Modest Marvel: Noha Hamid (ISNA 2013 day 3)

While the bazaar had a lot of Modest Marvel hits, from previous years, I recall seeing some gems hanging out on the upstairs level of the convention center, so I took a break - and was instantly rewarded with meeting Noha Hamid.  What I especially loved is that when I asked the initial, "can I take your picture" question (it tends to make a lot of people skeptical, even timid - completely understandable!), she JUMPED at the opportunity - even letting me pose in a few times before moving into the interview phase.

Name: Noha Hamid
Background: This aspiring photographer is a world-traveling adventurer with an eye for fashion - and she's still in college!  Noha was at ISNA, visiting from Atlanta.  Ethnically Egyptian, Noha spends her summer vacations to go abroad as often as she can, capturing the world in rich colors and shades of light (her Facebook page is available here).
What we love about her style:  She likes to keep it interesting, with on-trend printed skinny denim combined with a white tunic blouse and deep navy blazer (two must-have staples!).  Rather than the standard heels, Noha opted for suede saddle shoes in a neutral tone and some sparkly pearls to tie it all together.  What's great is that while this outfit is a definite win, it's one of a kind and Noha's friends know they'll never see it again; rather she'll remix these pieces for a whole new modest style!
Favorite pieces: Printed pants and blazers are Noha's wardrobe must-haves!
Your no-limit gift card would be to...?: ZARA.  "I love their style," she says, "but they give you privilege to make their style your own."

Modest Marvel: Hira Jamil (ISNA 2013 day 3)

I spotted Hira Jamil's shoes first and knew that the rest of her had to be a "Modest Marvel."  She was walking through the ISNA bazaar with some friends and her sister, spending the weekend celebrating her sister's birthday.  The entire group had big smiles, evident they were enjoying their weekend, and making the most of their time together.

Name: Hira Jamil
Background: This college sophomore, who grew up in Northern Virginia, is currently studying global affairs.  Her eyes are on a career in international relations.
What we love about her style: Even amongst all the well-dressed ladies of the ISNA bazaar (and there were a ton!), Hira's outfit easily caught our eyes.  She clearly knows how to put an outfit together that's both edgy and feminine.  The fashion-forward harem parents ("from Turkey!") paired nicely with a classic loose blouse, in a color scheme every girl could put goether.  Her strappy gold wedges to give her petite frame some extra lift, all tied together with a bit of sparkle around her neck!
Favorite pieces: Hira gravitates towards long, flowy blouses, but especially loves blazers.
What are you looking to achieve in an outfit?:  With a sunny personality, Hira prefers her style reflects her similarly.  She steers away from dark colors, and generally wears things that reflects her mood.
Your no-limit gift card would be to...?: H&M!  "They have different styles for everyone, and a lot of their stuff can be made "halal" easily.  It's all affordable too!"

Modest Marvel: Hanane Yeslam (ISNA 2013 day 3)

The weird thing about this segment, at least for me, is approaching perfect strangers and asking them to take their pictures.

"Um, you don't know me, but I run a blog - can I take your picture for the internet? - See, I run a blog - it's about modest fashion and where to find modest style! - and you've got great style! - so can  take a picture of you?"

Sometimes you see someone and think, I want to take their picture, but they're busy or probably won't respond well.  And then you see someone like Hanane Yeslam, who was on the phone when you first spot her and her printed palazzo pants with color block button down, and hope that you she doesn't notice the number of times you're walking by, hoping she'll be done with her conversation soon.  And then you get lucky and run into her later (when plan A doesn't pan out).

Name: Hanane Weslam
Background:  A woman of law, Hanane recently graduated from undergrad and is now a paralegal at a DC-area firm.  She's also a woman after my own heart - a photographer and fashion blogger herself.  You can find her here at http://missalnahdi.tumblr.com/ - in fact, I highly recommend it because I just got lost in her blog for about an hour myself.
What we love about her style:  Hanane carries off mixed printed palazzo pants with a colorblocked button down.  Ordinarily, that would be a fashion trend overload, but her play with subtle colors and separating trends between articles of clothing and regions where they're worn just plain work.
About her style: Hanane says she rotates her look often, depending on her mood.  "Sometimes it's grunge, sometimes it's business-like, sometimes it's Americana."
Your favorite pieces:  She gravitates towards tops and loves a good pattern.
What do you want your look to say?  For her day to day styling, she wants her clothes to relay that while she is a hijab-wearing Muslim woman, it doesn't preclude her from having edgy style and changing looks.
Your no-limit gift card would be to...?: This one she thought about for a while, but ultimately chose ZARA for their clean European look.  For a second, she teetered on Free People, citing her love of their long and flowy Bohemian-inspired pieces, but that took a second place seat.

Modest Marvel: Nada Osman (ISNA 2013 day 3)

One of my favorite things about scouting out Modest Marvels is the discovery of meeting a sweet soul behind the style, which is exactly who Nada Osman is.  While we only chatted for a few minutes, it was evident how sweetly kind soft-spoken she was - always giving her friend, Henane, an opportunity to answer before I requested a response from her.  She wore one of the biggest trends at ISNA 2013 - animal print - and a pairing of warm colors gave her some

Name: Neda Osman
Background: This college sophomore, who also works at her school's MBA office, is working on her accounting degree.
What we love about her style:  While Nada claims she gravitates towards darker, muted colors, this is clearly a woman who knows how to add some sparkle and pizazz to her look.  The long black sleeveless cardi over a draped scarlet top and dark skinny jeans was livened up with a leopard print scarf and gold-toned sandals and jewelry.
Favorite pieces: Nada's closet staples are tunic-length tops, and she's working on bringing more patterns into her wardrobe.
Your no-limit gift card would be to...?: "Macy's," she cites, saying every time she's in the market for new clothes "they always have something!

Modest Marvel: Huda Saeb (ISNA 2013 Day 2)

We kick off our Modest Marvels for ISNA 2013 with Huda Saeb, a fresh-faced sophomore from Atlanta, whose shimmery secretary's top caught our fancy.

Name: Huda Saeb
Background: Huda, a sophomore from Atlanta, is at ISNA for the first time.  While she claims not to have any hobbies, she is one the founding members of UpLift, a youth organization aimed to bring together masjids in Atlanta with the intention of motivating youth and bringing them together.
What we love about her style: The soft colors caught our eye as Huda browsed through one of the booths.  She had an easy movement through the crowd, which gave way to her calm presence in the hustle and bustle.
Your Favorite pieces: Huda seeks longer tunic-length tops.  As she says, she likes "solid colors" and is firm about the waistline falling below her waist.
About your style:  She says her style borders on "formal" or "dressy", and rarely ever wears t-shirts.  She often shops at Forever 21, Macy's, and Charlotte Russe.
What are you looking to achieve in an outfit?:  (What message do you like to send out with your look(s)?)
What makes an outfit? Huda looks for simple, classic, clean attire - "not over the top"
Your no-limit gift card would be for: [We forgot to ask her this!]