Bonus December Giveaway Winners

Congratulations to Meriem A. from Cork City, Ireland, Sarah W. from Bridgewater, USA and Zita B. from Hajdúszoboszló, Hungary for winning the Bonus December Giveaway, Your hijabs will be making their way to you shortly.


Keep an eye out for the next giveaway coming up in January!

Product Review: Bellissima Scarves

If you haven't heard of them yet, Bellissima Scarves is a company which launched around a year ago, and has become one of the best hijab brands around. Unlike many retailers, Bellissima provide unique and exclusive designs which are produced in Italy. You can read an interview with the founder here.

Today's review is for the Roma Antique Gold, which is part of the Winter 2010-11 collection.

First Impressions

This isn't the first time I've tried Bellissima Scarves, though my impression this time round was just as good!

The scarf arrived within 2 days and was simply packaged. The first thing I noticed was that the colour was slightly darker than the photo on the website. However, the fabric itself is lightweight and the mixed pattern is quite prominent. The subtle golden sheen makes the scarf feel quite luxurious and classy.

Wearability

The scarf is totally opaque even at one layer, which means you have a lot of flexibility with the styles you can wear it in. At 52cm x 170cm, it's has plenty of length, though I do feel it could be a little wider to give easier coverage at the back of the neck. The fabric also tends to be stiff and a bit difficult to work with when first bought, however over time I've found that it does get softer and easier to drape. This scarf goes particularly well with neutrals such as browns, blacks, beiges and greys, and is a classic that you can wear year after year. The Roma scarves also come in a several other colours, my favourites being the magenta and teal blue.

Overall

I've been a fan of Bellissima Scarves since they launched, and the Roma Antique Gold is no exception to the classy, well made and beautifully finished scarves they produce. Customer service is excellent and as an added plus, standard UK delivery only comes in at roughly 90p per scarf.

Special Offer

You can get 15% off your order when you enter the code HSWINTER2010 at the checkout. This offer is valid only on the New Winter Collection and ends 6th January 2011.

High Street Finds: Headbands

My favourite way of accessorising hijabs is with headbands. Try layering them with your long shayla scarves to add some glam for a special occasion, or just to change up your everyday style. These are a few of my favourites finds:

Mesh chain headband £7.50, Dorothy Perkins; Seed Bead Headband £12, Oasis; Feather And Gem Strap Headpiece £8; Satin And Diamante Headband £8, both Topshop.

Aab Competition

Abaya company Aab have just launched the 'Name Our Hijab' competition on their Facebook page.

Aab's Facebook fans can win the new Aab Hijab pictured above (worth £25.99) and the best-selling Oolong Abaya (worth £84.99). All you have to do is suggest a name for the Hijab and send it to competition@aabuk.com along with your full name.

The best hijab names will then be posted on a Facebook poll at the beginning of 2011, and members of the Aab fan page will be able to vote for their favourite! Get your thinking caps on!

Muslimah Style: Novita

Reader's Contribution

My name is Novita from Indonesia; I’m a happy wife & mother of one lovely daughter and now designing my own Muslim clothing label ‘Amourfa’.

My Style

Honestly I’m still new to hijab, since I've worked at an international company for many years, and didn't think about wearing it. I used to worry about what people would say, and how difficult it would be to meet customers in hijab...no wonder my hijab was on and off. But thanks to Allah, I finally encouraged myself to make a resolution - to put my hijab on and keep it on.

My style was formal at first and it’s getting more fun now. I've found what works and what doesn't for me. Since I’m designing Islamic dresses, I consider what would be wearable for others, like new hijabis, new mothers, working mothers and also for plus size ladies. Then I sketch my ideas into a design. I love all colors - neutral, warm, dark, cold and brights too. Jeans, jackets, long blouses, polo necks and maxi dress are essential items in my wardrobe. I really love to use our traditional fabric ‘batik’; and I prefer to cut/sew ‘gamis’, which are mostly like abayas.

Top Tips

- Don’t be afraid to go with your old school style, your old boots, sneakers for hanging out. Don’t throw away your old jeans!

- You have your own spirit; you are beautiful, smart and strong. Rock the day with stunning colours or go for a romantic look with ruffle accents, florals and soft colour.

- Experiment with local fabrics and try them with new trends. Why not?

- Find a suitable hijab style for you which you feel comfortable in. Don't push too hard to have the most up-to-date style.


What did you think of Novita's style? If you want to be featured on Hijab Style, send in your photos and top tips to hijabstyle @ hotmail.co.uk

Readers will be able to vote for their favourite entry, and the winner will receive a FREE hijab of their choice from The Hijab Shop.

December Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Suzilawati B. from Kelantan, Malaysia for winning the December Giveaway. Your hijab will be making its way to you shortly!

In the meantime, don't forget to enter for your chance to win the Bonus December Giveaway!

Hijab Style Exclusive: Haute Hijab Interview

Today Hijab Style brings you an exclusive interview with Melanie Elturk, CEO of Haute Hijab, a new modest clothing company based in the USA. Read on to find out more about the creative talent behind the brand:

Jana: Tell us a little about yourself?

Melanie: I'm 25, my father is Lebanese and my mother is Filipino. I'm originally from Detroit, Michigan. By profession, I am an attorney - I concentrated on Civil Rights all through law school and practiced it in and out of law school. Last November I got married and moved to Chicago where my husband is from.


Jana: How did you come to start Haute Hijab?

Melanie: I've always been very fashion conscious (it's actually somewhat of a vice of mine), but now I'm trying to channel my passion for fashion into something that can be useful - providing modest yet fashionable options for Muslim women.

Fashion for me was something I could never knock - it was always with me, no matter how much du'a I made for Allah (swt) to make me less fashion-conscious. I started wearing hijab when I was 13 in the 9th grade - and quickly realized how hard it is for a Muslim woman to dress fashionably and modestly at the same time. It was then I started making my own clothes. I made skirts and loose fitting pants on my grandma's old sewing machine. I was also heavily into beading and embroidery. I would stay awake for hours putting different outfits together and creating new ways to accessorize. Throughout law school I never stopped sewing and creating.

I've always had a dream of becoming a fashion designer and making clothes for a living. I never dreamed it would one day become a reality. The truth of the matter is, through my husband, resources were available to me that made it possible to make Haute Hijab a reality. He works for an internet marketing firm, and consequently has both business and IT skills that make him the brains behind this entire operation. He's helped me tremendously in making this all happen, and I know this wouldn't be a reality without him. After deciding that my niche market would be Muslim women who are in desperate need of fashionable clothing that is still modest, and discussing the parameters and how we would make it all happen, Haute Hijab was born in April 2010.



Jana: What style and types of clothing are you looking to provide through Haute Hijab?

Melanie: The clothing to be provided is a line of modest yet fashionable clothing geared toward women aged 18-34. We aim to provide hard to find pieces like skirts, long dresses and more options for the woman who wears hijab. We've gotten a lot of great feedback from our fan base on our Facebook page and they're very vocal about the types of clothing they want to see. The style of the clothing tends to be on the classier, elegant side with feminine touches. I want the clothes to be classic investment pieces that will stay with the customer for a long time. I want to stay away from trends and throwaway pieces after a season or two.

There are pieces in the line for everyday wear, career and formal wear. For the first line we have to be practical and provide more practical everyday pieces including skirts, blouses, casual dresses, and layering tops. We also plan to launch with vintage hijabs, handpicked by me from vintage stores across the country.


Jana: Which places, people and things have inspired your designs?

Melanie: I'm inspired by almost everything. I especially connect with vintage designs, and seeing that the line is modest yet fashionable, I've found myself drawn to the womanly shapes and silhouettes of the 40's and 50's - the high waisted volume skirts, long straight skirts, ball skirts, long sleeved full length dresses, crisp white dress shirts, etc. I've always been partial to more polished, sharp and preppier styles, but with an edge. Ralph Lauren/Carolina Herrera/Kate Spade meets Valentino/Alexander McQueen.

Jana: What has been the biggest challenge you've faced so far in setting up your brand?

Melanie: The biggest challenge has been finding the right balance between modesty and fashion. As a devout Muslim who has this attachment to fashion, I find myself struggling to please everyone - from those most conservative to those more liberal. There will always be people who comment on pictures on our facebook fanpage that things are too tight here, or not modest enough there - and then there are those who consider the clothing too modest or not fashionable enough. I now trust my instincts, as someone who has worn hijab for over ten years now, I consider myself to understand the balance between modesty and fashion, and I know when I'm NOT dressing modestly. I know that I can't please everyone and can only do me and design clothes that I would feel comfortable wearing.

Jana: When and where can we purchase your designs?

Melanie: The clothing line and vintage hijabs can be purchased online on our website, http://www.hautehijab.com/. We have recently launched with just the vintage hijabs, and we are in the production phase of the Spring 2011 clothing line to be launched hopefully early next year. I'll keep you updated on that exact date!

Bonus December Giveaway

For the second giveaway this month, Hijab Style is giving three readers the chance to win two hijabs each, courtesty of Modiste. In addition to the hijabs, Modiste also have a fashion line which you can find here.

To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is answer the following question:

"Apart from pleasing the eye does fashion actually have a further impact? Argue from your personal experience as a Muslim/Hijabi."

Send an email in with your answer, along with your full name and city with 'Bonus December Giveaway' in the subject line to hijabstyle@hotmail.co.uk. Please note that if any of this information is missing, you will not be entered into the competition.

The deadline for entries is midnight GMT on Tuesday 21st December 2010. The three best answers will be chosen and the winners contacted via e-mail. Don't forget to tell all your friends and family too - the giveaway is open to entrants from all countries!

Sew Chic Hijab Styles

The talented Mayya from Sew Chic & Unique has recorded a few YouTube video tutorials for different hijab styles. I love these as they're simple and easy to follow. You can see the rest of her video tutorials here. Are these something you'd try out?

December Giveaway

For the first giveaway this month, Hijab Style is giving you the chance to win a scarf of your choice from Bellissima Scarves!

To be in with a chance of winning, you must do two things:

1. Visit the Bellissima Scarves website and sign up to their newsletter (left hand side column).

AND

2. E-mail in your full name and city with 'December Giveaway' in the subject line to hijabstyle@hotmail.co.uk. Please note that if any of this information is missing, you will not be entered into the competition.

Extra Entries:

You can get an extra entry into the giveaway when you follow Hijab Style on Twitter! Simply send in a separate e-mail with your full name and link to your Twitter profile. The deadline for entries is midnight GMT on Tuesday 7th December 2010.

The winner will be chosen at random and contacted via e-mail. Don't forget to tell all your friends and family too - the giveaway is open to entrants from all countries!