Eid Mubarak - Our Eid Day...!

Eid Mubarak guys! 

I've finally got a chance to sit down and post about my Eid day, although unfortunately I didn't take as many pictures on the day as I wanted! You can check out my sisters' blogs here and here for when they post their pictures, so keep an eye out on theirs too.

First up, what I ended up wearing: My sister and I went shopping a few times locally and I also looked online for outfit ideas - we both found that there's a huge range of styles in at the moment - florals, frills, bell-sleeves, pearls, maxi dresses, flared trousers, kimonos and so much more, which meant there was a lot of choice, and made us feel a little overloaded in styles. I was pretty much open to any ideas, and didn't have anything specific in mind, which made my shopping trips easier, and meant I was less fussy about what to look at.

I ended up buying a jacket-and-kameez outfit from a local boutique called Golden Zari, which had some very pretty outfits, and is quite a popular place for formals for weddings. I haven't worn coral-orange before, and loved the beautiful embroidery on this jacket, which is actually quite heavily embellished with pearls, beading, metal-work and sequins all over the front and back too. I forgot to take a picture of the back, but here's the outfit - a short kameez and jacket style with tapered trousers.

And of course I couldn't resist posting some close-ups! I wanted to also show the gorgeous clutch bag (which was so teeny it only fit my lipstick) thatI pulled out for Eid, and my floral mehndi which I managed to do the night before Eid!

I'm pretty gutted that I didn't get any pictures of my sisters or sister-in-law at all - they all had beautiful outfits on, which looked very on-trend and colourful. I have got some pictures of all the toddler nieces looking gorgeous though, in lovely party dresses!

My mum opted for her favourite soft colours - a spring green and pink, while my niece looked  very cool in a gold kurta, paired with tan and black accessories - giving me a run for my money there with that pose!

The girls all had lovely mehndi on their hands too - I wish I had taken pictures of the little girls' hands, but these are my sister's and niece's hands which looked lovely.

My sister brought gorgeous rainbow glittery Eid cupcakes for us to enjoy on the day (cue us taking ten thousands pictures of cakes in different angles) which was a lovely touch, perfect for dessert after a huge Eid lunch!

One of the things we all enjoy about the lead-up to Eid is getting Eid presents for the kids - they look forward to opening them and we love seeing happy they get. They all got quite a haul this year, and of course my sisters and I overloaded each other with makeup and chocolates!

We had a fab Eid, the kids got balloons (half of which flew away in the sky) and spent the day in my mum's garden picking the cherries off a very ripe cherry tree and filling up buckets!

I have a few events and weddings up coming this month (July will be a pretty busy month!) so can't wait to post more pictures - so watch this space!

I hope you all had a lovely Eid weekend - what did you wear?

OUTFIT OF THE DAY: The HSY Orange & Purple Lawn Outfit

Now that the weather has been quite warm the last few weeks, it's been a perfect opportunity to make the most of it and pull out my summer outfits and lawn pieces which have been hiding in my wardrobe. I have a good mix of short kurtas, slightly older designer lawn outfits and pretty kimonos, so am looking forward to getting use out of them!

This is something I wore not too long ago, which is actually a pretty old outfit from Pakistani designer label HSY. I bought this outfit from an online Facebook group which unfortunately no longer operates, but which I manage to get for a good deal, and have gotten good wear out of!

This is the outfit below, it's pretty colourful in orange and purple and not the usual colour combination I would go for, I quite like it in this and it's pretty easy to wear.

I don't tend to wear a lot of jewellery when it's hot, so decided to keep this look simple with these colourful threaded bangles that my mother-in-law bought my from Pakistan a while back, and some easy, comfortable sandal flats - perfect for summer!

This is the outfit on me, as you can see it's a slightly older style in that the outfit is longer in hem-length, but I like how girly this looks and how comfortable. My only pet peeve with lawn is that it wrinkles very easily - as you can see from some of the rumples below! I did love the beautiful embroidered dupatta with this though, which made a lovely statement piece.

Outfit - HSY via Facebook

Sandals - Steve Madden

Bangles - Pakistan 

I haven't updated my summer wardrobe in a while, but I have managed to get a few pieces in the last few weeks while looking for Eid outfits! I try to keep an eye out for simple, printed pieces which last well and look good on, which is probably why I've kept this HSY outfit for as many years as I have! Plus I like the fact that this piece still looks by today's trends, and it's nice and colourful for summer : )

FRIDAY FASHION LINKS...!

Happy Friyay! I thought I'd post some more links for you all, especially since I've not been blogging as often as I'd like to in the last week or so, so here's some reading material for you to try in the meantime:

Modest Seamstress Blog
This is someone I met a few weeks ago whose focus is on minimalist modest fashion. I think this blogger is a wonderful one, she's very down to earth, easy to get on with and I love everything she wears! I don't think I can manage minimalism just yet (every time I clear things out of my wardrobe, I find more things to replace them with) but I do love her concept of it.

Style Haven Blog
This is one I've followed for a couple of years, and is a mix of fashion, beauty and lifestyle posts -  although admittedly I like it for the Pakistani-fashion posts!

Desi Rain Drops
This is another blogger who I have admired for a while, who posts various travel, modest fashion and food posts. I love her style and always look forward to her outfit posts, and she always has nice things to say.

Eid Outfit Inspos!

We all have this struggle every year - what to wear for Eid? My sisters and I always make a trek along the local high streets and either get lucky in finding something we love, or look online and in shops for ages before we finally settle on something.

It's a little cheeky to be looking for Eid outfits before it's even here, but the one thing I've learned for myself is that the earlier I look, the better deals I find and the more happy I am with my outfits!

I thought I'd post a few outfits I've seen recently which have caught my eye as Eid outfit inspirations - even if I don't buy them, treat them as inspiration!

#1 - This Amber Gohar pearl outfit
I saw this online, which is currently being stocked by UK vendor Hina Rasim on her instagram page, and loved the look - pearls, trendy bell sleeves and a gorgeous border on the hem. I quite liked the outfit in white, which would look great as a summer piece. My husband also loved this piece too, but it's slightly more pricier than my budget allows at £250.00, so I'm still thinking about it!

#2 - This Sana Safinaz Luxury Eid Collection piece
Pakistani brand Sana Safinaz released their Eid Collection recently for pre-order, and some of the pieces look really dreamy. My favourite is this pretty piece, a mint and peach ensemble with gorgeous embroidery. It's different from a lot of pieces I've seen in that it's a longer kameez style, but I think it looks pretty chic, and at Rs. 12,500 (that's about £95.00), that's not bad. The only issue is being to actually get it before it sells out, and as these come unstitched, getting a tailor on time!

#3 - This cape-dress from RDC London
RDC London is one of stores, so we always take a look in the shop whenever we're in the area. The black cape-dress on the left caught my eye last week - I loved how elegant the cape looked. It's a little dressier than my usual embroidered kameezes that I go for, but I have a few weddings coming up so this could be handy! I wouldn't pick the black shade (my family tend not to go for black when it comes to Eid these days), but it does come in cream as well. I also saw the red outfit on the right a few weeks back and it looked quite funky to me - a little Russian-inspired to me! Not sure I could pull it off  but it's an interesting idea.

#4 - Agha Noor outfits by Kurta Kouture
You can't go wrong with Agha Noor, it's reasonably priced, easy to wear and looks pretty. UK-based Kurta Kouture stocks a range of Agha Noor and has a few pretty pieces online - I quite liked the pieces below, although I haven't decided on anything yet!

I'll be keeping an eye out for more pieces (watch this space for a Part 2 of this post!), and will post any more ideas I find, whether it's online or in the shops!

I'm also looking to go to a Ramadan souk (bazaar) called The Exhibit at The Bulgari Hotel, Knightsbridge, which is happening in two weeks. This will be a multi-brand trunk show showcasing a range of brands, which I'm hoping to find something at - so more about this soon!

Atelier Finds: A Ramadan Gift

I recently was sent a beautiful Ramadan gift by Instagram company Atelier Finds, who specialise in tasbih and oud perfume wedding favours, hijab accessories and Islamic Gifts. The company sent me a new idea of theirs, Ramadan and Eid gift parcels which would make ideal presents.

I thought this was a really lovely idea, and a great alternative to the usual Instagram pages and online sellers I have come across, most of whom usually sell outfits, jewellery or scarves. While all of these are always in demand, it's nice to see something different out there which is well-put together and relevant to my faith.

This is the box I was sent, isn't it lovely? It was so pretty I almost didn't want to open it.

It also came with a lovely card with a sweet message inside for Ramadan - personally I think it always makes a difference when a company puts in small touches like this because it shows how much they care about their products and their service.

Even thought e box was almost too pretty to open, I opened it in the end! I was glad I did, because inside were some even prettier things which I loved - two gem-stone hijab pins, a mini-tasbih and a pretty pin tin, which you can see below.

I really liked the fact that each product was a good quality, luxury product, and not just random generic things which you would find on the high street. The hijab pins are part of the real gemstone range, with the the black one being black onyx in gold vermeil (gold plated sterling silver). The tasbih was another well-crafted piece with sparkling beads and a lovely chain finish.

I thought this was a really lovely, innovative idea for Ramadan and Eid gifts, and it's something which is new to the market - it's nice to have a few pretty things like this on your dressing table or on your shelf. One of the things I loved was that these were all things I would use - the pin tin is a pretty, vintage-style piece, the hijab pins are lovely for dressing up, and the tasbih would always be used in my house.

I also love that these are all available as wedding favours - it's a really nice alternative to the usual sweets and nuts look and it's something guests can take home. The company also does ouds in different scents as well, so will be checking those out next!

You can contact Atelier Finds or buy any of the products via the company's Instagram Page, or via their Etsy Shop.