A Silky Purple Abaya by Hafina Official

I was recently gifted a gorgeous silky open abaya from modest clothes company Hafina Official, which does beautiful dresses, co-ords and abayas in gorgeous, vibrant colours. The abaya I received was a beautiful silky abaya in a rich purple shade, with white piping and lace embellishment on the hem and sleeves.

This is the abaya - doesn't it look gorgeous? I love how silky the abaya feels and looks, and it looks quite easy to style open or closed. I love my deep, rich colours and this is a gorgeous shade of purple which you can't go wrong with.

This is how the abaya looks on me, it's quite flowy and long, which I love. I can imagine this will be perfect for the summer months when I don't want to layer too much with heavy outfits, as it is quite modest and still feels quite loose and cool.

I also wanted to show a close up of the sleeves, which I love. I really think that the lace adds a gorgeous delicate touch to it which makes it look quite girly without being too heavy or OTT.

I love how easy this outfit was to style andwear - I can imagine wearing it with a plain dress to dress up an outfit, or using it as a summer staple, which I'm looking forward to! I love that there's a good range of colourful abayas out there, which means there's something to suit everyone's tastes, and also doesn't necessarily mean that it's just aimed for people who wear hijab, but just want something modest.

Hafina Offical has a pretty range of dresses, abayas and co-ords so the website is worth checking out. Let me know what you think of this piece!

Website and Shop - Hafina Offical

Instagram page - Hafina Offical

FRIDAY FASHION LINKS...!

I've been looking forward to today's post, because it features bloggers who I know and admire, and whose writing is great! Here they are below:

1. Ibreathshoes
This is a a blogger who I have followed online on Instagram for some time, and her journey has been pretty interesting to follow. She not only posts about fashion and her person style, which I love, but also posts recipes, her personal journeys and random lifestyle and foodie things! I also love the way she writes, which is down to earth and easy to get into (and sometimes long but worth a read!)

2. Sabrina Styles
This is a fun blogger whose posts I love because she is a blogger after my own heart. She posts about Pakistani fashion, how to mix Western wear with Asian outfits, as well as foodie reviews. I also love her fresh takes on affordable, easy-to-wear brands - definitely a must read!

3. Zai Khan

Not exactly a fashion blog, but a good read nevertheless! I especially loved her Affinity series, which is about couples mostly in the UK, and their stories. We often see couples and their Big Day, which are usually a full blown South Asian wedding affair, but there doesn't seem to be as much out there about the everyday lives of Asian couples, their relationships and their lives.  I thought this was a much needed view on couples, and a brilliant read. Zai Khan is currently planning another series (make sure you read her 'Trailblazing Women' series too!) and I am looking forward to that!

Hope you all have a good weekend, and a good read! x

BOLLYWOOD ISHTYLE: Alia Bhatt's Vintage Wedding Outfits in Raazi

I'm a bit late for this one, as the film came out about 10 months ago! I thought I'd post about the outfits from Bollywood hit Raazi, starring Alia Bhatt as a spy called Sehmat, as I loved the outfits she wore. The costume designers were Maxima Basu and Bhagyashree Dattatreya Rajurkar, who have designed for other period movies (think Padhmavaat!) so it's not surprising these are pretty.

The first outfit was the Sehmat's wedding gharara, which is vintage gorgeousness! The film is set in the 70s, and I love how the outfits reflect this (not to mention this faux wedding photo below!)

I loved the details of this outfit, not to mention the contrasting green dupatta, , the gota kaam (the gold fabric sewn on), and the beautiful jewellery. I'm sure my mum would be able to relate to a lot of these pieces, as a lot of it is reminiscent of her time (although perhaps some of this is a little more glamorous that some brides at that time!). The makeup is dressy without being too much, and works well with the red lips.

The next outfit is the sari worn in the bride's 'rukhsati' or 'bidaai' scene, which is when she is leaving her parents to go to her new home.The character wears a simple baby pink and light blue sari, which is accessorised with a separate dupatta for her head, as well as pretty jewels. I thought this was more cute than gorgeous, but it does go with the Alia's look for the movie, and certainly does look a little 70s to me!

What did you think of the costumes in this movie? And did you like the gharara or the sari more?

OUTFIT OF THE DAY: The Change Beige & Black Kurta

So this is my first outfit of the day post this year! I’ve been hibernating at home in my pyjamas, which are lovely but not much to post about! But I did wear this outfit during the Christmas and New Years break, which was perfect for comfort as well as style!

This is a pretty kurta I received from my mother in law which came from Pakistan. It’s from a Pakistani label called Change Clothing Pk, which is not one I’ve heard of, but they have a good range of casual and formal wear which seem very wearable. I’ve seen a few similar kurta styles like this (I’m sure you all have!) in local shops, and most of them are pretty affordable, and have a lot of everyday designs as well as slightly more dressy ones. This is the outfit I wore, which is a beige and black cotton kurta with a gold and silver print all over.

I’m normally someone who either sticks to just gold or just silver accents when it comes to outfits, but on this kurta it actually looks quite nice to have both. The back of the kurta has a different print from the front, which is something I’ve seen on a lot of outfits, and gives a nice quirky feel.  One of the things I really liked was the cut of the kurta, which is in a wrap shape and has a V-shape cut at the hem.

This is me wearing the outfit – I paired it with a light beige pair of cotton trousers from Khaadi – they weren’t an exact match but it worked well enough, and I preferred these over black trousers. I wore these with flats that I managed to find in beige and black, that looks nice together – a little matchy-matchy but I like it here!

I love how comfy this outfit is to wear, and the fact that it looks stylish without needed to much. I’m pretty sure I could easily dress this outfit up a little more with jewellery and heels, as it looks quite on trend and the colours are quite flattering. I’m leaning towards simpler suits and easy to wear cuts these days, although I think this may also be because I tend to go to less dressier events and prefer to wear kurtas and simple outfits for dinners or just lounging at my mums.

I'll be posting more outfits I've been wearing soon, as well as some bargain finds I've seen online! I often get asked about where to buy casual wear, and I though this kurta was lovely. I've seen a lot of similar designs in local shops - probably where the business owners have bought a bulk from Pakistan and decided to re-sell it on, but there are some pretty ones out there!

Pantone Colour of 2019: Living Coral

This year’s colour of the year is a vibrant one, and an interesting pick - Living Coral. I’ve worn this colour before but not very often (like this outfit and this kurta!) and have had a few Western dresses in coral before as well. I remember wearing a bright coral shift dress to work years ago and matching it to an equally bright coral lipstick, which I got a few giggles from at work, so don’t think it’s something I’d attempt anytime soon again! I’ve even dabbled with it in terms of lipsticks and blushes, but I’m a little conservative with my colours and tend to gravitate towards deep, rich colours, neutrals or or softer colours which are slightly more forgiving!

I had a look at some examples of 'living coral' which could pop up this year in fashion and beauty, and am liking what I see - even though it's a bright colour it's serene and girly, and doesn't feel too garish. I'll be keeping an eye out in the shops to see if anything catches my eye (probably for the summer!) but I'm liking these pieces below.

I also had a look at what kind of coral pieces there are out there in the Asian fashion world – there’s a whole treasure trove of them! I love that it's such an abundant colour - Asian weddings and events tend to be lively and colourful, so this is quite an ideal colour, and I found plenty of wedding themes, outfits and decor in this this colour.

I am intrigued about this colour – its definitely a fun colour and I can imagine it will be quite popular in the summer, as well as for wedding events. It’s also quite a girly colour and something I can imagine appeals to a lot of people (unless you’re not a fan of bright colours!) I’ll be looking forward to seeing if this colour pops up this year in, as well as what other trends, colours and styles become popular.

Whats your opinion on this colour? Would you wear it?

SPARKLY GIVEAWAYS: Curly Fries x Elegance of Oooh My

To start the 2019 in the right way, I’m having a giveaway! Take a look at my latest post on Instagram, where I’m giving away a kurta or casual suit of your choice from clothes boutique Elegance of Oooh My for one lucky winner. Check the post for the terms and conditions, and the giveaway ends on  Monday January 21^st 2019.

Good Luck guys!

Love,
Curly Fries xx

Happy New Year!...2019

Happy New Year everyone! 2018 was an interesting year, with lots of things for me to post about (boy do I need to play the catch up game!) - so watch this space!

I’m looking forward to a few things already this year, and it will be interesting to the trends, outfits and events the year brings!

Wishing you all a great year (let the good times roll!)

Love, Curly Fries
xxx