OUTFIT OF THE DAY: The Hali H Mauve Lace Kameez

I haven’t done one of these for a while, so I thought I’d post about an outfit I wore in the winter. The outfit I wore was from a gharara outfit I've worn before, from London retailers Hali H London. I’ve mentioned before how much I loved this outfit, as well as how great the service was from this company, so was happy to wear the outfit again. This time, I was aiming for a different look, so wore the kameez, which was a loose, flared lace top with plain white trousers and heels – ideal for a dressed down look at a dawat or a fun daytime event.

This is the outfit – I love the lace detailing of the outfit, and I decided to go for a light, comfy look with this piece. I love dusky colours, and you just can't go wrong with a gorgeous shade like this.

Here what I wore with it, I kept the colours pretty similar, with a pretty purple clutch that came in handy from given to me from my sister! I love pairing simple tops with white trouser, it’s a fairly solid look that can’t go wrong and works with a lot of colours and styles. Looking at the outfit now, I wish I had added a long silver necklace, but I don’t own much jewellery and I remember thinking that the scarf may cover the neckline area anyway.

So this is me wearing it – I really liked how pretty and girly this looked without being too twee. It also makes a nice change from the bulky lenghas, ghararas and shararas I have seen everyone wearing, which looks great but can sometimes feel a bit too much (or in my case, takes more work to walk around in!) I wore this with a light coloured pink hijab which went perfectly, and felt very light-weight and versatile.

Outfit top - Hali H

Trousers - River Island

Shoes - New Look

Clutch Bag - Accessorize

Hijab scarf - Inayah Collection

I loved wearing this outfit simply because it was light, comfortable and it’s in such an appealing colour. I’m a big fan of mixing up and re-using outfits, and it also lets me add my own touch to the look as well. I got a lot of compliments for this outfit, and I can see that a lot of women are liking the how effortless it looks.

I can't wait for summer time where I'll be able to pull out some light outfits and play around with colours and styles - so far it feels like I've been hibernating in my pyjamas!

OUTFIT OF THE DAY: The Mauve Hali H Gharara Outfit

I've already posted before about this beautiful mauve gharara outfit I got from fashion brand Hali H, which I was really happy with. I thought I'd show what the outfit actually looked like when it was on, because it's one thing seeing it on the hanger (or on my bed), and another seeing it worn! Ghararas are trending all over the place recently, and I love how they are being styled at the moment, so really wanted to try one for myself, and this fit the bill perfectly.

This is the outfit, which was a 4-piece ensemble, consisting of a beautifully embroidered short kameez, a matching full-sleeved slip for underneath, a silky jamawar gharara pants and a matching duaptta. I wore this to a wedding of a close family friend, and the outfit was perfect - dressy enough without being super heavy, comfortable and right on trend.

This is how I wore the outfit, I didn't go too much on the accessories side (although I did go for purple eyeshadow!) - I went for pretty silver bangles rather than any other jewellery, and opted for khusay, rather than my usual heels. I do love my heels but I just felt that with this outfit, the khusay completed the look perfectly, and let me walk around in the gharara a lot more comfortably.

This is how the outfit looked on me, which looked very flowy and girly. It took me a while to get the hang of the pants and not trip on them, but I really loved how gorgeous they looked, and how elegant. I have always loved wearing lengha outfits and this felt the same - very dressy, elegant and perfect for the occasion.

Outfit - Hali H

Khussay - Green Street
Rayon Hijab - Inayah Collection

Clutch bag - Dune London

Bangles - Bees

One of the things that I liked about this outfit is that it is such a throwback to earlier generations - my husband loved the colour of this outfit, although he said he couldn't believe how old-school and vintage this outfit looked, and kept remarking that it looked like something from our parents' generation. I couldn't wait to show this to my mum when I got this outfit because I knew it would be something she would love - and indeed when she saw it on the day of the wedding, she laughed and said she couldn't believe this was in fashion now.

My sisters and I have often found that it has become more difficult to find outfits which are both reasonably priced and good quality - often you get one or or the other! One of the things I really liked about this outfit was that it really does tick all the boxes - trendy yet classic, beautiful colour, comfortable, easy to style and looked great on. I'm already thinking of how else I can wear the outfit (I'm imaging the top with plain, tapered trousers maybe) and the fact that I can dress this up or down.

What do you think of this outfit - would you wear a gharara?

OUTFIT OF THE DAY: The Elan Silk Replica by Dhanak Fashions

Remember this outfit? I finally got a chance to wear it for a dinner recently on a warm weekend, and was glad that it was ideal for a summery look. This is the outfit - it's a rich, colourful suit made from a soft cool cotton which was perfect for the warm weather.

Here's how I accessorised - I generally don't wear a lot of jewellery, and in summer I wear even less, so I just opted for some plain heels and a pretty embellished clutch bag given to me when I got married. The outfit is pretty colourful so white accessories were the best option to go with this!

This is the outfit on me - I loved how comfortable this felt, and how easy to wear. The colours were pretty flattering, and I got a lot of compliments while I was wearing this.

My favourite thing about the outfit is probably how rich the dupatta is, which makes  anice statement piece (I can even imagine wearing the dupatta by itself with a plain suit).

Outfit - Dhanak Fashion

Heels - Boohoo

Clutch Bag - Green Street

Hijab - Inayah Collection

I'm looking forward to making the most of my summery outfits this year - one of the things I find a hassle about the warm weather is wearing modest clothes without having to layer. Lawn outfits have becomes very fashionable in the last few years, and they're perfect for the weather too, which is such a relief when I want something stylish and comfortable.

I loved wearing this outfit, and though it was great value for money, especially considering how many other outfits and replicas there are out there which are not as great and cost a lot more. I'll be keeping an eye out for more affordable outfits and will post my finds, hopefully I'll have a pretty wardrobe to post about this summer!

OUTFIT OF THE DAY: The Mint, Pearls & Gota Dress

Now that spring is here in full force, and it's slowly getting warmer, my wardrobe is rejoicing - I'm finally getting to pull out some of my prettier, lighter outfits. I recently got the chance to wear this outfit below, a mint-coloured dress with gota work (gold pieces of cloth sew onto the fabric_, pearls and metal work all over - sounds like a heavy outfit but it wasn't!

I bought this outfit a few years ago before I was married from Pakistan via a Facebook group (which is no longer active, sorry guys!) for a very reasonably price, and then forgot I had it. I managed to find it again last year after some wardrobe-clearing, and put it aside for the warmer weather.

This is the outfit below, I love this shade of mint and feel like I don't get to wear it enough - it's perfect for spring season and feels pretty girly on. I also like the fact that this outfit is nice and floaty, which felt great on! I really like the gota-work on the outfit, which gives the outfit a shimmery-look, without making it feel heavy. It's a really traditional, old-school style of work but I think it's also pretty classic, and it works well with the pearls on this outfit.

This is what I wore with the outfit, I slightly over-loaded it a little with the gold, but I do like the end effect. I wore my wedding necklace for a more blingy look, and a plain gold clutch and sparkly heels - can't go wrong gold accessories!

This is me wearing the outfit, which felt very girly and floaty on - I really like the colour, although it took me while to find a matching scarf! I also like the length of this outfit on me - even though it is a longer shape, it worked with the cut of the outfit.

Outfit - Facebook group

Necklace - Pakistan via KaprayShapray designer

Clutch bag - DKNY

Shoes - Call It Spring

Hijab - Queens Market

I'm looking forward to wearing some of my older pieces for summer again, especially as some of them have a pretty classic look to them so don't go out of style. I loved wearing this outfit because of how ideal it was for the warm weather, and it feels like I don't have enough outfits in this colour. I'm sure I'll get a chance to wear this again soon - maybe with bright red lips this time?

OUTFIT OF THE DAY: The Seasons Floral Maxi Dress

This is a while back, but remember these floral dresses? I finally managed to get hold of the floral print dress I wanted from Seasons ADW, a gorgeous cream dress with floral print all over and pink accents, and of course took the chance to wear this for an outdoor wedding hubster and I went to a while ago (this was acually in the summer when the weather was warmer, I've been lazy about posting this!)

The thing I loved about this dress was the amazing quality - it really reminded me of Ted Baker's floral dresses and shoes, which seems to be their trademark these last few years (especially with the little girl clothes!) and I loved how thick the material of this dress was - not flimsy at all.

This is the outfit and what I wore it with - I didn't want an overly blingy or heavily-accessorised look and loved the pop of pink, so opted for pink shoes and pink lips - and not much more. I didn't even need bangles (and I do love wearing my bangles) because the sleeves had velvet cuffs which I loved.

And of course, I couldn't resist taking a swirly pic in this dress! You can see how flowy the skirt of this is, and how nicely it hangs, which was really flattering the figure (not sure why some of these images look grainy, apologies!)

I really enjoyed wearing this (I'm sure you can tell!) and found it pretty comfortable - it's pretty hijab-friendly and I think it would be wearable without or without the pink dupatta. I can also see this being worn to a Western event or an English wedding too and fitting in nicely with a summery theme.

And of course a sneak at my shoes - I love picking out bright colours in outfits and these pink shoes worked perfectly for me!

I've been lusting after this outfit for a while so I was glad to finally be able to wear this. The dress itself is fairly reasonable in price, and was made to measure by the store, hence the lovely fit. If I wasn't already married I'd love to wear something like this to a bridal shower or a registry - can you imagine the wedding theme for this dress!

It's gotten a little chilly these days so I think I've put this outfit away for now, and will be bringing out the velvets and dark red pieces, but I'm sure I'll get to wear this again soon!

OUTFIT OF THE DAY: The Royal Blue Threads & Motifs Dress

I wore this a little while ago to a wedding reception, and decided to go for something light and chic rather than the usual bling I go for! I bought this pret outfit last year by Threads and Motifs, a brand my sisters and I have always loved because of the high quality of embroidery on their outfits, and their very wearable pieces - we each have a few of this brand's outfits in our wardrobes.

This is the outfit that I wore, a rich royal blue dress with embroidery on the front and back. The outfit came with matching churidar pants, but I wanted to go for a different look (also is it just me always getting my big food stuck in churidar pants?!), so I opted for tailored white trousers instead. I thought this would give more of a summery look, and also look quite light and playful (or otherwise make me think I'm on holiday, which is good too!)

Here's the outfit and what I accessorised with, I decided to pick out the black and gold accents, and also make use of the Valentino Rockstuds my husband bought me! I don't usually wear a lot of black, but I though these complemented the outfit and brought it together well.

This is me wearing the outfit, which was a really comfy fit on me. I really liked how light and easy this outfit was to wear, and made a change from the heavier outfits I usually go for with weddings. I also liked the shape of the hemline, which wasn't too long and gave a nice girly look to the outfit.

Outfit - Threads & Motifs

Trousers - River Island

Clutch bag - LYDC

Bangles - Warehouse

Shoes - Maison Valentino

All in all, this was a fun outfit because it was colourful and summery and very comfortable. I've always been a fan of the Threads and Motifs brand because it is fairly affordable (although I have noticed that a lot of UK shops sell the same outfits for a higher amount!) and because I have always gotten a lot of wear out of each outfit I have.

I'm also liking the brand's more floral and colourful pieces which have been coming up in their newer collections recently, such a floral embroidered and printed skirts, silk print kurta and embroidered trousers - I already have a few of these on my wish-list!

OUTFIT OF THE DAY: The Blush Pink and Jamawar Outfit

A close friend of mine got engaged a few weeks ago, and also did her nikah on the same day, so celebrated with a reception party with her family and friends. Apart from being pleased for her (which I was!) I was pretty glad because it gave me the chance to pull out an outfit I'd been wanting to wear for a while.

Below is the outfit with what I wore (which I've laid out very artfully here) - I kept it simple with the shades of pinks and silver accents. For some reason the jamawar-printed trousers look gold in all of my pictures - it was actually a very pale pink with silver print, so it did go with the outfit, not to worry!

The kameez was taken from my Eid outfit which I wore last year, and the trousers were rose pink ones which I had bought separately from a local shop, which I had not had the chance to wear yet.

I love the details which are in the outfit and the trousers - the kameez has pearl details and silver threadwork mixed with metal-work, while the trousers were a very pretty shade of pink with fine print work on it. The only thing I wish the trousers had (which it didn't) were pearl buttons on the cuff, but I can always sew these on another day!

I paired the outfit with matching pastel pink pumps and simple silver bangles from Bees, as well as a sparkly diamonte silver clutch bag, which pulled the outfit together well. I also matched a silk oyster-coloured off-white scarf to the outfit, even though the whole outfit was pink it went better with the off-white scarf, rather than clashing with a peach or coral shade.

Kameez - Designed by myself and stitched by a local tailor

Trousers - RDC London

Heels - Office

Clutch bag -  Not a clue! Bought for my brother's wedding

Bangles - Bees

Off-white hijab scarf - Inayah Collection

And of course my post wouldn't  be complete without a close up of bangles and shoes! I love my gold-coloured jewellery and kundan statement pieces, but this was more of a classic, silver look which you can't go wrong with. Simple but sparkly, perfect for an Asian wedding!

I loved wearing this outfit (even if it does look a little off in the pictures!) and was glad that I could mix'n'match something which went well together. I got a lot of compliments from friends and other wedding guest, and it was something which was very comfortable. Although I'm still getting used to the shorter hem-line look of some kameezes, I'm liking the difference in look and the fact that it's easy to move around in, looks chic and is very easy to put together.

Here's a quick picture of the bride's outfit too, I can't post the whole thing, but here's a little peek. I LOVED the colours of her outfit, which was a traditional sari in a rich blue and gold - perfect for an evening event. There was something 'Devdas' about the whole look (perhaps Aishwariya in that rich-blue sari from the film?) but it was also very classic, and went well with the gold jewellery she had on.

The main wedding event is in a couple of months so I'll be sure to post about that when it happens - but it was a lovely start to the wedding and an evening I really enjoyed!

OUTFIT OF THE DAY: The Vintage Velvet Blue Outfit

Lately I feel like I have needed to update my (Pakistani) wardrobe a little in the last few months, mainly because I haven't bought any outfits since last year (I know!) and since trends are changing, some of my older outfits feel a little dated.

Luckily, fashion is quite cyclical - what was in fashion a decade or two ago is bound to look good again now!

I was recently asked by a friend of the family to take pictures for their wedding, which I was delighted to do because I knew it would be a fun affair. I didn't have time to look for an outfit because it was short-notice, especially because I prefer to order my outfits online, and I didn't want to pay too much for a new one either. I decided to pull out a few out a few of my older outfits which I have kept over the years (yes, I still have a few sitting at the bottom of my wardrobe packed away!) I have a few outfits from the last 10-15 years (such as one or two from my eldest sister's wedding over 15 years ago!) which have lasted pretty well, so I knew I'd be able to find something different,

This is a velvet kameez from from Pakistan which actually was from about ten years ago, which wasn't originally bought for me but which I ended up taking with me when I got married! I love the rich blue and the beautiful gold-work (which you can tell is a little old-fashioned because of the metal work is a different quality of metal, not to mention the heart-shaped design and the diamontes!).

It actually came with salwar pants and a gold-beaded dupatta, but I opted for straight, wide pants and a velvet-trimmed dupatta from this Threads & Motif outfit which went really well with the kameez. It was a little loose on me, which you might be able to see from the width of the kameez above, so I got it taken in a tiny bit so that it would fit better.

Weirdly enough, it reminded me of this design below by The Saree Boutique which has a similar gold motif all over the velvet going on, although the cut of the dress is quite different. It's quite a coincident as the red one below looks a little more trendy, but I do like the fact that my outfit looks quite wearable by today's standards!
What do you think, does it look similar?

This is what I accessorised the outfit with, I mainly stuck to blue and gold because you just can't go wrong with gold accessories and they look great against the velvet. I also loved how regal it made the outfit look (especially my blue clutch from my wedding!)

This is me wearing the outfit to the wedding which was a couple of weeks ago, you can see it's still slightly loose on me but I liked the look and the fact that it hung pretty well on me, especially because the work was pretty heavy. I was pretty glad I took the kameez in because it would have looked too loose, but I didn't want it too fitted either so I was happy with the final look of this.
I also didn't end up wearing the jhoomar with my scarf, mainly because I didn't want it to get in the way when I took pictures!

Outfit - Pakistan

Shoes - Faith shoes

Clutch - Lovetobag

Bangles - Shop Bees

Ring/Jhoomar - Pakistan

I loved wearing this outfit because of how comfortable it was on the day, not to mention a perfect winter outfit because of how warm it felt! It's also inspired me to look through the rest of my 'vintage' and older outfits and see how I can re-wear them.

A friend of mine suggested that I could alter the outfit again by cutting it down the middle to make it into a jacket and pulling the sides in more to make it more fitted, which I could wear with plain or jawamar trousers and a inner kameez, which I loved the idea of. I'm still debating whether to do this or not, mainly because I don't want to ruin the outfit, but I'll post pictures if I do!