Function Fashion

A style to wear attending function. Here are some shoots taken recently from me attending company Dinner & Dance 2012 (Romance of the 4 Continents. Continent: Europe).

 

Nobody's Perfect

Ramadhan Mubarak

Assalamualaikum ......


Its that time of the year again, Ramadhan. Alhamdulillah.

Ramadhan and just mentally noting down some targets I aim to achieve with the permission of Allah. However I didn't get nowhere near as much done as I had intended to. I know I can speak for other women out there, when Ramadhan approaches you want to blitz the house, searching for new clothings and bake or buy cookies ( typical of women ... Im one of them!!  )

One thing I'm mega pleased about is having no 'outside the home'. I was beginning to feel quite restricted not only as a daughter, a mother and a muslimah confining myself to this notion I built inside my own head that I must be home straight from work to iftar with my family.

I have a fairly busy life I would say but I don't always like it, in fact most of the time I don't, particularly in Ramadhaan and I think its normal for Muslims to feel that way. We are thoughtful creatures and like to be solitary at times to reflect on life on the creator, on the creation, the wonders of this world and his signs, how we can better ourselves in all aspects of our lives, spend more time learning new things and getting into good habits.

I wish all of you, muslimah ..... Ramadhan Mubarak and have a Blessing Ramadhan!

My 2nd Journey doing UMRAH June 2012

Alhamdulillah, for the journey to and fro for my Umrah. And yes, a big thank you too, for I manage to perform the ever-anticipated event in my life, when I have the opportunitity to do so for the 2nd time.

In brief, all I can say is that the experience I had was beyond magical. There were ups and downs during the whole trip. But yes, that was Allah, testing me throughout my pilgrimage. And, with that, I am still ever thankful. :)

The first four days of my trip, we headed to Madinah and me stayed at a very comfortable place not far from Masjid An-Nabawi. All the hotels are usually of walking distance to the mosque, which makes it easier for everyone to perform solat at the mosque as much as possible as one can.

The weather was hot and beautiful too. About 50 deg cel. at Madinah & abt 45 deg. cel. at Mekkah. The moment I first laid my eyes on the  Masjid An-Nabawi from afar, the architecture of the building blew me away! MasyaAllah. 

The desert travel from Madinah to Makkah by coach , The rocky mountains, the scorching heat, and the plain desert land with nothing in sight could have only been an extremely arduous journey. It was the anticipation of seeing the Kaa'bah that was eating away at me; it was the excitement as well as the nervousness.

Upon seeing the Ka'bah, I could not help but starts crying. I had seen it when I visited Makkah before but for a strange and unexplainable reason, the emotions were as raw as ever. It is difficult to describe the exact feelings that one has when facing the house of their God, only someone who has been there will be able to understand exactly what I mean. 

I managed to do 3 umrah, Alhamdulillah. Miqat at 3 different places.

InsyaAllah, if health and wealth permits. I will do a visit again. I would love to.

Magazines Freak!

What can I say ...... I am a magazines freak! :D Reading and getting latest information about fashion and ideas from magazines. Not only I read about fashion but anything and everything about life.


Ladies, I wanna share with you about my favourite magazine. A must have every month magazine, NONA. A malaysia magazines which covers about women from fashion, beauty, health, wedding, food ... etc. 
And .......A must have June Nona magazine !! Just came out this week (I went around searching this magazine all over shops. And thank you to this mamak shop reserved it for me) . I like this June edition most coz it covers more on hijab and muslimah wear. 


What's in the magazine? Who are in the magazine? Well.......Very interesting and wish to share with you .....Must share!! Must share!! :D


Front cover~ 4 wanita, Penghijrahan berhijab. 
~ Datin Norjuma (Pengacara) - Bertudung atau tidak, saya tidak rasa ada 
perbezaannya dan tidak mengubah apa pun biarpun membawa sesuatu gelaran.
~ Natasha Hudson(Artist) - Dari segi personality saya masih sama seperti 
dulu, hanya penampilan sedikit berbeza kerana bertudung. Cinta saya kepada seni 
dan fesyen amat mendalam.
~ Irma Hasmie (Artist) - Jujur saya katakan, tidak pernah terlintas difikiran untuk
menjadi Role-Model kerana masih mentah dan daif. Tidak kiralah apa kerjaya kita
hari ini kerana sebagai khalifah di muka bumi ini, sudah menjadi tanggungjawab 
kita untuk sentiasa melakukan kebajikan.
~ Abby Abadi(Artist) - Saya tetap Abby yang dulu. Saya boleh bersembang dan tidak
menyekat pergaulan namun haruslah mempunyai batasan.


~ Wardinah Saffiyah speaks > "Menghijabkan hati lebih sukar sebenarnya". Get that straightened out first. Saya bangga dengan sehelai kain ini. Kain ini, sepatutnya menzahirkan satu kecantikan yang lain dari hanya kecantikan fizikal iaitu kecantikan dalaman, kecantikan intelek and adab. Sekiranya dengan memakai hijab kita tidak masih beradab dan berilmu, maka ada sesuatu yang perlu diperbetulkan dulu. Satu kecantikan yang InsyaAllah akan kekal that is My Self Worth ....


~ And guess who we have here in Nona, June edition?! HANA TAJIMA ! > Ikon kebanyakan Muslimah seluruh dunia. Her presence memberi banyak inspirasi dan dorogan buat wanita Islam. Seorang yang pakar dalam berfesyen. Her blog stylecovered.com has reached million hits from all over the world.


Get a copy now (as if Im promoting this magazine...heeee. But really, very informative.) and enjoy reading, lovelies! :D Below are sneak peek on what's in the magazine. 

We always want the sunshine but HE knows there must be rain

”In the past I wished that I had a “copy/paste” button in my life to make many copies of my loved ones so that I would never feel pain if I lost one of them… I wished to have an “undo” button in my life, so I would correct every and each mistake I do, so I wouldn’t taste that bitterness and regret for committing sins… I also wished to have a “pause” button in my life to always freeze time in special and happy moments because I knew they don’t last forever! BUT…
Now, I know that this Dunya is nothing but a shadow under which a traveler would take some rest before completing his journey to his final destination: Al Akhirah
so why am I afraid of losing my loved ones in Dunya while I will meet them again in Jannah (in shaa Allah) where no one will ever die or cry. why I am I afraid of mistakes while they teach lessons, why I am afraid of committing sins while prophet Mohammad (sallaAllahu alaihi wa sallam) said :"If you did not commit sins, Allah would sweep you out of existence and replace you by another people who would commit sins, ask for Allah's forgiveness and He would forgive them." But the most important thing is to repent to HIM why I wish that happy moments last forever while I know that hardships are necessary part of the big test in this Dunya “we always want the sunshine but HE knows there must be rain”… 
It’s true happiness in Dunya won’t last forever, neither will Hardships
“Truly after Hardship comes ease” this is a Promise from Allah
Everything is ephemeral in this Dunya, Nothing will last forever
so let’s work for our Akhirah to win Jannah where there will be no tear, no pain, no grief… just infinite happiness in shaa Allah ~ Quoted from "I am a proud Muslimah, the love of Allah is my life despite all challenges.

~ Mother's Day~

So it’s that time of the year again, next week ....

~ Mother's Day~

Here I am pondering over how a ‘mother’ features significantly in our highs and lows of all that life has to offer.

Let me tell you a bit about me and my mum, both in my personal and professional lives.

When I was a bit older, my mum became a friend and a confidante. Someone I could count on to come to my rescue no matter what kind of trouble I managed to get myself into. I knew that she was the one person in the whole world who would love me and now, having my own children, I’m just beginning to fathom exactly how much parents do for their children, and how much we take it for granted.

These days, apart from taking care of my children. My mum is my advisor, criticiser, and also my dinner mate, a person who I will share everyday stories on the table. No secrets between us. Her opinions, advise and words that I will take to move on with my journey in life. Every decisions I made, are decisions that my mum has agreed and supported. Be it in personal or profession. Gosh... only Allah knows how much my mum means alot to me. Very. Love her most! 

The sleepless nights, the unconditionally of it, having and raising children is a tough, tough job that you can only relate to once you’ve been through it personally. However, as challenging as parenthood might be at times, it is by far the most rewarding job without question.

As I sit back and reflect, I realise that life is unpredictable. There are good times and there are difficult times but no matter what, it’s our mum and their prayers that keep us going. To all the mothers out there, who offer the most unconditional support, endless care and love us no matter how many times we break their hearts, celebrate yourselves. Happy Mother’s Day!!!

And here ..... me and my lovely mum. The most important person in my life ...... Love you, mum! :D

Today, 13 May 2012. Its Mother's Day ! Happy Mother's Day to all great mummies out there!

Guess no special gift from my kids or maybe not yet :D They are just too young to get a special gift for their mummy :D 

Nevermind..... What most important is their endless love and showing their love to me is so much appreciated. Love them loads! 

Kissing each other everyday shows how I love them and their love to me. 

Being a mother, I'm getting a mother's day gift, myself :D Lovely .... 

Outfit Ideas ~ Style Hijabis

Ideas for the hijabi and modest non-hijabi:

With a look a like trench coat.... If only we have 4 seasons here in Singapore, I will be more excited to explore and selling stylish trench coat here..... Looking at magazines ....gosh,  there are so many stylish trench coat for muslimah... Luv it!

With a denim long skirt and boots ............ what can i say......real cool :D

Really, not so me ... but a change of looking rugged with denim over hoodie dress and boots ....... RoCk! ;D

Again with hoodie top .........  the 2 in 1 blouse cum hijab. Love it!

Will be updating more hijabis style here ............ Soon........

Speaking from my heart ........

Why is it that first impressions are so important? Passing a judgement on somebody within a few seconds of meeting them - everything from their character to their "social status" to their rough annual wage - is something we all subconsciously do, and judging a book by it's cover has become the order of the day. 

Not only that first impressions, but also to the person we have known for days, months & years. Being a private person myself, expressing of words is not easy and may be 

misinterprete at times. Sometimes, thinking that just being quiet is better than putting words that may hurt other people feelings. Unintentionally. Just remain silent ....

But I feel like recently every single judgement that I have formulated about a person has turned out to be not only wrong but the complete opposite of reality.  I better stop judging and having doubt on people. It will leads to no where but ending the relationship and bonding we had with the person. Nauzubillah, I don't want that to happen.

Don't ever let your initial opinion of somebody cloud your judgement, give them a chance, you might be surprised ~ quoted

“Forgive he who wrongs you, re-unite with he who cuts you off, do good to he who harms you and speak the truth even if it may be to your disadvantage." - The Prophet Muhammed (S) -

Creative Hijabi Essential

These are a couple of photos I got from net. What caught my eyes was of course the creative use of a hijabi essential - lots of layering! Check out the cardigans layered over shirt, long pants over tunics and cropped jackets with shirts; and they've even thrown in headwear into the mix! I love the way they have been accessorized with long necklaces, bangles and scarves too. Oh my..... the heels/wedges! I am so into this fashionstyle.... :D

A Muslimah

A beautiful article for sharing with all muslimah ...... 

A Muslimah is not an ordinary woman. Her status cannot be understood in this world but will become apparent in the Hereafter. When she is returned to her Lord, she finds that He is pleased with her and to her is granted the honor of drinking from the fountain of Kauthar. When others are turned away for their innovations and disobedience, the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam smiles and welcomes her. The hellfire dare not scorch her with its threatening glare and the scent of Paradise still exudes from the grave that she has risen from. For her the Day of Judgment will not feel long and strenuous nor will the journey over the Siraat be filled with terror. While those that dazzled others in this life will be in darkness, she will have light and safety across the Sirat. She must have had an extraordinary journey in the previous life. What skills did she learn? What kind of an education did she receive that equipped her to succeed through all the challenges so that she is granted the fast pass to Jannah? 

Education is a very subjective concept. How do you measure if someone is educated? Imagine for a moment that ‘Education’ could be placed in a carton or a can and you could turn it over and read the ingredients. What do you think you would find? Would the list of ingredients look like a copy of your transcript from school? Is the dry, incomplete knowledge of the mechanics of the Universe really education? In the true Islamic sense the ingredients of ‘education’ include the following: 

· Ta'līm, from the root 'alima (to know, to be aware, to perceive, to learn) 
· Tarbiyah, from the root raba (to increase, to grow, to rear) and
· Ta'dīb, from the root aduba (to be cultured, refined, well-mannered)

Today if you receive ta’alim (acquiring knowledge) alone it is considered education. The Quran invites the believers to study the universe and the signs within their own selves. We are invited to study the fabric of society and the history of past nations. We are commanded to seek the bounty of Allah subhaana wa ta'aala by engaging in business. If we analyze these exhortations, hardly any field of study is left out from the list. Other people also study the same curriculums, what then is the difference when a Muslim woman studies them? 

Like a flower rooted in the soil of faith and the love of Allah, she has as her role models Ayesha and Asiya and when she sets out on the path to acquire knowledge she does it with the intention to please Allah and serve His creation. About Hazrat Ayesha it is said by the faqih of the Muslims, `Urwah ibn al-Zubayr, who was quoted by his son Hisham as saying: "I have never seen anybody more knowledgeable in fiqh or medicine or poetry than `A'ishah." 

The promise of Allah is: 

“And their Lord responded to them, "Never will I allow to be lost the work of [any] worker among you, whether male or female; you are of one another…” ('Āli`Imrān 3:195)

And Allah (swt) never fails in His promises. Knowledge acquired with this intention is one of the petals in this flower from Paradise. 

But did the Muslimah make it to Jannah because of her degree or her GPA? Were the people sorted on the Day of Judgment by their education levels or were they sorted by their levels of piety? She got graded as acceptable for entry to Paradise because of the tarbiyyat (training) she received and the adab (etiquette/manners) she learned. 

From her elders and from the guidance of her deen she developed a likeable, pleasant personality. She was respectful to her elders and loving to those younger than her. Because the path to Paradise is beset with difficulties she learned with experience to develop sabr (patience) and perseverance. She knew when to bite her tongue and stay silent. Sabr is one of the petals in this flower of Paradise. Another petal is ‘haya’ (shyness from displeasing Allah). The Muslimah had ‘haya’ and she maintained dignity in her demeanor and speech. She was also faithful to the rituals of the deen and regular in her salah, charity and fasting. She understood the importance of establishing and maintaining relations with family and friends and aspired to forgive others hoping for the forgiveness of the Most Merciful. 

A Muslim woman can be very ‘educated’ but have no etiquette or empathy in her heart. In a simpler age if someone behaved in an impolite manner or used profanity they would be labeled ‘Jahil’ (illiterate or ignorant.) In present times the corridors of the institutions of higher learning echo with the curse words that it has become fashionable to use. 

The Sahabiyaat fulfilled the rights of their families: cooking, cleaning while guiding and nurturing those under their care. They were productive members of the community that they lived in: teaching, working, and giving in charity. They actively participated in the mosque life of the Prophet "sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam" from the very inception. When the prayer direction was changed from Jerusalem to Mecca the men and women had to change places. (Fath al-Bari, commentary on Sahih Bukhari) They were on the battle field tending to the wounded, bringing water and in dire circumstances actually participating in combat. 

Another petal in the flower is that of hikmah (wisdom). Hikmah is simply to put things where they belong. The opposite is zulm (oppression) which is to put things where they do not belong. This is the key to a successfully educated Muslimah. 

“He gives wisdom to whom He wills, and whoever has been given wisdom has certainly been given much good. And none will remember except those of understanding.” (Sura Al Baqarah 2:269)

She put her talents to use as and when the situation demands. Balancing and prioritizing her role as a slave of Allah, a mother, a sister, a daughter, a wife, a student, an activist and a friend. The entire weight of her talents and time should not be solely devoted to building a career. 

Last, but not least of course is ‘husn’ (beauty) but in Islam even beauty is not just skin deep. The word ‘husn’ is from the same root as the word ‘ihsaan’ (excellence) which was explained by our beloved Prophet "sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam" in the famous hadith, 'That you worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you do not see Him then He sees you.' (Sahih Bukhari) The characteristic of ‘ihsaan’ is the fragrance of this flower of Paradise. Every effort of the Muslimah to acquire knowledge and implement it in her life is characterized by perfection or at least an aspiration for it. 

Where, you might ask, can one find a Muslimah like the one described? Most have their petals bruised by the trials of this life and are wilted by the tests of time. So this flower is then returned to its rightful home because that is where it truly belongs. The world was not worthy of her anyway. 

~Elegance & Modesty Fashion in Hijab ~

 

 

Stylish Muslimah reader, wondering what to wear to a formal/informal dinner party, 
below I have posted some ideas:

I'm not sure how formal the dress code is but a dress or maxi dress won't go amiss on 
this sort of occasion. With a solid coloured dress (black is safe) you could wear a 
Turkish style hijab and a cute contrasting clutch like this:

 

If you fancy this grown-up look, here's an outfit for inspiration:

Another inspiration look for a gala night:

Another idea is to wear a fluffy blouse of your choice and glam it up heels/wedges and a clutch. This look would work best if the event isn't as formal as a prom but you are expected to look smart. Simple yet formal  ...........

 

Dare to wear this fashion style ... ? :D

 

If you want a more promy look, I would advise a simple evening gown coupled 
with a (faux!)fur bolero or different jacket/bolero/throw if fur isn't to 
your taste. Something like this would look cute for a more formal event 
where women are wearing evening gowns:

If you don't want the hassle of buying a reveling dress and then hijabifiing it, I would suggest wearing a glam abaya. They are really nice abayas that are perfect for all events. Black is always safe in choosing colors.

 

Lastly, I would go for either a sophisticated style or a pretty style similar to the 
one below. You can never go wrong in wearing this style for all occasions :

 

More muslimah fashion style coming up for sharing .....