BRIDAL COUTURE: A Red-Lipped Bride

I found this picture on Paklinks wedding threads, and have no idea whether this is a real bride or whether it was part of a photo shoot (I suspect this is a real bride), and was blown away by how pretty the bride looked, with a combination of well-done make up, rich colours and pretty features. I don't tend to post pictures of real brides as I don't like to post personal wedding pictures, but I felt like this was one I had to share as it shows how well put together the make-up and jewellery of a bride can be. I haven't seen any other images of this bride, but I just loved how rich and immaculate the lipstick looked, and how well it went with her smokey eyes.
Personally I've always favoured the smokey eyes and light lips looks, even on brides, and this is one picture which would change my mind about red lips because it just looks so pretty!

Anyone seen anymore pictures of this bride? I'd love to see!

Image source

Bunto at the Oscars...

...although not literally!

Pakistani director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, praised Oscar winner for 'Saving Face' looked glamorous on the red carpet last night, wearing a richly-worked outfit designed by Pakistani designer Bunto Kazmi, consisting of an off-white outfit with beautifully embellished work and richly embroidered "Persian motifs". An elegant and not too over-the-top outfit which was certainly suitable for an event like this, and Sharmeen looked lovely having done her own make-up as well.

 Image Source

The jewellery worn by Sharmeen was also designed by a Pakistani designer - Kiran Aman of Kiran Fine Jewellery, who describes the gold cuff and earrings as vintage gold, diamonds and pearls, with the small flag motif attached to the cuff made of diamonds and green sapphires. Again, this complemented the outfit well, and was elegant enough to be subtle yet very classic-looking.

Image source

What I love is the fact that Sharmeen chose to showcase a variety of Karachi designers and jewellers throughout the Oscars in order to emphasise local Pakistani talent. Although the Bunto Kazmi outfit worn by Sharmeen wasn't in the designer's typical style, and nor was it as blingy as her bridals, it's style was suitable enough for the occaison, and the colours blend wonderfully together - and I definitely think that Sharmeen sparkled more than the outfit did on the night!

EYE CANDY WISH LIST: Colour Co-ordinated Booties

Not sure how practical these would be to wear in real life, but sometimes you just want pretty shoes to show off about. I'm off to tidy my shoe collection now.

Source: Image Shack US

QUIRKY FASHION: Love Hearts Lip Tints and Balms

I'm sure you've seen hundreds of Love Heart sweets inspired merchandise (I've seen personalised Love Heart sweets for weddings, Love Heart jewellery and even Love Heart cakes!), so it's pretty inevitable that make up would be the next route! Saw these today and though they were cute, Love Heart lip balms and tints, and (beneath) Love Heart nail varnish. Not sure how popular they are yet but they are pretty cute and very cheap as well. Not sure yet if I'd buy them myself, but feel free to let me know what you think of them if you've bought them, and whether you'd recommend them!

Presents from Pakistan...!

A kind friend of mine brought back presents from Pakistan a few days ago, and what presents they were! (Okay I did give her the money to get them for me so they're not technically presents, but it's the effort that was nice!) First up were these pretty kundan white and gold earrings, paired with a very pretty bracelet. What I loved about these were that they weren't too heavy, and they go with a lot of my outfits, and they looked quite elegant and well made in terms of design.

Next up, some pretty, rainbow coloured bangles, which I really fell in love with. Again, I can see this being useful for several mehndi events (namely my sister's upcoming wedding!), but I just loved how funky the colours were. Add to this some pretty, sparkly brooches which I'll probably wear as hijab pins, and some fabric-twisted bangles (apparently the latest fashion in Lahore at the moment is fabric covered/gota style bangles and jewellery). I'll take her word for that, not sure if it'll catch on here.

This is probably the best part of the presents stash I got - Ding Dong bubble gum and coco beans sugary sweets. My sisters and I used to eat tons of these as children (we used to help ourselves to them from my uncle's shop in Pakistan) and we've always been fond of them since. The smell of these (the bubble-gum especially) is beautfully tasty and very tempting - have any of you tried these?

Lovely Hijab: Maid Marian in The Adventures of Robin Hood

One place of inspiration for trying out new or different styles and colours of hijab, I've noticed, is looking at older periods just as Medieval-influenced fashion, or courtly dress in period-style films which emphasise modesty. One perfect example is Maid Marion in 'The Adventures of Robin Hood', played by a lovely Olivia de Hallivand, who pulls the look off well, as well as remaining fairly consistent in her look throughout the film in her head-wear and her feminine scarves.

This red and purple mix appeals to me simply because of the rich red being combined with a softer purple to give a pretty look, and is something which uses a great colour palette. The small details such as the brooch being pinned (which is a look which some hijabis like to use), as well as the draping of the scarves is something I love, it covers well without feeling restrictive, and could definitely be something to try to copy.

Throughout the film, there are a range of looks which varies the 'scarf' style worn by Maid Marion, where each look has a different colour palette, and also pairs together the dress and it's colour very well with Maid Marion's head pieces and the detailing on her dresses.

I think my favourite two of the mix are these two below, simply because of how well the colours are mixed together, and also because both are colour combinations that I wouldn't normally wear. While the gold and black looks slightly Arab in my eyes (I can imagine this being worn by a few people I know!), the light, shimmery blue is very innocent and pretty, and makes for a pretty look which some girls may want to try.

 All images belong to directors/producers of The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

I really like the fact that although this film was made back in 1938, it's still something which could be current to today's fashion, something which could be re-interpreted and re-tailored to fit our own styles - and still work. I love how much small detail has gone into each look, and also the fact that each look uses rich colours, beautiful fabrics and muted embellishments to pull the look together and really make it pretty. Are there any here which you'd like to try out?

BOLLYWOOD ISHTYLE: Sneha Ullal's Fantasy Lenghay in 'Lucky'

'Lucky' featuring Sneha Ullal in her debut film as a very young, innocent-faced heroine. There's not much glamour in terms of outfits, although it IS set in a beautiful country and makes good use of the scenery. What I would like to pick up on is two pretty outfits which stood out for me from a 'fantasy' type song (you know how they are in Bollywood films!) which appears in this movie.

The first outfit is a beautiful combination of gold and turquoisey blue, which is further emphasised by a beautiful, palace-like background and colour-cordinated against her outfit. I've seen a few designs like this in the High Street, and see why it can be a flattering colour on brown skin, as well as something which can look quite shimmery. What also goes nicely with this outfit is the gold and turquoise stone set and the matching hair accessory piece in her plait, which adds some glamour to the look.

The second outfit is a rich, ruby red lengha outfit with rich embellishment and a velvet red choli top. I'm a big fan of velvet in rich colours like deep red, and I like how this is carried off well with all of the embellishment on the lengha without it looking too heavy or busy. Again, the make up and hair style is fairly simple in order to emphasise the richness of the outfit. Can't say I love the jewellery being used here, but it's still pulled together fairly well and doesn't clash with the outfit either.

 

All images belong to directors/producers of Lucky

I like the contrast in colours for both of these outfits, and also how they reflect colours which are often used by real-life brides. I also like the fact that actress chose to keep her hair and make-up fairly simple rather than making them stand out too much and taking away some of the focus to her look.
Although not everyone will love the colour combinations used here, I think it can be agreed that there is a very regal, pretty look to the whole style of this song, and the detail that has been put into the scenery as well as the outfits.

MEHNDI NIGHTS: Yellows and Golds

I love bright yellows and golds when they're incorporated into mehndi events (and peethi/haldi nights), and nothing looks better for these kind of occaisons than simple, bright colours and uncomplicated outfits. Here's a pictures from a close friend's wedding on her 'haldi' night recently (right before she was attacked by numerous relatives painting her in a canary yellow!) This is my favourite picture from that night, simple because she looked so natural, simple and glowy, and to me, this pretty much sums it all up :)

GLAMOROUS ACCESSORIES: Masquarade Style Masks

I've seen a few catwalk shows and photoshoots which have incorporated the use of elegant, masquarade masks, and they have always been something which really appeal to me. Can't say they they're much use for anything other than a fancy dress party (or a masquarade ball!), but there are some beautifully embellished masks out there which are certainly worth a look, and I'd love to see more outfits with them incorporated in the design!

 Image taken from Viya Magazine

Bollywood Moments...

...That realisation-of-being-Queen-of-the catwalk moment

HIGH STREET DESIGNS: Dhanak in Ilford, East London

Dhanak, located in Ilford, East London is another shop on the high street which I frequent a lot, due to their (largely) flowing dresses styles and their rich colours.While there is a good range in prices and styles, I have noticed that they have been using a lot of the long dresses with trousers style recently, which remains quite popular with their customers. Here's in an example of one of their more pricey pieces which I absolutely loved, due to the colour and the cut of the dress.

I've bought quite a few outfits from this shop (such as this one), the prices are fairly reasonable, and the styles are varied enough to appeal to everyone. This is one of my favourite outfits from this shop, it's not too heavy, is made from a very flattering shade of rose pink and burgundy, and generally gets compliments every time I wear it.

I've bought a few outfits from this shop, and while it does not (at the moment!) do any bridal wear or menswear, they are starting to branch out a little in styles and accessories. What I like most about this shop is how accessible it feels, the outfits are reasonable prices, and they are extremely wearable no matter what the occasion is. I've bought a few outfits from this shop, and so have many of my friends and sister, showing that it is quite a popular place.

Have any of you shopped here? What are your opinions on these designs and outfits?

BRIDAL COUTURE: Ritesh Deshmukh & Genelia D'Souza's wedding ceremonies

I'm sure you've seen plenty of pictures of this celebrity couple who married just a few days ago, so I won't post too many pictures!. After a lavish and traditional Maharashtrian-style wedding, Ritesh Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza exchanged their wedding vows again in a traditional church wedding on Saturday, which ended with a lovely wedding reception for couple, complete with a very star-studded guest list.

It's very sweet that the couple took inspiration from both of their roots for their wedding, so that they each had a ceremony which would be important to them both - they certainly looked very happy on the wedding ceremony!

Images from here

I think my favourite outfit is the one from the wedding reception, it looks relaxed, elegant and very classy, and I like the fact that Genelia chose to keep a traditional red outfit without it looking too overly 'bridal'

The other outfit I really liked was the one worn in the pre-wedding ceremony that the couple  had (I've only been to one pre-weddng ceremony which was similarly, a long, drawn out affair!), in which Genelia wore a beautiful white and pink dress, which compliments Ritesh's suit very well too. Again, I like how the hair and accessories look great and not too much with this outfit, and I certainly expect to see copies of this floating on the market soon! Congrats to the happy couple, and here's hoping they have a blissful wedded life : )

Image from here

KAPRAY SHAPRAY: Sabyasachi Galore at Ritesh Deshmukh & Genelia D'Souza's Wedding Reception

Following the news (for me anyway) that this cute couple, Ritesh Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza have gotten married recently, I saw a few pictures of some of the luxuriously and veru colourfully dressed Bollywood guests who were lucky enough to be wearing some beautiful Sabyasaachi pieces (and goodness know I love the rich designs of this designer!) Here's a few celebrities who wore the famous Indian designer's pieces:

Kiran Rao

 Sridevi

Kangana Ranaut

 Divya Khumar

 Arpita Khan

Images from Sabyasachi Facebook group

I really like how luxurious and rich the designs of each outfit are, Sabyasaachi has retained the signature look of his collections in these outfits, with rich fabrics, shimmering gold work and wonderful colours. I also like how the styles of the outfits range for each person wearing them, from a sari to anarkali, to kameezes and lenghay. Some very classic looking outfits here, and each worn by the celebrities in a very pretty, minimal way : )