Modest Fashion Goes Mainstream: Macy’s Carries Verona Collection

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On the heels of luxury hijabs breaking into mainstream fashion news, we have the exciting news of the retailer Macy’s announcing that they will now carry modest fashion brand Verona Collection online. The modest fashion brand, founded by Lisa Vogl and Alaa Ammuss in 2015, has quickly grown into a powerhouse brand with a free-standing store in Florida.

Verona Collection is also a 2017 Macy’s Emerging Vendor success story from the Macy’s Workshop. “The Workshop at Macy’s is an exclusive retail vendor development program designed to give select high potential minority- and women-owned businesses the tools to better succeed and sustain growth in the retail industry.”

According to Huffington Post, the Verona Collection line at Macy’s e-commerce site will feature a variety of hijabs or headscarves, as well as modest tops, pants, dresses and abayas.

As a Muslim blogger who personally knows Lisa, I am THRILLED for her successes. For now, this line will only be carried on Macy’s website, but I hope this inspires Macy’s to start carrying this line in physical stores soon! What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.

January 28, 2018Islam, Style

Hijab Trend: “Luxury” Hijabs

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: Haute Hijab Luxury Collection Celestial Silver Hijab

Salaam my lovelies! In December, I had the pleasure of meeting Melanie Elturk who is the CEO of Haute Hijab to do an in-office customer interview in New York. I sat down with Alice (Customer Experience at Haute Hijab) and Melanie. It was a heartwarming experience filled with laughs and experiences that only hijabis can understand.

At the time, I was bemoaning how there was a lack of hijabs for special occasions like graduations, birthdays, weddings, and baby showers. I remember how Alice and Melanie glanced at each other with knowing smiles, but they stayed mum about the impending launch of the Haute Hijab Luxury Collection. Sorry, no exclusives here! For an exclusive on the Haute Hijab Luxury Collection line, please check out Pop Sugar Fashion.

Fast forward to this week, and now I know what those smiles were for! The line is just gorgeous. The pricing is definitely not for the faint of heart as it starts from $250 and goes up to $325. I love the intricate beading, crystals, and material and this goes into the price. According to Pop Sugar as told by Melanie:

The Muslim community is, number one, highly educated. And, as a result, pretty wealthy. Our specific customer base has a medium household income of $90K. She has a high educational degree: PhD or masters. We were hearing: ‘My husband is a doctor or I am a doctor, and we always have these formal affairs. I have nothing to wear. I look so frumpy, and I just pale in comparison to everyone who is there.’

But it did resonate a point. Why are there no hijabs that have the detail and quality as clothing does for special occasions? Why are hijabis wearing plain cotton hijabs with their wedding dresses or for their graduations? Shouldn’t there be a better option?

I will congratulate Melanie on producing a beautiful line with stunning marketing pieces such as a flawless teaser video, promotional images, and press. It is the first time I ever saw publications like Pop Sugar or Vogue feature a hijab line and I hope its a trend that won’t go away.

While this may be the first collection that is mass produced for a luxury line, I wanted to share some other brands who are rocking the luxury hijab trend on a smaller scale. Take a look and let me know if I miss any!

Framed People

Framed People is a San Francisco based hijab line that features luxuriously designed hijabs with feathers and other whimsical details.

Framed People is a hijab line that is dedicated to sourcing ethically produced fabrics that are unique, stylish, and comfortable. Their Feather Hijab features cotton feathers versus feathers from an animal which means your conscience can be at rest. For a special occasion, I would recommend the Chif Chif Piping hijab with its beautiful metallic piping. The hijabs range in pricing from $20-$40.

Inayah

INAYAH-BRIDAL1091

This is the LINE I turn to for a hijab that makes me feel special. The heft of the material, the stitching at the edges, all of it is detailed and these hijabs last forever. I just wish they had a little more embellishment. The hijabs range in pricing from $5.99-$45

Vela Scarves

Vela Scarves Platinum Flower Petal Hijab from the Resort Collection

Vela Scarves is a line based in Los Angeles by Marwa Atik. We have known about Marwa’s easy California style for a while and even featured her on a Follow Friday post back in 2013!

Since then, she has grown her hijab line to be a rare combination of high fashion and modesty and it shows. Marwa pores over countless materials and handpicks all of her hijab embellishments. Look at the detail on the Flower Petal Hijab from the Vela Scarves Resort Collection!

According to Vela Scarves, this is the Vela Girl: “She’s fun, modest, intellectual, and is deeply involved in the community. She is well-versed on the latest trends but knows how to make them suit her. The Vela girl knows her decision to be veiled does not fit the mold, but she embraces the opportunity to make her distinction beautiful.”

Some popular Vela Scarves girls are Noor Tagouri who wore this bespoke Vela Scarves hijab featured below for her wedding festivities and Neelam Hakeem who was recently seen dropping lines on P. Diddy’s Instagram.

Noor-Tagouri-_shabster

Vela Scarves range in price from $10.00-$72.95.

Hijab Couture

Hijab Couture is an online boutique based in Houston, Texas which provides custom designed hijabs, headpieces, and veils for weddings or special occasions. It is a boutique by Affaf Nusratullah who not only designs and makes each piece by hand, but she is a makeup artist as well! What a talent mA. Her pricing ranges from $49-$200+.

Hijab Couture 1

January 9, 2018Beauty, Islam, Life, Style

Diversity in Modest Fashion?

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Modanisa Offers A Look Into the Lack of Diversity in Modest Fashion

Salaam my lovelies! I hope that you kicked off the New Year with some new resolutions. I started with one of my own: to keep on blogging. Here is why:

The recent Dubai Fashion Week sponsored by Turkish modest fashion line Modanisa was exciting, but also puzzling. Hijabi fashion blogger Manal aka Chinutay shared how she was disappointed to see that there was a lack of diversity on the runway and among the modest fashion influencers asked to attend the show. Here is what she had to say:

“First off, what was obvious was not who was flown out but who wasn’t! I myself (apologies if I missed any influencer), was the only black woman to be flown out and participate out of MANY beautiful influential black women. Whilst there, I’ve had our sisters (WOC who live in Dubai and purchased tickets) come up to me anbd ask me what was very apparent…’Where are all the other black bloggers/influencers?'”

The struggle for diversity in the Muslim fashion world is very real. It seems that the ideal Muslim fashion blogger is thin, light-skinned and very much like an actual fashion blogger with a hijab on top of her head. While these bloggers work very hard to create beautiful content, there are so many more of us who attempt to shed light on the fact that Muslims are a billion-plus deep population with so many more faces and bodies.

For me, it has always been a struggle to find modest fashion clothing that will actually fit and flatter a curvy body type. Admit it, how many of you even follow a plus-size or curvy modest fashon blogger? Yet, we have countless women who wear hijab that fall into this category! How important is it to see a valid representation of the runway of what the actual Muslim population looks like?

This is why I am starting back up on blogging. We NEED diversity. We need more women of color modest fashion influencers. We need more body positivity in the Muslim fashion world. This is my personal truth and I hope that it speaks to your personal truth too. For far too long, we have been silent, but I hope that my blog inspires you to embrace who you are too. I hope that you embrace my personal journey and start your own to love yourself the way that you were made.

Love to you all.

September 11, 2015Style

Follow Friday: Mora_Hijabi

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Monira Uddin translates hijab trends with a modern mom twist.

Salaams my lovelies! I hope that you are doing well inshallah. It has been ages since I have done a Follow Friday, but this one is super special to me. It is a Follow Friday on my big sister Monira Uddin! I love all my hijabi fashionistas on Instagram, but it has been rather challenging to find popular Instagrammer hijabis that are petite and curvy. That is why I love following my big sister @Mora_Hijabi. She is athletic and a mom so she takes modest fashion trends and is able to translate in a more every woman way for me. Just look at her rocking a fur vest with that plaid shirt. I will admit that I ran to Target to buy a vest because I love copying my big sister.

She is the hijabi next door that you would want to be friends with and have chai with. She also knows how to throw some amazing Pinterest worthy parties. We all know that being a Muslim mom who works can be a juggling act, so she recently launched her own blog about being a working hijabi mama over 35. Check out her blog here.

She is an amazing person inside and out. I am so lucky to have had a big sister like her to look up to and now I get to share her talents with all of you. Let me know what you think. Do you have a big sister that you just love? Let me know in the comments below.

September 4, 2015Style

Curvy Hijabi Brand To Watch: Styled by Zubaidah

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Styled By Zubaidah offers plus size hijabis stylish yet modest clothing options.

Salaam my loves! It really has been a long time since I have blogged. This time, it is because I am stuck in the throes of being a new mama to the most wonderful little boy alhamdulillah. Between working full time and taking care of two little ones, it doesn’t leave much time for blogging.

However, now that I am a second time mom, I have noticed that the weight I gained from this pregnancy has not been coming off quite so easily. As a result, I am now plus size. Yes, I can honestly admit that I am a size 10-12 instead my usual size 6-8. It hasn’t been too hard on me to recognize that, but what has been hard is trying to dress modestly without wearing a tent-like mumu.

Enter Styled by Zubeidah. Zubaidah Abdul-Hakim, founder and sole designer for Styled by Zubaidah says, “My product is designed for the Curvy Muslim Woman who has always found it difficult to purchase clothing that fits her well, maintains her modesty, and still makes her feel unique and beautiful.”

She founded the line in 2013 for plus sizes 12 and larger. While her line is targeted for plus sized hijabis, she also designs for hijabis with curves in mind. Her pieces are not just larger versions of what is already out there. She uses fabrics that are stretchy but not clingy, fabrics with fun patterns, and other design techniques to ensure that plus size hijabis look beautiful in a tasteful modest way.

So if you are a curvy hijabi looking some modest fashion options without the hassle of layering, check this line out. I will be styling her cream abaya on Instagram soon, so keep an eye for it inshallah.

August 7, 2014Beauty, Islam, Life, Style

Has Hijabi Fashion Gone Too Far?

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Does modest fashion have to be so serious?

Salaam my lovelies! I hope you are all doing well inshallah. I know I haven’t posted in a long time. It is not because I don’t love to write; I really do. I LOVE that my writing has resonated with so many readers and that I get the most lovely comments on my posts. However, the divisiveness in our little hijabi blogger community has left me shaken. As you remember, I viewed being a hijabi blogger as a chance for Muslim women to regain our narrative back. Modest fashion is a part of that, but I also wanted to blog about other Muslim American topics such as raising good Muslim children, having a healthy Islamic marriage and even where to get good halal food.

However, it seems that there are a lot of trolls who persist in tearing hijabi bloggers to shreds. I have written about this before, but I will actually share an incident that has bothered me immensely. We all know how I have my Follow Friday posts on Hijabi Life. I actually posted a Follow Friday post on a sister named Imaan Ali who used to blog on a blog called The Hijablog. We all know hijab is an extremely personal experience and that there are ups and downs in everyone’s faith. So for hijabi bloggers to document our lives is very hard to begin with. So you can imagine how much backlash Imaan got for making the very personal decision to take her hijab off.

Here is the thing: She is still the same person. She is still a human being. Do you really think trolling her or any bloggers who admired her will really change the situation? I know she is not the first hijabi blogger to take her hijab off (Winnie Detwa also received backlash for taking her hijab off too). However, I don’t expect her to be the last. How terrible is it that we are so quick to bash the bloggers we so ardently adored? Personally, I don’t want to be adored. I want to be able to share my own thoughts and feelings in the hopes that it provides some souls a little comfort in their own lives. I think it is wrong how we have quickly made hijabi bloggers the end all be all. Please avoid taking bloggers on as idols. I don’t think a single blogger wants to be idol worshipped like a celebrity is in Western culture. And if there is a shred of pride from cult status, then we as bloggers need to be aware that showing off is so dangerous that it’s like the black ant on the black rock in the night with no moon. It can sneak up on you like this.

And here is my quandary: Should I keep blogging about hijabi fashion? I feel like it has taken on more baggage than I was aware of. It also limits my writing. I want to be able to write and help others. With the situation in Gaza, I can’t help but feel silly to write about just modest fashion. I would like to share more Islamic/DIY/political posts though. If you agree or disagree, please let me know. I am not asking you readers to all agree with me, but I do think that we need to have some more tolerance and forgiveness in our own hearts. The way we treat others in this world is how God will treat us when we meet him. Let us have more mercy.

March 21, 2014Islam, Life, Style

Key Learnings From The International Muslimah Fashion Week Scandal

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International Muslimah Fashion Week quickly turned into a scandal where rumors of a scam erupted.

Salaams my lovelies! Happy Friday to everyone. I typically do a Follow Friday post, but I wanted to address the rumors of scandal regarding a modest fashion event called International Muslimah Fashion Week. Unfortunately, what was promised to be a few days of bonded sisterhood fun, has quickly turned into a scary situation because of what seems to be either poor planning or bad intentions. Allah (swt) knows best as to what truly did happen, but I will say I was very sad about the sisters who invested so much money and time to be part of what could have been a great event. So many vendors, bloggers, and Muslims were planning to attend and to be told it was cancelled is one thing. However, it is whole other thing to wait till the last minute to cancel. Countless bloggers traveled from all over the world to attend this event and were ultimately stranded in a foreign country! My heart truly does go out to these hard working ladies. However, I am sure they will find the kindness of Muslim Americans can be felt wherever they go. I feel even WORSE for the sisters who scraped and saved to spend over a hundred dollars just to attend this event and meet inspirational hijabis. They may have even flown cross country or internationally to attend. What is their recourse?

When it comes to events, we should demand that they be put on with some professionalism and organization. Last year, I attended a Halal Fest here in the Bay Area and it was chaos! I truly wanted to support a Muslim event, but we need to start expecting that they are organized like all events should be. Melanie from Haute Hijab wrote a great piece on the fallout from the IMFW scandal here that highlights just that. It is time for the Type A Muslims to come forward and start organizing Muslim events that are timely, affordable, and accessible to all with good intentions.

I will make a confession: I was tempted to attend just so I could meet some hijabi bloggers I truly admired and to get the word out about Hijabi Life. I may not be a glamorous hijabi blogger, but I wanted to ensure that my readership got the scoop on all things modest fashion. However, I am really selective about which events I attend and my OWN intentions. If I find it digresses and I am just feeding my nafs for “fame” in the modest fashion scene, I actually pull away. For example, I did MC for Fashion Fighting Famine SF because it was a good cause, but I didn’t want to use it as a means to promote myself. It was more to ensure we helped a local charity in the community. Since I had no such basis for IMFW, I personally did not want to attend it because it felt like I was digressing from my true intent of this blog which is to support my fellow Muslims sisters.

I really do hope for the best for all the ladies involved. Let’s all make dua and think of a better event that inshallah will take away the confusion, hurt, and hate this one may have caused. Perhaps we can have a redo of this event, but at a lower cost per ticket and also with a charity or cause we can all be proud of. OR we can just use this as more reason to BACK organizations like Fashion Fighting Famine who do modest fashion shows but are legitimate and help others. Let’s learn from this and truly come together as a community.

March 4, 2014Style

Hijabi Obsession: Haute Hijab’s Elizabeth Gown

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Haute Hijab CEO Melanie shines in the new Elizabeth gown.

Salaams my lovelies! I feel like it has been ages since I blogged about hijab fashion or hijab style trends. I recently wrote a post about my hijabi obsession with tulle skirts, and when I did, I emailed Melanie from Haute Hijab because I was curious when Haute Hijab would be offering up their own version of a tulle skirt. Melanie does have a tulle skirt in the works, but she made sure to excite us along the way with a new gown launch TODAY!

Melanie from Haute Hijab outdid herself and designed a killer gown made of tulle. Based on the color you select, the gown is lined with either lace and tulle, or polka dot tulle. With long sleeves, a gathered waistline, and a back button placket, the Elizabeth gown exudes an old world elegance and opulence that recalls a more a glamorous era. The gown comes in a cream/gold lace option, a plum lace, and a stunningly chic navy polka dot tulle version. I am personally in LOVE with the cream/gold lace gown and think it would make the perfect dress for a hijabi who wants to wear something for her engagement, nikkah, or even her wedding dress.

The design is also versatile because it allows you to wear your hijab with the dress in two ways thanks to the banded collar. The banded collar allows you to tuck your hijab in if you wish. Again perfect for any hijabi who wants to incorporate a romantic veil for a wedding!

Curvier hijabis will love this new gown from Haute Hijab because it is forgiving on the waistline. Thanks to the gathered skirt, it allows you to have more of a forgiving hourglass shape versus looking like you are wearing something too tight or something that looks more like a potato sack. That is always a plus for me! And since its Haute Hijab, you know that every dart, seam, and stitch is not going to budge. Haute Hijab pieces always last the longest in my closet.

My favorite part about the Elizabeth gown is the movement you get when you walk in it. Personally, when I walk with longer dresses, I end up dragging it underfoot and that is really not too elegant. However, with the Elizabeth gown, it sways and allows you to move with the grace befitting royalty. (I actually kept conjuring up images of Kate Middleton wearing the dress since we know she loves her dresses and she also loves polka dots!). Check the video below to see just how regal the dress is when you walk in it:

What do you think? Are you as obsessed as I am?

January 31, 2014Islam, Style

Follow Friday: Cover 33

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Maryam started Cover33 to provide hijabis an easy way to shop for stylish hijabs.

Salaams my lovelies! Jumah mubarak to you all. As you know, on Fridays, I typically do a Follow Friday post on a specific hijabi that I feel provides not only fashion inspiration, but also inspiration for other qualities such as spirituality, entrepreneurship, etc. I wanted to highlight the a Texan sisters’ company Cover33 whose name is inspired by Surah 33 (Al Ahzab) verse 59 which is the verse where women are encouraged to cover themselves and be modest. The Instagram handle @cover33 features these two sisters from Texas wearing scarves from their line and is always a pleasure to look at since not only do they dress modestly, but they combine colorful elements and provide loads of hijab fashion inspiration.

The main reason that these sisters’ online hijab store is part of my Follow Friday picks is not just because Maryam and Jaserah are beautiful, but I am personally inspired by their ability to see a need for women to buy hijabs online and turn it into a business that is not only growing, but thriving. I personally can’t wait to shop their site and let you know how my own customer experience goes! I am also inspired by their collaboration as sisters. Family bonds are important and I love how these sisters are working together to lift each other up just like my other favorite hijabi sister duo Heba and Farah Jalloul. They serve as examples that sisters need to support and love one another instead of tearing each other down by being competitive.

Make sure to follow @cover33 @mfasadullah and @jaserah for more hijab fashion inspiration! Maryam also has a lovely blog called Sincerely Maryam that you can read too! Check it all out and make sure to let me know what you think!