Check us out on Craig’s List:

Models, CLICK HERE.

Videographers/Sound and Light Editors, CONTACT US DIRECTLY.
Apparently, our post was too dirty for Craig’s List, and they’ve already flagged and removed it six times.

If you’re interested in becoming a part of this project, and live in the Los Angeles area, shoot us an e-mail, or pass our listing along to someone you think might be interested.

Please note that these positions ARE open to high school and college students, barring that you are at least 18 years of age.

All inquiries should be directed to The Closet [at] Slice of Lemon [dot] com.

To preempt any questions or e-mails from clothing designers/small business owners who want to contribute their fashions and accessories to this series, we’ll be accepting design portfolios starting in November. We’ll keep you posted on when and how to send them.

Also, since I figured this would happen, and I already see it popping up in the comments, I thought I should mention a few things about our model search. The reason we ask that our models be at least 5’5″ tall (the average height of American women) and have a thin and healthy build, is for a few reasons.

First, often times women who answer these types of ads are very, very thin. “The Closet” does not encourage women to abuse their bodies in the name of fashion — after all, style is not about torturing oneself into a state of obsession over wanting to fit into the jeans you wore in high school. It is very important to us that our model(s) understand that we neither condone nor encourage unhealthy habits regarding body image, and therefore a woman who submits a portfolio stating that she’s 5’10″ tall and weighs 102 pounds will not be asked to join us.

Next, although it is very possible to be curvy and maintain a healthy build, just as we do not encourage excessive thinness, we also do not encourage women who are abusing their bodies in the opposite way. The clothing vendors we work with have a specific “model size” they send us, and if a model is a significantly larger, the clothes we have will not fit her. But that is not to say that if you’re a size 8, and our model is wearing a size 2, that you cannot buy the same clothes she has on in our videos.
After all, nearly every mannequin in America is built to stand 5’7″ tall and fit a size 2, but that has never stopped me from walking passed the display window to find my size on the racks.
(Oh, and I’m like, totally shorter, and bigger than the mannequin who’s wearing the dress I want.)

Finally, we understand that beauty comes in a million different colors and sizes — and that is in fact one of the most beautiful aspects of Islam. Muslims do not only come from one region of the world, but from folds in the earth where one may not even know Islam has spread.

We are open to comments and e-mails asking us for advice on how to dress various body types, which we are always responsive to. Most often, I get those types of questions from my readers over at my fashion column, but we’re very much open to hearing from you at “The Closet” as well.

And just as we have mentioned in our disclaimer, we encourage women to put their own creative spin on anything we choose because one size, color, style, hijab, or trend does not, and should not fit all.

***

It’s still raining in our neck of the woods, but that’s not stopping people from dusting off their grill gear and preparing for Memorial Day weekend.
You’ll probably be summoned to a barbecue (or two) this month, which means lots of food, friends and family. Gear up for the warm weather and great food with comfortable and casual pieces that you can wear all spring long.

At the Park With Friends:

For a barbecue with your friends, opt for a pair of relaxed jeans, a tunic and flat sandals.

When you’re off to the park to meet the gang, keep it cute but casual. We gave Michelle a pair of light washed wide-leg jeans and a long tunic with a bright floral print that we picked up at J. Crew. A matching hijab and handbag complement the overall outfit and a braided flat sandal finishes the look.

What she has on:

1. Mossimo Supply Co. wide-leg jeans (shown in ‘medium wash,’ Michelle is wearing ‘light wash.’) Target.com.

2. Floral tunic, J. Crew.

3. Xhilaration twisted large hobo at Target.com.

4. Mossimo Supply Co. Wanda flat sandal at Target.com.

5. Hijab, Target.

For a Family Barbecue:

If you want to dress things up a bit for your family picnic (or are just not a jeans-wearing kind of gal) swap the denim for a long dress and a soft cotton cardigan.

In order to keep things casual but chic, we gave Michelle a long dress, a pair of earrings and a long silver chain. So not to forget that she’s still going to a picnic, we kept the flat sandals and gave her a colorful canvas handbag.

What she has on:

1. Mossimo lightweight open cardigan at Target.com.

2. Mossimo Supply Co. surplus dress at Target.com.

3. Xhilaration multi stripe hobo bag at Target.com.

4. Mossimo Supply Co. Wanda flat sandal at Target.com.

5. Hijab, H&M

To find out more about this series, visit the About the Closet page, and be sure to check out the Disclaimer and the FAQ.

For more information about products used, or to have your fashion queries answered, e-mail us at TheCloset@sliceoflemon.com.

Since the very first hijab fashion video I did at The Washington Post.com in September of 2008, until I launched my own Web site one month later, we have received (and continue to receive) dozens of comments and e-mails about doing a hijab tutorial.

I never planned on doing any sort of hijab how-to, but we’ve been so inundated with people’s queries, our videographer and editor Jackie, finally e-mailed me and said, “You know we have to do a hijab wrapping video now, right? They won’t stop asking you for it!”

There are a about a zillion how-to-wear-hijab videos on the Internet — on numerous blogs, and on YouTube, from women and girls living all over the world. But people wanted me to do one because my earrings have become a hot topic, and in some cases, more of a hot-button issue.

I don’t do it to cause controversy, I just love to wear earrings.
I wear earrings when I workout, I wear earrings while I cook, I wear earrings when I play with small children, and if I could, I’d even wear them while I slept. (But I’d rather not wake up to find holes jabbed into the sides of my neck and blood all over my pillows.)
I love bracelets from Target, earrings from The Dollar Store, necklaces from the local flee market — but not all Muslims think that my accessorizing is okay.
And I get that.

I hesitated to do a hijab demo because I didn’t want to promote something that is controversial (read: do a hijab tutorial for the world to see, and start an Earring-With-Hijab-Wearing Movement that my religion teachers looks down upon.) (And I really like them, so I wouldn’t want any of them to be disappointed in me.)

When we did the first video for Post.com, we also did an interview with Hadia Mubarak, a doctoral candidate in Islamic Studies at Georgetown University. When I asked her about Islam’s views on wearing accessories, she explained that the basic goal of wearing hijab was to be modest and not entice men toward you. She went on to say that in Western societies, because accessorizing is not considered enticing or sending the wrong message, it’s fine to do. But she added that Islamic law will “morph” (so to speak) when cultural norms are strongly embedded in a society.

Let me explain.

Let’s say for example, wearing a pair of blue pumps in Washington, D.C. was a public implication that you were a prostitute. Because Islam forbids prostitution, Islamic law would state that wearing blue pumps (while in D.C.) is forbidden.
Is there any textual evidence in Islam that says a woman cannot wear blue pumps?
No.
But because the culture of D.C. views the blue pumps as ‘Hey, let’s give that chick $50 for a lap dance,’ if you’re Muslim, you’d better opt for some black sandals instead.

(I would just like to clarify that I have worn blue pumps in D.C. — actually to a job interview. I didn’t get the job, but I also wasn’t approached by any lowlifes. Sorry Blue Pumps, I know I’m giving you guys a bad rap, but don’t worry, I know the job thing wasn’t your fault.)

Likewise, Hadia explained to me that because in the West, accessories do not have a negative connotation, they are fine to wear. And thus, my obsessive earring-wear continues.

I know I have readers from all over the planet, and although I am blessed to have seen a great majority of the world, I do not claim to understand every cultural norm in every society worldwide. So I’d like to take a moment to say that I would not wear earrings with my hijab in Saudi Arabia, or in Iran, or in a country where I know that accessories could make other people uncomfortable, or cause conflict within their societal norms.
You know what they say, When in Rome…Don’t Wear Earrings. Or something.

I try my best to follow my religion — I try to seek knowledge, and better understand what I already know. In the section of this site titled Closet FAQ, I address a lot of questions that people have asked about me and this project.
I want to clarify that if there are women who are observing a higher level of modesty than me, I respect them, and I hope that with time, I am able to better understand and practice my faith.
But on the same note, those who are further along in their understanding have to be kind, compassionate and gentle with the people who are taking smaller steps.
No one likes to be judged — for doing more, or doing less.

The tutorial you all wanted makes its debut today, and if you have serious questions, I suggest you talk to a religious scholar/teacher/person you trust.

Love,
Me

P.S. Wanna know how this whole thing got started? Check out the About The Closet page for more details. And don’t forget to read the The Closet FAQ, and our Disclaimer.