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A maxi dress on its own is one outfit. A maxi dress with the right layer over it is ten. For modest dressers the layer also does a job: it covers a sleeveless dress, softens a fitted one, adds a neckline, and takes a summer dress into October. Here are nine layers that work over a maxi, with the hijab that goes with each and the one proportion rule that makes all of them look right.
The rule
The layer should end either above the hip or below the knee. Mid-thigh layers over a maxi cut you in half. Cropped or long, never in between.
1. The long cardigan
The duster-length knit cardigan is the layer most of us reach for first, and it is the right instinct. Open front, falls to the knee or below, in a neutral. A long open-front knit cardigan in camel, grey, or black goes over almost any maxi. Hijab in the cardigan colour or the dress’s lightest colour.
Best for: a fitted jersey maxi that needs softening, fall and spring.
2. The kimono
Lighter than a cardigan, longer than a shirt, and it moves. A long chiffon kimono in a print over a plain maxi is the summer version of the cardigan. Keep the dress plain if the kimono is printed, and the other way round. Hijab in a solid pulled from the print.
Best for: summer, plain black or white maxi dresses.
3. The trench coat
The most polished layer there is. A beige or black trench, belted or open, over any maxi, with the hem of the dress showing below. Hijab in a neutral. This is the layer for work, for travel, and for Eid prayer in spring.
Best for: spring and fall, a maxi that needs to look like it meant to be worn to the office.
4. The blazer
An oversized blazer, cropped or long, over a maxi turns a dress into a suit. Long blazers work by the rule above. Cropped blazers that end at the hip work too. Hijab in black, navy, or white.
Best for: a satin or silky maxi, evening, work.
5. The denim jacket
Cropped, so it ends at the waist. Over a floral or printed maxi it is the weekend outfit. Over a black maxi it is a different weekend outfit. Hijab in white, cream, or a colour from the dress.
Best for: casual, spring, summer evenings.
6. The abaya, open
An open-front abaya in a solid colour worn over a maxi dress is a layer most of us already own and forget to use this way. Black over a printed maxi, or a coloured abaya over a plain one. It covers everything a sleeveless or fitted dress leaves out. An open bat-sleeve abaya is the simplest version. Hijab in the abaya colour.
Best for: a dress that is not modest on its own, formal occasions, and the masjid.
7. The long shirt, worn open
A men’s-cut long shirt or a linen shirt dress, unbuttoned and worn open over a maxi. Sleeves rolled. The easiest layer there is. Hijab in white or the shirt colour.
Best for: summer, a jersey maxi, running errands.
8. The poncho or wrap
For cold weather, a long shawl wrap or poncho over a maxi and under a coat. It adds a layer without adding bulk at the sleeves. Hijab in a wool or thick jersey.
Best for: late fall and winter.
9. The long coat
In winter the maxi goes under a coat that is at least knee length, and the dress hem shows below. For Canadian winters, a long hooded softshell is the practical version, and a wool coat is the dressed-up one. Hijab in a warm fabric to match the coat.
Best for: winter, obviously.
A note on hats
A wide-brim hat over a hijab is a look, not a contradiction. A straw wide-brim over a chiffon hijab with a linen maxi and a kimono is the summer outfit. A felt wide-brim over a jersey hijab with a wool coat and a maxi is the winter one. Pin the hijab at the back so the hat sits flat, and let the hijab fall under the brim.
Getting the proportions right
Three checks before you leave the house. The layer ends above the hip or below the knee. The hijab matches either the layer or the dress, never a third colour. And the shoes are the same level of dressed-up as the layer: sneakers with a denim jacket, loafers with a trench, heels with a blazer.
For the skirt version of all of this, see our long jean skirt outfits, and for keeping the layers themselves looking good, how to wash modal covers most of the fabrics on this list.
