Hijabs Hijabs & more Hijabs

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Nothing thrills me more than when I am stopped by someone and asked ‘how have you tied your Hijab’, I have all the time in the world for a demonstration, even if it involves me finding the nearest toilet to do a ‘show & tell’ 
I must admit back at University I always styled my Hijab out in black and tied in the same fashion, this was one of my biggest regrets ever. I guess coming from a ‘non Muslim’ town, I always just wanted to blend in and it took me longer than I hoped to embrace the scarf and to begin experimenting.

One other thing I am a strong believer of is that it takes a VERY confident girl to wear a Hijab. It is actually a life changing transition and I will not lie, it can be hard.

Over the past couple of years, my Hijab drawer has literally started to overflow; my favourite hot spots must be H&M and Primark. Primark especially have impressed me so much with their range this summer. For only £4 too, the colours and designs have been a delight (the one I’ am wearing now is still in store). I often also stop at any market stalls if they have scarves; I am strong believer that you can’t have too many Hijabs.
I think it’s the scarf that actually pulls an outfit together :)

Forever 21 in London

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Anyone who knows me knows how much i love and how often I visit America – but, surprisingly, one thing I am not too hot on (aside from their politics) is their shopping. It’s great for cheaper designer shopping and outlets, but if you are a high-street shopper, it’s nothing compared to London. There’s no Topshop equivalent (except the overpriced one in New York), no River Island, Primark or Miss Selfridge and their Zara never seems to quite compare our European version. However, my one American mall staple is Forever 21. It’s unbelievably cheap, similar-ish to New Look. I always come back with goodies – so you can imagine my excitement when Forever 21 opened on it's first London store on Oxford Street (dangerous, since I work 10 mins away and get an hour and a half lunch break!)

Here’s a few gems I’ve bought recently. The first two pics are from the Times Square Forever 21 last month, and the other two are from the London store I bought this week. I was a little unimpressed by the London one, but I hope the lines they stock will adapt over time. I love the stripe cardigan, it's very loose fit but still falls really well, and great to throw on over a T-shirt. The other jumper is so comfortable and loose and long enough to cover your butt, so works well for hijab.. I wore it to work today and had a few compliments! From the London store, the blue cable knit cardigan is beautiful – I love the colour and it's perfect for autumn coming up. And the jewellery is to die for. I have an issue with small wrists but these are stretchy and fit snugly (all for less than £20 in total!). I’m sure with time there’ll be more bargains I find in F21!

My thoughts on clothes

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Ok, so here’s a typical shopping scenario for me. I run into a shop, if I find a top that looks decent and fits well, I end up buying all the colours on the rack and a couple of ‘extra’ blacks.
I am very conscious person when it comes to clothes and I am not a fan of fitted clothes. I like garments that fall nicely and compliment the shape. I’m often drilled by friends for buying clothes sizes bigger than what I am, I mean that’s only because I’m more comfortable! Sometimes I find myself enjoying a rail of clothes only to realise I’m actually stood in the maternity section! (Awkward!)

My personal golden rules to clothes;

> ‘The Booty’ needs to be covered – although I do wonder if I had a ‘JLO’ would my thoughts differ.
> ‘The Puppies’ – these bad boys do not need to be suffocated and displayed in all their glory! Loose garments ideal.
> ‘The Pins’ – I must admit I do love my legs, however I avoid leggings and super super skinnies!

When I am picking an outfit, before style, it is all about comfort and being as discreet as possible. Remember ladies It shouldn't have to be super tight to look hot.

and a hello from me...

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After Nooreen’s great Intro, I just thought I would say a quick hello from me.

First of all I would like to introduce myself, who am I? What I am about and why I am starting a blog with Noreen.

The big idea, as in the dream for me personally is to one day be able to walk into a high street shop and be able to buy any item of clothing without worrying ‘is it too tight?’ ‘Do I look slutty’? ‘Will it pass the parents test?’

My name is Nadyah, I’m 20’ something (the something is really not relevant), and I work full time at a Media Agency. My office is nothing like ‘The Devil Wears Prada’; in fact at work I think I represent all the Ugly Betty’s out there!

Fashion to me has never been a big priority in my life, in fact I hate shopping. Nothing kills me more than to be dragged into Primark at lunch; the thought right now can actually break me out into a cold sweat. You’re probably thinking why am I involved in writing a fashion blog? Well, the reason I hate shopping is because ‘I can never find anything appropriate to wear!’ I do however find hidden gems, which I would like to share with all.

Throughout our blog, I am going to take you through the life of a British born Hijabi, working full time in the city and having a somewhat ‘ok’ social life; here you will be able to see what I am about and who I am.... I am going to be as transparent as possible.

Please note also, I don’t claim to be perfect, I’m far from the ideal Islamic dressed woman, my focus is to concentrate on the whole concept of a ‘Hijab’ - being moderately dressed.

Before The Only Way is Hijab...

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OK before we get too heavy into the fashion stuff, let me kick off with the story of how me and Nadyah met and became buddies! We actually met quite recently in Miami after a mutual friend (my cousin) told us we were both going to be there at the same time. I'm a big believer in taking chances and opportunities, and I have made some of my best friends through the most unexpected places in my life, so I knew I had nothing to lose by meeting up with a 'random girl' on holiday.

We ended up both loving and learning from each other, but our first day together was almost disastrous! We were road tripping for the day, so we met up and headed to the airport to pick up our rental with two other friends. The booking was under my name and I had left my credit card in the hotel, and they wouldn't let us take it without :/ I didn't realise we needed this, I’ve never rented a car so this was all new to me! Normally in these situations I’m fairly patient, but I felt I was wasting my time, so I was really mad. Nads on the other hand was so calm and somehow kept smiling. Anway the guy working at the rental counter felt sorry for us so we told him while we go back to the hotel, he can save us a blood red Ford Mustang. Stressing it HAD to be blood red - accessories are important ;)

40-odd minutes later, we returned to claim our blood red beauty. ‘Sorry…I forgot,’ the dude said, as he told us they only had one grey Mustang left. Grey???? We tried to play it cool: ‘Grey’s so much classier anyway….’, I said, through gritted teeth.. We had accepted our fate. But everything happens for a reason! Luckily for us, the keys for the Mustang couldn’t be found and it was the last one, so we had no option but to upgrade to a bright yellow convertible Chevy Camaro. So pretty! We even had tourists taking pictures of the car! And we had a great 4 hour drive down to the Florida Keys and Key West (beautiful, old American/Cuban influenced town).

The ride home was very interesting - although both born Muslims, we've had very different journeys and understandings of Islam. Along with our two other friends in the car - one other Muslim, and one non-Muslim - we swapped stories, inspiration and advice that we all learned something from. Honestly, Nadyah has more humility than almost anybody I know and is genuinely one of the sweetest girls I have ever met. I know being around her I will learn so much from her!!

Oh.. we also got 2 parking fines that night. Apparently in America you can't park facing the opposite way to the traffic???!! Americans would not be able to handle British roads lol.

Our car! Camaro

Saying hello!

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Welcome to our first blog post!! This is a joint project from both myself and Nadyah.. Our blog name is a little tongue-in-cheek, but we're just two friends who live in two different cities but share a common view that 'image' doesn't have to reflect what you see on TV and on shows such as The Only Way Is Essex. Simply put, fashion and style doesn't have to be the anti-Christ of modesty. Over time we'll be giving you our best in-store finds as well as our on-the-ground views on all things hijab, modesty, fashion, style and women. As a disclaimer, our views are not necessarily representative of Islam, and may God forgive us for anything we may say that is incorrect. We hope you enjoy!!
Noz xx