Daphne Does Derby

Daphne is a muslim-rollergirl-maniac. She's sort of funny.

[daphnedoesderby]

Hi... I recently signed up for a roller Derby wait list and I was looking into what clothes/equipment to buy. I know you probably get this question a lot but were you able to find a sport skirt to wear in derby? also what equipment do you recommend? :) big fan btw

Hi!

You signed up for derby!! That's awesome, go you!

People tend to have loads of different preferences when it comes to clothes/equipment. It depends on your situation but I think it's good to hold back and try out as much as you can before you buy. If it is possible to borrow kit when you start, I think that's the best way. You can ask what is popular in your league and what works with your floor skatewise. Additionally most leagues have affiliations with skate stores so you can find out how to get the best discounts. 

My personal suggestion for a starting skater would be to get Riedell R3s once they are sure they want to commit, and also a good pair of knee pads! 

I've seen people wearing kind of lycra sports skirts over leggings, but I just got a regular skirt, since I wanted a super swishy one, not the tight sporting kind. Most probably the internet is the way to go if you're looking for the former.

I hope this is helpful! 

[daphnedoesderby]

sometimes when you plug your phone in to charge and it doesn't charge do you ever feel like you're trying to feed a baby but the baby won't feed?

I would really like to know if other people feel like this because I mentioned it at work and everyone looked at me like I was mental

[daphnedoesderby]

maybe it's just me but i find it very unnerving when a derby person calls me by my real name. I'm like dude be cool you totally blew my cover!!!!

[daphnedoesderby]

If anyone knows how to wear glasses and a headscarf and not look like you're ninety,  please contact me ASAP

[daphnedoesderby]

Ways that dinosaurs could be incorporated into the curriculum:

art - drawing pictures of dinosaurs

history - studying historic evidence of what things were like for dinosaurs

chemistry - how dinosaur fossils were made

biology - dinosaurs as reptiles (laying eggs omg)

...

[daphnedoesderby]

I agree with all of these

[daphnedoesderby]

does anyone know what to do when you lie on the bed to take a nap but then you get cold but you're too sleepy to get up and get inside the bed properly and you just lie there being cold and sleepy?

[daphnedoesderby]

Iran allows first female triathlete to compete for country

Shirin Gerami, 24, will race in full Islamic dress and Iranian flag colours in world triathlon grand final in London's Hyde Park

This is an amazing achievement and a beautiful example of how eastern and western cultures can be compatible without either side compromising their beliefs. Shirin made her own position and dedication clear and worked with both the Iranian authorities and the organisers of the triathalon to find a middle ground.

[daphnedoesderby]

Ways that dinosaurs could be incorporated into the curriculum:

art - drawing pictures of dinosaurs

history - studying historic evidence of what things were like for dinosaurs

chemistry - how dinosaur fossils were made

biology - dinosaurs as reptiles (laying eggs omg)

creative writing - 'if i were a dinosaur'

[daphnedoesderby]

Also, I saw the friendly guy who took some of my hijobfit pictures at the bus stop. He asked me about my blog, and then we started talking about dinosaurs. We realised that dinosaurs are a really broad topic and not only should feature more highly in the curriculum, but also we should talk about them more.

[daphnedoesderby]

me when i was a child: omg when i'm a grown up i'll be free to do whatever i want whenever i want to!

me as an adult: i am constantly exhausted and never have time to cut  my nails

[daphnedoesderby]

Finally, a semi decent photoset of my outfit!

Today I'm actually wearing the outfit I wore for my interview. It's a long blue and white shirt matched with a grey headscarf and trousers, white bag and shoes and a flower shaped pin.

When I got called for the interview, I wasn't sure what I would wear. I've already talked about the disparity between what men and women wear in the workplace, but it's almost the opposite at interview. For men, wearing a suit is the norm for most types of job interview, regardless of the nature of the job. On the other hand, if a woman wears a suit for an interview, she may look unnecessarily serious or too formal. The type of business has to be taken into consideration as well as what the work may be. I've worked at fairly active jobs where turning up for an interview wearing high heels would automatically put you at a disadvantage. While men just think about being professional, women have to consider accessories and what their outfit with say about them. 

As I have mentioned before, men have a harder time with daily workwear as they generally have to adhere to a less varied dress code than women are able to enjoy. However, first impressions can be crucial when going for an interview, and women have to think a lot more carefully when they put together an interview outfit. 

In my last two years of school, our dress code was 'office wear' which meant, wear black trousers, a white shirt and a blazer. I am quite lazy so that's all I ever did, but now I wish I'd made a bit more of an effort and learned how to put together a decent, work appropriate outfit, before I had to do it in an interview. 

Wearing hijab at work is not a difficult think really, but it takes a little bit of forethought and planning. Having a set outfit becomes more of a necessity than a bonus. Hopefully anyone struggling for hijab work outfit inspiration might get some ideas from these last few posts!

And on that note, we have come to the end of Hijobfits! Starting on Monday I will be doing a new daily challenge... Thank you to everyone for reading!

[daphnedoesderby]

That's it Daphne. Close your eyes. That's how you take a good photograph.

In other news, the same person at the bus stop from yesterday took my photograph. When I got there he was just like, did you want me to take your photo again?

Then we got talking about how office wear differs between men and women which was quite interesting but I will post about it tomorrow.

Today was another purple outfit. Quite boring but I wore it with a cute cat brooch in my headscarf. Headscarves are seriously underused canvases. I love putting pins and brooches on my scarf. I have a really cute ice cream one that I may take a photograph of soon. 

Today's dress is probably something that could be worn alone if you weren't wearing hijab. Since I try to avoid showing skin, I cover up the deep neckline with an inner tee.

This is also one of those dresses that you might buy and not realise that they err on the more see through side of things. White shirts are the worst for that, so I always double check with them.

Tomorrow will probably be the last day of Hijobfits!

[daphnedoesderby]

Another 'I didn't get around to taking this during the day and had to ask a stranger at the bus stop to take this' photograph.

Today's outfit is a pretty plain, calm one. It's not perfectly coordinated to be honest but it's really comfortable so I like it. The only problem is it creases after a day of sitting in the office. 

The shape of this outfit is nice and lose without being shapeless, which I like. I've put in a close up of the shoes because they are super cute. 

I only have experience of wearing hijab myself, obviously, but I often wonder what it is like for people with different body types. Of course what women determine to be hijab-appropriate may differ, but generally speaking being quite slim and not particularly curvy, I don't have to think too hard about the fittings of my clothes. A dress would have to be really very tight before I felt it revealed too much of my figure. On the other hand I've known more curvy women to be particular about draping their headscarves across their chests, which is not much of a priority for me.

I guess every woman who wants to wear hijab has to think about their own situation and what falls within the boundaries of what they deem acceptable. This kind of upsets me though, because one of the reasons I wanted to take photographs of my work outfits was to help women get ideas for their own hijobfits. If anyone sees nice hijab workclothes - particularly those that diverge from my tunic/dress and wide trousers combi - please share then and I'll post them here!

There will probably only be two more days of Hijobfits. After that I hope to do another hijab based photo challenge, but I'll post more about it when the time comes.

[daphnedoesderby]

The weekend was really long and exhausting, and getting up this morning was tougher than ever, so I decided to dress in my favourite outfit to cheer myself up. This is a lace dress with a long sleeve tee underneath. The tee has quite deep neckline but that's disguised by the cardigan. I like the shape of the dress and it makes me feel dressed up and girly at the same time.

This outfit got me thinking about how the way we dress influences our moods. Wearing something I really like can give me an extra boost, make me feel more confident and even add an incentive to get out of bed. That feeling is one of the big reasons that I bother taking care of my appearance and putting any real effort into outfits. I do love compliments from my friends, but that's just a bonus.

(I took these photos myself using the timer function and these were the only decent ones in about twenty. Why can't I understand basic photography? I just don't know.)

[daphnedoesderby]

Today's hijobfit will be late as I'm busy working out a new one.

[daphnedoesderby]

Hijobfits - Day 3

  Today is the much anticipated (...kinda) Dress Down Friday.

As you can see today I wore a denim dress and cream chinos so now you know for sure what they are. Although actually when I put them on this morning the label said 'relaxed skinny' so I think maybe there are no definite rules. Trousers can be whatever they want to be! I also stupidly stood next to the fridge and then even more stupidly, automatically started to pose with the fridge. So that picture is bonus. 

    "I'm sure you have your reasons," said the colleague who took the photos. 

Actually this was supposed to be a denim and brown outfit but this morning I realised that my brown trousers smelt all musty so I couldn't wear them. Like many, I fell afoul of the lack of a clear laundry rule concerning trousers. With tops, you wear them once, maybe twice, and they need a wash so you put them in. With trousers they never seem to really get dirty, yet when you need them most, they let you down. I mean they can't have seemed dirty when I last wore them or  I wouldn't have put them back in the wardrobe. Could they have become more dirty in the wardrobe? Sounds like witchcraft.

Back on topic, the only really casual thing about this outfit is the fact that it is denim. There is something about denim that draws a clear line between casual and smart casual. Infact, when I started work the dress code was defined to me as 'avoid jeans and scuffed trainers'. 

I actually struggle to dress casually as it often clashes with hijab. I don't think it's impossible to have a jeans and tshirt hijab, but for me the tshirt would have to be loose and longish, and the jeans would have to be baggy. I would look like... well frumpy doesn't quite encapsulate it. And it's not a look I'm keen on. 

Therefore, a denim dress or shirt is about as casual as it gets.

On Dress Down Friday it's also interesting to note the big difference between guys and girls. For the guys who wear shirts and smart trousers every day, it's a big difference, but girls dress way more casually for work, so when they're dressed down you can hardly tell. It's kind of unfair on guys, I think, because their 'smart' clothes are very smart and there isn't much variety in what is accepted. 

Tomorrow there is no work so no Hijobfits. I am going to a wedding and I shall dress exceedingly indian.

[daphnedoesderby]

Hijobfits - Day Two

  Still pretty terrible photography here. The first one  colleague took after lots of faffing around with my phone camera, and the second I asked a stranger at the bus stop to do because I hoped outside light might be better. But not really.

FOCUS ON THE OUTFIT, PEOPLE.

Today I am wearing one of my favourite outfits. This one is handy while I can wear layers underneath the dress, I don't have to. So when it's super hot, the dress on its own is sufficient, however when it's getting towards winter I could put a thick top underneath. It's also got a lot of detail so I don't feel the need to accessorise it. A very easy outfit for when I'm having a lazy day but still want to look nice.

Often I have to double check with chiffony material or even just thin cotton because they can edge on the side of see-through, which I like to avoid. 

If I was wearing this with friends, I would probably wear purple trousers instead of the grey ones. By the by, yesterday's mentioned 'chinos' are to my understanding just straightish trousers? Like the ultra relaxed cousin of skinny jeans. I like them a lot because they look normalish under dresses and tunics, whereas flares or wider legs can look odd.

Penny asked me about some of the language I used yesterday and I've been thinking about it today. When I say revealing, it's more straight forward, although it's subjective. For me I don't like to wear anything that 'reveals' what I consider to be private information about my body. So what you can generally discern from seeing me is that I am short and slim and indian. I reckon that's about it. 'Provocative' on the other hand, is a much more loaded word, and heavily subjective. What I wear to work, in some places/situations and by some people, could be considered highly provocative. However in my work setting it's pretty modest. My thoughts are that I can control whether something is revealing or not, but whether something is provocative or not is more dependent on the observer.

HMMMMMM. 

Fun fact! This was the outfit I wore the first time I met my husband's dad and visited his house. I asked my husband if he remembered the outfit but of course he didn't. Outfits only hold emotional value for me, it seems.

Tomorrow is Dress Down Friday! Look forward to it.