Hijab Head: Hijab-bands & Hijab-bling

Image:: Gulf News

Over the last 3-4 years I've watched my peers - the sisterhood - develop and stylise their Muslim fashion according to culture, catwalks and personality. This isn't a bad development, in fact it's the creation of a whole new niche to what young Muslim women want and wear.

Image:: Pearl Daisy @Fb

In particular for the Hijab-Head department: whatever fashion fads are creating, Muslim women are rejecting and instead incorporating age-old retro clothing items to their already-covered selves. It's all very feminine but interesting to me. I say this because I'm researching on 'what Muslim women wear' at the moment and have stumbled on hilarious but normal 'omg what are you wearing?' conversations amongst Muslims teens. (More on that later)

Exhibit 1: Hijab Bands. These 'alice bands', 'kylie bands' or plan hair bands, are stretchable accessories worn over the headscarf (aka hijab/khimar) to hold it in place and they function as a decoration. They offer Muslim women - including adults - a quick and easy way to reinvent their headgear with chic and glam-bam looks. It's like hair-putty, for the headscarf.

Hijab-friendly headbands from The High Street

• Peacock headband £7, Evans
• Green sequined flower headband £8, Topshop
• Chiffon and Stone Plait Headband £4, Oasis
• Ladies Flower Headband £3, Peacocks

Hijab-friendly bands from online hijab stores

• Embroidered jersey headband £4, Promod
• Sequin and Beaded Leaf Motif £4.95, Hijabstore Online
• Cream lace and pearl corsage £4.95, Hijab Shop Online
• Black applique elastic hijab band $6/£4.50, Unique hijabs

Exhibit 2: There is increasing female demand to decorate their scarves in addition to prints and wrap-styles. As a fellow brooch lover, pins and badges (buttons) are on the rise for formal wear, school girls have their emo-retro designs and fashion-aware teens use chain-necklaces and gigantic fabric flowers to jazz up their coloured scarves. It's very much like simply taking everyday women's jewellery and pinning this all over the scarf. Take for example, the morphing of hijab + bling to make 'hijaabling', courtesy of  Amena from hijab store Pearl Daisy.

Hijab-Bling or 'Hijaabling'

• Charcoal flower chain hijaabling £7.50, Pearl Daisy - two different sized brooches connected by a shimmering chain; can be worn as shown, across the shoulder, or two pin two scarves over the head
• Daisy chain £4.50, Pearl Daisy - mimicking the playground 'daisy chains' this chain can be worn as a necklace or pinned over the headscarf for a crown-like effect (tikkas/teekas can also be hung under layers to decorate the forehead)

Finally there is the slightly extravagant, but equally hijab-friendly, applique and embroidered headbands made by creative folks. This Gold Charleston Headband is £80 from Etsy.

For More Hijab-Head Bling

Check out Hijab World's collection of headbands, and the 70's inspired rosettes from Hijab Fashion Shop for a quid! (£1).


More:
You Have Mail! Henna Inspired Eid Cards
Review: Exquisite Hijab Pins From EthnicExpressions
Hong Kong Goodies - My love for pliers
Designing Dresses @Ezaah Tailors
Review: I'm Profoundly Aesthetic, A Weapon Of Mass Destruction