Pakistan Fashion Week London 11 - 2017

Last week saw the 11th Pakistan Fashion Week London, which showcased a range of Pakistani designer's latest collections. I loved the last one which took place last year, and it was interesting to see how a lot of the designers who have returned had gone for a different look.

The event took place at the beautiful Lancaster House, which involved an exhibition for people to buy clothes and accessories, a two-day catwalk show and a ceremony with the Pakistani flag being sent to Pakistan's first ever embassy at Lowndes Square in London.

I wasn't able to attend the event, but was luckily able to get pictures from the official event photographer Shahid Malik and get a glimpse of the outfits! I won't be posting all the photos, but you can see more here and here.

Agha Noor
These were lovely metallic shades of gold and nude - I liked most of these, very wearable!

Aisha Imran
These were in a range of lengha styles - short and long tops, peplum tops and flared out skirts. Some of them are a little busy for my liking but I did like the colours used.

Amour Faith Hope
A range of summery prints, these look ideal for daytime wear, for a more Western look. I'm not sure I'd wear all of these but I did like the summer/holidays vibe to them.

Aminah Badar
A gorgeous nude and neutral-coloured collection, with a good mix for formal pieces and heavier bridals. I do like these, but they just feel too similar to designs already done - Faraz Manan, Elan and Farah Talib Aziz have all done these kind of styles - maybe it's just me? I did like the first two pieces though, which look a little different.

Asaaleh
Apart from the first piece, which is not bad, I didn't like any of the pieces in this collection. Nothing feels original or pretty, although that may just be my own personal tastes.

Ayesha Aejaz
This was an interesting black and rose gold/nude collection, where the designer played with shapes and hem-lines - some of them work, some of them don't. I do like the fact that these can be worn as formals though, and don't feel overloaded with work.

Cheena Chapra
I really liked how colourful this collection was - rich silks, bright colours and beautiful statement dupattas. I think these would be perfect for a mehndi event, and love how they seem to be inspired by the older periods like the 50s and 80s.

Diva by Sana Rashid
I'm not usually a fan of two-toned fabrics, but it works here. I love the mix of the colours with the intricate embroidery here - and how nice are those headpieces?

Gogi by Hassan Riaz
This is pretty wild - a bright red and black collection which seems pretty dramatic and high fashion. Maybe not so wearable, but it does showcase the designer's imagination!

Hamna Amir
This was a jewellery collection, which the focus being on longer-hanging necklaces. I do like the fact that you can layer these though, and loved the earring and necklace set on the end right.

Khaas
This was a collection for formals and everyday occasions, which I like because it's nice to see something on the catwalk which is wearable (and doesn't need alterations!). There wre a lot of floral embroidered pieces and simple cuts, which you can't go wrong with, really.

Khushboo by Qazi
This is a pretty, colouful collection ranged ranged from formals with heavy work, and lenghas with colourful dupattas. I thought some of these were pretty, and can imagine these being worn at weddings in Pakistan as well as the UK as well.

KJ Jewellers
This was another bridal jewellery collection, althoughI will say some of them were a little much for me - I did think the diamond sets were lovely though.

Lajwanti
I thought these were nice, but not amazing - the work doesn't stand out to me, and the outfits feels a little similar to the brand's designs from the last few years.

M Couture
While I like some of the designs for these, I really didn't like the colour combinations, I feel like there were some colours which were slightly mashed together. I did like the first outfit though, which looks lovely with a cape.

Maheen Khan
I thought these were very stylish, with a East-West fusion that made them look simple but elegant.

Maria B
I thought this was a fun collection, which mixed colourful prints and embroidered pieces well.

Mazz Jee
I don't usually post about men's clothing (because I know nothing about it) but though this was an interesting collection - the designer paid tribute to founding father of Pakistan Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah with his pieces.

Miral
This was a luxurious, dark-coloured collection with lots of gold and glitter accents. I thought these were nice as formals, and can imagine wearing these.

Moazzam Abbasi
I thought this was a pretty, summery collection, with lots of cotton and white shades which I can imagine being quite comfortable!

Nihaan by Amna Bibi
This was a really stylish abayah and modest-wear collection, which I liked because I haven't seen many abayahs on the catwalk when it comes to Pakistani fashion. I also liked the mix of jumpsuits with wraps, which I can imagine wearing myself.

Noor By Sadia
I thought these were pretty, but none of the pieces stood out for me particularly. There's a lot of light colours and shorter kameezes which look nice though, and look pretty as bridals.

Rizwan Ahmed
This is another collection which looks pretty, but doesn't stand out amazingly to me, although I did like the theme of gold and red in this collection.

Sana Safinaz
This was a pretty bright colllection with black beading and embellishment, but I think it worked well, giving a fusion East-West look ideal for parties or weddings.

Shamaeel Ansari
This was quite a boho-chic, summery collection - I can imagine these pieces in Zara or Mango! I liked the floral prints and accents on these, and thought it was an interesting mix of rich fabrics and softer colours.

Shazia Kiyani
I quite liked some of these pieces, and the collection had a very royal feel to it which I thought looked good.

Shirin Hassan
Another colourful collection, these would look great as mehndi bridals. I like the fact that there's a range of lenghas and wrap-style angrakha dresses, which are lovely for mehndi and dholki events.

Sonia Mahajan
I thought this was a fun collection, and really liked these pieces - there's a of fun colour and rich fabrics which works well.

Umar Sayeed
This collection had a very 70s, hippie look to it which is different from the designer's usually heavy pieces, although I'm not sure whether I'd wear these.

Umsha by Uzma Babar
This designer's bridals has become pretty popular over the years, with a lot of brides going for the layered look. The designer continues this theme with this collection, with a lot of gold and silver embellishment involved.

Zeshan Bariwala
This was another bridal collection which ranges from gold and red bridals, to the softer shades of grey and pinks. I liked some of these, but didn't think they would be pieces I would wear as a bridal myself.

Credits:
Event Directed by Riwayat
Commissioned by Pakistan High Commission, London
Head Stylist - Nabila
Consultant Advisor - Maheen Khan
Hair and Make up - Saima Kiran
Choreographer - Hajira Ahmad of EBH
Official Photographer - Shahid Malik
PR - Enigme Internationale

Tamese & Jackson: A Halal Skincare Company

I was recently invited by halal skincare and hair product brand Tamese & Jackson to come and try their new products, at the launch of the Ramadan and Eid Gift sets a few weeks ago. I was able to see the products as well as try them out, which I was delighted to do so. Halal skin care (and even vegetarian and vegan) skin care is still a growing market, and it's great to see things which are aimed at people like me. I have heard of this brand before, and know they used to sell in Tesco and Asda so they are already fairly popular, which is a good sign.

These are the products below that I was give to try - a handwash and hand-lotion set (which is part of the gift set range) and the shampoo and conditioner set. I absolutely loved the Islamic-tile inspired packaging of the products, and can imagine these looking great in the bathroom.

The company's aim is to produce and make available halal skin products for everyday use, and as great alternatives for those looking for ethically product products:

"Tamese & Jackson, a new brand of halal-certified, wholesome (tayyib) personal care products ethically produced in the United Kingdom.
We are dedicated to supply high quality, wholesome personal care products which are halal certified, suitable for vegetarians and at prices that are affordable to all."

The company also had a launch event a few weeks ago, and I was invited with a group of fellow modest-fashion bloggers to see their products and also see what the company was about.

We started off with a drinks reception at a lovely venue called HS&Co, which provided some colourful mocktails to start with, and some yummy nachos.

We were then introduced to the company's new products, where we had a change to look at the company's adverts and products on display so we had an idea of what the new Ramadan and Eid gift sets would look like. I like that the products seem very natural-ingredients based, and fairly gentle in smell so that it feels wearable without being overpowering.

There was a really fun dress code for the event - dressing up in the company's colours of white, gold, black or blue! This is what I wore below, a black dress with gold pleated pants, slightly MC Hammer-style but I liked it! I also loved what everyone else went for - lots of white and black, blues and combinations of gold which looked amazing - you can see some of the outfits here.
We all were given a pretty rose each, and also had a chance to take pictures with a beautiful white flower wall which was made especially for the event by a flower company called Al Rouge Flowers.

Next came the food - which was an amazing three course meal of meat platters, steaks and sides to finish - I think I wasn't the only one who was stuffed by the end of the evening!

To finish off, we had cupcakes with the company's logo on them - don't they look lovely?

I really loved the floral theme which was present through the event. There were beautiful centrepieces, single roses for each guest and a couple of huge floral bouquets for scattered around.

Products: Tamese & Jackson
PR company/Event organiser: Generation M
Flowers and Flower Wall: AlRouge Flowers
Venue: HS & Co

I wanted to post a quick review of the products I got to try, as I can see that a lot of thought was put into the products, and I really like the idea of a halal skincare and shampoo brand.

This is the shampoo and conditioner I got, which had a lovely fragrance of lime, reyhan plant and ginger extract. I normally don't vary my hair treatments too much as my hair is pretty long and I need something gentle for it - this set was quite good because it cleans my hair nicely without making it feel dry, just what I need!

I also really liked the hand wash and hand lotion set I was given, which look great in my bathroom. Again, these have the same lime, reyhan and ginger extract smell to them, which feel lovely on my hand and don't feel drying.

I am really liking the fact that companies are starting to recognise that there is a demand for halal skincare, as well as ethically-produced products. I can certainly see that this is something which has potential to become bigger, and I really like the fact that this has come about because of the influence of ordinary Muslims like myself and the people I know.

Tamese & Jackson are available to buy from their website, at Modestrove and Amazon. Have you tried this brand? What do you think of their products?

Ramadan Mubarak!

Wishing you all a productive month, a time to learn new things and earn rewards. I will do my best to keep blogging throughout this month, and hopefully will be able to post beautiful things, yummy food ideas and more!

Ramadan Mubarak!

- Curly Fries xx

KAPRAY SHAPRAY: Khaadi Blue and Yellow Summer Vibes

I love the colourful print trend that's in right now, it's easy to wear, makes a statement and looks amazing for summer. I saw this outfit a few days ago in Khaadi Westfield, which I think is an example of how the company has got the trend right - their outfits are fashionable, comfortable and look gorgeous.

I don't usually go for bright colours (normally because matching a head-scarf can be a headache!) but I loved this summery piece below because it looks perfect for so many occasions - I can imagine it being worn for a special event like Eid, or just for a more casual look at a barbecue.

I'll be keeping an eye out for more designs like this for Eid - I've already seen a few things I like but haven't made up my mind what to buy yet! What do you think of this - would you wear it?