fashion

Kaneesha.com is a quality South Asian online fashion house, not cheap, but real quality.

This is an example of a lengha choli, emerged in the Mughal period, and one of my favorite South Asian garments for women.

From the pages of Wallpaper, Oct 2008 issue:

The nephew of the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Majed Al Sabah says that he's 'not in the business of politics but the business of retail'. However, the speed at which the 'Sheikh of Chic', as convention insists we call him, is bringing fashion ands design to the Middle East is phenomenal. It also means the business of shopping is having an intractable impact on the region.

(Fashion Mujahid, this one's for you…)

So here's a thought - Art, Fashion, Design and Shopping as agents of progressive change in the Islamic world.

What do you folks think? I'm working on an essay that I'll post later, but this one was too good to not put up. No link to the full story, I'm afraid. It only appeared in print…

Updated, based on the comments below. Original timestamp: 2008-12-18 22:35:48

Promoted to the front page

I am so sick and tired of being female and Muslim. I swear to God I cannot take it anymore. The things that grind me down are all inside the community. Do you know I was in a discussion online about funky hijabs today - I don't veil, but I wear scarves for privacy and, well, because I currently have a shaved head - like "what's the funkiest hijab you have?" I'll even link it: Hijab: What Kind Of Scarves Do You Favour?, Umm... colours, styles, ethnic origin.... I collect funky cloth pieces from around the world and use them in unexpected ways, like the giant, perfectly cylindrical turban I make out of a kuffiyyah.

Anyway, here in the Sister's page of a website, I naturally get trolled. By a man. Who cuts and pastes. IS THERE ANY MORE EVIL THING IN THE WORLD THAN CUT'N'PASTE LECTURES ON A MUSLIM FORUM BOARD? ASTIFIRAGHULLAAH! HARAAM HARAAM!

Based in New York's East Village, and works with designer Michael Sears, this Iranian designer utilizes politics and kitsch and incorporates them in his design aesthetic.

Unlike the numerous Iranians that are found in the fashion world today, he is by far my favorite because he celebrates his heritage and incorporates his cultural identity in his work.

One of his favorite clients happens to be Madonna. He has other pop divas like Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears who have utilized his designs for their shows and videos. Brad Pitt was also featured in FightClub sporting his designs.

Ashly Higgens, a former student of mine and a reader of PI.Org website, sent me this hysterical photo from DC's "High Heel Drag Race."  It seems to put the proper note to the absurdity of the anti-niqab discussion.  Niqab is as American as you can get when it gets to be campy drag wear.  Fellow Muslims, we have  arrived!

   

Irving Karchmar and I had the opportunity to speak with and buy some of these beautiful scarves from Rabia Keesha-Rousta to profit the Pakistani women and families who make them.  I ordered several scarves (nearly all represented here) and sent in a review to a list-serve about the gorgeous fabics I received.  First read Rabia's letter about her work

Nakia, our Fashion Mujahid takes a look at Shukr's new fall line. Pointing out that cutting clothes just a little wider doesn't quite make it fashion, especially for women with curves. The Fashion Mujahid points out what styles look good on what shapes and what colors are right for your complexion.

Sexual Ethics and Islam is finally in my hot little hands, so get yourself to a bookstore and get it NOW. I'll try to post a review soon.

In case you've been hiding under a rock for the past three weeks, Inside the Gender Jihad is in stores now as well, so pick them both up and save yourself a second trip.  

Speaking of jihad, more on the Fashion Jihad later, and I mean it. 

Now, I've got to get reading!

*mwah* 

While in the library doing research, I got that familiar sense of frustration. I get it while clothes shopping or looking for cute progressive guys to flirt with. It's the frustration of knowing exactly what I want, and having no success in finding it. Clothes shopping experiences are a special kind of torture for me, as I'm trying to cover my body while attempting a modicum of personal style. Don't get me started on finding a Muslim guy who doesn't want to see me burned at the stake. Suffice to say, 'taint no easy task.

  In my reasearch, this lack of already published relevant work is almost a good thing, because it's a sign that the project I'm working on needs to be done, that I'll be creating something substanially different from what's currently available. I've plowed through texts both arcane and painfully shallow, where what I'm working on will create some sort of happy medium, a bridge between the impossibly theoretical doorstops and the fluffernutter I'm usually handed by guys who think a young American woman couldn't possibly be doing serious work. 

A friend wrote me privately after reading the blog on false modesty below. She had gone to the WNTW website and was disturbed by their sale of one's "assets." Now listen, it is about the principles of shape and style, not following their instructions on how much boob to show. The principles can be borrowed without fear!

So my friend is tall like me and weighs a little more than me and has bigger girlfriends due to pregnancy. Make sure you have a good bra sister! I suspect she is a size 18 American.

She is at a loss for work clothes and dress casual. She needs very simple, very straightforward, nothing wacky, nothing out on a limb, even slightly. I'm taking everything from Eddie Bauer, Lane Bryant, and Target to make the point that this stuff is accessible, is reasonably inexpensive (especially on sale, sign up for e-mails), is moderate, is modest, and is attractive. She specifically asked about pants, so I am not bringing skirts into the mix here. She mentioned she did not want to iron the clothes and she wanted it to be comfortable. I hope this is a good foundational set of clothes, many possibilities, all attractive, all modest:

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