GLAMOROUS ACCESSORIES: The Double Ring from the Bees Aariya Collection

I recently had the chance to go to the wonderful Bees store a few days ago, and thought I'd check out their newest jewellery collection, a 'lifestyle collection' entitled Aariya. I thought this collection was doubly special because the pieces have been promoted by my beautiful friends at The Twindividual Diaries, who styled and did a photo shoot for this collection (and whose photo shoot currently is displayed at the store as well!)

The unique thing about this collection is that it's more carefree, light-weight and less traditional - the style is more Western and easier to combine with Asian and Western outfits. Rather than the usual heavy bling which comes with kundan jewellery and bridal sets, this is more casual and easier to wear, and more in-line with current fashion trends.

I thought I'd check this collection out (and introduce myself to some of the Bees staff!) while I was browsing, and really liked the variety that was available - most of the jewellery pieces were available in silver and gold colours with a flower-motif running through each piece.

I decided to buy one of the double-chain rings from the collection, which made a nice change from all of the giant rings that I have! This one was very easy to wear and felt very pretty on, without feeling fussy.

I wore this to work the day after I bought the ring (I like to wear my new things straightaway!) and got a lot of compliments for it, it certainly caught my colleague's eyes and my sisters and sister-in-law also loved the ring. It took me a while to get used to the chains dangling on my hand, but it felt very feminine wearing it, and added a little sparkle to my hands. I also liked the fact that I could wear the rings on different fingers, and vary the look of it.

I'll be sure to check out some more pieces from this collection, the matha-patti, for example looked gorgeous but I didn't think I would get to wear it anytime soon (unless I style it over my hijab) so I thought I would wait before I pick one.

What do you think of this collection? What piece would you choose?

KAPRAY SHAPRAY: Lime & Blue by Kamiar Rokni

So I saw this interesting outfit by designer Kamiar Rokni, whose work tend to be quite heavily embellished, and thought it was a really interesting mix of colour, a bright lime green, sky blue and plents of metallic silvers.

I've been looking at different colour combinations and designs of outfits for a few upcoming weddings this year, and thought this was a really funky colour combination. I've seen lime green and blue together before, but I love the addition of silver here, especially in the sharara bottoms, and thought it gave a touch of the traditional.

What do you think - too bright and shiny for you liking, or something you'd love to rock at a wedding?

Image from Facebook group

Iggy Azalea's Bollywood & Eastern Influenced video

Iggy Azalea, an Australian singer/rapper released a new video for her single 'Bounce', which I though was interesting, less because of the song, and more because of her costumes. A lot of viewers have stated that they found this a little insulting, and slightly disrespectful because Iggy Azalea's meant to be in a temple and is dancing, but I think she meant to show the influence that India left on her, and to show it's positive side.

The costumes were apparently put together and styled by Alejandra Hernandez - I love that Parveen Bibi was one inspiration for the looks, and the fact that a lot of the jewellery and costumes came from India.

First up is this bridal outfit that Iggy is wearing in this video, which has the full jewellery set, matta-pathi and all with red lips and pretty henna. While we don't see a lot of blonde-haired brides in real life, it's easy to see the appeal to non-Asians. I think it is easy to look washed out in such a vivid red, but I think the rapper pulls it off her, and I really liked her make-up which looked immaculate and not too much.

I also noticed a lot of gold outfits and gota-style work on some of her costumes, which I liked because it showed a mixing of trends in Asian fashion, as well as a throw-back to the 60s and 70s; Paired with the singer's almost hippie hair and make-up look, this looks quite pretty.

I also liked the use of white jasmine flowers in her hair(although it's not traditionally worn this way!), and i think again, it suits the singer's colouring and the fact that she has set it off with simple, block colours.

 

I was less keen on some of the other outfits, like this full gold body-suit. While I'm sure it suits the singer's rapper status, I thought it looked a bit OTT, not to mention looked a bit hot to wear!

All in all, while some argued that this might be a little patronising to Indian and Desi culture, I don't think this is the singer's intention, while I agree that rap might not be the first thing which comes to mind when you think of Bollywood, it's interesting to see the singer's take. There has always been controversy over non-Asians in the Bollywood and Asian fashion scene (such as the TOWIE girls on the Asian Woman magazine, Selena Gomez's bindi controversy, or even Madonna's use of henna in her Frozen video!) but I think that just as there are people against it, there are also supporters of non-Asian women following trends.

Personally, I'm still on the fence on this one, I think Iggy Azalea looked great in this video, but I also think there's a few silly moments in it which could be done without!

All images are from Iggy Azalea's Bounce video

Ash's Black & White Ensemble at Royal Ascot!

Saw these yesterday and thought Aishwariya Rai looked great at the annual Royal Ascot - wearing a fabulous Philip Treacy black and white hat to go with a lacey white dress by the same designer, with black flowers. I though this looked very classy on actress, and she showed off her curves well. I love how simple she tried to keep it with her accessories too, simple patent pumps and clutch bag (by Wilbur & Gussie) and no blingy jewellery to be seen.

What do you think of this look - classy or boring?

 

Images from here

BOLLYWOOD ISHTYLE: Vidya's in Glamorous Green in 'Ishqiya'

I saw this recently and thought it was pretty, it is meant to be a traditional nikah (although dream sequence) scene in Bollywood film Ishiqiya, which is also different because her character wears saris mostly through the movie, and I though this would be good as inspiration for those brides (or even non-brides!) looking for a more traditional look.

I like this not just because of the rich green outfit, but more because of how well balanced the accessories are, and the fact that Vidya has light, flattering make-up which I thought looked great on her. This also seemed a bit 50s-ish to me, it seemed like a modern take on the sort of things our mums used to wear in their youths, the nose-ring and the embroidered dupatta particularly reminds me of this!

I also thought this was something which reminded me of some of the jewels in high street store Bees' collection (like this or this), which I thought would help in replicating this look - I think it would be perfect for a mehndi night, or even a simple bridal look where the focus would be on accessories with a simpler outfit.

Images taken from Ishiqiya

 

LOVELY HIJAB: The Texas Muslim Women's Foundation 'Fashion for Compassion' Show 2013

I have some friends across the pond in  the USA and Canada who keep me updated (via Whatsapp!) every now and then about fashion shows they've attended, or new things which have come out. One of my friends told me about a hijab-friendly fashion show which was being held in Dallas, Texas, which she knew I would be interested in called Fashion for Compassion.

I loved the imagination, the styling and the colours which went into this show, there were a lot of vivid colours like yellows, hot pinks and black/white combinations, which really looked funky. I also liked how they styled the hijabs in different ways and used various accessories to bling it up, from smart looks to causal and funky, to dressy, going out looks.

Here's a few pictures from the show which were taken from here and here. (I don't have a favourite, but I did think the all-over-sequins outfit was glamorous, and I LOVED the flowered-print abayah/gown with the blue scarf, which was just pretty!)

 

My friend also sent me pictures of the show as it was happening (a lot of them are blurry so I won't post them all) - this one was my favourite because of how funky it was, and how easy it would be to replicate. I love how everything is put together - I've never been big on polka-dots before but I loved it here.

This was another style which I thought was cute (although less because of the giant sunflower!, I liked the mix of greens and blues, with the printed harem pants. I've seen a lot of printed and colourful trousers in the UK so it's interesting to see a similar trend on this catwalk.

Lastly was this navy blue sequined ensemble, which I actually liked more than the green one because it reminded me of something from an Arab or even Turkish style (particularly with the way the scarf was wrapped on the head). While I would probably not wear something like this, I can appreciate the glam factor of it!

All in all, I loved a lot of the styles in this show, it's always good to see hijab incorporated in fashion where it can be kept modest as well, and it's also interesting to see the fashion trends in places in the US like Texas, which can be compared to the trends we've been following in the UK.

Which outfit was your favourite?

A 1920s influence by NAURATAN

I came across this photo-shoot by Pakistani brand Nauratan, which I found really interesting, as it was advertising their 'Spring Brides' collection with a different look, which was a 1920's influence in both hair and make-up. While the outfits look lovely, they didn't stand out to me as much as the styling all of these looks did, I loved the way the hair accessories, the pearl necklaces and the 1920s style dark lips all give a well-put together look, and really creates the image.

While I haven't seen a lot of era-inspired Asian outfits which have an English influence like this, I thought this would be great inspiration for brides looking for a different type of 'fusion' look, whether it's small touches like vintage hair clips or pearl necklaces, or the whole shebang for an amazing look like the ones below.

Images belong to Nauratan

GLAMOROUS ACCESSORIES: Leaf-shaped hair slides

I'm not one who has the opportunity to dress my hair up due to my hijab, but when I do, I'd love to do something like this. It's amazing how a single piece of accessory can make the whole look, like this pretty leaf-design hair comb. This would also be perfect for a bride looking for a classy, elegant look for her big day - I have seen a lot of brides who want the slightly more Western style go for this look, especially for a more vintage look.

My sister wore something very similar to this on her reception which she used to pin her veil in - and it looked very pretty and timeless (although hers was not leaf-shaped - I shall try to get pictures!), and it's definitely useful for other occasions for glamming up simple hair styles. And the best thing about these is that they can be found in English shops too!

Image via Allechant

GLAMOROUS ACCESSORIES: Konkona Sen in Amrapali Jewels

I really like this image of Bollywood actress Konkona Sen Sharma modelling some lovely bridal pieces a couple of  years ago, by Indian jewellery company Amrapali - and she looks beautifully elegant and regal. I'm not quite sure what style this look would fit into, it's not quite Mughal and it's not quite traditional Indian, but it does look well put-together, and certainly wouldn't look out of place on a bride or on a Bollywood set!

I also like the fact that she wears a simple, cream-coloured sari to set off the jewellery, with accents of maroon, which really compliments the mix of white stones and gold metal, which I think really helps to set the jewellery off and pull it all together.

What do you think of this look?

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