Make-It-Yourself-Fashion: DIY Lace Trousers

I'm sure you may have seen over the last few months one of the latest trends in the ever-changing Pakistani fashion industry - embroidered and lace cuffs. I love that there's a variety of styles available rather than just the usual tapered pants - tulip trousers, brocade trousers, palazzos and straight trousers with cut-outs and lace inserts.cuffs

For Eid, I wanted to go for something quite contemporary - I had a beautiful worked kameez from my Pakistan which I loved but wanted to mix-and-match with some more trendy trousers. I had a look around the local shops - first wondering whether to get a brocade/jamawar print trousers to match, then looking for embroidered or lace trousers. Unfortunately I had no luck - the turquoise colour of the outfit is quite a specific one to match (although I did consider a contrasting look in light grey or pink), but in the end I gave up - the closest I found were trousers which were plain an had simple buttons on the cuff.

I decided then to try my hand at customising the pants I already had for the outfit instead - this way I'd get the look I was going for, and it would be a little more unique. I got a family friend of mine to alter the trousers so they would be more tapered (they were quite wide to start off with), and then looked around the shops and markets for some lace I'd like to add.

It took me a while but I finally managed to found some lace I liked, in a tiny shop near my mum's house, which was about the size of a walk-in closet and crammed wall-to-wall with lace, ribbons, buttons and sew-on patches.

This is the lace below - it's a silvery colour but for some reason it looks white! I got luck with this - it only cost £5 for a yard, and the woman who sold it confirmed that this was the kind of lace you can sew on trousers. Surprisingly, this was the only shop to have decent lace - a lot of the bigger shops and markets had very old-fashioned lace or just the wrong shape and size, suited more for kameez hems than anything else.

I also bought some pearl buttons (I couldn't decide whether to go for just buttons on the cuff, or lace, then opted for both!) - I couldn't find pure white ones but found some very pretty ones from Queens Market in a very pale mint blue shade which went perfectly.

I set about sewing the lace onto the bottom of the trousers by hand with white thread - which took me about two hours to do! This was mainly because I used small stitches to secure the lace legs properly (my husband kept offering to staple the lace on for me) and also because I kept checking the lace was in the right position and was straight - very fiddly work!

This is the final look of the trouser s- you can see the stitches a little but overall I was quite pleased with how the lace looked. My sisters told me that they wouldn't have realised I had sewn the lace on myself unless I told them, so I'll take that as a compliment!

I'd love to try more experiments with altering my own outfits and customising, and I had great fun searching in markets and shops for ribbons and laces, which gave me lots more creativity ideas. The only thing I wasn't happy about was that you can't see the pearl buttons on the trousers cuff, but seeing as the lace is such a statement piece of the trousers, this was bound to happen.

I'll be sharing more DIY projects soon - but let me know what you thought of this one!

A Meet and Greet Blogger's Session with Ather Shahzad

I was lucky enough to get invited to a blogger's meeting last weekend, to meet the legendary fashion duo Ather Shazad, who are one of Pakistan's biggest stars in the fashion industry. The meeting was over tea and cake at The Tea Rooms in Fleming Manor, in central London, so it was an ideal place to be!

They are known for the seamless services which provide everything many fashion shoots, brides and fashion campaign require, being responsible for makeup, styling, selecting the model (which is mainly dealt with by Shazah Raza) as well as the actual photography (taken care of by business partner Ather). They're also known for their bridal services (which is where I initially have heard of them a good few years ago, as I have a few friends who have used him for their wedding days!).

Duo Shahzad and Ather

The event was mainly a sneak preview of Shahzad's make-up and styling skills (Ather is pretty shy so hid a little!), with a Q&A session and tips from the makeup artist himself, in advance of his Masterclasses which will be taking place in London, Edinburgh and Manchester in January 2016.

We discussed Shahzads' love for makeup and his history - he was 17 when he started doing makeup on others (and was doing photography initially with his friend Ather at the same time!) and began to get clients because of his talent. He's worked not just in Pakistan but for several designers for fashion campaigns, for the Western stars and for Bollywood, and has a variety of makeup styles - although these days he prefers soft, warm colours like peaches and golds, particularly when it comes to doing bridals.

We then were able to see Shahzad's talent on a model - he showed us one of his makeup looks and stylings on model Siarah who looked stunning. I really liked the fact that nothing looked OTT - everything looked very naturally, the foundation looked natural (no cakeyness!) and the whole look fused well with the outfit and jewellery.

Shahzad then took us through his steps - what he did and how to achieve the look - nothing was heavy or complex, and it looked very well done.

Tips from Shahzad:

• Less is more! Too many girls use too much contour, too much foundation, too much heavy makeup - do what suits you and keep it more subtle.
• Focus on one feature to emphasis - smokey eyes with a soft lip, or dramatic lips with lighter eyes. Sounds obvious but it's a classic rule for Shahzad when it comes to makeup.
• Experiment, play around with colours and styles!
• Lighting is EVERYTHING. You can have bad makeup and still take a good photo, but if the lighting is bad, no matter how great the makeup is, the photos can still come out badly.
• For hot weather - use a water-based foundation - Shahzad sometimes uses a old-fashion method of Kryolan pancake foundation mixed with water for a very thin base.
• Use a good cleanser for your skin - recommends the Creme de la Mer skin range and also Mac cleansers.
• Don't over highlight, and make sure you apply on the cheekbones and not underneath on the cheek area.

We were then given our goody bags (yay!) which had a new range of makeup which is being released by Ather Shahzad for a brand called Luscious - it is already on sale in Pakistan and will soon be sold online in Sephora and Beauty Bay, which make for excellent accessibility for American and UK customers. This is the first makeup range from a Pakistani makeup artist and it is also the duo's first business venture in the UK, which I think will certainly be a hit amongst the make-up lovers in this country!

We were given quite a lot of makeup to try out - a lipstick palette, a lipgloss palette, an eyeshadow palette and blushers - which were in a beautiful range of colours and in matte and shimmery.

The lipsticks and lipglosses all have names which are named after famous models that the duo have worked with - such as Mehreen (syed) Iman, Cybil (Chowdry) and so on - which I thought was a lovely touch. I loved the blushers as well, beautiful tones which work well on darker skin - Shahzad explained that it was not just for Asian skin tones but black skin tones as well. Being one of the first makeup artists in Pakistan to work with black models as well, he understood the need for colours which suited darker skin tones as well.

You can see my haul below - I'll be posting swatches and reviews in a separate post but from my initial try-outs I love the beautiful colours and pigmentation!

It was really lovely to hear about Shahzad's experience in the industry - having seen his fashion campaigns with various labels in the last ten years (or more, as I've seen a lot of his pictures in magazines as a child as well!) it was pretty amazing to hear his inspirations.

I really enjoyed the event, as it was not just an opportunity to meet the stylist but also fellow bloggers - there were a few beauty editors, Pakistani fashion bloggers and enthusiasts to speak, and it was really fun to talk to them about blogging and the fashion world. And of course, we all took the time for a selfie!

Photo credits - Shahid Malik

I would definitely recommend making the most of this makeup class, mainly as the makeup I saw was pretty well done and it's worth learning if you are interested in makeup, either for yourself or for a career as a makeup artist. Being one of the icons in Pakistani makeup, it's one to go for, particularly as these classes are one-off so won't be repeated after the New Year.

You can buy tickets here for the classes which are taking place in London, Manchester and Edinburgh.

Organisers: The Makeup Room
Makeup: Shahzad Raza
Hair: Shamalah Hairstylist 
Model: Sairah Khan
Wardrobe & Jewellery: O'nitaa London
Photography: Shahid Malik
Co-ordination:Zaf Shabbir
PR: Enigme Internationale

If you're not looking to attend the classes, check out the makeup line and let me know what you think - the prices are very reasonable and I'll be keeping an eye out for more!

BOLLYWOOD ISHTYLE: Sonam's Bridals in Dolly ki Doli

I watched Sonam Kapoor's latest offering Dolly ki Doli yesterday, (making the most of my bank holiday!) and loved the different outfits being showcased in the film, so thought I'd post about them. The film features Sonam playing a con-artist who marries-em-and-leaves-em - it's entertaining enough, and thankfully not a long film, although I'll leave it up to you to decide whether you like it!

There are several bridals and pretty dresses featured in this film by style icon Sonam (I think there were meant to be around 16 bridals, although there may be more!) although I won't post all of the outfits. The one thing which struck me about the outfits in this movie is that unlike other films, a lot of them have come off the Indian catwalk (as opposed to being designed specifically for the film), highlighting Indian-based designers and making them more accessible for the consumer who wants to buy the same thing.

My first example is this purple and silver Anita Dongre bridal worn by Sonam, which is available to buy from Pernia's Pop-up Shop, (although the blouse seems to be a little less heavier on the website). I also noticed that this is the same, or very similar to one of the bridal outfits Dia Mirza wore on her wedding functions.

I've noticed an increase of choli and crop tops with embellished lenghas coming into fashion again, in both Pakistani and Indian trends, and while this isn't one I can I can see myself wearing, it suits Sonam a lot, the colour is a classical one and the look is certainly very bridal.

One of my favourite dresses in this film was this simple, bright azure blue dress by a smaller company called MadSam TinZin which is a simple cut dress with a layer of printed (or maybe jamwar) fabric underneaht and work on the collar and cuffs. Like the dress above, it's available for sale on Pernia's Pop Up Shop, and looks pretty much the same. It's ideal for a dress dinner dress or even an elegant party outfit, I love the shade of blue and the fit of the dress (although I do remember having a similar cut dress like this back in the 90s, with buttons on the front!)

Another outfit that's also from the same designers MadSam TinZin is this yellow sharara outfit, which is more old school in style (and not available on the website to buy), with a sunny yellow top and bottom and embellished orange dupatta. It's a lot more like something my mum would have worn in her youth (although maybe not in yellow) and makes a perfect mehndi outfit, which Sonam carries well with her jewellery and simple make-up.

An outfit I thought was quite adventurous was a lengha from Manish Arora's Couture collection in 2014, which is a brilliantly rainbow-coloured skirt, which Sonam pairs with a gold jacket and blouse instead for a funkier, elclectic look (especially with her shades!)

Another outfit I loved was this old-style pistachio green and gold maxi gown and jacket, which Sonam created a muted, classical bridal look (which also reminds me of some Pakistani vintage bridals) complered with gorgeous pearl jewellery and jhoomar on her head.

This outfit is by Ashima Leena, and like some of the outfits above, is also available to buy from Pernia's Pop-up Shop. I love the leaf motif pattern all over the jacket, and the pretty shade of green with the gold, for a glamorous dress which would be perfect for a nikah ceremony or even a vintage-themed mehndi.

Sonam also sported a Punjabi bridal look for this film, wearing an embellished tunic with striped pants and chunky gold jewellery, for a classical red and gold look, below.

This outfit was sourced from Anupama Dayal's collection, although the one that was showcased was in yellow and parrot green, and looks a little funkier than the red and gold one above. I actually preferred the kurta in green and though it made a more stylish look with the flowy palazzo pants, but I love that Sonam's bridal look re-invents the look for a more Punjabi style. I tried to look online to see whether this top was on sale anywhere, but couldn't find it, although the designer is selling her other designs on Pernia's Pop-up Shop.

Another quick view is of an Mayyur Girotra skirt and choli, which I didn't spot myself but found through another blogger's sharp eye, I love the colourful embroidery on the top of this, contrasted with a beautiful rich silk hot pink skirt for a colourful, contemporary outfit. With this outfit, however, Sonam uses her silver jewellery and styling to create a more Gujarati look, along with pink lips and an updo.

This was another bridal which Sonam carried off, I'm not sure who designed this one, but the gold chantilly lace is pretty in-line with current trends, and with the high-necked blouse, it's done quite well with Sonam's simple jewellery.

The last bridal I wanted to post about was this pink and blue one by Jade, another Indian-based label by designers Monica and Karishma. The outfit is pretty traditional in it's style (It looked like a lengha-sari to me), with the top part being draped under the bridal necklace like a sari, and the bottom being a pretty pink and gold embellished (or perhaps gota-work) skirt, and being finished off with the dupatta in pink. I thought this was quite a pretty wedding outfit, the colour combination is lovely and the jewellery and styling works together pretty well for a soft, feminine look.

Throughout the film Sonam wears (and steals!) some really lovely jewellery, and keeps the focus on her face rather than being too blingy with jewellery or big hair. I really liked these earrings which she wears below in a chand-bali style, which look really lovely on - and means no other jewellery is needed for a dressy look.

I definitely think Sonam captures a lot of styles in this movie, she plays a Muslim, Christian, Hindu bride and branches off to Punjabi, Tamil and Gujerati in lovely styles, which are put together quite well. I also love the fact that the film promotes a lot of home-grown Indian designers, showing a diversity of style and playing with colours and looks - not to mention that a lot of the outfits above are available to buy as well, which is great for getting the look!

All images of Sonam taken from Dolly ki Doli and do not belong to me

OUTFIT OF THE DAY: Jumpsuits and Jackets

I've been looking out for a decent jumpsuit for a little while, and while I've seen a few designer ones, some within my budget and some a bit higher, I've been wondering whether it was worth the cost of buying a whole new outfit - particularly for a fashion trend which isn't exactly a classic look the way a kameez might be.

I've been trying to avoid buying new outfits if I didn't need to, partly because I don't get to re-wear a lot of my outfits, and partly to save money/wardrobe space. I also am a big advocate of re-wearing, re-using and re-inventing outfits, and I always try to do this with my own wardrobe in a way that my outfits look a little different each time I wear them!

So naturally when I was thinking of getting a jumpsuit/jacket combination, I realised that I already had the basics in my wardrobe. Remember this jumpsuit from my hen night and the jacket from this Eid out? Well, I'd been wondering whether I could combine the two for a hijab-friendly, Pakistani style outfit, and decided to try it the next time I had an evening out.

These are the two outfits, the jacket came with an inner slip and churidar pants, from a shop in Green Street which I'll never remember the name of (and which my husband bought for me the Eid before we got married!); and the jumpsuit was just a basic black one from Zara, although I've seen cheaper ones of these in River Island, New Look and even Primark.

 

This is how I wore it, I styled it with a jewel red hijab and paired with plain red court heels. I love wearing this shade of red and never get to wear it enough (especially red scarves, which I'm a little conscious of because it's so bright and risks making my face look a bit pink!).

It's not ENTIRELY hijab-friendly because the jumpsuit was fitted, although the jacket hides the curves a little and the legs at least are baggy. I also adjusted the arms by wearing sleeves with them (they're basically fabric tubes for your arms, literally sleeves by themselves), which I always use with short-sleeved tops because it makes a difference instead of having to layer too much, or wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt underneath. Very useful for summer times!

 

Jumpsuit - Zara

Jacket - Green Street

Shoes - New Look

Hijab - Local market

I LOVED how easy this outfit was to put together, and how effective it looked. Everything I'm wearing in this outfit was something I already had, and can easily be found on the high street in some version or another. I've tried this with another hot pink jacket that I have, and it looked pretty good too (although a little bright), and it's a good way to re-use old outfits.

I also like the fusion of East-meets-West with this look as well, there's no need for a dupatta, and it's easy to glam it up a little with a statement necklace or bangles, ideal for a night out.

What do you think of this look? Would you try it out?

GLAMOROUS ACCESSORIES: The Blue LYDC Plastic Clutch

I finally gave in and bought myself a plastic clutch bag after my previous post about them - luckily I found quite a cheap option at LYDC London, which I thought was a great find.

I picked the blue clutch (I was torn between the pink, orange and blue because they all looked so cute) - I thought this would be most versatile colour and would be easy to use with my clothes. I ordered it and it came a few days later - so here it is!

I'm waiting to use it for a few events which are coming up, but I've tried it out by putting things inside and it looks quite cute (although I have to remember not to put my used tissues in there!).

What do you think of this - would you get a plastic clutch?