Product Review: Armine Turkish Silk Scarf from Modefa

Asalaamu aliakum, Hey and Welcome my dear readers!

When the USA-based Turkish-Islamic company Modefa contacted me a short time ago to review a beautiful silk scarf from the new Fall/Winter (2012/13) Armine collection I was obviously quite happy to oblige. These silk scarves from Turkey are absolutely gorgeous and lush and ofcourse, Modefa was a pleasure to do business with! Ofcourse I also enjoy getting a new scarf and feel good about supporting a locally-owned Muslim company.

(Note: I previously reviewed a Aker silk scarf sent to me by Modefa in August, if you’re interested, you can read that review here.)

I chose the Armine Esin silk scarf as seen below as it has colors which I tend to wear often and the design is semi-conservative but not bland.  I felt I would get a lot of wear out of this scarf!

 

How it looks worn;

 

The actual review itself… For those of you who may not know, Armine is a very popular Turkish “tesettür” OR modest clothing company which is known for their high quality items. They produce scarves (silk and non-silk), overgarments, shirts, skirts – essentially everything commonly found in ones wardrobe.  Armines primary audience is the woman who wears tesettür/modest clothing and/or Hijab. Their designs range from good quality solid basics which are traditional and conservative up to trendier designs. They carry both traditional conservative styles and newer, trendier designs.

Most Turkish designed and produced silk scarves such as this one is a 36inch square which is a normal size for most square scarves made in Turkey and the edges are all hand rolled and hand-stitched. Personally I think the hand stitched edges add an elegant touch along with adding a bit more weight to the scarf . This scarf in particular is of the “silk satin” variety which means its shiny, glossy and smooth on one side and matte on the underside.

As far as styling goes, I have a pretty everyday square scarf style which I wear with all square scarves (as modeled above) and personally, I didn’t have any problems with forming and pinning this scarf.  I know at first shaping and wearing a silk scarf can be tricky but I found this scarf to form easily and firm enough that it didn’t collapse or flop around my forehead. I also have a neat trick I picked up from some Turkish friends of spritzing the area around the forehead with a light hairspray. It helps to keep the silk stiffer and in shape. Its also easy to wash out with a hand-wash.

Now, I did want to mention one thing…Ok, like two important details! Unlike the silk scarves produced by another Turkish scarf producer; Aker.  Armine does not treat their scarves with a waterproofer, which means if you wear one of these scarves in a downpour, it will get wet and soggy. Unlike Armine, Aker silk scarves are made so the water just runs off of them. This may be an important matter to consider if you live in a very rainy or damp part of the country and plan to wear your silk scarf frequently!   Another important thing I wanted to mention is that silk scarves such as this Armine scarf are very durable. Silk of almost all kinds is a durable, natural material which means there is natural ventilation in warm weather, air flow to the scalp and longevity of wear. Ive also found that silk scarves are comfortable and warm in winter. Silk is pretty much a year-around material unlike say a sheer cotton gauze or thin linen material.

In conclusion; I do find that these types of scarves which are silk and produced in Turkey are well worth their cost, although they can be expensive they are awesome investment pieces that never go out of style and can be worn for years to come with the proper care.

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Thanks for reading! You know I love feedback and hearing from my Readers so please feel free to leave me a comment or two.

-Bailey Umm Ibrahim