~Work Wear, Formal Wear, and Travel~

aSalaam uAlaikum My Stylish Sisters...

In my last post I expressed (more like whined) about the fact that I didn't know about Hijabi Fashion Week, so since that last post I looked into it and learned that all hope is not lost!  The Titanic is still afloat!  The fat lady didn't sing!!

In other words...it's not too late!

Sooooo...since I didn't have time (nor had the knowledge) to be able to throw together outfits for all six days that have happened thus far, I chose my favorite three categories.  Here's what I was able to compile in the past few hours.  Insh'Allah you like them.

(P.S.  The lighting is horrible.  The backdrop is terrible.  The photography is less than professional.  In short...the pictures may stink, but the outfits are amazing.  And really...isn't that what counts?)

Work Wear

Crisp black menswear-inspired tuxedo shirt by I.N.C. available at Macy's.  White linen slacks by Ann Taylor.  Pinstripe white scarf by ummmm...no clue (sorry!)

Watch by Guess.  My own wedding ring and cocktail ring (both bought in Jordan by my in-laws) and a simple, pearl hijab pin.

My version of a briefcase, by House Of Derion (available at Macy's), along with some simple black pumps by Sheikh Shoes.

Formal Wear

This brilliant blue caftan with gold embroidery, and finished with beads and gemstone detailing around the neck and sleeves is from Soft Surroundings.

This necklace was a gift from my mother in law from Jordan.  The large cocktail ring is from http://www.gomodest.com/, and the other ring is another of my wedding rings (also from Jordan).

Shoes by Gianni Bini, handbag is from Newport News catalogue.

With such an intricate caftan, and fancy accessories I would keep the scarf relatively simple.  Like this off white one with gold sequin curls.

And now I have caught up with today's look................................

Day 6-Travel

Psychedelic peacock sundress is by Emma & Michele, jersey military inspired jacket is by Glimmer (available at Macy's) and pale turquoise pashmina was given to me as a gift.

Gold gladiators by Sam Edelman (available at Nordstrom), and brown sunglasses by Ralph Lauren.

Juicy Couture charm bracelet with salted pretzel charm, and royal purple hijab pin by Love Nyla (http://www.lovenyla.com/)

So, there you have it.  I'm always late to everything, so it figures I was late posting for HFW too, but alhamdulillah I'm able to squeeze in the last couple of days.

Now it's back to the closet to figure out what I'll post for tomorrow's category.  Hmmmmm.......

Ma'Salaama and Wish Me Luck!

Fashionably Yours,
The (wow! this is more than I've posted in a long time!) Mujahada in Prada

~Hijabi Fashion Week~

aSalaam uAlaikum My Stylish Sisters!

Ok....I must admit I'm a little hurt.  Why didn't anyone tell me about Hijabi Fashion Week?  I feel like I'm a nice person to be around.  Maybe not exactly the life of the party, but pleasant enough...and I can make some KILLER mocktails and appetizers, so what's the deal?  Why didn't I receive an invite to the party??

I keep browsing all of these other amazing Muslimah's fashion blogs and see one after another showing off their to-die-for ensembles, and I get a little tinge of disappointment that I wasn't sent a Save the Date for the occasion!

Soooo....that being said, I've decided to do my own!  Only I'll call it The Mujahada in Prada's Fashion Week.  (what else?? LOL)  Now, the only issue is this:  I'm not sure how to do the pictures.  I don't feel comfortable posting pictures of myself for all the blogosphere to see.  Not that I'm so especially smashing that I feel like I'll cause pangs of jealousy or anything, I am just a bit camera shy, particularly because I just had a baby not so long ago.  Let's just say I won't be bikini-ready anytime soon.  (Not that I wear bikinis anyways, but you get the point)

So I was thinking I could do the snapshots one of two ways:  Collages using Polyvore or something of that nature   OR   wearing niqab like I did for the photo up at the top of my blog.  Hmmmm....the jury is still out on that one, but I will definitely keep you lovely ladies informed.

Alhamdulillah this past week has been great.  I am still constantly struggling with the fact that I can't keep my house nearly as neat and tidy with two kids, as I did with one kid.  I guess I never realized how many hours a day I put into scrubbing the kitchen or vaccuming the floor, until I was too busy with a baby to do it anymore.  Some days I'm fine with the mess, but other days it literally causes my head to spin when looking around at my living room.  Just something to keep in mind for those sisters who are thinking of having kids, and don't have the funds to hire help.

My handsome hubby surprised me with an absolutely gorgeous diamond ring I've been lusting over for a while now.  The only problem is, when it was delivered a couple of the diamonds don't look right, so now I have to take it into the local store and see if they will exchange it for me.  *sob* How totally disappointing after waiting for weeks for it to arrive.  Ah well, insh'Allah khair.

Anyways, enough random-ness for one post.  I didn't really have anything too earth-shattering to share with you this week, but I wanted to pop in quickly for a quick cuppa and let you know what's going on in my world.

Oh...and one more thing.  I have decided to make a serious attempt to start eating better.  I've been reading a lot about how important it is to get lots and lots of antioxidants in order to try to stave cancer and other scariness.  Also, I am tired of still wearing my maternity jeans and am totally anxious to squeeze into my Sevens again.  Alhamdulillah the hubby has decided to participate in Operation Eat Healthy, which will make it much easier to stick to, so insh'Allah this weekend we will make a major grocery mission and get started with the healthy living.

Anyways, insh'Allah you all enjoy your weekends.  Do keep in touch, sometimes I feel as though I'm talking to myself in here! I love to get your comments, whether positive, negative, neutral, un-related, random ranting, or incoherent rambling.  :)

Ma'Salaama and Happy Hijabi Fashion Week! (hey, better late than never, right?)

The (I'm always fashionably late to everything anyway) Mujahada in Prada

~Five Years Ago...~

aSalaam uAlaikum My Stylish Sisters...

Subhan'Allah how time flies!  It is hard for me to believe that it has been five years since I took my Shahada and became a follower of Islam....one who submits to Allah swt alone...a Muslim.  Alhamdulillah.

It has also been five years since I married my best friend, the father of my children, the one who I have been through the best of times with, as well as the worst.

Some days it feels as though I've been Muslim my entire life.  It's hard for me to remember the "old" me...the one before the scarf, before my beautiful kids, before my handsome husband.  The one with fewer pounds, no wrinkles, and no bags under my eyes.  She may have been skinnier back then, and much less sleep-deprived, but she was also less patient, less understanding, and less kind.

It took me a while to decide how to celebrate this anniversary with my handsome hubby.  We are not normally in the habit of celebrating anniversaries, but I felt like five years was a pretty significant number and deserved being recognized.  After convincing him to let me do the planning this year (and telling him that the ten year anniversary was his responsibility) I decided that instead of going out to a fancy restaurant, where we might be disappointed by the food, frustrated by the service, or have a heart attack when we saw the bill, I would set a romantic, formal dinner at home.

I often cook for my husband (of course) so I wanted this dinner to be very special, and decided to do a full, four course meal.  I chose to serve appetizers of bruschetta with ceasar salad, followed by french onion soup.  The main course was an herb marinated french lamb rack, with portabella mushroom risotto.  To finish the meal I bought (yes, I cheated) a personal berry cheesecake for the hubster, and a caramel chocolate mousse for myself.

For the table I chose to do an off-white tablecloth, with a black tablerunner, and black cloth napkins.  I went online and learned how to fold the cloth napkins into "crowns", and completed the table dressings with nice wine glasses (minus the wine of course), and a white candle surrounded by red rose petals inside a vase for the centerpiece.  By bargain shopping all of these pieces ended up being a grand total of $26.00.  Here is the finished look (although my husband had already moved a couple of things around so it's not quite as perfect as it was initially).

I set the table on our balcony so we would be around all of our plants, and bought some little solar-powered lights at Target to add a romantic touch.  He was totally impressed with all of the effort I put into the table, and loved the delicious dinner.  Here's a look at what I cooked:

The lamb was a recipe I got from Bon Appetit magazine, and the risotto I found online on food.com.  I garnished the dinner with a few slices of marinated portabella mushrooms, and a sprig of rosemary.  I must say, it turned out to be very tasty alhamdulillah.

Of course I wanted to dress up to look my best for my hubster, and it's rare that I'm able to get dressed without worrying about what scarf to wear, or how to layer my look appropriately, to look beautiful for my hubby, yet suitably modest for others.  It was nice to be able to wear what I wanted without worrying about being covered, so I chose to wear a simple, flowing, turquoise dress I bought at Macy's a few weeks ago.  I paired it with sky high black stilettos, and this beautiful necklace from shopthesouq.com.

When I received the necklace in the mail, I was a bit disapointed because the color of the necklace I received was much lighter than what was pictured.  If I had more time to exchange it I probably would have, but in the end I'm glad I didn't because the lighter color ended up matching my dress perfectly mash'Allah.  The necklace was such a great price, and it came with a matching pair of earrings- smaller versions of the feather that hang nicely from the ear.  This website has some truly beautiful accessories, as well as stylish hijab ranging from square hijab, to pashmina, to designer prints, at great prices.  I will definitely keep an eye on their site for future goodies.

Thanks to the lavish linens I found at unbelievably great prices, the delicious dinner I was able to cook on a tight budget, and the shimmering accessories I got to complete my outfit, the night was a total success.  The hubby was pleasantly surprised, and totally impressed by all the thought and planning I'd put into it.

It was a wonderful way to celebrate an anniversary that is so important to me for so many reasons.  Alhamdulillah.  Here's to many more anniversaries ahead, insh'Allah.

Ma'Salaama and Happy Anniversaries!

Fashionably Yours,
The (Muslim Martha Stewart!) Mujahada in Prada