I’ve come to wonder recently about culture and how it plays a part in the way I dress. Maybe it’s because my roots are tangled, but I have never had a particular affinity with customs and dress codes. It does throw advantages my way though. Sitting between cultures means that when I became Muslim I didn’t feel like I had to abandon my heritage, but it did leave a gaping hole in my wardrobe. How to solve the problem of dressing modestly and dressing like a person who looks like me? I mean it took me long enough, almost 5 years, to get dressing in hijab to be reflective of my personality.
In those years I was by no means exempt from dipping into and adopting other cultural sensibilities. My husband is Bengali, so having mendhi drawn over my hands and wearing Salwar Kameez before my wedding day was a lovely but foreign experience. But that’s another thing about being brought up in an Anglo Japanese household, in a very English village, being mistaken for being anything from Chinese to Spanish… It does mean I’m used to adopting cultures that aren’t my own.
And I think, in retrospect, my wedding was the time I dressed least like me. My recent blog post title “And I never wear colour” should have been followed by “except when I marry, when I wear bright turquoise.” But I guess I never thought about it at the time, and I wasn’t at all pressured into it, it just seemed the thing to do. So you may be wondering why the fuss now. I think it is because I have such a messy, mixed background I don’t like to be so easily defined in the way I dress. There is something lovely and comfortable for me about being ambiguous, for me anyway. I like to know that when someone looks at me they see I am Muslim, but maybe they don’t know where I’m from or why I dress this way, and maybe they’d like to know some day.
So I’ll keep dressing like I live in a dressing up box of different cultures and backgrounds, throwing together ideas that are juxtaposed but beautiful. Maybe a vintage Sri Lankan necklace, my Indian gold wedding ring, a Japanese jacket given by a friend, chunky heels, and a Maysaa dress I’ve designed that is one hundred percent positively me.
Dear Hana,
I quite feel the same about dressing. I’m still looking up for my style within a Muslim dress code. A sort of synthesis of my crossed-cultural experiences: Portugal, Japan, France and Tunisia with a mastour imprint. That’s probably why I like so much your work !
Hi Hana, Salam à tous
Thanks for your post… I agree with you, in my mind, have your own style is a question of personality, I am from people who mix dress code and my lifestyle. at the beginning of my hijab wearing, i was very disrupted by how can I dress me, how can I keep my personality, (which was very present on way to dress me) it was difficult for a moment, and with the time I make more personality on my clothes.
Origins and cultures are big sources of innovation in dress code, and moreover this is a very good way to promote beauty of differences.
Version française : Merci Hana pour cet article, je suis d’accord avec toi et à mon avis avoir son propre style est avant tout une question de personnalité. Je suis de ces gens qui aime mixer leur garde robe avec leur style de vie, leur personnalité (ben ouai c’est vrai qu’il y a des gens pour qui l’apparence ne reflète pas du tout ce qu’ils sont réellement, leur caractère).
Quand j’ai commencé à porter le hijab, j’étais un peu perdue, je ne savais pas comment m’habiller, comment conserver ma personnalité (qui était très marquée par ma garde robe), puis avec le temps…
Les multitudes d’origines et de cultures sont des grosses sources d’innovation en matière de style, de plus cela permettrait de promouvoir la beauté que font les différences.
Désolé d’avance pour les fautes (d’anglais comme de français)
Super interview
Dear Hana,
I really like your way of thinking and your creativity. Nowadays, Muslimah’s dress codes must be rethinking. Thank you for all.
rethought…Ahhhhh I’m always trying to do my best. I need to go in UK or USA !!
As salaamu’alaykum sis!
Great article thanks!
My family is muslim since the 30′s. So I am muslim by my faith and French by nationality.
I’ m sometimes quite depress by people who seeing for exemple a white wedding dress say « BEWARE, DON’T DRESS LIKE NON MUSLIM » But this is my culture, this is me… a salwar or a caftan errr why?sorry it’s not me. (actually my husband got indian roots so one of my wedding outfits was a purple salwar
Would a caftan be more « muslim » than a white dress??!! Sorry there is no such thing! Don’t be stupid, any descent clothes can do the job. As long i don’t seem to be part of an other religion ( catholic nun, Buddhist…), i’m wearing a hijab and i’m covered let me wear what i waaaant!!!! except from this there is no muslima’s dress code i’m sorry! Be covered, be free to wear what you want.that’s it!
Btw inshaAllah for my eid present hubby is supposed to order your two gorgeous maysaa hijaaaabs!! =D MEEeeee HAppYYYYY!
Salam,
I think you found the exact reflect of yourself through your style, so mysterious and captivating in same time. That is the way you are on your blog (in my opinion).
Bsaha ftourkoum.
hana,I do believe that it is sooo hard to find one’s own style!
I’d like to be dressed like other women on the street who are bautiful and styly! but everytime I put new clothes on,it never fit me!!!!
I’m desperate, i look like a big mama, a patatoes, nothing fits me!!!!
ps: Sorry for my very very very bad english…
Salam aleikum wa rahmatulah wa barakatuh
Je suis en en train de me chercher et je n’ai toujours pas trouver mon mode vestimentaire
Salam Alaikoum wa Ramatullah wa Barakatouh Hana!
Thank you so much for this article because it reflects perfectly what can be felt at the beginning when you wear the hijab!
Hi Hana,
First, I wanna congratulate you for your job: I really like it.
For when, the wedding dress by Mayssa???
It takes me more than ten years for getting my dress style: I choose the » Mastour No dress code style ».
Sometimes I’m classic, sometimes « chic », sometimes blue jean/sport shoes…
In summer I wear colors and white, in winter I preafer to wear black, brown, grey, dark blue…
Sometimes in a black ‘abaya I feel comfortable…
I take inspiration from Morocan, Indian, African and French dresses.
Like you, I don’t like to be defined in the way I dress, maybe that’s why I really enjoy the cross culture dressing code.
For my weddind insha ALLAH I choose to wear Morocan Caftan, Pakistannese Jewelery, Libanese Make up and French « Chignon bas ». I hope I’ll be nice…
Kiss..
@Karmouma: it’s sure, you will be beautiful…
@Bettouchka,
merci, t’es chou… I hope…
Gros bousss
Et au passage, bisou à Cecile, si tu me lis.
Et tant qu’à faire bisou à toutes. lol
Salam j aimerais svp avoir des renseignement sur la jeune creatrice de « Mayssa ».
J ai fait des etudes de stylisme et et si je peus avoir des conseil d une soeur en
plus ce serait parfait.Merçi par avance, que dieu vous protege
Salam aleykoum
What is islamic in this clothes sobhnaaLlah? Nothing, she’s almost nude, Muslim woman have to wear large clothes, not narrow.
You have a big risponsability when you write and publish this kind of picture which are not the real islam but a way to be fashionable and to look like europeans.
Karmouma : je viens de te lire par le plus grand des hasards (la flemme a cette heure-ci d’essayer de cômprendre l’anglais dc j’ai regardé le seul message en français ! lol).
De gros bisous à toi aussi.
Malgré que je ne commente plus vraiment, je continue à vous lire.
Grosses bises à toute la clique HATC
d’ailleurs, je viens de voir le post de Sabrina, sans commentaire…
Bouh HATC !!!!
@Sabrina: Salam aleykum,
Sorry, but I don’t see where is the problem, I’am muslim AND European and I like these clothes. I can understand your opinion about wide or tight clothes but please be careful when you say that this or this is not the real islam, can you be sure that your vision is the real islam ?
salam i wanted to know if yu could show us your wedding outfit if you still have it
thanks
salam i wanted to know if you could show us your wedding dress if you still have it.