How to dress for NYC Eid parties? Stylist Engie Hassan can help.

For some Muslim women in New York City, celebrating Eid al-Fitr can present a challenge: how do you find the right clothes that also align with your values? Some women turn to stylist Engie Hassan for help.

Eid, which marks the end of Ramadan, is this week. During Eid celebrations, which can last at least three days, it’s customary for some Muslim people to attend multiple events, ranging from casual family get-togethers to upscale parties – and to buy a new outfit for each gathering.

Some women say that with this social calendar comes pressure: to dress in a way that reflects their religious values and to simply look good, be it for themselves or for social media.

There are also practical questions, for example: should your hijab match your outfit? Should you dress for the mosque or for whatever event you have after?

Few stylists understand the balance of these pressures better than Hassan, who is Muslim and has styled for the red carpet, royalty and others.

Hassan has over 200,000 followers on Instagram and works as a personal stylist through her company, EngieStyle. Her clients have included a wide range of New Yorkers, plus actresses Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Taryn Manning and a former princess of Saudi Arabia, Ameerah Al Taweel.

When her clients don’t have time to find their best outfits, Hassan does it for them.

“I've done bar mitzvahs, I've done first communions. I've done Ramadan events,” she said. “And everybody has the same vision for themselves – they want to feel confident in their look.”

So it goes with Eid.

“It really is the Met Gala for us,” said Alaa Hashim Balkhy, cultural editor at Harper's Bazaar Saudi Arabia. “And with Instagram, you have to post the Eid outfit. So everyone wants to outdo the other person with their Eid outfit.”

Hassan grew up in New Jersey and said that when she was younger, she dressed more conservatively. As a teen in the 90s, she often felt that there weren’t many stylish options for young girls. She recalled wearing shirts under dresses, so that they would be appropriate.

“Because everything for young girls was cleavage bearing, so short and spaghetti-strapped,” she said.

After a stint interning at Vogue, she started her company, EngieStyle, in 2010.

She said that in the decade-plus since, shopping for consumers has only gotten harder with a proliferation of online shopping options across multiple platforms.

“People have a hard time making decisions lately because we're so consumed with advertisements,” she said. “I'm there to really calm them down, edit, organize and have a clear vision of what they need to get.”

Hassan’s services, which include personal shopping and closet editing, start at around $550 and can go up to the “thousands of dollars,” depending on the complexity of what a client needs and how long they need her for.

On a recent Wednesday, she was shopping with a client, school psychologist Aziza Kadribeg, at a Macy’s store in New Jersey’s Westfield Mall.

Kadribeg, who lives in Midland Park, N.J., had booked a two-hour session for Hassan to style her, her husband and two small children for at least three Eid events they’re attending this week.

At the store, Hassan pulled a number of black and pink blazers, long flowy skirts, maxi dresses and a range of blouses for Kadribeg.

As Kadribeg tried on each outfit, Hassan took a picture, which they’d then discuss. If Kadrebeg didn’t like an item or needed a different size, Hassan went back to the shopping floor to grab it.

For someone who usually sticks to a “bohemian chic” and “mom-next-door” vibe, Kadribeg said she was stepping out of her comfort zone trying on more “sophisticated” clothes, from brands such as Donna Karan.

Kadribeg said that, as a woman who wears a hijab and covers her body completely, finding clothes that are flattering and conservative is a challenge.

“It can be hard to find a long sleeved dress or a dress without a huge slit in it,” Kadribeg said.

Kadribeg said Hassan has a knack for finding creative ways to help cover her body so no parts are exposed – spotting the tops with a higher neckline or getting clothes altered, for example.

“She understands the values,” Kadribeg said. “She understands what we're looking for.”

As is typical with stylists, Hassan begins her process with basic questions about sizing, favorite colors and favorite brands.

And with her Muslim clients, she asks more in-depth questions like: do they plan to attend the mosque for prayer? Do they usually dress conservatively? What are their limitations in terms of how much skin they want to show?

Sometimes, a client will have to dress for a casual or formal event after attending the mosque, which creates a challenge.

Hassan said that she can sometimes share what she’d wear in that situation.

“I always encourage them that they should have no cleavage-bearing long sleeved dresses and nothing should be showing,” Hassan said, but noted that it’s ultimately always up to her clients to decide what works best for them.

A popular concern among her clients? How to incorporate the hijab into their outfit.

“Or, I have the hijab, but I don't want to look frumpy and I don't want to look like I'm trying too hard or I don't want to lose my identity in it,” she said.

“I want to respect the way they want to look. And I also want to respect the religion,” she said. Hassan herself doesn’t wear the hijab daily, but makes sure to when attending any religious events.

Kadribeg said that while she was happy to be getting herself something new, her main priority was to cultivate excitement about the holiday for her two kids.

“It's important to show them and make them feel happy about having something new to wear and looking your best,” she said, adding that it was also the perfect opportunity to take family photos.

Hassan said the best part of offering her services is the fact that people in her community trust her to do her job.

“I've always struggled growing up being like, am I Muslim enough or will Muslims hire me because I don't wear a hijab?” she said. “So it’s definitely been very special to be able to work on my holidays with Muslims.”