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10/8/08

The Hijabi Closet

As I said in my first post, I am a new hijabi. This means that my closet is filled with Hijabi unappropriate clothes. I guess the reality sunk in the day I gave most of my tops, dresses and mini skirts to my sister who was more than happy for the gift. That day, I felt happy but I was also scared. I wasn't just giving away my clothes, I was giving away the old me. I was giving away the life that I knew best. I was giving away the clothes I used to love. Those clothes were my personality, they were how I wanted the world to see me: feminine & sexy( at least what I thought). I felt lost. For the first time in my life, I did not know what to wear. When I was getting dressed, either my pants were too tight, my top a bit short or showing too much cleavage. There was a sense of urgency for me to go and buy clothing that was more appropriate to my new lifestyle.

I then went to the mall over and over again looking for modest clothing just to find out that mainstreet stores did not cater to me. I went to my favorite stores to realize that nothing was there for me. When I got lucky, I was able to find one top here and there but nothing fancy. The tops did not have any style, cut or color. They were big black old woman clothes! The first top I was able to buy was actually from the maternity section of Old Navy and the brand was 'maternity' and mind you I'm not even pregnant. Go figure, that was the only section that had modest clothing! Anyhow, I've been having issues ever since to find modest clothing. If any hijabis out there have any tips on where to shop for long tops or skirts, please let me know. I was able to find some at Loehman' s and Forever21. I also bought some things online today at Newport News. They have a great sale going on, skirts& tops that hijabis could wear! Check it out.

These are the ones I got:


Only $9.99(used to be $42) - Beat that!!! They have different colors


Only $29.99 (used to be $64) I've been looking for a long skirt for work for like forever.


$8.99 ( used to be $29)- For the record, I've never owned purple shoes, or anything purple for that matter. Just so happened that I bought this black & purple dress yesterday and I thought I'd get these shoes to see how they will look with the dress. $8.99 is a small investment to try purple shoes. I beg to differ lol.

The ones I would recommend:


$34.99 (used to be $64) I wanted to get this skirt so bad but it's only available in Petite i-e 36 inches. I was a bit scared that It'd be one or 2 inches shorter than ankle-lenght.


Love the color!!!! for $24.999


$21.99 for the skirt.


$10.99 for this blouse. Wooww!!

These & many more at

15 comments:

Yayemarie said...

check Muslim Girl Magazine on line
they have wonderful style ideas

Hijabee said...

yayemarie, I've been a subscriber of Muslim Girl Magazine for the past year & Im still waiting on their new edition ;)

muslimahh said...

Forever 21 is where I get a lot of my stuff but I guess you already found that one! You really just have to get creative. I find good stuff at Gap, JC Penny, Banana Republic has great wide leg jeans. Old Navy has a lot of cardigans and stuff. Some times even Target is a good place. I've really learned to take what I get! I think I'm going to post on this today inshallah...

Yayemarie said...

ok cool regarde ce site dune autre jeune femme black Muslimah from america, je lai trouver sympa:)
http://al-jameela.blogspot.com/
bisous
yaye

Hijabee said...

Muslimahh,
That'd be great. I guess I've got to be patient coz it takes time to rebuild a closet lol. I'm looking forward to your post inshallah.

yayemarie,
thanks for the link. I will check it out. Bisoux!

xey said...

Girl, I think we all need a post-Ramadhan vacation... :) Anyway, it is hard finding hijab-appropriate and fashionable clothing. Have you seen the blog: http://hijabstyle.blogspot.com/ ? It's great..

Anonymous said...

assalamulaykum
jazakallah for becoming a follower of my blog i LOVE yours its awsome!!!!!!

Adventurous Ammena said...

so you mentioned old navy.. I get the majority of my stuff from there.. I just buy dresses, then team them with a pair of trousers and a long sleeved shirt or cardigan :D insha'allah it gets easier. Ive heard forever21 is really good for stuff masha'allah. Thanks for visiting my blogs :D

Anonymous said...

I had the same problem! I am still trying to add back so i have a decent number of clothes left! i seriously kept some of the more questionable clothes because i had nothing realy that was appropriate! Some really cute ideas is find those really really short one piece dresses, pair that with jeans and a long sleave shirt and you have a new top! Wet Seal, JcPenny's, even Sears and dont laugh, but walmart all have good stuff. I found that a nice long dress skirt and a silky longsleave button down shirt look really professional looking when you need work clothes. I live where it is pretty cold during winter and one thing i noticed other hijabees wearing in winter is just jeans and a trench coat or a duster! it is great because you dont really see what is underneath, so you wear more relaxed clothes, you can be seen in public multiple days in a row in the same coat, your ready if it rains, and the best part, i found that they really arent that hot so you could wear it inside to class and stuff too!

Anonymous said...

oh, and you cant forget hoodies! I live in a college town, so hoodies are everywhere! buy it a little big and it goes low enough and is big enough to not hug your body so tight. they are wonderful to, because they go with anything really.

Oh, i have found some cute things in Hot topic too. a strange place for a girly girl like me, but they have adorable longsleave shirts sometimes.

Body Central and Normstrums have some cute shirts that if you pair them with long sleaves underneath, they look great with skirts.

Also, the Boho skirts that used to be popular about 2 years ago are wonderful, i find them all the time at goodwill and at a local store here that sells hippie stuff.

that is my one advice for building back up, shop goodwill and any other discount store you can, and invest in longsleeve shirts. i like my long sleaveshirts to actually be tight against my body except on my arms, that way i can put any shirt over it and it will fit and feel comfortable.

have fun!

Hijabee said...

xeila,
you're right! I need a vacation :) Thanks for the hint, I will check the blog.

muneera,
jazakallah for following mine as well. I'm looking forward to reading you more.

adventurous ammeenna,
Buying dresses is smart. See before wearing the hijab I wasn't really a dress type of girl but now I see myself eying maxi dresses! I actually bought one of those at Loehman's the other day.A long dress that Im planning to wear with a jacket! Love it!

The prince's girl
Thank you for commenting! I'm so having the same issues that you just pointed out. Because I did not have anything else than the tight fitting clothes, I had to be creative and find a way to wear them modestly! I find the idea of a dress+pants awesome. I'm a pants type of girl, always in jeans or regular dress pants for work. Dresses look good with a hijab and are easier to find than long-sleeves long dress shirts. Dusters are also a good idea.I bought one from Al Farah and I love it.

Amina said...

Hello there...
i tried to think who it might be but I have no idea...mind emailing me?
Great blog by the way...
I see people have already given you great advices :)

Alysha King said...

Salaams, I so understand, luv! When I became Muslim, I had to haul something like 80% of my wardrobe. My sisters had a field day. I'm still building up my wardrobe (3years on, mind you) and it's so hard to find hijabi friendly clothing. Especially in australia where it's all about bikinis and minis. Wish I could give you some suggestions on where to shop but even I don't have an idea for over here!! Good luck!!

My life my story said...

I have a tip for you... shukronline.com
they have great islamic clothing

Hijabee said...

salimah,
I totally feel you. I guess you have to be patient and just rebuild your closet slowly.

cecilia,
thanks for the tip. I visited their website ;)