Risty Tagor and models at Risty Tagor & Malika label's launching

Casual, delicate colorblock and drapey with loose cut. If you feel like it sounds like your cup of tea then you should try Malika. This brand is not a new name in the hijabers fashion industry. Founded by Destri Nurmala and Putri Ariyanti in September 2010, they’ve established themselves as street, urban style fashion brand for hijabers. Effortless and easy to wear, that’s what Malika aimed to be and this is applied on their outfit and headwear collections.

And for their newest collection, Malika has got a surprising knack for coupling the multi-talented young artist, Risty Tagor. Dainty Modesty is the first theme for this collaboration. The word “dainty” nicely represents the romantic Risty Tagor – delicately beautiful in a modest clothing. The collection consists of Crown – Malika’s term for headwear – and Clothing. If you noticed, they have this particular style for crown or headwear, it usually consists of 2-3 pieces, asymmetric inner and shawl (or tubular shawl) and can be assembled without pins. It’s pinless and painless, that’s the idea. Still have no idea on how to wear a tubular shawl? There are plenty of tutorials and images on their website!

The first thought that came to mind for the title of this article was “No Skinny Jeans, Please!” Some hijabers, myself included, really  feel ‘unsafe’ about the idea of wearing skinny jeans. The way they hug the legs so tightly shows no sign of modesty at all. The insecurity that skinny jeans bring to hijabers doesn’t stop there. This actually makes sense since we often find ourselves strolling inside different stores and mostly will only find skinny jeans. Of course, there are also flare and straight leg jeans – but they, too, are usually fitted around the thighs.

So, for hijabers, you might want to consider having a collection of boyfriend-style jeans. They guarantee you a looser fit appearance – that won’t fall too tightly around your legs and not as slouchy as wide-legged or flared jeans. You also don’t have to worry that them looking like a pair of oversized jeans and will not complement your figure.

The best thing about boyfriend jeans is that you can pair them up with any short hem tops – which doesn’t happen all the time for hijabers. Boyfriend jeans are perfect for any type of tops that fall short above the hips. As a hijaber, I always feel uneasy wearing  jeans or trousers that fit tightly around the crotch and rear area. Not only that this is against the syariah but it also shows too much of your figure. Boyfriend jeans, on the other hand, tend to have a looser fitting that won’t expose those areas.

Jenahara’s Flower Riot collection is actually not new, originally premiering as part of the Spring/Summer 2013 collection and launched during the grand opening of Jenahara’s Kemang boutique in December of last year. New additions to the ready-to-wear collection were added to the mix during Pondok Indah Mall Fashiontastic event, but don’t expect anything overly flowery from this collection, as the only noticeable ‘flowers’ were found in the lace pants and skirts.

What I saw in this collection were more sleek, functional, and wearable items with  interesting hues and dark lowlights. I personally loved the perfect consistency between structured and flowy. The right materials were combined with fine cutting to establish a flawless look.

Here are the two key pieces from this collection that I think everyone should have:

• Straight-cut lace pants – I don’t think this one will look good on a petite figure. It adds extra volume and attracts attention to your bottom half, but it’s a must-have for anyone lucky enough to have a slender figure.
• Sleek pants - The high quality cotton and rayon fabric with fine cutting will flatter the shape of your legs. Have a look at these dark taupe pants below: they have a loose fit but also create a slimming effect, thanks to the clever pleated stitching technique on the ankles.

The second sequence of the show exhibits is an entirely new collection, giving us a first look at Jenahara’s upcoming collection titled Hello! Sailor. This collection is a shoutout to the worldwide trend of nautical chic, and also a shoutout to the upcoming holiday season. You won’t see the typical white and blue horizontal stripes on these items; Jenahara has instead played with its own interpretation of multi-color and vertical stripes. A colour palette of navy blue, red, and white are thrown in together to complete the nautical feel.

The key pieces in this collection are:

• Bottoms with slits - Skirts with slits don’t seem feasible or wearable to begin with, but special folding techniques joined with cute buttons come teogether to create a more modest interpretation of the trend. This is one of the main pieces for this collection, creating a fanciful yet sophisticated image in one look.
• Multi-color stripes - My first impression of this stripe pattern and color combination was that it belonged on a mature looking woman, further underlined by the large gold chain necklace. Try to mix it with white, and you could have a fresh and different kind of look.

I’ve already worked on my wish list. There might be couple of items I’d like to grab in Flower Riot collection, such as the really inspiring simple yet striking combination of taupe and black. What about you? Which collection do you like the most?

Mungkin hanya Dewi Sandra, seseorang yang sampai saat ini paling banyak mendapat pertanyaan mengenai keputusannya untuk berhijab. Sejak memutuskan untuk memakai hijab pada Desember 2012, sampai kini pun pertanyaan yang sama selalu didapat oleh Dewi. Tetapi Dewi Sandra tetap seorang yang hangat, terbuka, antusias dan ceria dengan ‘tantangan’ barunya ini.

Being a hijaber, pasti akan bertubi-tubi tawaran yang datang kepadanya, untuk menjadi endorser produk yang sesuai dengan citranya kini.  Wardah Cosmetics memilihnya sebagai Brand Ambassador, sebagai pribadi yang sangat menginspirasi dan memiliki karakter yang kuat. ‘Transformasi’ penampilan dan cerita di balik hijabnya bisa jadi mempunyai efek yang luas dan sangat positif, terutama untuk muslimah yang mempunyai keinginan untuk berhijab.

Bagaimana dengan penampilannya setelah mengenakan hijab, dan tetap sebagai Dewi Sandra yang dulu? Simak perbincangan singkat saya dengan Dewi Sandra pada sebuah acara di Bandung.

Bagaimana rasanya setelah memakai hijab, ribet dan masih kesulitan nggak?

Masiiih bangeet. Karena saya benar-benar memulai ini dari nol. Sejak 2012 saya memang sudah mulai keinginan untuk berhijab sejak ikut pengajian, dan sering memerhatikan muslimah yang berhijab. Namun belum pernah belajar pakai jilbab sama sekali. Jadi, sampai sekarang saya masih merasakan ribetnya, masih ketusuk jarum terus, masih harus bertanya terus