Scarfs, hijab, veil, or shawl. Several issues surround the this topic at the moment, from the lackadaisical attitude of Muslim women to observe the command, to the similarity of the latest fashion of hijab (namely the Ariani-style tudung) to those don by Christian nuns. I believe that I am the last person on earth to question or judge women's intentions to (not) cover themselves. Let me be honest with you that I started wearing the scarf seriously to impress a certain now distantly insignificant someone. I naively thought that if I fit into what this person thought is the ideal appearance of a woman, the person would take a liking towards me. Well, even though I may have gotten all dolled up like how I thought this person would want in a woman, I don't have the manners nor the demeanor befitting the stereotypical traditional Malay woman of lemah-lembut, bersopan santun, and more importantly, subservient. Amidst the novel effort to impress this someone, behind the veiled person, is still the feisty girl, with a larger-than-life attitude often-times a wee bit of a put-off to the traditional stereotypical Malay men.
A little over a decade of experience, I have gathered quite a modest fashion sense of scarfs. Admittedly, I don't quite keep up with the latest fashion. There are now Syria-styled scarfs, multi-colored inner scarfs, lycra designer scarfs whose prices can go up to three-digits, and not forgetting the evergreen, tudung-for-all-season, tudung bawal. The recent Hari Raya was the event for some fashion-savvy Facebook friends to put up a show of the latest fads and buzz of the hijabi fashion. There seem to be a new variety of scarf fashion, what I refer to as Mak Datin tudungs - the multi-layered, often two-toned scarfs, usually darker colored layer on the inside, and lighter shade of the same color hanging loosely on the outside. Personally, that's a wee bit too frilly for me.
I went to a friend's open house last week and discovered new trends in the hijabi fashion world - a bling clip tucked at the side of your buns (don't ask me what you do if you can't arrange your hair in a bun), while wearing the designer lycra-styled scarfs. And you must also put on an elaborated dangling bling under your chin. The bigger and longer the blings, the more en vogue you are.
My biggest pet peeve of the hijabi fashion is when women wear the ever-convenient awning or visor scarfs made of lycra, that almost always come in brightly colored, brazenly patterned fabric with their equally bright and heavily patterned baju kurung. Meriah sangat lah kakak. Flamboyant, loud, g.a.u.d.y. There is really not that thin a line between fashion sense and fashion disaster.
I am the rare breed that don't wear the awning or visor scarfs, nor the Syria-styled scarfs, nor the multi-color inner scarfs under long shawls. But I am one of many women who must replenish her scarf collection every 3 months. Back in Bolehland, I would diligently visit my favourite spot for scarf shopping - Warta Bangi, every month! Now I diligently visit websites that sell the latest fashion of scarfs in the market. And thanks to my out-of-date taste in the hijabi fashion world, my kind of scarfs are always on clearance sale or heavily discounted prices. In fact, my latest order of about 10 scarfs just arrived 5 days ago :) But I stick to the square or rectangular scarfs, usually with abstract, geometrical or fine patterns in pastel and boring colors.
Although we must always remember the real reason behind covering ourselves, I believe we should not be deprived of looking nice and pretty for our own sake. And the need to be perceived as nice and pretty is what prompted our ladies to keep up-to-date with the latest hijabi fashion - the gaudy colors, the blings, the beads and crystals, even though they don't suit the situation, our outfit, the event we're attending, or most importantly, our personalities.
Don't over do it, ladies. Good fashion sense is wearing an outfit that is comfortable, and matches our personality, an attire we can carry confidently and gracefully, and looks as if you pull it all off with minimum effort.
Note: This entry is motivated by the writer's own recent fashion over-sense incident.
7 comments:
nicely written babe- i suka tudung sarung cam ariani or ekin but i tak beli yg mahal2 la - kat office kawan2 jual dalam rm 40, 50 cam tu and i find tudung jenis ni very easy sebab tak payah pakai brooch apa - sebab i suka hilangkan brooch hhehe but now i am into selendang yuna comel skit nampak muka i nampak muda skit heheh
Eda, camana selendang Yuna ni? I notice you suka pakai selendang lilit kan? I like it as well, but I susun my selendang in a different way :P
I pun cam u. Pakai tudung tak ikut feshen trend sgt. I pakai yg i suka pakai even though dah out of date. I still pakai tudung bawal walaupun orang dok sibuk dgn tudung ariani.
agree!! nicely written. I imagine if i got the bling2 one under my dagu then mesti masuk dalam kuah mee kari ataupun tersangkut kat mana2 because i am not bersopan santun lemah lembut jugak...hahaha.
very brilliant observation, excellent scribble n very comprehensive comment. i guess, despite not fond of the contemporary hujib fashion, u know a lot! believe me, byk tudung u mention i pun tak tahu. well, u r right Zeck. as for me, i still feel good in my plain colour tudung bawal yg tak meriah. even tudung bawal pun byk evolution especially in Kelantan. tak terkejar fashion n tak tahu nak pakai kemana lawa2 sesangat.
tudung ala ariani i pakai gak, tp yg pasar mlm RM 5 ringgit each, utk i ok lah wat pi pasar n outing. mula2 beli utk helper, lama2 i ngan dia pun pakai serupa ha3X :-)
beb, u forgot to analyze tudung mak siti. there should be one entry i want to hear your thoughts especially on this topic.
Hi, Outstanding posting. And very eloquently mentioned too.
I guess sometimes fashion overtakes common sense
and the keeping up with others, to impress to for show.
For me, I believe to each, his or her own.
You have a pleasant week and keep a song in your heart.
Lee.
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