Hijab Swappers: October 2009

October 30, 2009

AH, those moments...

I think we all have had these moments when we are dressed all pretty in a loose abaya, dress or skirt and then the wind blows. I personally had a similar event in NYC as I was trying to make my way back from an Al Maghrib seminar. It was embarrassing to say the least but since I was used to wearing a heavier skirt underneath the lighter skirts to give it volume AND I would either wear tights or some other capri pants the passersby who had actually STOPPED to see the moment were very disappointed. alhamdulillah.

My friend with me though was not so lucky but she did manage to save herself by jumping off the air vent and almost on to traffic. She survived alhamdulillah. She is now traumatized and wont go out in NYC with a skirt or dress. Have YOU had a Marilyn Monroe moment? if so where? and if you were able to stop it HOW did you do it?

October 27, 2009

Paisley Hijab for Pink Hijab Day

As Salaamu aalaykum guys!

I hope you guys remember that tomorrow is pink hijab day so don't forget to rock the pink.

Paisley Hijab PINK HIjab Day by HijabSwappers

this set is tighter so you would need a looser set of clothing.

Black Hijab on Pink Hijab Day by HijabSwappers

October 26, 2009

Dubai Fashion Week 2009

Kanzi

Ora by Rimalya

Mimi

Hijabi Spunk

I discovered this site called looklet.com a couple of months ago but they didn't have a lot of hijabi friendly items and there were basically no scarves that covered properly. Recently a post by Ange from Hegab-Rehab mentioned they had added more hijabi friendly items. They still don't have a lot of variety but I decided to make some sets anyway. Most of these set will need a proper hijab and are more for inspiration.

What do you guys think?

October 22, 2009

FFS= Free For Shipping

There is a free for shipping section in the forum that you can post items you want to give away. When I became a new Muslim I had no Muslim friends and very little money so I couldn't buy anything let alone modest clothing. Most of my modest clothing trickled in as I started making friends and they would give me skirts and tunics. May Allah swt reward them for their generosity ameen.

-=-=-

RULES
FFS: Means FREE FOR SHIPPING. So it's FREE except for the EXACT cost of shipping and delivery confirmation (if you want it or if the seller requires it) only.

Here are some guidelines:

Try not to estimate the weight before you post your item. Post items only after you know the weight and your zip so that potential buyers are aware of the actual cost. If you are in the USA you can go to http://postcalc.usps.gov/or http://ircalc.usps.gov/default.asp?Mode=Intl_Single&CID=10054for Canadian sisters.

DO NOT add an extra dollar here and there to help cover costs like gas, shipping supplies or for your time. You can only charge for the actual amount it costs to ship the item.

-If you do have to go out and buy additional packaging you can charge for that but you can't charge for anything else and it MUST be mentioned in the post.

If you do want to charge an extra dollar we have a section for that. Depending on the item if it is a hijab go to the hijab section of for sale or trade and post it there.

-=-=-

Brownish Hijabi

I like my browns and oranges, what do you guys think?

Brownish hijabi by HijabSwappers

October 21, 2009

Queen Bee Hijabi

What do you think?

Queen Bee by HijabSwappers

October 20, 2009

Does Anyone Repair Shoes?

Outside of the USA I have brought shoes to be repaired once or twice to a shoe repair guy. In the USA I have never done it. I always thought about going but as usual I procrastinated and never went. Since the first 7 years of my life were spent in Central America I was raised to believe that a girl needed to have at least 2 people she was very friendly with, a tailor to make her stylish dresses and a shoe maker/repair man. Since shoes are relatively inexpensive at least for women, I just buy a new pair of the shoes I like instead of repairing them. Seeing that I want to reduce my impact on our environment I have been rethinking my choices. The shoe repair shops are slowly disappearing and I need to find a good one before they are gone for good.

Before becoming Muslim I had over 150 pairs of shoes at age 20. Most of the shoes were bought because I liked them, they were good quality and because I wasn't allowed things as a child. So once I had the opportunity I bought as many as I wanted. Some of those shoes have been with me over 10 years now and they are still in good condition (I am 24 :)). For the last 3 years though I have been wearing one pair for the most part and that shoe is actually 5 years old.

Shoe Repairs by HijabSwappers

The reason I stopped wearing the other shoes is because they make a lot of noise so I wanted to take them to a repair shop so that they could add an extra thin layer underneath that muffles that noise.

I was never a fan of high heels not because they were not pretty but because I value my comfort much more. I still like admiring them and seeing them on other people and I even considered buying some for myself but I recently came across this hadith that has made me rethink

Narrated by Abu Sa’eed Al Khudri, Allah’s Apostle said :"A Jewish women used to put two wooden legs to lengthen her shoes, so that no one could recognise her, for she was very short

I wonder if it is ok for the hubs though? I mean he already knows I am short and therefore I am not deceiving him.

Shoe Repair by HijabSwappers

What do you guys think?

October 19, 2009

Culture and Selling/Buying Used Clothes

I was talking to a friend of mine and she mentioned that an obstacle for HijabSwappers is that Muslims don't like buying used clothing. I think it might be a culture thing but I have no problem buying stuff at flea markets or other venues if the clothes are in good condition. I like reusing and re purposing old clothes or recycling them instead of throwing them away. Maybe it is because I LOVE going to garage sales and rummaging through the items in search of the perfect find.

Don't you guys enjoy that? or is it the hippie in me?

Am serious I am about to (inshaAllah) get a camera soon and i will be taking pics of hijabs that I no longer use or abayas that I *ahem* don't fit in anymore. You can also post new things if you like. There is a free for shipping sub forum where you could post items that you would like to give to whoever wants it if they pay postage. Think about all the converts who needstuff when they convert. Why not post your items there?

Is buying used clothes taboo?

Buy, Sell, Trade by HijabSwappers

October 18, 2009

I ♥ ♥ ♥ Skirts ♥

before becoming Muslim you couldn't catch me dead in a skirt or dress or anything girly for that matter. I was in shape and ready for what I thought was a life long career in the armed forces. My clothes consisted of a couple of jeans, mostly sweatpants and hoodies. When I became Muslim I started to wear the hijab within 24 hrs of being Muslim. I tried covering everything and I was successful for the most part but it still wasn't modest enough. I started wearing long skirts and tunics so that they would match my hijab more and I became reacquainted with my femininity.

skirts became my new best friend because they hid my flaws so well and it was modest. Below are my fav skirts I wish I could afford. One can dream right?

♥ Skirts ♥ by HijabSwappers

This is my favorite of all time! if it wasn't so expensive I would SOO buy it. If I ever do launch my own clothing line I think most of my skirts would be just like this one. It is so elegant and can go with just about anything.

Hot Pink and Orange Hijabi

Hot Pink and Orange Hijabi by HijabSwappers

October 16, 2009

Buy, Sell or Trade: The Purpose Of HijabSwappers

My initial idea for HijabSwappers was for it to be a trading hub for Muslim sisters to sell their used/new hijabs, abayas and other modest clothing to other sisters. There are two ways you could do that. First you can sell through our forum for FREE. We have different categories like

Hijabs
Hijab Accessories
Niqabs / Burqas / Khimars
Jilbabs / Abayas
Sarees
Salwar Kameez
Skirts
Dresses / Maxi
Sweaters / Hoodies
Formal Wear
Tops / Tunics / Kurta

YOU set the prices that you would like to sell your items for and post them in the forum. If someone is interested in buying it they could either pay you through paypal or negotiate the price and then pay. If you live in other countries you could still sell on HijabSwappers but you MUST indicate the country you live in so that potential buyers know what they are getting into.

The second way to sell your items is via auctions. It is exactly like eBay but with Islamic clothing. The auctions we are still working on and I anticipated I would be ready by mid October but that has been pushed to early November inshaAllah.

The purpose of the blog was to keep you update as I a was launching HijabSwappers and to put halal outfits together. Now the blog's purpose will be to keep you informed of the new developments, articles about hijab, trends and I will still be making outfits inshaallah.

So guys go Sell your stuff!

October 15, 2009

Does anyone wear a slip any more?

and I don't mean a slip in lieu of a dress but a slip under a dress or a skirt. I find that the dress or skirt flows better and it clings less to the body (depending on the material). I would actually wear a skirt that was too small or no longer fit me modestly underneath a larger skirt. It added extra material so that when the wind would blow the shape of my legs wouldn't be exposed. It also added a little more weight and volume to my skirt so it would be harder for it to just blow around. For example I would wear the skirt on right underneath the skirt on the left. As long as the skirt on the bottom was smaller and slightly tighter than the one above it.

That is how I would recycle skirts it saved me a lot of money on slips and it kept perfectly good clothing from being trashed for no reason. Target actually has pretty decent prices on slip but I do enjoy knowing I am not contributing (too much) to the landfills.