Things I've been doing: June Edition

I thought I'd do a post to show what I've been doing these last few weeks, so I don't disappear too much from blogging! Here's a list, in no order, of what I've been doing, so you can see how what I've been doing:

Making samosas
Just in time for Ramadan time! Every year my mum gets us all involved in making a big batch of samosas and spring rolls in time for Ramadan. I'm no good at making triangles, so I 'help' with all the little jobs like peeling and cutting the sheets, 'testing' the fillings and cleaning up stuff.

Mehndi trials
I did a mehndi trial yesterday with a mehndi artist who was recommended by one of my best friends, who had also used her for her own bridal mehndi.  The reason I was keen on this mehndi artist is that she was reasonably-priced, and she uses her own mehndi which she mixes herself and gives a lovely  dark colour (and I know this from seeing the bridal henna on my best friend, which came out a really deep red). I'll post more about the trial in a couple of days once I have a better idea of how the mehndi and the colour comes out, but here's me taking a quick sneaky picture half-way through the trial!

Housing Hunting
I've been spending a good few months looking at (and still looking at!) properties for myself and the hubby-to-be to move into after the wedding, which has taken up a lot of our time. It's still an ongoing, and very long process (not to mention this blog is about clothes and pretty stuff!) so I won't go into it too much, but we've been learning a lot about how to manage our wedding budget alongside our plans involving where to live. We don't have a massive budget, which is why we haven't planned a big wedding, but in hindsight, this has made our planning a little easier to do as it filters out the unrealistic and expensive stuff that would be too unaffordable for us.

My Dream House. Probably not on RightMove.com though.

Make-up Trials
Speaking of trials, a big one I did was my bridal make-up trial a while ago. I did a lot of research around bridal make-up artists in the UK, and particularly those who were based in London and their prices, looks and styles. This was important to me as well because I am someone who can be a little self-conscious with heavy make-up; and I think that you can wear amazing clothes and shoes, but the first thing people see is your face! I made a lot of enquiries and had a couple of trials, including one very successful one with my bridal MUA who I ended up booking. Again, this is a separate post that I will post very soon about as I have had a lot of queries from other brides-to-be about these.

My make-up trial with my baby niece, which went very well. Not sure I can afford her prices though.

Shopping for outfits
I know, I'm terrible, it's the first day of Ramadan and we're already shopping for Eid outfits. Any excuse to look at pretty things, right? My sisters and I have learned over the last few years that sometimes the weekends preceding Eid can get really manic, especially as people tend to hit the shops all at the same time to look for outfits. We're the type that prefer a quiet life, and would rather order something months before or just buy something while the shops are quiet. Granted, this doesn't always work because we still end up shopping last-minute, or we end up seeing something we love that is part of the newer Eid stocks two days before Eid.

Below on the left is a beautiful white and gold embroidered Sana Safinaz outfit I saw recently (a bit out of my budget for an Eid outfit, I'll admit), which I thought looked lovely, particuarly as an outfit which would suit women of all ages. The outfit on the right is a non-branded outfit from a local shop which was selling afforadable outfits. I've been hankering after a summery, simple outfit and this white embroidered one was quite pretty, particularly as it was in an angrakha or wrap-dress style, which I like. I haven't made up my mind what I want to buy yet, but this is one of the options anyway!

I'll be posting in more detail about most of these, but you can see I've been keeping busy! I'm still doing a few little things for wedding preps, and it's starting to come together nicely which is a big relief as the wedding is only two months away now. I've glad that I've got a lot of things sorted out before Ramadan started, so I can focus on fasting and not being stressed about the little things, although I'm sure there's a few little things left!

Ramadan Mubarak...!

Ramadan Mubarak to all of you, I hope this is a beautiful month of prayer, self-reflection
and appreciation of all that we are privileged enough to have. It can be easy to forget that there are others who are not as fortunate as we are and we can all get caught up in material things as well as everyday things which take our attention away from the picture picture, so it is good to take some time out and make time for spiritual focus in this special month.

I hope this is a special month for all of you, I certainly intend to make the most of it, and I'm sure I'll be keeping myself busy throughout!

- Curly Fries x

A Giant Paper Rose

Remember that post about giant paper flowers as bouquets? Well I was inspired enough to try and make my own giant paper rose, and here is the outcome!

You can see my full tutorial here showing how I made it, although I'm already thinking of ways to improve it and vary the colours. Here's some pictures of the giant rose (the last one is with my baby niece for scale!), it took me hours to make but I had fun making it, and wouldn't mind making a couple more!

My newest niece, a baby Princess

We had a beautiful arrival a few days ago, a precious little girl who blessed my family, and who is my sister’s first baby. She’s a had a short stay in hospital for a few days after not being very well, but now she’s home with her parents who are, quite frankly, over the moon.

Being the youngest aunt, or ‘khala’, I get special privileges in spoiling her, of course!

May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala give the new baby a long and pious life and may she stay on the one and only true path of ahle Sunnah wal Jamah, and may she also be the cool breeze for her parents' eyes.

Pakistan Fashion Week 6 London: Weddings of Asia 2014

I followed the the Pakistan Fashion Week 6 in London at the beginning of this month (I didn't manage to attend, but saw plenty of pictures via people who did!) and saw the beautiful range of Pakistani designers who showcased their designs over the three days.

Here are some of my favourites from each designer, there's plenty of eye candy, with a real burst of colour and styles from each of them. I love that there were so many colours, cuts, and styles, with varying hemlines, showing a real mix of Pakistani fashion right now. From colourful, traditional bridals to floral prints and fusion maxi dresses, there's probably something to suit every taste.

I can't quite decide which outfit caught my eye most because there's so many that I really liked (and which I'd like to wear!) - names like Rana Noman and Zainab Chottani are always a favourite with me, but it was also nice to see new names I hadn't heard of before. Which outfits do you like?

Shariq Textiles

Asme

Lajwanti

Zainab Chottani

Rizwan Ahmed

Rana Noman

Obaid Sheikh

Rani Emaan

Zaheer Abbas

Poshak Mahal

Noman Arfeen

Moazzam Abbasi

Tabya Khan

Waseem Noor

Ayesha Aejaz

You can see the full collections here and here.

On the Catwalk, On a Celebrity: Kangana Ranaut in Nupur Kanoi

I've been a very busy bee lately, (when haven't I been these days?) which is why I've been sporadically blogging here and there. I've been seriously bogged down with wedding preps/house-hunting/work stuff/family-time and I've barely had time to post half the things I want to (I've taken lots of pictures of the wedding stuff though, don't worry, and will post these closer to the time when it's all together for lots of pretty posts!). Most of the bigger and important wedding stuff is done and booked now (thank goodness) and things are really starting to come together. so hopefully I should have a bit more time to post.

On the catwalk
In the meantime, here's some eye candy from a designer I came across recently, Nupur Kanoi, whose designs from Lakme Fashion Week 2014 featured plenty of beautiful nude-pink and gold designs that I loved. There's very little bling here, it's all about brocade and jacquard fabrics, self prints and cuts of the dresses. I also like that the same style of fabric and colours have been interpreted into different styles, whether it is a pencil dress, a maxi dress or a jacket-style dress with trousers. There's something very elegant about these, and very feminine which looked beautifully made.

The first outfit below is quite figure-hugging, so probably suits a slimmer or curvier build, while the second two designs are more flowy around the skirt area which feel a little more accommodation. I do like each of the designs below, and the fact that they're fairly different in shape to each other.

On the celeb
Bollywood beauty Kangana Ranaut recently wore a Nupur Kanoi ensemble to a promotion for her film Queen, which I thought looked lovely, especially because it was such an understated look. Kangana is a natural beauty, and I love how the outfit, updo hair and her make-up is subtle and doesn't overpower the whole look. I also like the fact that she has no accessories on as well, and that she has simple sandals on which look casual and chic.

While the outfit looks similar on both the model on the catwalk, and on Kangana, I think it looks more appealing on Kangana because it doesn't look as overly-polished as it does on the catwalk. Rather, it looks like a summery, light semi-formal outfit which isn't too fussy and looks very pretty on - and also shows how shorter hemlines are coming back in without being too dressed up. I also like the Westernised look to this dress, it looks like it could be worn as an evening dress on its own without the churidar bottoms, and would still look great.

DESIGNER MODE: Nomi Ansari's Rang Mahal Collection

Here's some beautiful eye candy for you to start off your weekend, old school glamour, richly mixed colours and beautiful outfits by Pakistani designer Nomi Ansari which hark back to an older era. There's plenty of beauty and regal glamour in these outfits, as well as a mix of traditional style lenghas with tops that have varying hemlines.

I love the detail that goes into Nomi Ansari's work, not just the beautiful colours combines but the richness of the work and the styles of the outfits. I also like the mix of floral embroidery with old-style gota work, some chatta patti style (where strips of coloured fabrics are sewn together like a quilt for a harlequin or stripey effect) as well as the usual metal-work and crystals.

Definitely some inspiration here for mehndi outfits and bridals!

Outfits by Nomi Ansari

Styling by Sabs the Salon

 

Image Source

KAPRAY SHAPRAY: The Peach Nickie Nina Maxi Dress

I'm seeing a few shorter kameezes here and there, and it's a nice change from all the long kameezes, maxi dresses and ankle-length kurtas I'm used to (and which flatter my figure more!), and it'll be interesting to see how trends progress over summer - I've been looking at shorter kameezes to wear with brocade pants for a funky look!

In the meantime, here's a maxi dress by the wonderful Nickie Nina, which I thought was a nice arrival for summer season - perfect for a wedding reception or registry, especially in the warm weather. I doubt I'll be buying something like this anytime soon, but I do like the pretty, feminine feel to it, and it's unashamedly girly enough to wear and swirl around in :)

THE WEDDING POSTS: Picking a Pakistani Designer

I've been browsing and contacting several Pakistani designers in the last few months quite extensively, partly for bridal information, and partly for research for future reference (and this post!) If you're lucky enough to be able to afford going with a Pakistani designer bridal, here's some of the designers I've been following, and which I did a little research on. I also emailed a few outside of bridal queries stating that I had a budget of 30,000 rupees (which is about £180.00) which I wanted a formal outfit for, so I'll include their feedback for that and the prices they gave me too, because I found some of them helpful too.

I think this will give some useful information, not just for brides who may want to take a look at these various designers for pieces for for their jahez (trousseau) but also for anyone else looking for outfits for special occasions.

Karma
Pics: https://www.facebook.com/atelierkarma?fref=ts
Email: info@atelierkarma.com; huma@aterlierkarma.com or khurram.karma@gmail.com
Costs are from £1500 upwards for a bridal outfit, but they can work with your budget if you make alterations.
I also contacted them about whether they could make a formal/party outfit within 30,000 rupees (which is around £180.00) and they very helpfully sent me some pictures of some of their formal collection, which ranged from 24,000 up to 35,000. Below are some of the designs they sent which I like, they're not amazingly heavy but they are pretty.

Kamiar Rokni
Pics: http://gb.pinterest.com/zujaja/kamiar-rokni/ and https://www.facebook.com/TheHouseOfKamiarRokni
I couldn't find an email address for this company so you may have to try sending them a Facebook message or otherwise there is a number you can call: 04235764323.
A friend of mine tried to contact them for her bridal outfit which she said took her some time, so it may be difficult for those overseas to place an order. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of information about prices of their bridals but I'm told that their heavy formals can be around 1 lakh (100,000 rupees which is about £600). Personally I really like the embroidery and colours used by Kamiar Rokni, so it's always worth a look.

Maria B
Pics: https://www.facebook.com/mariabdesigns?fref=ts
Email: mariab@mariab.pk
Cost around £2000 upwards for a bridal
In terms of formals, Maria B casual outfits and lawn can be quite reasonable in price. There's also a few places in the UK which stock some of her outfits as well, so it's always worth going these outlets which stock them for a look. I didn't manage to contact them directly, but I have ordered casual outfits from outlets and sellers in Pakistan, and the prices for these were very reasonable. Definitely worth emailing, I've heard good things about the customer service from this company.

Bunto Kazmi
Pics: http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=bunto
Email: fizzakazmi76@yahoo.com
Being one of my favourite designers, I HAD to email this one. Their bridals start around from £2500 upwards. I emailed this designer (and her niece) for quotes, and although my budget was pretty low, they were willing to work with it for a simpler, lighter outfit. They also explained a lot of the kaam which would be used really well, and were quite helpful. Formals range in prices, and they're not cheap (a heavy formal can be around 1 lakh which is about £600), but again, email and see what they can do with your budget (there's also another designer called Dr Haroon who does similar work to Bunto Kazmi, and his prices are pretty similar as well. Read reviews here: http://www.paklinks.com/gs/wedding/323485-designer-dr-haroon-contact-info-reviews-pics.html
and contact via email: ahmadharoon@ymail.com)

HSY
Pics http://www.hsystudio.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/hsystudio
Email: hsy@hsystudio.com
Does bridals and formal wear, bridals start from £2000-3000
This was another designer I didn't email because he was above budget for me, and because I didn't want to go for this style. I have seen HSY formals in local shops in London though, and they're really well-made, so I would recommend a visit to any local shops who stock HSY to see if their designs are to your taste. Their stuff is very chic and I find that there's a good 'fusion' balance of East and West with their formals.

Samia Ahmed
Pics: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Samia-Ahmed/175222005869055 and http://gb.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=samia%20ahmed
Email: jns.comp@gmail.com
Bridals start from about £1600 and go upwards the heavier they are. I really liked a few bridals that were displayed in this designer's Facebook group (the ones below) and emailed for information, and was given prices which I've detailed below (although be warned, prices may have gone up since I emailed). The designer's company replied pretty quickly and communication was good. I didn't manage to ask about formal outfits but I imagine they average about £500.00 for heavier pieces.

Shakeelz Couture
Pics https://www.facebook.com/shakeelz
Email: haris_chawla@ hotmail.com
I haven't ordered from this company before, but I've heard a lot about their beautiful outfits (not to mention all the bridal outfits from that wedding), as well as the fact that this is one of the older boutiques who have been established in the wedding industry, and that they have a good reputation. I've sent messages via Facebook a couple of times to ask about prices, and have had responses, but haven't gone further to place any orders.

Nida Azwer
Pics: https://www.facebook.com/nidaazwerfashionhouse and https://www.labelsestore.com/designer/Nida-Azwer
Email: info@nidaazwer.com
I emailed Nida Azwer for prices for a formal outfit, and got a response the next day about prices; I didn't ask about bridals but I did ask about formals. The lowest they can do formals for is 35-38,000 rupees which they emailed options for (pictures that were emailed to me are below), which range from 35,000 (first picture) to 38,000 (second and third) for chiffon and cotton dresses. I thought these were reasonable, particularly as I think these dresses are lovely, very wearable and perfect for wedding season.

Zainab Chottani
Pics: https://www.facebook.com/studio.zainabchottani
Email: zainabchottani@gmail.com
Bridals start from about £2000-3000 for a decently heavy bridal, but again, email to see what they can do in your budget. As above, I emailed this designer for a few quotes for formal outfits and they responded pretty quickly, with the below pictures attached. They stated that their formals start from 95,000 rupees, and that the minimum price that can be accommodated is from 50,000. This is a little steeper than other designers and I doubt I could afford it myself, but I do love Zainab Chottani outfits and think they're pretty glamorous. The semi-formal and casual lines are more affordable, and probably easier to buy, as is their lawn, so they would be worth checking out via online pop-up shops (like this one I bought recently).

If you do decide to email any of these designers, don't forget that if you like a design and it is too expensive, you can ask to make it lighter for a lower price. Tell the designer your budget and they will tell you what styles, work and cuts can be accommodated and made in your budget. Make sure you also have a good look at their pictures and see what their actual designs are (not just their catwalk pictures), so you have a good idea what to expect.

Another thing I would recommend is to visit shops which stock and carry designer outfits, I know there are a few in London such as Rubys House of Design, next to Henna-Mehndi in Ilford Lane,  O'Nitaa in Bakers Street, London, Texheeb in Ilford and similar boutiques which have designer wear (there's also a Jabeens in Wembley, I'm told, and Aashni & Co in Notting Hill who carry a range of Indian designer wear). I'm sure there are similar boutiques outside Pakistan in the US, Canada and areas where Pakistani fashion is prominent, so be sure to have a look. It can be really helpful to look at designer outfits up close to see whether you like the colours, quality and styles for yourself, especially as you get a chance to try them on as well - I know I was surprised as the differences in some designer outfits in real life compared to photographs.

Of course there are hundreds of other Pakistani designers out there who make beautiful outfits, and I didn't get to contact them all. There were also a few that I did email but didn't include, because they didn't respond to my emails or Facebook messages, so I didn't include them (one of my favourite designers, Faiza Samee, was one of them who didn't respond to emails or Facebook messages). In these cases, I would recommend calling them as they may prefer speaking to someone rather than emailing, which may yield a better outcome.

For those of you looking, I hope these help, and that these give some idea of how to approach designers with a budget in mind and styles (it was very tempting to order a bunch of outfits from each of them, but I just couldn't afford it!). Please do also let me know about any more designers that you found helpful and that you had success emailing as well, so I can file them away for future occasions!