Winter Wear from Shukr

Shukr should be noted as one of the only Islamic clothing stores that offers warm winter clothes! Something a girl from Canada can really appreciate! They have wool items (even jackets), corduroy, and knit! Here's a sample of their warmer items! I have this black <----wool jumper and I LOVE it...I can just change up the look by wearing different under-layers (I wear bright colors underneath like fuschia, red, yellow..) so there's a tip for you: a jumper is a very versatile item, an inexpensive way to get many different looks.

Thanks Shukr!

http://www.modestflair.com/ muslim fashion blog

Style Inspiration: Rayyan Hamoudi

Okay so she's a fictional character, but boy does she have style! If you haven't heard of Little Mosque on the Prarie, it's a sitcom about a Muslim community in a small town Canada setting, and it's pretty funny! Some of the silly situations are totally relateable! Rayann is a single doctor who wears hijab and keeps a level head amidst some pretty crazy characters! Her clothes are casual, but always wonderfully coordinated with her hijab! If only they'ld pull down her underscarf so that annoying little bit of  hair doesn't always show!! grrrr...just a pet peeve of mine. Okay it happens to me sometimes, but I'm not on TV! Anyways she's not even really Muslim, and I believe only one of the characters on the show actually is Muslim. Here's some photos of Rayann's style below, and check out the website here!: http://www.cbc.ca/littlemosque/index.php

P.S. I've been told I kind of resemble her..so if you've ever wondered what I look like...and I usually wear my hijab like her too :)

The J.Peterman Company

If you haven't explored the J.Peterman "catalogue", now online, you have to take a moment to step into his eccentric world - especially since a lot of the women's wear is modelled after the modest clothing of the early 1900's. You'll also find exotic caftans, long skirts, and wide pants from around the world. You'll find items from Morrocco, Turkey, India, Paris....mostly attached with pricey tags but you can find a nice sale item here and there. Even if you don't shop, just reading the lengthy product "descriptions" (more like stories) is entertaining enough!..and illustrations instead of photos...hmmmm, definitely not your ordinary store. But I happen to like it :) This guy/company was spoofed on Seinfeld for years, remember that? I always remember the "urban sombrero" episode. LOL.

Peterman Rides Again: Adventures Continue with the Real "J. Peterman" Through Life & the Catalog Business

How NOT-To Hijab

Visor Hijab

No no no no no. See, this is exactly why visor's have gone out of style, and why they've invented something called SUNGLASSES. It wasn't cool without a hijab, and it sure isn't any cooler with a hijab attached!

Denim Set

Cute denim set from East Essence!! This may be more of a spring look, but I couldn't resist posting this stylish look. Love the sunglasses over the hijab look by the way, tres chic.

Designer Amina Al Jassim

Why do I keep running across eye-obstructing designs lately? It was bad enough on a manequin last week, but on a live human? This would be a fashion model's nightmare! This is definitely runway only haute couture stuff, but to view more of Amina's colorful, whimsical designs inspired by Arabic traditions, check out her website: http://www.aminaaljassim.com/  because it's quite entertaining!

http://www.modestflair.com/

Hijab Styl'n: Echarpe Capuche!

There's something absolutely midieval about this hijab style... mysterious, even romantic?? This is from  http://www.zaynab-styliste.com/ , a french Muslim clothing store with a few unique hijaby styles. Would look quite classy in chilly weather over an amira  hijab, don't you think? BONUS: you can walk around all day saying "do you like my echarpe capuche?" in your best french accent.

Hijab Books!

I've been sorting through Amazon.com's muslim products lately, and I came across some interesting books on hijab!! Here's a few that caught my eye!

Hijab Styl'n: Headband over Amira

I saw a teenage girl rocking this look; You can get this look with a lace band that's about 2-3 inches wide (not the super-wide under-scarf lace bands), a sequinned head-band looks even fancier for special occassions, or experiment with any stretchy head/hair band you find in stores. A simple and fun way to style up plain Amira hijabs!

Rabia Z fashion show

I love Rabia Z's sense of modest flair :) Wait, are those harem pants under there?! If so, this is the only way to wear them that is even remotely attractive (half-hidden). Without the man-hat and the out-of-place sandals, this outfit actually has promise in the real world. Well, not MY real world, but maybe somebody's!


http://www.modestflair.com/

Hooters!

This dress from Shukr brings a whole new meaning to the word "hooters". I mean,  how are men expected to lower their gaze with two big OWL eyes staring at them from our chests?! LOL. That's just not fair. Let's chalk this one up to bad planning. .

http://www.modestflair.com/

muslim fashion blog

Kensie Clothing

You can find this brand at Nordstrom's in the U.S. or The Bay in Canada. I love it because it's young but still sophisticated enough for us not-so-young...always lots of modest selections..my favorite WIDE black pants and my favorite Trench coat are Kensie. Look for this brand next time you're at one of those stores!

www.modestflair.com

muslim fashion blog

Eccoci

If you happen to run across this store, go in!! There's one in a mall by my house and they have a lot of long coat-style tops and silk scarves. Pronounced "echo-chi" this is a New York based store which has sophisticated, tailored-looking, European style clothing. Big sales on now!

Trend Spotting: Sandals & Socks

Here's an interesting new trend which actually works in our favour! Keep this in mind when spring rolls around, with a lighter color stocking of course.

www.modestflair.com

muslimah fashion blog

Kimono Styl'n

I've seen a lot of muslim ladies wearing this kind of long kimono-style tops. They're wide and colorful and fun! Just add a layer underneath, a matching hijab, and no skinny-jeans please. It just doesn't go with hijab people. P.S. ChicStar has a few like this for $9.95 - 19.95 (reversible ones too) !! click photo to see more..

Silk Scarves

I noticed that Rayannes has a good selection of silk hijabs for about $30 each which is an okay price. It's hard to find silk hijabs so I thought I'ld share!

http://www.modestflair.com/

 

How Not-to-Hijab!

Elfish Hijab

Warning: Don't try this in cold weather! I wasn't aware that this was even an appropriate way to wrap, not to mention that it also looks ridiculous! Is Elfish in this year? Maybe Liv Tyler and Cate Blanchette can pull-off the elf ears and still look cute, but girls, this is not cute.

http://www.modestflair.com/

Sweater Inspiration

I'm really into open and tie-front sweaters this year. They're just way better for layering since you can take'em on and off easily, and these styles tend to look more sophisticated. I also love thin sweaters as opposed to chuncky/cable knit sweaters since us hijabis can't always peal off the layers when indoors and I hate to feel trapped in a heavy sweater! Here's a few of my favorites online:

These are from http://www.artizara.com/ at $59 and $39 on sale, not too bad a price. The first is a thicker cable knit sweater with a lovely knit pattern, and the second is made of soft viscose so it's more of a wrap than a sweater. It has really long ends on the front, and I just love this cascading drape that's in style now. Very nice. Just don't do the Elf-ears!








I love this whole outfit from http://www.newportnews.com/ ! A very thin long sweater with matching pants and a ruffle top underneath. Chic! I also love this thin glittery cowl-neck sweater; hijabs look great tucked into cowl necks - just wear a thin layering top underneath in the same color to avoid a skin show.


















I love this bright teal tie-front sweater from Softsurroundings! Winter doesn't have to be drab afterall, let's add some color here and there. There's several chic sweater styles like this at this store - always tons of modest options at softsurrroundings!
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http://www.rayannesdesign.com/ has got a few interesting sweater options. The first I wouldn't recommend to anyone who's been skipping their sit-ups. It's a bit snug but a younger muslimah could pull it off. The second more forgiving option for those of us who haven't seen our abs in years, would be this extremely ruffled sweater which is so fun and chic.

http://www.modestflair.com/ muslim fashion blog

How Not-To Hijab!

Life Behind Bars Hijab

Would you like to experience life behind bars? Have you ever wondered how it would feel to have a squid propped on your head? Do you enjoy the challenge of driving with an obstructed-view? Then this hijab is for you! So many names I came up with for this one (help I've been swallowed by my hijab, squid-head, view from my cell, the Peek-a-Boo hijab..) LOL. This is from Rayannesdesign.com and don't get me wrong I love this store for giving us so much fashion inspiration and trying some daring looks... Buy the hijab, it's lovely, just don't wear it like the poor manequin!!

Winter Sales!

Winter just started where I live, but already there's winter a mid-winter sale at Shukr (ending this week)! Tons of tunics and skirts for under $35 right now, like <----this corduroy skirt.

Shukr is the only online store I know of where you can find quality corduroy & wool skirts to keep cozy during the winter.

Half-off selected styles at Artizara: check out this trench coat for only $45; also available in brown; it has tons of detailing you need to see in the larger photo on their website to truly appreciate that this is a bargain!

If you like casual abayas Rayannes has a two-for-$114 special (which is less than $60 each) in colorful styles like this:

www.modestflair.com Muslim Fashion blog