My sisters and I took a trip down to Marble Arch where the event was happening to the Raddison Blue, Portmen Hotel, and arrived early to see what was on offer.
The exhibition did not disappoint - there were several beautiful pieces from a range of designers, and I was hard put deciding which one I wanted. I managed to meet (and interview) Rozina Munib, whose designs were gorgeous (and whose interview I'll be posting in a separate post), Ammara Khan, Hina Rasim herself, as well as reknowned photographer Shahid Malik, which I was really glad about as I had a quick conversation with him and introduced myself.
Now onto some pictures of the exhibition, which had a good range of designers, you can see the beautiful designs below as an example!
I noticed that there was a good range of heavier formals (and even a few bridals) as well as semi-formals and casual formals on racks around the exhibition, so my sisters and I spent quite some time browsing and looking at different designs, and comparing styles and prices.
I didn't get a chance to take a snap of all the designer outfits, but I did have my eye on a few particular outfits, so I'll post these below. I did, however, get to Hina Rasim (the host) and also a couple of other organisers and PR staff who gave a lot of information about both the event and contacting Hina in regards to ordering an outfit at later times should I wish to do so.
The Outfits:
Faiza Samee - this is one of my favourite designers anyway, known for her bright and electic designs, so it was nice to see these displayed. These were around £350ish and made from a lovely silky material in a range of colours and styles, although most of them were long, flowy frock styles.
Sania Maskatiya - I had my eye on a few of this designer's pieces, and I really LOVED the floral pieces. There were a few pieces I lusted after, but unfortunately pieces I liked were all priced between £500-£1000 which was just way above my budget (my sisters did point out I have expensive taste!)
The last outfit below (the light blue floral piece) was my favourite, but at £950ish it was just too much (especially as we have just come back from an expensive holiday!) so I relunctantly had to put it back.
Rozina Munib - I managed to interview this designer on her pieces and loved what she had to say (more on this coming soon!). I also liked the fact that she had a really good range of informal pieces and formals, so there was a range of prices for these outfits. I also liked the fact that there were longer hems, maxi dresses and shorter hems, to appeal to different customers.
Ammara Khan - I didn't get a proper look at this designer's outfits, but what I saw was quite heavily worked, and very colourful, with some beautiful work. There was also an opportunity to see some bridals, unfortunately I forgot to look at prices for these pieces but the work on these just lovely.
There were also a few other big names, such as Elan, Farah Aziz Talib and Sana Safinaz, which were all really lovely piece (although there were less of these pieces), and which we liked too.
I also managed to speak to Hina Rasim about her event (and also see her getting interviewed!), as well as take a snap with my sisters in front of the 'fashion wall'!
As well as outfit designers, there was also a jewellery stand for a company called Tanaya Couture, which had some beautiful pieces that caught my eye, with a good mix of traditional and contemporary styles. These sets were perfect for brides-to-be looking for something luxurious, although I liked the fact that they weren't all overly blingy or too heavy, so could easily be worn for a lot of events.
We saw a good few pieces that we loved, which were at reasonable prices (the clutch bags started from £45) and I spoke to the company's founder who told me about their pieces, as well as their beautiful scarves which were also on display.
Lastly, there was a make-up artist who was also present, Khadijah, who did a free make-up trial on myself and my sister, and also did a make-up demonstration. I asked for light contouring, and the MUA told me the best way to apply, and also what she was using on me, which was really helpful. Needless to say, she did a great job on us!
At the end of the event we also got a cupcake to take home as a treat, which I thought was lovely (they tasted really yummy!)
Photo credits - EveryPhotunity
It was really nice to see designer pieces up close and see the quality of the workmanship - it's easy to be dazzled by catwalk pictures but they don't always show the actual outfit properly. While a lot of these pieces were not cheap, they were superb quality, and certainly more unique than a lot of designs I've seen recently on the high street!
My favourite pieces were the floral Sania Maskatiya ones - although I can't quite afford them, they were a lovely example of floral pieces done right! What do you think of the pieces - do you have any favourites?
Can you remember the price range for the Èlan outfits?
ReplyDeleteThey didn't have a lot of Elan outfits, mostly formals. Can't remember exactly but I think prices were about £600-700ish upwards. Hina Rasim is having another exhibition in February this year at the Dorchester with Elan's latest range though, so definitely worth checking out!
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