Asalaamu alaikum, Hey dear readers! Well, it’s been one of “those” weeks where there never seems to be enough hours in the day! First the hurricane and then exams, exams, exams, and more exams. I had been meaning to get this review out for a few weeks now but was just not able to.
Anyway, I am going to be reviewing a new Jilbab from Islamic Design House, which is based out of the UK with distributors worldwide. mash’Allah. It’s from their new Fall 2012 season and is this one HERE.
My previous review of an Islamic Design House garment is HERE. If you’d care to read that one as well.
I chose this Jilbab because it seems to be a nice mix between casual and dressy with a bit of a Chinese flair. It’s a nice, rich plum color and the body and sleeves are plain, but there is a neat little attached vest which wraps around the body, a mandarin collar (thankfully nice and wide for comfort) and cuffs with the same print as the vest. The body is made of a rayon material while the Asian-esque print on the cuffs and vest is made of a cotton jersey. Oh, and there is a nice little decorative kick-pleat at the front/side of the Jilbab which provides a bit more stride room. The cut of the Jilbab itself is very A-line and flowy. This garment also has nice deep pockets and there aren’t any buttons, zippers or poppers; hence, this Jilbab is entirely closed front.
What I like about this Jilbab. so, I’ve had a couple of chances to wear this Jilbab since receiving it, and overall I really like it.
I like that this Jilbab is dressy while remaining casual. It’s not unsuitable for class, work, or just walking around the city/mall/grocery store. The quality and construction are indeed excellent, much like the previous Jilbab I reviewed from them. I’ve been very impressed by the quality of garments that Islamic Design House produces. I find that many companies, unfortunately, make substandard garments but charge inordinate amounts of money; meanwhile, the garment will just fall apart quickly. This garment is indeed made to last, and I like the extra little touches.
The fabric is Its lightweight and airy, the cut is A-line, as I mentioned above. This makes this garment suitable for sisters who are bottom heavy and/or walk a lot. This Jilbab wont hobble you. For warmer climates/weather this Jilbab would be fantastic as it’s made of a natural, breathable fabric.
What I dislike about this Jilbab…because y’know, I’m all about being honest!
This Jilbab is definitely more of a spring/summer/early fall garment for those of us in a temperate climate. It’s winter right now in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, so unless I wear multiple layers under this garment, I will not be warm enough in it. I intend to pack it away to wear come spring, once I finish this review. Currently, it’s like in the low 30s Fahrenheit. Hence, I’m sticking to my thick wool and heavy, thick cotton layers.
If you are a mom to a little one, unfortunately, this jilbab is not nursing-friendly as there are no openings in the front to allow for breastfeeding.
The fabric; although rayon is wonderful for warmer weather, it can be a finicky fabric. You must be careful not to accidentally shrink it with conventional washing methods. Rayon garments overwhelmingly require a wash cycle on gentle or a hand wash, followed by air drying and a light iron.
My last real qualm with this Jilbab is that I’d rather the printed vest portion come down a bit lower as from the front its almost entirely covered by my khimar (hijab).
Onto a couple pictures. I paired the Jilbab with a plum floral print square headscarf and grey flats and yes, I have gloves on! We finally had a sunny day but it was as you can guess, absolutely freezing, I had to wait for my husband to get home from work to take these pictures so the sun was starting to go down hence the shadows from the chain-link fence I am standing next too.
Here are a few other Islamic Design House Jilbabs from their latest season which I thought were very nice and quite my style.
Thanks for reading! I love feedback so feel free to leave a comment or two!
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Very nice review and I like the one you chose. Since I probably still have a few more nursing years ahead of me inshallah anything that’s closed in the front is completely off limits to me. It’s a bummer though as it seems nursing friendly options are fairly limited these days but I digress. I can see how the length of the vest could draw unneeded attention to the chest area, but I think the overall style is cute.
t looks nice, mashallah! And I really like the sleeve cuff, it’s cute.
Salam alayki, it looks nice on the website but to me it looks tight for the one modelling which would put me off buying for outdoor wear. But masha Allah when I saw your picture it looked beautifully modest, not clinging at all so I guess it is just a case of buying it a size or too bigger than usual. You rocked it well mashaAllah.
I have brought from IDH before when they first started and I didn’t like the jilbab I brought as it was soo uncomfortable and rigid but I did like the sport jilbab I got from it.
asalaamu alaikum….jazakh’Allah for the comment sis. Actually I didnt order anything buy my usual jilbab or abaya size. If you see their website you’ll see they have redeveloped their sizing so now they have like slender, regular and loose and some styles also have an extra-loose. I think its come a long was in that regard. I just went by the bust width I prefer for my overgarments and length and choose based on that. They used to only have the slender sizing which was ludacris in my mind, alhamdullah they moved beyond that.
Also, I had a jilbab from them a few years ago from an earlier line, well, maybe like 1 year ago, it was a sale jilbab right after they started the more extensive sizing and yes I was not impressed, the fabric, cut, everything was not good at all. In my opinion. But the new designs are a lot better, the fabrics, designs and cuts are a lot more modest and much better quality. They seem to be trying to improve their products on a consistant basis and sofar the 2 I have from them, I do really like and enjoy wearing. I havent had any qualms sofar.
Maybe consider them again…you may find the new style in stark contrast to the older designs you have/had.
It’s nice but I’m not really sure about Vest overlay overgarments as they look odd on me, also they are a bit 90s throwback-esque reminding me of stuff from Caravan xpress et al.
Lovely color. looks so nice with the scarf.
XO Arezu