A scarf for you, a scarf for you ......

When you get off the plane in Kuala Lumpur, one of the first things you might notice is the prevalence of headscarves. As a predominately Muslim country, a great majority of the women cover their heads. I knew that headscarves would be part of the culture before I arrived, but I hadn't stopped to think about the fashion statement they really are. The decision to wear a headscarf, or tudung as they call it here is obviously a religious one, but the specifics of the scarf itself can be about fashion as well.

There are so many styles and prints and pins. Like handbags or shoes, each girl seems to know which one goes best with her outfit. Amongst teenage girls in particular, shiny pins seem to be the name of the game. They use a variety of tiny rhinestone creations to pin their scarf in place. In the women's restrooms it is common to see a girl adjusting her scarf and the attention to detail is amazing. I just think of all the hours I have spent through the years trying to fix my hair in a bathroom mirror. Our cultures are very different in a lot of ways, but then we all find ourselves primping in the mirror J. More than that, the girl's here get to change the pattern and color of the scarf every day if they want. Try that with your own hair!

After about two weeks of observing the wide world of headscarves, Fahmiya decided to let us in on the secret. She pulled out an arm-full of her own scarves and showed us all sorts of styles. (Take the stereotypical idea of girls playing with each other’s hair at a slumber party and substitute scarves.) We learned turbans and twists and drapes and how to make a fake bun out of scarves so the backs of our heads look bigger. You can make round faces look oval or short necks look longer. There is apparently even something called forehead cleavage....? It was tons of fun and an interesting look into a culture I knew almost nothing about previously. Plus, I now have a few new stylish fixes for a bad hair day.

Here is stylist extraordinaire, Fahmiya, with all of her models.