eShakti
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Click HERE to enlarge, because it definitely looks better bigger.

eShakti isn't a Muslim clothing website, though the name sounds like it, but it has a wide array of modest and gorgeous clothes. The pieces are about the most I want to spend on clothes, but I think in many cases, it's worth it. A great feature of this site is that you can send you sizes and preferences and have your piece custom cut. The clothes on the site have a very nature-y feel and most things are nature inspired. On the months when I have a little extra cash, a few pieces from eShakti are usually found in my mailbox. Here are some of my favorites:

Look #1-Aztec sunburst skirt
I was skeptical about this skirt until it was all put together, but now I'm in love with it! The colors are perfect for spring and you can do so many things with it. This outfit is super comfortable with a soft tank top and a light sweater. You could wear either a blue or an orange sheila with it or you can be gutsy and use both! Another great way to wear this would be to sport an orange undershirt with a denim jacket.
Aztec sunburst organic cotton skirt: $44.95, eShakti
Bomber sweater jacket: $59.50, Gap This is a little pricey(for lack of choices), but if you have a wheat colored cardigan you could easily substitute it in.
Tank top: Forever 21, $4.80 You definitely want to wear this tank much longer and looser.
Flat rope thong sandal: Speigel, $39.95 This is a bit much for some sandals (something I didn't notice until I had already placed my pictures) but you can get these or these at a much more reasonable price.
Sheilas: 2hijab, $5.90-$6.90

Look #2-Floral dress
This funky dress brings the season to life with its vivid pinks and blues. I love it because the flowy material fancies it up a bit. The dress is gorgeous, but could easily pushed over to the "no-no" side of the spectrum with too much color in the accompanying pieces. For this reason, I used a simple grey cardigan along with grey pumps and jeans to tone the outift down. The pink pashmina wraps (yes, pun, haha) the outfit up without overdoing it.
Large floral border babydoll: $59.95, eShakti
Sailor trouser jeans: $29.99, Gap
Kenneth Cole pumps: $29.99, Piperlime
Pink pashmina: $9.95, Peach Couture
I couldn't find a nice grey cardigan, but if you can't find grey either go with black or white.

Look #3-black and orange caftan
I quite enamored with this caftan. If you're very short, it might be a dress on you, but you can either get custom sizing or just embrace it being a dress. Though most of the embroidery on the neckline will be hidden by your sheila, some of it will show on the sides (your neck will be covered by your long-sleeved undershirt) and will match the beautiful and funky sheila I picked. I would probably wear an orange underscarf to ensure that the front of you head isn't visible through the see-through material. Plus, I just like sheilas with underscarves. Wear black pants for two reasons: the material is very flowy and will show your figure otherwise and the kaftan is only about lower-calf length. Top off the look with some lovely orange pumps and go on a glamourous outing!
Geo motifs embroidered caftan: $59.95, eShakti
Multicolor floral scarf: $21.99, Veiled by Design
Red Shimmer Stretch Headband: $3.99, Veiled by Design
Wide leg pants: $39.99, NY & Co.
Orange Pumps: $47.99, Shoebuy.com


So what do you think? Which is your favorite?

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posted by Ruqiyyah at 9:03 PM | 0 comments
Muslima Basics
Thursday, April 10, 2008

Salam

Firstly, thanks to all of you who have viewed the blog and especially to dvinelite89 for being our first commenter and to Hijrah. We love you both! Anonymous viewers, we would love your feedback, any criticism or suggestion is welcome.



For any muslima there are a few staple items that should be owned and worn regularly. I know I’ve basically worn out every single one of my basics. So here is just a list of the must haves for modest hijabis.



1) The long sleeve t-shirt: With so many great tops, many have plunging necklines and are short sleeved or not sleeved at all. The long sleeve t-shirt turns any cute top into a modest top. Warning: avoid heavy fabrics which will give you a bulky look. However, also avoid light fabrics which will be see through, a huge muslima don’t. Target, $6.29



2) Umtah/ Headbands: For the hijabi who has bangs that refuse to stay hidden, an umtah or a headband is the perfect solution. We use lacy headbands or the under piece of a two piece hijab for our umtahs. However, any headband will work miracles. If you are clever you can work it into your hijabi style. Ebay, $2.00



3) Wide leg pants and jeans: Alhamdullilah for this new trend! Wide leg is back. As a hijabi we want to avoid showing the shape of our legs too much. I tended to buy pants that were too large just so that they may be loose. Of course, you then have a waist problem. With the wide leg, you can buy pants in your size and be modest. JCPenny, $29.99



4) Denim long skirt: Denim is more casual than most fabrics in a long skirt which will give you a more day to day piece in your wardrobe. Avoid skirts with slits because we all know that is not modest. Orvis, $24.00



5) Abayah: Our little black dresses. For any occasion, the abayah just works. More plain styles are best for Friday prayer at the masjid. Meanwhile fancier beaded and embroidered abayah are best in gatherings. It is important to find the right length to avoid showing ankle. I like to wear jeans under mine but Ruqiyyah prefers leggings. Al Hannah, $46.99





JAK (Jakumallahu Khairan)

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posted by Ala at 11:09 PM | 1 comments
First entry
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Assalam Wa3laikum! Welcome to Muslima Moda!

We, Ruqiyyah and Ala, started this site up as an outlet for the interests and concerns of Muslimas everywhere. We are fashion fanatics who feel a deep and meaningful connection with our religion and we want to use this blog to reflect both aspects of our lives. We want to share our love of being muslimas, wearing hijab , and hijabi fashion.
"Hijabi fashion" may seem like a paradox but it is a growing fashion industry serving millions. We really wanted to start our first post here to talk about what hijab is to us.
Hijab is more than covering your head. It is a dress code set out for muslim women after they reach puberty. The dress code involves covering everything except for your hands, feet and face. In fact the permissibility of feet has even been controversial. However, for our purposes we believe it is not part of the hijab.
We know that the fashion industry wasn't made for the purposes of our modesty, but we know that we can make it work for us in often gorgeous ways that we hope to share with everyone!

In addition to fashion advice and discussion, we want to address problems and issues that face the hijabi of the 21st century.

We intend to put up at least one new post every week. Posts may be by one or both of us and they should be a ton of fun inshallah!
Just some background on us: We've been best friends for over ten years but we're complete opposites, so you should see a wide variety of fashions and feelings about spending and style between the two of us.

Please leave your feedback about what you would like to see on here and we'll be happy to use your ideas.

Jazakum Allahu Khairan!

















Ruqiyyah and Ala

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posted by Ruqiyyah at 12:37 AM | 2 comments