Review: Islamic Design House

Salam,




I received a jilbab from Islamic Design House called "Purely Professional" in black (looks darker in person than this photo from their site which looks more grey). It's a very light denim fabric that doesn't feel like denim at all - much silkier and thinner than any denim jilbab I've ever worn; it's quite impressive material!

The design is simple but the quality of the fabric and the stitching is so impeccable that it really does look classy and professional enough for the office. Being someone who's moved away from the traditional jilbabs, I would still wear this one layered with either a colorful cardigan and patterned hijab or an elegant trench coat with a matching silky square scarf.

The customer service was great and again, the quality is superb. It's rare to get an item in the mail that actually looks better in person than it does online. If you're a jilbab-wearing sister, then I would definitely recommend this store!

check out http://www.islamicdesignhouse.com/

Peeks and Dickies!

No I'm not spewing profanities, these are actually quite useful accessories for the Muslim or modest woman!

A new product I've noticed over the last year and that I've been waiting for (!!) is the cleavage cover - triangular pieces of fabric that come with adhesive tape that are used with tops such as wrap-tops, that are too low-cut, so low that even your hijab won't cover. Great for those almost-modest-enough tops we find at the mall.

This photo is from http://www.chicppeeks.com/ . Also see http://www.cleavagecovers.com/ for this type of cleavage cover. They come in cotton, lace, and microfiber.

Click here to see Kathy Lee discussing her cleavage cover on the Today show! (She's so crazy.)

This style looks ridiculous! See http://www.thewinkee.com/ - no it's not underwear for your bra, it's a cleavage cover that clings to your bra instead of using sticky tape! Not a bad idea considering you have to keep buying that stick tape.

The other option is to just sew your own if you've got it in you; that would be really easy to do, and just buy your own sticky tape. TIP: if you're really lazy like me, you can just cut out a triangular piece of fabric from an old shirt or anything you don't wear, and make sure the top edge that will peek out is a finished/sewn edge!

A "Dickie" is a neck and chest cover that provides more coverage; I just wish I could find more of these without the turtle neck. A few Muslim stores carry these:

thecanadianmuslim has one, maybe they'll get more? (Canada)

2hijab has the widest selection of chest covers (Egypt) and the BEST selection of hijab pins too!

http://www.almuhajabaelaniqa.com/ has them too! (USA)

You learn something new everyday at www.modestflair.com !

My Satin Under-scarf Search!

Has anyone else been taken down by a cold this week? *ARGH* How annoying! Anyways, my latest quest on the web has been for satin underscarves. I've got a load of cotton ones but since I'm ordering some fancier silk hijabs with patterns, I think the cotton underneath will be too blah. If you're in the same boat - looking for satiny-edged underscarves for your hijabs - here's where to look:

http://www.middleeasternmall.com/ has the best selection in the U.S. and the one in the photo above is only 1.99 !! P.S. they are having a huge 25% sale and they have TONS of underscarves (including SNOODS and full coverage under-scarves which I talked about lately). I just made an order stocking up on underscarves so I will review them soon (hey, they have free shipping promotions and cheap shipping to Canada!).

Also See http://www.almuhajabat.com/ (U.S. - no photo available) I've ordered from her before and was happy..

Overseas we have http://www.jelbab.com/, they do ship to North America and I've ordered from them before - very high quality and professional service, but these caps are a bit expensive at $8.99

If you're in the UK check out http://www.hijabstoreonline.com/ or http://www.muslimbase.com/

Treat your fancy hijabs right, with satin underscarves :)

Thanks for reading http://www.modestflair.com/

Getting in the Mood for Spring!

Some of my fave colors for the spring season ahead! Shades of yellow (I like mustard and soft lemon) and orange (coral is my favorite shade of orange) can be combined with black for a dramatic effect, or with white for a casual feel.

The bottom purse is in a color they've called "persimmon" which I think of as a pinker, deeper shade of coral. It's hard to describe, but it's so lovely yet bright for summer.

I'm on the hunt for hijabs with yellow and orange shades in them now; the one in this photo is from the Gap. My last post had an orange hijab in it....I'll be digging out more hijabs in these colors...

salam!

StarScarves.com Gets Face-Lift!

I just noticed that http://www.starscarves.com/ has had a major face-lift and I think the website is looking waaay cuter! Maybe it's not the largest selection of scarves/hijabs on the web but they have some nice stuff worth taking a look at (like this orange oblong scarf perfect for spring), plus there's a 10% sale going on now. So, check'em out!

http://www.modestflair.com/

Exclusive Coupons at ModestFlair.com

I posted about RayannesDesign.com earlier this month; well, she's been kind enough to offer my readers an EXCLUSIVE COUPON! Just use this code:

"Modest Flair Readers_Coupon" at checkout and get $15 off your order at RayannesDesign.com! That should help cover the shipping from Australia - and remember, our dollars buy more than Australian dollars which is the currency of the items on her site, so you save more that way as well! Check it out!

http://www.modestflair.com/ for the best Muslim Fashions on the Web!

ChicStar for SUPER Wide Pants

I have this fear that when the wide-legged pants trend comes to a stop, the selection of wide pants will get slim at the mall! I just bought some on sale and thought, "are they on sale cuz they're going out of style?" oh no!




Here's an online store where I found some of the WIDEST pants I've ever seen from a non-muslim brand, and they look really smart! check out ChicStar.com to see more...they have really unique trench coats as well!




Very Chic indeed! The prices are pretty decent too, these pants are $40.

I haven't ordered from here yet, so remember the rule: if it's your first time ordering from a store and you don't have a friend's referral, just buy one item first to check the service/quality. Also, make sure the payment page starts with https ... I'm going to post some online shopping tips soon inshallah, so stay tuned for more on this topic!

Click here for more modest or Muslim fashion stores

CUTE Prayer Sets! Great Gifts!

I was looking for a new prayer / salat gown online and ran across the cutest prayer sets to share with ya'll - I thought what a GREAT gift for a new convert or a friend, or for travelling! They come with a satiny bag, gown, and prayer mat / hankerchief that all match.

You know it really feels more special when you do salat in a pretty gown on a nice mat.

The first is from al-ikhlas.com, a U.S. based store, for $24. 6 soft colors to choose from! Comes with "small handkerchief" to place your head on when you pray.

This is from desertstore.com, a Saudi based store for any of you overseas, for around $30. Comes in red or black, comes with what looks like a full-size prayer mat.

Thanks for reading www.modestflair.com, your personal shopper for the best Muslim fashions on the web!

What's on Sale?

Salam, here's my top 3 picks for modest & muslim fashion sales going on NOW:


SHUKR is having their last week of Winter Sale with savings of up to 67% off:

Maraboonline.com has a lot of items on clearance at 40% off:









Losve.com has a clearance page with shirts over 50% off!

Don't ever miss a hot sale again!

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Hijab Styl'N: The NARROW scarf

I've been focusing a lot on hijab styles lately because I've become really bored with all my hijabs...I've been using the long rectangular shayla scarves for years now and just can't find the colors and patterns I'm craving (or silk - I love the way silk feels).

I was cruising the stores yesterday and saw some beautiful colorful silk scarves (on sale!) and they were the narrow kind that women use to tie around their necks...well we've all walked past these in the stores...anyways I bought one that matched a bright CORAL trench coat I have, and found sooooo many uses for it! See my photos:

You'ld think these narrow scarves are too thin to wrap shayla style right? Wrong! That's what I thought, but I realized that if you're wearing a jacket/trench/blazer, and wrap it so the second wrap-around just barely overlaps the first and pin at the back at this point, then the length at the back is just long enough to cover the back of the neck - so no it won't look nice with a round collar shirt but if you're wearing a collared shirt, jacker, or blazer, then it's fine!

Try layering these narrower scarves with your regular rectangular hijabs like this:

White might would go better with this outfit but I was in a hurry.

If you want to be bold and different, tie it at the back over a full sized under-hijab and wrap the ends around your hair bun to make a hijab bun (the end is not wrapped yet in this photo):

Don't just walk right by when you see these thin/narrow scarves; if you see one that matches an outfit, you can make it work!

Thanks for reading www.modestflair.com

RayannesDesign, No Compromises!

I really liked something I read on this website, that dressing modestly doesn't have to mean compromising style (and I will add, compromising your individuality).

I saw this store pop onto the Muslim fashion scene online about a year ago (though she's had physical stores open since 2002) but wasn't too impressed with the website back then so I didn't post about it. However, I've just noticed big improvements to the site and would now consider ordering from there for sure!

There's a chic, feminine, and professional look to her designs that is what I'm leaning towards in fashion, the same feeling evoked from brands like Tekbir, Artizara or Losve (the modest stuff), each with their own unique designs of-course.

If you like this kind of modest style then definitely check out

http://www.rayannesdesign.com/ !

Bad news: located in Austalia, shipping will cost you!

Good news: our dollars have more buying power than Australian. So 100 AUD = only 65 USD or 80 CAD !!

Thanks for reading http://www.modestflair.com/

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Hijab Styl'n: Bandana Hijab

This is a hip and youthful look that I imagine students wearing. I'm calling it the bandana hijab because a square hijab is folded in half and tied at the back like a bandana!

The under-scarf is a full piece. I don't know if you've seen these before, but it's basically just a thin cotton one piece hijab that looks like an amira hijab sewn together. This is how your neck is covered.

TIP: I have one of these in white and find it very useful under hijabs that are sheer, so more under -coverage is needed.

These "full underscarves" are available at http://www.trendyhijab.com/

Click here for more hijab styles!

Style on a Budget at Forever21

Here's to Style on a Budget. Loving the mustard yellow! All these items are $20 or less except the jacket which is only around $30!! Thank you forever21 for making runway fashion accessible to all of us! Even the hijab is from this store (not a perfect match but you get the idea..) !

Click on images below to see details and prices.




Thanks for visiting www.modestflair.com for hijab styles and modest fashion inspiration!

Where to Get Turkish Hijabs

Here's your guide to the best Turkish/tesettur hijabs online (like the lovely Tekbir models we see everywhere), from the lower priced satin and polyester types, to high end silk...

I'm in love with the vibrant colors and abstract designs that you can really only find on Turkish (or imitation) style hijabs. Click on images to visit these sites:


Can't get cheaper than this - try forever21.com (US) or canada.forever21.com for square satin and sometimes even silk scarves for around $10 !! Make sure you check the measurements and get one that's at least 34" x 34" ...What a deal!








Losve.com, UK based modest store, priced around $10-25
Love this store's more modest designs.










thecanadianmuslim.com, a Canadian based store that's offering free shipping on Turkish hijabs, carries Turkish hijabs starting at around $20


Wow so much selection at hijabplanet.com ...silk scarves from around $30 - 50











I think they're located in Turkey but I'm not sure cuz it doesn't say. Couldn't find any shipping info either.



Akeronline.com has loads of beautiful scarves that you can order online, over $50 each, but real works of art! Located in Turkey.

More works of art at esarpshop.com. Prices are around $40-50

I'll post more here as I run across new stores so check back!

http://www.modestflair.com/