Overkill?

Are these sorts of styles one step (or a few..) too far or just an expression of originality?

Stunning Islamic Gowns

I found a complete gem of website the other day called Irna la Perle, an Indonesian company that features possibly the most beautiful (and modest) Muslim dresses I've ever seen. The prices are not shown (which can only mean one thing, unfortunately) but you can request information on the pieces using the form provided on the site.

The collection is not big at all, but I love what's there:

Wedding gowns:

Absolutely stunning, adore the buttons and the modest cut of this next one. My future wedding dress is officially sorted (Insha'Allah.. obviously):

Normal dresses:

These beautiful pink dresses are impeccably designed - they don't even need accessorising:

The site also does some interesting headpieces and Hijab accessories.. I'm not hot on them all but I do quite like these ones, whether or not I'd wear them is another question:

They call this next one a buckle as it's doesn't have any pins to ruin your scarves, lovely!

A bit too cyborg-ish for my liking..

Whoda thought putting a necklace onto a Hijab would work so well, eh?

Around The World Hijab (Style?): Iraq

I've been putting off doing this post for a quite a while now because searching for photos to do with Iraqis is quite, um, traumatic, shall we say.. Especially when it comes to the photos graphically depicting how some of the 'hero' soldiers treat Iraqi women (and men..). Before I go off on a looong tangent in which I'll get people telling me that not all soldiers are the same and that I'm making generalized sweeping statements about the good Americans, I'll press on..

First, I kinda like this photo. The women are wearing traditional Iraqi overhead abayas on the right and the two on the left are wearing galabiyas:

Hmm, no doubt this next cliche photo was put together but one of the invading countries.. it makes it out as though women have been liberated and can suddenly vote. Reality check: Iraqi women were given the right to vote in 1980 - no thanks to any foreign troops that is.

Peering curiously:

Looking bored..

Ahh, more fruits of The Big Liberation Plan.. Keep them occupied with second hand American weapons and then sell their oil to the highest bidder (BP, who else?!)

And my actual favorite photo of all time (no sarcasm on this one lol) - taken in an Iraqi university of an Iraqi soldier.. There's something about it that I really like:

And finally:

Who's she pointing at, I wonder..

Outfit Ideas: Summer Day Out

New Bag :)

A bag I bought today, I love it!

I got it in light grey as there wasn't a pink in the shop, the other colours are in the online store. I thought it deserved it's very own post lol..

Reader's Look: Aena's Style

SM reader Aena from Malaysia sent in some photos of her outfits a while back but I wasn't able to post them because of revision (sorry!). Anyway, here they are:

She's second from left in the pink hijab:
.

I love this next look..

..so much that I kinda copied it..

Orange by Zaenab

And finally, a traditional Malaysian look. Lovely!

If you want to see more of her style, check her blog out (malaysian) here or her online scarf shop (english) here.

Hijab Cartoons

I found a load saved on the SM file..

"Isn't she ashamed going out without hijab? What sort of behaviour is that?!"

"I thought I'd wear the Hijab for Ramadan!!"

Boy: "Oh Allah, I'm fasting.. Oh Allah, I'm fasting.."

Well they made me chuckle..

Request: Hijab Tips For Hot Weather

I have recently had two requests for a post on how to wear the hijab in hot weather. One is from new revert Lucy who plans to wear the headscarf soon to complete her modest dress and the other is a 15 year old hijabi who owns the blog myownpersonalrehab. I hope to give a few tips and ideas to keep cool this summer.

Firstly (and thankfully), I want to mention that for the vast majority of the time, it is not the headscarf itself that makes you hot and stuffy in the summer - it's the layering. And the main sweat-inducing culprit is that infamous long sleeve stretch top..

Wearing these in the summer, although decidedly convenient, is a biiggg mistake mainly because it allows no aeration and acts like a greenhouse. In fact the only time these should ever leave your wardrobe in the summer is when the sun is safely below the horizon.

Here are some alternatives to the stretch:

Cardigans - Buy them oversized and you tick 3 boxes: modesty, aeration and the oversized look is still very on trend. You can pretty much find these in all highstreet shops like Primark, H&M and Dorothy Perkins.

Denim jackets and blazers - Denim jackets have always been a summer classic and blazers look great with lots of different styles. Blazers look particulary nice with oversized tees, here's a look to give to an idea:

Boleros - Pair with a maxi dress for a great evening look - without the sweat patches..

Other summer essentials:

Maxi dresses/skirts - Perfect summer pieces. ASOS have a fantastic drop of maxis at the moment starting from £20.

Here are some style ideas:

I > by Zaenab

Butterfly Maxi by Zaenab

White Cardigan Dress by Zaenab

Try to use as few layers as possible and keep the colours light - dark colours will absorb sunlight so you'll get hot very quickly.

Denim shirt dress - They're on trend and they're very hijab friendly. Pair with some trousers like in this outfit:

Denim Shirt by Zaenab

Linen trousers - These don't have to be just for sunburnt middle aged women on the beach, if you pair them with the right top, they can look fresh and keep you cool:

Hanan Turk Hijab by Zaenab

If you're missing the stretch tops, you can always wear them under summer kaftans in the evening, here are some I like:

Brown kaftan: French Connection
Beige kaftan: the Outnet
Red kaftan: Monsoon

Oh and don't..

- ..wear more than one scarf or choose thick scarves and avoid an undercap where possible
- ..pin your hijab unnecessarily, let it be a bit loose (but still covered, obviously..) so air can get to your neck

Weird Hijab Look..!

I came across this style show when I was flicking through the Arabic channels the other day and saw the craziest Hijab tutorial. I recorded the last bits of it showing the horrendous product of a good ten minutes of scarf wrapping: what I can only describe as the multi wrap style with two shower loofahs hanging off the side..