Mecca Stars

Look at that POP of COLOR in her outfit! Gorgeous!

Trend: High Waisted Trousers

Mary Kate is always dressed in everything oversized - bags, jackets, sunglasses and now, even trousers. So if you don't find your size in the store, then it's okay to go a extra size or two inches higher!

More ways to wear high waisted trousers:

Trend: Adding a few "touches"..

For those days that you want to look just a little more special - or maybe you're just sick of wearing skirts all the time: instead of wearing a skirt, wear a navy dress. Cover up the top (usually the most formal part of the dress) with a blazer that you like.


A play on grey..

Do It Yourself projects: you can use your mother's old scarves and just put it under the sewing machine...make something different. Top it off with a vest or a cropped blazer.

Trend: Solutions to the "Jeans" problem..

Above are photos of some celebrities rocking the cut.



Just like straight leg, boot cut, skinny, wide leg, etc... the boyfriend trouser is just another cut - another hijabi friendly cut that is!


...the looseness actually worked - just like this boyfriend trouser.

Alexis Mabille : Covered Couture

French designer Alexis Mabille presented these outfits as part of his Spring 2009 Couture collection. Elegant and refined, he uses velvet for evening gowns and full-length coats over trousers. He also adds a pop of colour to these neutral outfits with contrasting shoes...quite popular for hijabi evening wear in several countries including Lebanon; that of wearing a plain long sleeved top underneath an evening gown. This has never been a favourite style of mine - I find it looks a bit tacky and often unflattering on most people. But do you think Alexis Mabille pulled it off in his collection?

Valentino: Covered Couture

Valentino's couture collection for Spring 2009 had many hints of Islamic style to it... the knee length embellished coat which would look perfect over wide leg trousers or a satin skirt. Next comes a gorgeous full length brown dress, complete with flowing sleeves for an almost-abaya look. A little tweaking and they'd be perfect for hijab! This is a style that is quite popular in the Middle East, as shown by designers such as Awatif Al Hai - and looks like they've now inspired mainstream fashion:

Style Spotlight: Ruffled Skirt

The Spring 2009 collections are bursting with hijab-friendly outfits and ideas. First up is Chanel; with the full length skirts with the delicate ruffled tiers and girly prints. They also incorporate boleros; which are a great cover up for arms when the sleeves are long enough:

If you're liking this look, Mango has a beautiful lilac skirt in right now. The key is to keep the rest of the outfit relatively simple. I've chosen to add a loose silver top and handbag. This open-front cardigan gives a similar bolero effect to the Chanel looks above, but still offers coverage at the back. A delicate lilac hijab, simple mules and a flower ring finish off this feminine outfit - perfect for an outdoor party or wedding:

Muslimah "Malay" Style.. (3)

My name is Rushdina, I'm 27 years old and from Malaysia. I am an architect, but also do some modelling part time.

My Style
As an architect, I'm under a lot of time constraints. So I need to wear something simple, yet elegant! I will always go with trousers, even if I am wearing a short dress. This kind of outfit will always allow me to move quickly and easily at work.

Out of office hours and during weekends, I usually choose to wear a white shirt and jeans, which I'll match with my sport shoes or wedges. I would love to wear high heels, and I have no choice in wearing 5" high heels during runway shows. But believe me, heels will sometimes kill you and are terrible for your body posture. So, wedges are the best for me!

As for accessories...this is the best part! (Do handbags count?) I love to match my handbag to my outfit, and I love to wear necklaces and bangles too.

For my career as an architect, black will always be elegant. But I'd rather choose warmer colours for myself because they suit my skin tone. Remember - do not be afraid of wearing colour, but learn to choose the right color for your skin tone.

To be honest: I love to collect all the outfits into my e-wardrobe folder.

Top Tips
As for me, there are two things:

1- Don't be afraid to mix and match
2- Don't be afraid of colour, but learn how to manipulate it

Style yourself and prove yourself; even Muslimahs dare to be styled!

Muslimah "Malay" Style.. (2)

I'm 30 years old and I’m a secretary from Malaysia.

My Style
I design most of my tunics myself, but that's design only, not sewing - I've yet to learn that insyallah!

I love to wear simple, chic and casual outfits; they have to be practical for my daily routine – at the office and with my family. Well, you can understand how hard it is to control your look when you have a 2 year toddler with you! But I always try to look my best at all times.

All tunics in these photos are designed by me, using a printed cotton material which I bought in several fabric boutiques in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Whenever I come across a nice beautiful and colorful fabric, I won't think twice... I'll just grab it! Most of it is in pink, since that is my favourite colour. I usually match my tunics with my favourite blue jeans, or colored linen or Lycra slacks, depending on the occasion.

The bottom left picture is me with my new found favourite dress. It’s a summer dress made from lycra material, which I bought online at lovelylolitas.com. I wear it with a long sleeve cotton t-shirt in black. For hijab, I love to wear the ‘easy to wear hijabs’ which I bought in several boutiques in Kuala Lumpur, and some of them are from my own collection which I sell at my own business blog – YusVogue Collections.

And of course, other than my favourite Neverfull Damier MM handbag, and black wedges as the accessories, I also wear it with my pride and joy son – Mikhael Affendi.

Top Tip
My number 1 tip is to be confident in whatever you do and wear of course! Because if you are confident, whatever you wear will look good on you, at all times.

Muslimah "Malay" Style.. (1)

I'm Nurfarahin, a 21 year old girl from Malaysia studying for a Bachelor of Nursing at university.

My Style
For Malays, we wear our traditional costume (baju kurung, baju kebaya) which is suitable for wearing with hijab. I love to wear it with a shawl, heels and a small hand bag if going to any special occasions.

When I'm going to class I usually wear simple, comfortable clothes. I'll try to add bangles or bracelets to make the look more funky and trendy. Sometimes, I like to look a little more retro, so I'll wear a blouse or t-shirt with a polka dot shawl and white glasses.

Even though I love orange, I try not wear only that colour. I'll try to mix it with other colours so that it won't look too bright!

For me, you don't have to be another person or try to be someone else. You have to be confident with yourself, and up-to-date with the latest fashion nowadays, as long as it will not change your faith in Islam.

I hope that I can be an inspiration for all Muslimahs insyallah.

Top Tips
Be brave when trying new styles; don't be afraid to use bright colours like orange and yellow, just combine them with other complimentary colours!

Style Spotlight: Kaftans

There was no shortage this season of long, flowing kaftans on the runways. From simple bolts of bright blue silk at Gucci, to vivid prints and embellishments at Naeem Khan; designers have proven the sheer variety of styles that can be achieved within a simple garment:

Badgley Mischka

Gucci
Resort Style

Oscar de la Renta and Michael Kors

Naeem Khan and Chado Ralph Rucci

More Ways To Wear A Maxi

If you need any more ideas of how to hijabify that maxi dress, the runways provide plenty of inspiration. Try experimenting with light parkas or cropped jackets like those seen at Akris and Y & Kei. Or try teaming structured blazers with dresses that have full skirts like those at Carolina Herrera.

Alternatively, a long, soft cardigan is a wardrobe staple and can be used to provide coverage even with maxis. Which style do you prefer?

Jackets

Cardigans

Holy Designer.... Taqwa Iman

After receiving an email from buddies... she inviting me to check out Taqwa Iman website revamped spring/summer collection and all I could say was "wow"!!

The following look is my favorite from the site. The skirt is really nice, and think of all the possibilities; heels and silky hijab for a formal evening, sandals and a white cardigan for the daytime, a long black cardigan to dress it down but keep it classy..







Check out more outfits at http://www.taqwaiman.com/

Designer: Zareena Yousif

Zareena Yousif is a designer based in the UAE who creates beautiful evening gowns and jalabiyas. She opened her store Fasateen in Dubai in 1995 and has since become one of the most popular designers in the Gulf. Her dresses are intricately embroidered and are a real work of art.

She manages to combine traditional handiwork with modern silhouettes to produce really unique garments.

"I love my embroidery techniques to be very ethnic, so I take them from different cultures and countries. I use badla (silver and gold threads) studs. I use very ethnic types of material when I do a motif on a piece. It can be very difficult to balance it with the chiffon I use, because the embroidery is heavy. It takes a very long time to do."




These are a few screen shots of her beautiful designs from her website http://zareena.ae/

Dubai Fashion Feista

The Dubai Fashion Fiesta took place on 19th - 22nd of June 2009. This year's edition featured several abaya designers.