~Hijabi Fashions...I've got something for you!~

aSalaam uAlaikum and Good Evening My Stylish Sisters!

Insh'Allah you all enjoyed yesterday's post about Prada, and the partnership that has made it so successful throughout the years.  I always enjoy learning about the "behind the scenes" happenings of my favorite fashions.

And speaking of fashions, I just got some beautiful new merchandise in from Jordan and I decided I wanted to show it to my fabulous followers before sharing it with anyone else.  All of these items are brand new, straight from some of the hottest boutiques in Amman.  A couple of the scarves were very tempting to keep, but luckily for all of you, I have nooooo room for any more hijabs at the moment, so get 'em before I change my mind!!  :)

I'll give a little description under each picture, along with a price.  All payments can be made through my 100% secure PayPal account, so if you see anything you can't live without, please leave me a comment or send me a message through Google connect and I will get back to you immediately with payment information insh'Allah!

Ma'Salaama and Happy Browsing!

Fashionably Yours,
The (Scarf Obsessed) Mujahada in Prada

Cell Phone Charms

Adorable filigree cell phone charms with crystal accents.  The two on the right are circular charms, with a crystal accent inside the circle.  Available colors as shown.

(Gift boxes available for $1.00 each)

$3.50 each

2 for $6.00

Close up of the flower detailing on the circular charms.

Mesbeha

(Prayer Beads)

Gorgeous crystal Mesbeha (prayer beads).  Available (from left) in Clear Crystal, Dark Grey, Light Brown, Red, Green, Lavender, Sky Blue, Golden Yellow, and Light Pink.  You will not find Mesbeha like this anywhere in America, they are truly beautiful enough to carry with you or to hang up as decoration.  They measure 10" from top loop to the bottom of the dangle.

$7.99 each

2 for $15.00

(These come individually bagged, and make wonderful presents! Gift boxes available for $1.00 each)

Close up of the Dark Grey, and Light Pink Mesbeha to show chain and crystal details.

Tube Style Underscarves

Stretchy, thick, and the perfect size to wear under your favorite scarves, these underscarves are great to keep your hair secure under your scarf, or to add a flash of color to your look.  Available in Lime (above), Light Lavender, Bright Coral, Turquoise, Vanilla, and Classic Red.

$4.00 each

3 for $10.00

Prayer Outfits

Two piece prayer outfits, with top khimar piece, and long skirt.  The top has a pretty, decorative trim, and the skirt has an elastic waist to allow this set to fit any size up to US size 14.  Available in three prints: Navy with Baby's Breath, Navy with Roses, and Brown Cotton Flower.  100% cotton, and machine washable.

$19.99 per set

Navy Roses

Brown Cotton Flower

Navy Baby's Breath

Fashion Hijabs

Yes, I saved the best for last.  All of these scarves are high quality, fashion prints straight from Jordan, and all measurements and prices are listed after each picture. Enjoy!

Mod Leaf

 Classy modern leaf design with polka dots.

White with Black Print

21" x 58" / 100% Silk

$17.99

Sophisticated Stripes

Olive green scarf with contrasting turquoise, burgundy, yellow, and pale green stripes.

Color as shown.

20" x 66" / Cotton-Poly

$10.99

Glam Gold

Beautiful, shimmery scarf with a modern flower print.

Gold with Brown Flowers

19" x 66" / 100% Silk

$17.99

Abstract Spring

This vibrant scarf is splashed with fabulous abstract flowers.

Color as shown

20" x 62"/ 100% Silk

$15.99

Glittering Grey

This gorgeous grey and green scarf is extra stretchy, which is great if you want to experiment with different ways of wrapping it.  Lined along one edge with tiny crystals (as shown) it can be worn casually, or for a special ocassion.

Color as shown

19" x 62" / 100% Polyester

$11.99

Tic Tac Toe

My favorite of the group, this fabulous scarf has prints ranging from polka dots, to checkerboard, to floral.  A beautiful combination of white, black, turquoise and purple.

21" x 58" / 100% Silk

$17.99

Spots and Stripes

A classic combination of stripes and spots, this scarf looks great with jeans or an abaya.

White, Navy, and Red

20" x 60" / 100% Silk

$15.99

Dazzling Dots

Oversized dots and a simple border make this a classy and chic scarf.

Color as shown

20" x 58" / 100% Polyester

$12.99

Op Art

Funky and fun, these Op Art scarves are bold, but classy.

Black and Lt. Grey / Turquoise and Cobalt

20" x 58" / 100% Cotton

$10.99

~The Devil Not Only Wears Prada...He Owns It~

aSalaam uAlaikum and Good Morning My Stylish Sisters!

Patrizio Bertelli, the husband and business partner of Miuccia Prada is well known to be difficult, hot tempered, and explosive (to put it mildly)  On one ocassion he smashed a mirror in a new Miu Miu store that was being finished in Manhattan because he was unhappy with its decor.  On another, he enjoyed breaking the taillights of several cars that were parked in the wrong spaces of Prada's parking lot.

He is not all temper tantrums and public destruction, though.  He is one half of the mastermind behind the world-renowned and highly respected fashion house Prada.  As creative and traditional as Miuccia is, he is entrepreneurial and business-minded.  As Miuccia herself puts it, "He's far more of a provocateur than I am.  With him, you're always questioning yourself.  He and I have a little rule of three.  If he says something more than three times, then I need to think about it.  Sometimes I don't want to listen, but I do."

Prada has always been known for their high quality, luxurious handbags, classically tailored clothes, and fashion forward shoes.  Today they are a household name for high-end fashion goods, and have managed to keep the majority of their items Italian-made, which is no small feat in a global market where most fashion houses are quickly moving production to Asia, Eastern Europe, and North Africa.  Bertelli, as always the more realistic and economical of the two, has pushed Prada to allow some production to go to Vietnam, Turkey and Romani saying that consumers should learn to trust a brand name, regardless of where it's made.  He believes a tag stating "made by Prada" should be considered just as valuable and trustworthy as one that states "made in Italy".

Prada also avoided the e-commerce route longer than any other major fashion houses, only starting to offer their goods online as recently as 2007.  Miuccia believes exposure by fashion houses such as Burberry, urging customers to post pictures of themselves in their brands is ridiculous.  She doesn't beat around the bush about this subject:  "It's bullsh-t.  Why does showing a photo of someone wearing a trench coat online mean being open to the world?  What's that got to do with anything?"  But, as seems to be the case the majority of the time, the two disagree about this subject as well.  Bertelli feels "The Internet is democratic, and so you can't give it an elitist response.  Miuccia is always moralistic about these things."

Despite their differences (or perhaps because of their differences) they have built a successful business empire and a loving family.  Coming from humble beginnings, Bertelli started a small accessories company due to the demand for quality leather belts for men in Italy in the late '60s.  Flared-bottom, Levi's jeans were all the rage then, even in Italy, but the thick belts that were required to wear with them were still luxury items.  Bertelli bought some leather along with some brass to make the buckle and took it to a local cobbler who was able to make the necessary belts for about 4% of the cost of those that were offered on the market.  When the trade fair in Milan took place in 1977, Bertelli had a mid-sized accessory business that now included handbags.  There he met Miuccia Prada, an upper-class woman from Milan who wore Yves Saint Laurent skirts, studied theatre and was well spoken in politics.  She ran the leather-goods business her grandfather had opened in 1913 and soon hired the loudmouthed, Tuscan entrepreneurial Bertelli.  Shortly thereafter, they moved in together in a flat in Milan.

As their family grew, so did their company.  Prada grew in the 1990's from a niche fashion house to a $1.5 billion luxury-goods conglomerate, soon buying out Azzedine Alaia, Helmut Lang, Jil Sander, and a stake in Fendi.  Bertelli's temper caused problems among the newly absorbed design houses, and caused Jil Sander and Helmut Lang to leave the fashion house due to explosive disagreements, and design differences.  When hard times and a slow economy hit, Prada offloaded Helmut lang and Jil Sander, and they were forced to sell 5 percent of their company to an Italian bank.  "We made mistakes.  With Jil Sander and Helmut Lang, I would say it's 50 percent our fault and 50 percent theirs," but Bertelli remains optimistic by continuing on to say, "But now we are rid of these brands, and things are good."  They still area globl fashion conglomerate that includes Prada, Miu Miu and shoemakers Church's, and Car Shoe.

As with every partnership, whether personal or business, it is important to be able to see the big picture.  When Miuccia feels she has put on an inspiring fashion show, re-introducing one of her favorite jackets into the line, Bertelli complains about the "big city" setting, stating "I've been thinking about the 24-hour city thing.  It's like the negation of privacy and intimacy, isn't it?"  After all these years Miuccia has learned to shrug comments like these off, and replies with a simple "Don't get philosophical on me now," and bolts back to her receiving line of journalists, friends, and groupies.

Whether you consider Patrizio Bertelli a maniacle genius, a raving lunatic, or the devil himself, one thing is certain.  Even with his violent temper, his obssession with detail, and his larger than life expectations he has been the perfect match for Miuccia Prada throughout the years.  No one describes their life-long partnership better than Miuccia herself, "He is the mind, we are the arms."

I guess the old adage is true- opposites attract.  And in the case of Prada, opposites not only attract eachother, but millions of fans all over the globe.

Ma'Salaama and Happy Shopping!

Fashionably Yours,
The (Prada-loving, opposite-attracting) Mujahada in Prada

~Stylishly Casual~

aSalaam uAlaikum and Good Evening My Stylish Sisters!


You know, I just realized that it's hard for me to blog about fashion, beauty, and style when I've been living in sweatpants and hoodies for almost two weeks now.  My days lately have consisted of unpacking, organizing, and making room for way too much stuff in way too little of a space. 
So, it got me to thinking...why not blog about those comfy, soothing, casual clothes that go along with chicken soup, and a good book on a rainy day?  After all, I met my husband when I was wearing a pair of VS Pink sweats, toe socks, and flip flops.  (he still refers to those beloved toe socks as my "toe gloves")  I mean, isn't our casual wear important enough to mention?  Don't our fleece sweats and oversized sweaters deserve the same credit as our skinny jeans and stilettos?  I think they do- even more actually, because these are the clothes we look forward to slipping into after a long hard day,


So here it is....my ode to those Absolutely Fabulous Casual Clothes...

Socks

Smurfette Socks from www.GirlzLyfe.com           Toe Socks from www.Buy.com

I have learned that there are two types of women in this world.  Those who can't stand to sleep in socks, and those who can't stand to sleep without socks.  I am one of the latter.  Although I loooove my flip flops (I do live in Cali afterall!) I absolutely can't stand to walk around my house barefoot, nor can I handle going to sleep without a pair of nice, cozy socks protecting my tootsies.  My husband makes fun of me, because he's never seen me wear a pair of plain white socks.  No way, tooo boring for me.  I love funky socks with stripes, cartoon characters, or silly sayings on them.  When it comes to socks the crazier and more colorful the better!  So tell me, which type of woman are you?

Loungewear

Now, I realize I will probably get some disagreement from some ladies when I say this but I'm going to say it anyway: I do not condone wearing loungewear outside of the house... except for two occassions.  One is traveling, and the other is if you are going into or being released from the hospital.  Don't get me wrong, I'm as big a fan of Juicy Couture velour suits as any girl is... but to me, if we start cruising the mall or going to the movies in our sweats then we will no longer have any right to complain about how lazily men dress.  (This really only applies to America, where guys think it's acceptable to show the world the print on their boxers, and choose which tee shirt to wear based on which one has the fewest pizza grease stains on it.)  But there is no reason we can't wear these trendy little track suits around our house, a wonderful way to stay comfy but still look like a diva for our hubbies. 

Hoodie,   Lounge Pants,   and   Tee  available   at   www.Aeropostale.com

Personally though, I prefer Aeropostale lounge wear to Juicy Couture any day.  Not only are their pieces a quarter of the price, but they are cute, quality made, and always have the best options of mixing and matching tees, sweats, and hoodies.  I love their tunic-length hoodies to wear around my house when non-mahram men are coming and going.  I just pull up the hood, tighten the ties and don't have to worry about scrambling to grab a scarf. 

Accessories

I'm pretty sure most of you ladies are thinking I've lost my mind.  I mean we are, after all, talking about loungewear; about relaxation and comfort.  But in my opinion just because we are sitting in our house, doesn't mean we can't accessorize our outfits.  It's especially important that those of us ladies who wear hijab do our best to take care of ourselves and look our best for our husbands.  It is easy to fall into the normal routine of the day, spending our time and our effort on maintaining our kids and our husbands and our house, while bypassing our own grooming.  But it only takes a few minutes to pull our hair into a sleek ponytail, dab some lipgloss and mascara on, spray a couple of spritzes of perfume on our neck and throw on a couple pieces of jewelry to keep that flame of love at least flickering.  Here are some of my favorite feminine frills that we can use to get glossy, but still kick back and be casual.

Headbands 

Headbands are a great way to look feminine and cute, but they are also a wonderful way to keep your hair out of your eyes throughout your day of cooking and cleaning.  I personally always have my hair pulled back, even when I'm around the house.  Continuing to pull your hair into a tight ponytail can cause breakage, damage, and eventually thinning or even balding.  Using a headband to loosely pull your hair back is the perfect way to give your hair a break, look pretty for your hubby and keep those annoying little flyaways out of your eyes.  Here are a few that are especially cute:

Flower Headband from http://www.jestjewels.com/   Green and Pink Headbands from http://www.ecrater.com/

Printed Wide Headbands From http://www.stylishmode.com/

Slippers

No matter what the season is it is always important to take care of your feet.  You're on them at least 25 hours a day, stuffing them into uncomfortable shoes, neglecting and abusing them.  They deserve to be just as comfortable as the rest of your body, so why not spoil them while you can?  A wonderful way to give those tooties the attention they deserve is by splurging on some truly luxurious slippers to wear around the house.  Here are some I found that look wonderfully plush and comfy:

 

Coddles Slippers from www.Zappos.com 

Cowboy Boot Slippers from www.Zappos.com 

Ugg Slippers from www.Nordstrom.com

Jewelry

 Some of you may think I'm crazy talking about wearing jewelry around the house, but I think it's important to wear a little bling even when you're just having coffee with your husband or playing with your kids.  When you start wearing hijab you very rarely get to wear earrings anymore, and lately I've started wearing a small pair of hoops underneath my scarf.  You can get a petite, pretty pair of hoops that you can keep on at all times that will add a bit of flash, but still be comfortable enough to wear under your hijab when you're out; cook, clean, play, shower, and sleep in when you're at home.  Hoops are more comfortable than studs because you don't have the post digging into your neck when you're laying down, and they look feminine and pretty.  Here are some cute little at-home hoops:

 

Silver Wrapped Hoops from www.Billythetree.com               

Marc Jacobs "Key To My Heart" Hoops at www.Zappos.com

Kate Spade Small Orange Hoops from www.Piperlime.com                       

Small 14k Gold Hoops from www.Macys.com 

 In my humble opinion Casual can still be Classy, Comfortable does NOT equal Sloppy, and Simple can easily be made Simply Stylish.  By just taking a couple of extra minutes a day you can look better for your husband, and to feel better about yourself.  If you spend all those hours in the day making your house look its best, why not take a couple of minutes to do the same for yourself?

Ma'Salaama and Happy Lounging!

Fashionably Yours,

The (Toe Glove Loving) Mujahada in Prada