkins; Black Edwinas scarf £15, Faith.

Stay tuned for Part 2 coming soon!

Style Spotlight: Evening Wear

Fall 2009

For elegant, chic and wearable evening outfits, three runway collections in particular this season offered beautiful hijab-ready ideas.

Max Azaria featured long gowns layered over polo-neck tees. Though not a favourite look of mine, the draping of the purple dress conceals curves beautifully, whilst long leather gloves are an unusual way to accessorize a plain white dress:

Max Azaria

I love Carlos Miele's designs and his use of statement boleros over evening gowns, which really bring the outfits up-to-date. The colour pallette is kept fairly simple, with interest added with fur and origami-like pleats and folds:

Carlos Miele

Valentino also showcased a similar combination of a fur jacket over a satin gown, as well as a couple of trouser suits. The longer length jackets make for beautiful modest outfits:

Valentino

Images: Style.com

Eid Outfit 3

Today's Eid outfit idea is based around this beautiful jewel-toned jilbab. The cut is simple, but with just a hint of glam at the waist and sleeves, making it a really chic option for day or night. For a pretty but practical ensemble, I've added gold low-heeled shoes, a metallic canvas bag and oversized ring:

Plum Classic jilbab £39, Al-Hijaab; sequin border glitter canvas shoulder bag £35, Accessorize; oversized stone and pearl ring £9, Dorothy Perkins; gold patent low heel shoe £27, Wallis.

Fitness Tailored to a Hijab

By ABBY ELLIN
Published: September 9, 2009

THE first time Julia Shearson rode her bike after converting to Islam seven years ago, her headscarf became stuck in the wheel.

She lost her balance, and by the time she got going again she was met with stares as she whizzed along, arms and legs draped in loose clothing, her scarf billowing in the breeze.

“You have to overcome the looks,” said Ms. Shearson, 43, the executive director of the Cleveland chapter of the Council on American-Islam Relations. “It’s already hard enough to exercise, and if you look different ... it’s even harder.”

As a Muslim woman in the United States, Ms. Shearson has found it difficult to stay fit while adhering to her religious principles about modesty. Islam does not restrict women from exercising — in fact all Muslims are urged to take care of their bodies through healthy eating and exercise — but women face a special set of challenges in a culture of co-ed gyms and skimpy workout wear.

Read the rest here.

Style Spotlight: Maxi Dresses

Fall 2009

I posted yesterday of one way to wear maxi dresses in Autumn, and now here are some runway interpretations. Whether it's a coat, blazer or trophy jacket, there are plenty of ideas of how to hijabify that dress. Which is your favourite look?

Ralph Lauren; TSE

Ports 1961; Ralph Lauren

Tuleh

Dries Van Noten; Richard Chai

DSquared

Barbara Tfank

Images: Style.com