The struggle between Hijab and fashion. Most women can relate. How difficult it is to have a good hijabi wardrobe without breaking the bank. You want to look good, but you don't want to spend a fortune.
How is this applicable, when long skirts cost twice as much as short ones. When tiny tees are in the SALE! basket but the longer sleeved shirts are in the NO SALE. Department. Then comes the scarves and head dresses, you need to make sure that you have one for each outfit. Plus the additional undergarments that you need to wear to make sure your skirt and top don't cling to your body and show your figure. You need to buy bandanas for each scarf, and of course you want to look unique..you want to reflect your style.
My struggle with my hijabi wardrobe. Nine years ago when I decided to wear the hijab, I remember the struggles. The wardrobe mistakes. The days when I stayed in because I had nothing suitable to wear. Hijab at that time in Egypt was rare. The only scarves being sold were transparent flowery ones that were just plain ugly. There were no long sleeved tops in the market. In the summer, it was all tanks and tees. In the winter, it was better. I tried to buy a couple things during the colder seasons.. but the fabrics were just too hot to wear in the summer.
I found it difficult to maintain my pre-hijabi look. My favorite GUESS! tee was shoved into the back of my closet..and I found myself trying on my mom's baggy pants and skirts. I eventually found a jeans skirt that my mom stopped wearing because she gained weight. This skirt had become my saviour, and for a whole year, the skirt never left my waist. Along with a striped long sleeved tee that I previously hated, became my best friend. Of course the flowery scarves were totally mismatched with my clothes, but I didn't really have a choice.
As a student, I had little or no money to spend on clothes. So I tried to figure out ways that helped me find hijabi clothes that fit my budget:
1- I bought plain long sleeves tees, sometimes from the male section of the store. Then I drew artsy prints on them and tried to customize them so I would create a look of my own.
2- I looked through my old clothes and found a few pieces that would work as good basics for hijab. Baggy linen pants, and old shirts that I thought were too plain actually worked perfect in the summer.
3- I bought a plain white long sleeved tee and started layering it under most of my t-shirts.
4- I found a black cotton cardigan that worked great with tank tops.
5- I discovered shopping at second hand stores and flea markets. Scarves come in all shapes and sizes. Bandanas were for half a dollar.
6- My sister's hand me downs that I thought were too big for me worked great given that I wanted to wear baggier clothes.
7- Beach wraps worked good as scarves as well as skirts.
8-I kept an eye on sales and special offers.
8-I observed other hijabis for ideas and if possible, went and asked them where they bought their clothes from.
And last but defiantly not least... I made a lot of doaa :)
