product review: samar style abayas

i had a chance today to try some of the egyptian based samar style brand of abayas that are available online from 2hijab.com and from various stores throughout egypt. the brand has a lot to choose from, but in the end i chose these three to review:

abaya #1:

this was one of my favourites. the silky satin material felt and looked luxurious and the orange embroidered detailing was just too cute! the hijab is plain black with the same orange hued embroidery - it does not come with the orange scarf used in the pic above.

the closed abaya fit well with the normal A-shape that most abayas come in, making it perfect for everyday use. all in all a very comfy abaya. the only downer i had was the usual issue of my height; i tried on the largest size they had size and it still wasnt long enough.

the sleeves are just too cute!

abaya #2:

ahh this baby...

ever since seeing it online at 2hijab i had my eye on it. the closed abaya is in the farasha / butterfly style. there are no sleeves as such - just cute little openings to slip your wrists through. there is also a belt inside the abaya that you use to tighten and secure the embroidered front under your bust.

in saying that - this is where the trouble came in. once again i had length issues - the width is never a problem with this style of abaya because the hidden inside belt allows you to determine the width. i also had problems with the wrist openings. being tall - thus having long arms - a fair bit of my lower arm was left exposed which didnt look good hanging out of the cute detailing around the holes. i guess the only way to really fix that would be with using those little arm cover sleeves that have been used in the first pic.

the last problem i had with this one was my... ahem... assets. basically if you have a fair bit of boobage then this is not the abaya for you. the detailing that sits so nicely under the small bust of the model above, sat right across my bust - completely ruining the look. the detailing is supposed to sit under your bust once the belt inside is tied. i tied the belt, i tried pulling it down at the front as much i possibly could and it was a no go. with the little arm / wrist issue above i could have worked with it and worn the abaya - but the bust issue broke it for me. it just would not look good. so if you have a large bust (especially when your tall) then this is not the abaya for you.

besides those little issues i absolutely loved this abaya. the satin sheen really completed the look and made this such a glam abaya to wear. its very loose and not at all form fitting. if it wasnt for the bust issue i would definitely have this as one of my all time favs because im so in love with the girly print used. i have to really cement how disappointed i was with this bust issue because i trully love the design of this abaya. i have had my eye on it for ages. too sad. too sad.

abaya #3:

first up - length issue. im too tall - but i guess thats my issue - not the abaya's.

moving on... another satin style abaya - closed style. this design was loose in the body - a similar fit to the first one. the sleeves (which seem absolutely huge at first) are fitted which can be a little deceiving when looking at the pics. the cute detailing and the draping section of the sleeves are joined from the abaya sides to the fitted wrist - so with arms spread open it gives off a winged look. (if that makes sense).

the matching hijab is plain black with tiny detailing at the end (once again the model is shown with another scarf intertwined with the actual hijab - egyptian style). a bit of shame really - i expected (and wanted) it to have the same huge golden beige detailing that the sleeves have. i think it would have matched more and been more in proportion because the hijab detailing is quite small in size when compared to the sleeves and since the sleeves are so 'out there' i kinda expected the hijab to be as well.

in the end, wearing this abaya makes you feel and look stylish. the sleeves are gorgeous and remind me of my mother's antique curtains - but coming from someone who puts lamp-shade decorations on her hijabs - its a good thing - trust me.