A not entirely flattering to the garment (visible cat hairs and sky blue crew socks do not a fashion statement make) image of al-Mujalbaba's pocketed peachskin a-line skirt:



I have a love/hate relationship with this skirt. Or rather a love-with-caveats relationship with this skirt, since I wear it all the time. I bought it when I was pregnant, and it is to date the very best maternity clothes investment I've ever made, not the least of which being because it can continue to be worn postpartum. When the al-Mujalbaba proprietor says the waistband stretches she really, really means it s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-s. That does, however, create one of the caveats as well -- an all-around elastic waistband is not the most flattering (although it does make this skirt perfect for prayers).

The material is very nice. It is also very polyester. It carries a soft sheen that is quite attractive, particularly in somewhat lower light, has a tight enough weave to feel virtually indestructible, and is pleasantly silkly to the touch. But it does still feel like polyester and it rustles like polyester. The material, I think, is a matter of tastes. I prefer natural fibers, but as a mother of two babies the wash and wear aspect (or, if need be, the spot clean with a baby wipe aspect) trumps that preference sometimes.

My biggest complaint would be for length. At five-foot-six, a forty-two inch long skirt generally winds up hiked up to my ribcage. I'm a little lazy with hemming.



Above, the detail embroidery embellishing Shukr's flared corduroy skirt:



I love this skirt. And I love this skirt in this color -- "khaki" is not normally my favorite, but this is a small bit greener than average. Not so much as to no longer be passably neutral, but enough to border more on the side of olive than beige.

There are caveats here as well. Firstly, I would prefer it were a heavier weight corduroy. That, however, has more to do with my aforementioned preference for indestructible materials than any flaw in this material itself, and I will concede that this is much more comfortable in warmer weather than a heavier material might be. Secondly, a bit of elastic in just the back of the waist would be nice. For women such as myself with a significantly wider hip than waist, this one takes some tailoring to not be loose at the very top. And so long as it is at the tailor, thirdly, it is also a bit long for me to not gather dust from the floor.

Lastly, more a general issue than a garment-specific one, it is not always so obvious from the product depictions when Shukr's embroidery is utilizing metallic thread. I have no complaint on this skirt in this respect as the detailing is both minimal and quite pretty, but it would be nice if they would make note of it in their descriptions. I have an older tunic shirt from them which I had thought was tone-on-tone beige embroidery, but which turned out to be gold. I was not so disappointed as to make a return, and it is an often complimented part of my wardrobe, however it is still likely I'd have chosen something else had I known.

Still, all of those small things pale in comparison to the fact that this skirt is just pretty and makes me feel pretty, while also managing to be mature, elegant, and casual all in one. So to that effect I could not have asked for more.



And lastly, also from Shukr, their super wide-leg rayon trousers:



I am not a pants person, so for me this pair amounts to being the best pants ever for the simple fact that the legs are wide enough to, together, give a skirt-like impression. The material is very lightweight and flowing, wonderful in summer. (Although I tend to just wear long johns under my summer weight clothes in winter -- an arrangment for which these are also perfect. I'm not sure if that makes me cheap or just pragmatic.)

The advantage, in my opinion, that these have over Shukr's similar cosmopolitan trousers is the same as one of the possible disadvantages to the al-Mujalbaba skirt: namely the full elastic waistband. The sheer width of the elastic (as in the first image) and its more limited give, however, results in less fabric bunching than with the skirt, while still allowing enough give to be highly comfortable in most any setting.

This is quite probably my most understated yet also most satisfying Shukr purchase to date.