Basic Pin Style (H)

The most commonly worn style is this one, and it is the basis for many of the styles that follow.

1. Fold the scarf diagonally into a triangle shape. If you want the scarf to hang a little longer on the sides and in the back, make sure that the inner fold of the triangle doesn't match up point to point with the outer fold, but is slightly shorter than it.  Place on your head, making sure the ends are hanging evenly.

2.  Tuck the part against your forehead behind your ears.  Then take the next fold of material, bring both sides under your chin and pin.  You can now pull out the tucked part (unless you like that flat against the head look).   The part over your forehead should arc slightly, like the bill of an old-fashioned bonnet.  As you become more adept at tucking and pinning, you will not have to tuck it behind your ears, but will be able to manage the folds.  If you wear glasses, we recommend tucking and pinning without the glasses on. 

3. Finishing touches: There are a few things you can do with the ends.  You can leave them hanging down in front, in which case I recommend pinning them together (on the inside, so the pin is hidden) midway down, or fastening them with a nice clip.  You can also tie the ends of the tails in a knot. You can also draw the tails around the back of your neck and tie or pin them (under or over the scarf -- I recommend under, it looks neater). 

4.  An alternate way to wear this style is to fold it in the diagonal so that one side is shorter than the other and then wear the shorter side on the outside.  Not everyone can pull this off, but you can try it out.

Pin and Knot Style (H)

1.  Follow Basic Pin steps 1 and 2.

2.  Take the two tails and loosely knot them at the middle, so that they drape down.  The effect is very nice and soft, and works well with Arabesque or floral patterned hijabs, in any fabric.  You can also use a "scarf slide" with this.

High Pin Style (H)

1.  Follow Basic Pin steps 1 and 2.

2.  Instead of leaving the tails hanging down, take the right hand tail, wrap it under your chin, and then pin the end on the top of the back of your head with a decorative pin.  Then, take the left hand tail, fan it out (ie, open it from it's fold) and pin it on your right shoulder.  

3.  This style can also be worn leaving the left hand tail hanging down, or tucked into the front of a jilbab. 

4.  Another way to pin the left tail is to twist it loosely and then pin it on the right shoulder.  This is a good style to use with decorative brooches or pins.

Shoulder Pin and Fan Style (H)

This style is difficult and takes some practice, but the payoff is that it looks very nice.  

1. Frame your head with scarf.  

2.  Instead of pinning at chin, draw right hand tail tightly under the chin and then pin at back of head.  

3.  Then, draw some of the scarf hanging down the back to your right shoulder.

4.  Finally, fan the left hand tail out and pin the end two ends together on the shoulder. 

Waterfall Style (a.k.a. Manar TV look) (H)

1.  Follow Basic Pin steps 1 and 2.

2.  Pin the top of the right hand tail just above and behind the left ear, and let it drape down in the front.

3.  Tuck left hand tail into jilbab or pin on opposite shoulder. (Be aware that in some locales, wearing this style denotes membership in or support of the Hizbullah party in Lebanon).

Pharoah Style, aka Back Pin Style (H)

1. Lay the hijab same way on your head, and tuck behind ears.

2. Instead of bringing ends under your chin, pin them behind your head.  

3. Finishing touches: a) leave it that way, but know that your neck will be exposed... b) bring the ends back around the front and pin over the neck / chest area.

4.  If you wear this style,  you may want to wear a turtleneck or something else that covers your neck.  Your neck is part of your awra (private area that shouldn't be shown to strangers), and if you go to the masjid with your neck or ears exposed, you will probably catch a lot of flack.  Also, if you have straight or fine hair, you will notice that your scarf will be slipping all over your head in this style, and you may end up aggravated and uncomfortable.

Faux Shal (H)

This is perfect for sisters who can't seem to make the shal work, but who still like the wrapped effect. 

1.  Fold regular scarf so that one side (inside) is smaller than outside (to make scarf longer)

2.  Pin the scarf on so that 1/4 is on one side of your head, and the rest hangs down the other side.  Pin at chin if you need to.

3.  Wrap the long side tightly around your head. One straight pin at crown to hold in place.

Allow rest of scarf to drape, or pin or tuck in at cheek.

Embossed Headband (H)

The description below doesn't quite do the style justice.  This is really one of those styles that you will have to try out to get the true idea of how it looks.

1.  Wear an undercap, lace headband, or decorative scarf in a pattern or color that contrasts or matches your scarf and clothes clothes.

2.  Fold scarf into a triangle shape.

3.  Now, fold the top of the scarf into 1/2" band, 3 times.

5.   Position scarf slightly back from undercap, and pin as a regular scarf, with the 1/2" band on the inside.  Pin as a regular scarf.  The "headband" should give a slightly embossed look

Butterfly Wings (H, S)

This is a style that may require some practice and / or assistance.  It is really great with fancy materials, for special occasions.  If you use a shal, it must be very wide and long.  You may have to practice this to get the effect and keep your neck covered.

1.  Use a large pyramid scarf with decorative lace edging, or a large square scarf in a light material, folded into a triangle.

2.  Pin at the middle so the sides hanging down are even.

3.  Here's where you need practice / assistance: Draw back the two ends, and pin them high at the crown of your head with a decorative pin.  Gives a winged effect, good for dressy affairs, or just to be different.  Worn with a fancy embroidered pillbox hat, will give off a slightly medieval look. 

Basic Shal Style (S)

This also takes some practice and getting used to, but it looks wonderful on most women

1.  Place shayla on head, with one-fourth on the left side, and three-fourths hanging down the right side.  Pin at chin (some people don't do this, but I have found it is much more difficult to keep on the head if you don't pin it here).

2.  Pull the length of the right hand tail around the chin / neck and up to the top of the back of the head.  If the shal is not wide enough to cover your head and neck on it's own, you will want to make sure that you pin it low enough to make this wrapped layer of fabric cover you.  Anchor here with straight pin.  

4.  Optional finishes: You can leave the right hand tail draping down around your shoulder, or you can bring it forward and pin it at your cheek, or you can continue to wrap it around near your chin and tuck it in.

Wrap Shal (S)

This style is perfect for sisters who just don't look right in the basic style, but who have shals they want to wear.  Be aware that if you don't get it right, it may be tight around your chin and make your head look funny.  Practice.  Secure tightly with pins and wrapping.

1.  Fold in one corner of the shal diagonally -- let's say eight inches or six inches (how wide you want to make this triangle fold will become your personal prefernece once you get used to this style).

2.  Place this over your head as you would a regular hijab. The folded triangle should create a "bonnet" effect as a scarf does. Pin securely.

3.  Bring fold around your chin, and pin where the material leads you. The tough part is making sure that the shal lays flat here and doesn't bunch up.

4.  Leave hanging down if your hair and neck are seculely covered, or you can bring around and pin near ear, cheek, tuck in at chin, whatever your preference is.

Shal Shawl (S)

1.  Use a shal with decorative beading, fringe, or embroidery at the two ends.

2.  Instead of placing on your head widthwise, fold in the end of the length and put around your head, so that the shal hangs down the back like a very long veil.

3.  Draw one end of the shal around your head, and continue wrapping it in layers until you get to the last foot or so, and then pin the other decorative end to your shoulder so that it lays across the front. Practice, practice, practice.

 Double Take#1 (S)

For this style, you need one long, wide shal in a pattern or solid, and a shorter shal in a sheer or pattern.  Play around with wearing light patterns under a dark sheer, or a dark pattern with a dark sheer, or a light solid under a dark solid, or a dark solid under a light one, and so on.  There are many ways you can wear this, but I personally like a bright pattern under a black sheer.

1.  Pin the wide shal as usual, making sure that some lenth of it hangs down in the front.

2. Pin sheer shal at the back of the top of the head.  Draw it around your front, wrap around head once, and then tuck in at the cheek, and let the remaining end flow down.

Double Take #2 (S)

For this style, you need two shals in lightweight fabrics, in contrasting colors or patterns.

 Double Take Fake (S)

 For this style, you need a long, wide shal that has two contrasting colors (black on one side, pink on the other or something like that).

1. Lay the shal out and make a fold about 4" wide (or however wide you like), so that there is a band of contrasting color showing (in other words, don't wear it at the seam).

2.  Place the shal on your head, 1/4 of it on one side and 3/4 on the other with the folded part OUTSIDE. 

3.  Draw the rest of the shal up over your head, but make sure to twist the fold as you bring it from your chin to the top of your head, so that only one of the colors is showing. 

4. Continue to wrap around head, pin or tuck in at cheek.   Gives the effect of having two shals on.

Draped Shal (S)

1.       Start with a long, wide shal.

2.       Place over head in the middle (equal parts hanging down on both sides), OR with the right side slightly longer (whatever you like).

3.       Wrap right side around back of head, up to the crown, and then tuck in or pin at side of cheek.

4.       Leave left side to hang down your front

Princess Shal (S, A)

For this style, you need an al Amira scarf, preferably solid colored, and a large, sheer shal or dupatta.  The al Amira should be in a lightweight polyester or lycra (cotton might not look right with this).  A light colored al Amira under a dark shal looks best, but you can always experiment.  You can also use a "shimmery" al Amira under this for a party style.  Wearing the al Amira ensures that your neck is not showing through the sheer shal. 

1. Put on al Amira as usual.  Make sure that the hood is directly at the back of your throat, against the neck, and not up towards the chin.  Tuck the hood into clothing.  Make sure that the short tube is showing, preferably a little bit in the "bonnet" style. (Alternately, you may be able to pull this off with a one piece al Amira, provided it has the "bonnet" style front piece sewn in.  It won't work with just the long tube). 

2. Place shal in the middle of your head (ends even), pin at chin, but don't make folds in the shal.  Alternately, you can do the 1/4 on one side, 3/4 on the other side style with this, but remember to avoid any folds. 

3. Wrap around, securing once at the top of the head with a straight pin.  From here, you can let the shal flow, or continue wrapping it and tuck in or pin at cheek.

Shal and Scarf  (H, S)

This style is perfect for someone who can't manage to keep the shal on her head, or who has a length of cloth for a hijab, but it is not opaque enough.  You can choose the scarf and shal in the same color, contrasting colors, or one solid, one patterened.  All of them look lovely.

1.  Scarf should be 40"x40" size or smaller.  Fold evenly along the diagonal, and pin at chin as normal.  If you are using a see-through shal, make sure that your neck is completely covered in the and back.

2.  Place the shal on your head with 1/4 of the length on one side and 3/4 on the other.  However, unlike when you wear a shal alone, this time, you place the shal roughly at the middle of the top of your head. 

3.  Pin at the chin, but don't create a fold in the top of the shal (you already have the scarf on, remember?).

4.  Bring the long end around, pin at the top of the head with straight pin, continue wrapping, and then pin or tuck at the cheek or under the chin. 

Alternate Wrap for Shal and Scarf Style

1.  Follow step one above.

2.  Instead of placing shal on the head, take one end of the shal and secure it with a pin at the crown of your head.

3.  Now, take the entire length of the shal, and wrap it around, securing with straight pins where necessary.

4.  At the point where the shal hangs roughly over your head (wrapped around head once), pin with decorative pin, and let it flow.  This style may take some practice, but it may be less bulky than the first one.

Al Amira Styles (A)

Some variations on the basic al Amira include:

1.  Wearing contrasting tubes and hoods.  This is especially good if one of the colors is particularly dark or bright, or has a bold pattern. For example, you can wear a lime green tube with a black hood.

2.  Wearing two tubes, of contrasting colors, with a hood that matches one of them. The contrasting tube should be the middle layer.

3.  Wearing a wide stretch cotton, velvet, or lycra headband as a "faux" tube layer in between the real tube and the hood.  (You may want to secure it discreetly with a small straight pin). 

on to different styles of over garments

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