SoHo, Dali & Powerful Female Writers



Inside William Bennett Gallery
Photo courtesy of Vica Miller Salons



The other night, I had an amazing time in Manhattan.
First of all, if you think Manhattan is a beautiful city, at night it's absolutely magical!
Driving down 9A South by Hudson River, you get such a magnificent view of the water, the lights, and sky rises that.

I attended an exclusive (invitation only) event at the Vica Miller Salon. Vica Miller, the Senior VP of Corporate Communications at DataArt, as well as an accomplished writer, hosted the event.

Vica Miller
Photo courtesy of Vica Miller Salons

The event was in SoHo (oh so hot!) at the William Bennett Museum (oh so top!). And to top it all off, creme de la creme- the art of Dali was on exhibition!
Wait! It gets better. Since this was an event held by a Writing Salon, I got to listen to excerpts from the most powerful female writers in the city!

Photo courtesy of Vica Miller Salons

OH SO DAZZLING!


Everyone there was dressed so beautiful! Vica Miller, in her adorable little black dress. A chiffon pleated empire waist dress, that had frills at the skirt. She wore her pearl necklace to give this youthful dress a more mature look. Stunning as always!





Vica Miller
Photo courtesy of Vica Miller Salons



Mrs. Miller and Mr. Miller
Check out Vica's dress. She gives the "little black dress" a new meaning!


I also ran into this other beautiful lady who looked like she just landed from Paris. She had her hair up in a bun, and wore a long shawl, poncho/jacket style knit top, over a dress. She made her top look more finished with a belt. She also had a gorgeous animal print scarf around her neck.  She had an over sized black ring that she wore on her right hand. Being the designer/blogger that I am, of course I had to walk over there and take a picture of her style.




Heather

 Least but not least, guess who got the most compliments of the night? MOI!

Being the only hijabi, and getting so many positive compliments, from very well dressed, smart and gorgeous women, made me feel so proud. Wouldn't you think?







Elif&Heather









Elif and The Millers
Photo courtesy of Vica Miller Salons


My Style: For those of you who are curious about my outfit: I'm wearing a black turtleneck, my comfijab satin neck piece, my KAVAKCI COUTURE design wide legged trousers, the ZARA poncho style knit jacket in camel (seen in this previous post CLICK). I completed my outfit with a Louis Vuitton off white silk scarf with red letters on it, and my favorite ivory Prada purse. I am also wearing my Marc Jacobs watch on my right wrist - a KAVAKCI trademark, and my red swatch bracelet to add a touch of color.

For more information about Vica Miller Salons please visit

http://www.vicamillersalons.com/

You can also follow Vica Miller Salons on facebook

http://www.facebook.com/update_security_info.php?wizard=1#!/pages/-Vica-Miller-Literary-Salons/269353181133


 Elif Kavakci for HijabiTopia

Headscarf Politics

Here is a video you have to watch!

Look at what these girls go through, to fight for their rights to wear hijab. And you thought you were discriminated against?!

Be thankful for living in the US- the land of the free!

If you would like to read more about this book, you can go to the earlier post:  CLICK

Video

by

Zeynep Sahin

Hijabi Dreams

Rabia Rafi wearing a KAVAKCI COUTURE design with the exclusive Comfijab and Beret
Photo by
www.queensimage.com

This morning my daughter Janna (earlier post about her here) woke up and was telling me about her dream last night.

She said "Mom, I was having this dream when I was at school, and I forgot to wear my hijab. It was so embarrassing! I was walking around without hijab. In the past, I used to dream that I lost my bag at school, but now I dream about forgetting to wear my hijab".

When Janna told me her dream, I started laughing. Because it was beautiful and funny at the same time. It was clear to me that she had gone to the next level of being a hijabi. Now she was having hijabi dreams, or nightmares!

It's beautiful because she honors her hijab so much that even in her subconcious state she is a hijabi.

Those of you who wear hijab know what I'm talking about, right?  When you start wearing hijab, the biggest nightmare is you're not wearing it. Even though, you are sleeping, your soul can feel the embarrassment of not wearing it. Because hijab becomes a part of you, one that completes you once you start wearing it.

I had forgotten about this until Janna mentioned it this morning. I have the same dream on and off. I have had it since I started wearing hijab exactly 23 years ago. And I am sure that I will have this dream for many more years to come.

It is such a good feeling to know that something you believe so strongly in, has been carved in to your conscience. It's an honor that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Till I wear my final hijab in the grave, which will be my shroud!

(According to Islamic tradition, when a woman is buried, she is wrapped in 5 pieces of white cloth. One of which is a hijab that covers her hair completely.)

How many of you have the same dream?

Elif Kavakci for HijabiTopia

Chico's for Chicas!

Mary sent us the best news ever!

She recently bought this jacket from Chico's to wear to a friends Valima (reception). Not only is it a beautiful jacket, but it's also on sale!!!

This is the Ani-Glam Meo Jacket from Chico's









According to the description from Chico's websiteThis jacket is "trimmed with jewels and lined with animal print".

You can get more information and purchase this gorgeous jacket if you CLICK.

Now we don't just bring you the item, but we bring you how to wear it as a hijabi :-)

Here is how Mary wore the jacket

Mary wore her black tissue tee turtleneck from target inside her jacket

She combined her jacket with a perfectly matching gold and black hijab. She is also wearing a gold broach on her scarf that can not be clearly seen in the picture.

She has also chosen a black clutch with gold embroidery to complete her look.

Mary looks absolutely stunning! She has managed to turn Ani-Meo Jacket into Hijabi-Meo Jacket!

Now what are you waiting for? Get yours before it runs out! :-)

Elif Kavakci for HijabiTopia

Urban Chic

Faux Fur never goes out of fashion. Here is a look you can wear to go shopping and then to meet your beloved for dinner. It's furalicious for any occasion!

(This is a gorgeous fur jacket, however, I would suggest a longer one to provide more modesty)

Note: This model was dressed in a computer program where hijab options are limited. Unfortunately, this program does not carry our designer Comfijab! We realize her ears and neck are showing. Please don't think that we are trying to make everyone wear hats or berets and show their neck :-)

Urban Hijabi

A little mystical, a little bold, a little adventurous

She likes to mix and match items, and follows trends

She uses a simple trick by sticking to a color theme

Her style is as versatile as the city she lives in

Yet her elegance is her signature


Meet the Urban Hijabi

NOTE: This model was dressed in a computer program where hijab options are limited. This program unfortunately, does not carry our designer Comfijab! We realize her neck is showing. Please don't think that we are trying to make everyone show their necks :-)





The model is wearing

Fraulein Von Haust Turtleneck

Day Bergen et Mickelsen T-shirt

Mathew Williamson Belt

Helmut Lang Cardigan

Noko Jeans Jeans

Dagmar Scarf

By Malene Birger Sunglasses

Twist and Tango Scarf

Pedro Garcia Heels

Imoni Gloves

Travel Handbag

Are you ready to be an Urbanista?

Elif Kavakci for HijabiTopia

Eid with my BFF!

Eid Mubarak everyone! I hope you are continuing to have a wonderful Eid.

This Eid was quite special for me. Nazreen and her family flew in from Dallas to spend Eid with us in New York. We had a great time. Here are some pictures of our style from Eid.

I'm wearing a poncho knit jacket from ZARA. It's available at your local stores and online. It comes in 2 colors: black and camel.

Here is what it looks like on the models

ZARA Poncho style knitted jacket in Camel

The back view - it's long enough to provide modesty



The same poncho in black

Here is how I wore it:




Side View

I'm wearing a long sleeve black turtleneck inside. My disco ball necklace from FOREVER 21 from last year
and my FOREVER 21 bangles
(same bangles from previous post here)

Since the poncho is a loose fitting item, it's best to also add a belt. I chose this nordstrom belt to add to my outfit, perfect excuse for extra bling!

Nordstrom Fish scale Belt

Here is how it looks like with the belt

(in order not to over crowd my outfit, I chose to go with the belt instead of the necklace)

Add my best friend and here is the final look

I'm also wearing the Comfijab and my KAVAKCI COUTURE design Beret

Eid Mubarak to all!

With Lots of Love,

Elif

From Fame and Fortune to Islam Part II

Here is the second part of the YouTube video about Nicole's conversion.

If you missed the first part you can watch it here
From Fame and Fortune to Islam Part I.

As you watch the video, please keep in mind that Nicole was a very well known photographer, who made a good living.
Once she became Muslim, she changed her whole lifestyle, including the way she dressed.
Just because she started wearing hijab, she did not give up her career, or her passion for photography.

She didn't sit there and contemplate, how am I going to make a living now? With Allah's amazing grace, she found work that was Islamic.

For those who say hijab prevents you from a good career, living your life to the fullest or achieving your dreams:This one is for YOU!



Elif Kavakci for HijabiTopia

Native Deen: I AM NEAR

The video we have been waiting for!
Native Deen ROCKS!!!

Mrs. Obama in Hijab!

The President and the First Lady Michelle Obama visited Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta on Wednesday.

It is lovely to see Mrs. Obama wearing hijab out of respect.

Here are a few pictures courtesy of CNN Turk, from the visit:

Haute Pink

As the weather gets colder and colder, we have to start layering our clothes to stay warm. I'm sure most of you already know that layering is a hijabi's best friend!

Neutral colors are always great for fall. This season's popular colors are gray hues, royal blues, camels, off-whites, browns and of course our all time favorite black.

One of the key pieces for a modest look is a high neck turtleneck. I would suggest you get one in all the colors you think you would use in your wardrobe. The basics would include an off-white, camel, black, gray, brown, dark blue and royal blue.

In this particular look, the model is wearing an off-white turtleneck with frills. She layered her turtleneck with a neutral gray cardigan that has the same frill theme going. Very feminine indeed!

She has completed her look with her black loose pants that are rolled at the bottom. She is wearing her pants over her  leather knee high boots.

She has topped off her style with a pink large handbag and a matching large round pink plastic ring.

It's always a great idea to add a dash of color to your neutrals.

This look was brought to us by Nazreen.

Haute Pink

NOTE: This model was dressed in a computer program where hijab options are limited. This program unfortunately, does not carry our designer Comfijab! We realize her neck and ears are showing. Please don't think that we are trying to make everyone wear hats or berets and show their neck :-)

An academic book about Hijab

With my sister Merve Kavakci

Today I would like to share with you the work of one of my role model's. Most of you already know her or of her. She is one of the strongest women I know, and a heroine to millions.  She is also the international symbol of Hijab...

My sister Merve Kavakci's newest book is now available for purchase. Her book, Headscarf Politics: A Postcolonial Reading in Turkey is a very interesting read about the Hijab Ban in Turkey.

It is an inspirational story of how far Muslim women can go to fight for Hijab! If you think you have struggles, you will realize you have none till you read this book. Just look at the cover. This is a picture taken in front of a University where this student wearing hijab is held by Police Officers and is physically prevented from entering her school. As if that is not enough, her headscarf is being snatched from her head!

Headscarf Politics is available on Amazon as well as Barnes&Noble and Borders

I also wanted to share with you one of my sister's most recent interviews with George Washington University.


A Voice for Religious Freedom



Ousted from Turkey’s parliament for wearing a headscarf, Elliott School's Merve Kavakci is an advocate for the rights of Muslim women.


Oct. 21, 2010


By Rachel Muir


Merve Kavakci has paid a high price for her convictions.


In 1986, she was forced to leave medical school in her native Turkey because she refused to remove her headscarf.


The country bans wearing headscarves in public institutions, including schools and government offices.


And, in 1999, after she was elected to the Turkish parliament, she was not allowed to take her seat—again because she wore a headscarf.


When she tried to take the oath of office, other parliamentarians chanted “get out” and booed her. She was labeled an “agent provocateur” by the president.


Within weeks, she was stripped of her Turkish citizenship and banned from politics for a period of five years. Her political party, the Virtue Party, was also disbanded.


Even though 99 percent of Turks are Muslim and Turkish public opinion supports ending the ban, the country’s leadership adheres to a rigid secularism, she says. “The headscarf is considered a backward symbol, a symbol of the past in Turkey.”


The incident in parliament caused an international outcry. Dr. Kavakci took her case to the European Court of Justice and, in 2007, won against Turkey. Her citizenship has been reinstated.


She’s since earned a Ph.D. in political science from Howard University and a master’s from Harvard University and is on the faculty of the Elliott School of International Affairs.


Academics runs in the family for Dr. Kavakci, whose parents were both educators. She grew up in an “educated, devout” family in Istanbul.


She originally came to the U.S. with her parents and two sisters in the late 1980s after leaving medical school. “It was impossible for me to continue to go to school in Turkey and to be a committed Muslim as I choose to be,” she says. Her mother had left her job as a German literature professor because of similar discrimination.


They ended up in Dallas, where Dr. Kavakci’s father worked as the religious leader for the central mosque. “It was quite a culture shift,” she says. But, she adds, in the United States her family hasn’t experienced any kind of discrimination. “We have always been respected.”


Dr. Kavakci earned a degree in computer engineering at the University of Texas at Dallas.


She returned to live in Turkey in the early 1990s. She had young children and wanted them to experience Turkish culture firsthand.


There, Dr. Kavakci started volunteering with the Virtue Party, an Islamist political party. She rose to be the party’s head of foreign affairs. In 1999, Dr. Kavakci ran for parliament representing one of Istanbul’s largest districts. She won the election, becoming the youngest member elected to parliament at age 30.


Except she wasn’t allowed to take office.


Amid the jeers that day—May 2, 1999—the then-prime minister demanded that she be “put in her place.” After several attempts to take her oath of office, she left the parliament building stunned.


“I expected some kind of turmoil or discomfort, but nothing like what happened,” she says.


The headscarf she wore that day was later exhibited at the U.S. Congress as a sign of religious freedom. She has also been named among the 500 most influential Muslims worldwide and recognized as a “woman of excellence” by the NAACP.


She has addressed the British Parliament House of Lords, United Nations Commission on Human Rights, U.S. Congress and lectured at universities across the world.


Did she ever consider removing her headscarf?


“No,” she says. “It’s part of who I am. I justify my existence first and foremost as a subject of God.” Women shouldn’t be forced to wear a headscarf, but they should have the freedom to choose, she stresses.


In a book to be released next week, Headscarf Politics in Turkey: A Postcolonial Reading, Dr. Kavakci examines the headscarf issue from the perspective of Turkish women who want to cover their heads. The book has been nominated for a Prose Award.


While she is based in D.C., Dr. Kavakci travels to Turkey frequently and writes a column for the Turkish daily Yeni Akit on “anything and everything.”


She now officially goes by the name Merve Kavakci Islam after a recent marriage but says “my story is still entrenched in minds as the Kavakci story.”

And she has a message for the Turkish government on behalf of those advocating for greater freedom of religious expression. “We are here and here to stay,” she says.

Kick It!

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programing, to bring you this announcement:

NORDSTROM HALF-YEARLY SALE IS ON!!!

That's right. And this means, there is a huge sale in our favorite shoe department.

For those of you who do not live in the US and have never been to Nordstrom, no worries! This is a sale and trend post all in one.

So here are the trends we love, and once again, you can get any of these at Nordstrom stores or online at nordstrom.com.

Get a pair of these and JUST KICK YOUR STYLE up a notch!

Rocker Chick




Stewart Weizman "Iron Lady" Bootie




BCBGeneration Twist Bootie



Sam Edelman "Quebec" Bootie



Sam Edelman "Torin" Bootie



Trouve Ada Bootie



Appepazza Liverpool Bootie


Diva Chic

Charles by Charles David Pounce 2

Boutique 9 Strut Ankle Boot

Sam Edelman Yalane Bootie

Jessica Simpson "Cofi" Boot

Equestrienne Elegance

Burberry Leather Riding Boot

Charles David Rove Boot

Wassup Doc?

Dr. Martens "Diva Dee" Boot

(Can you believe Doc Martens are still around and still look so good?)


Yabada yabada, and that's all folks!

Elif Kavakci for HijabiTopia