Pantone Colour of 2020: Classic Blue

Happy New Year guys! I hope you're all having a wonderful start of 2020, new year, new decade! I'm hoping to become a little more active on the blog this year, so here's hoping!

I thought I'd start off with Pantone's colour of the year - Classic Blue. It's an interesting choice, although one I was slightly disappointed with, as it's a bit boring and it seems like Pantone chose to play it safe compared to the more vibrant colours of the previous years!

It also feels like a slightly ambiguous colour - we all define 'classic' blue in different ways, and indeed when I Googled the colour, I got lots of royal blue, mid blue, vibrant blue - so basically a rich, semi-dark blue? This is the blue given to us by Vogue below:

You know I love a good moodboard, so I made a quick classic blue moodboard of the kind of stuff to expect for classic blue in 2020 - I'm liking some of the dresses and jackets!

And then of course I had to make another moodboard with Asian outfits - although I found this harder as there were lots of shades of blue, and lots of navy/dark shades mixed in. I also found that some of these look a bit dated - blue is a lovely colour but these days the Asian fashion and bridal trends are leaning to neutrals, pastels and softer shades which are a lot more popular.

Having said that, I had a quick look at some of my outfit choices over the last few years and I do have plenty of blue! Here's just a few of my pieces - although in the last couple of years I haven't picked this shade!

It will  be interesting the year throws up with classic blue - it's a fairly easy colour to find and I've seen some flattering designs and shades, but from previous years I've seen that the colour of the year doesn't always hit the shops!

What do you think of the classic blue colour?

My Eid - Chand Raat

My chaand raat was a fairly quieter one to previous years, in that I didn't get a chance visit the local shops and stalls which set up for the night. We were invited to dinner at my eldest sister's house though, which is always a fun way to start our celebrations, especially as she is a great cook and it's nice to be around excited children!

Here's what I wore - a comfy, loose Nishat Linen kurta (link here, although I have no idea what shipping is like!) I was lucky enough to get a bunch of kurtas and outfits from Pakistan this year, as both my husband and my mum made a trip to Pakistan so I'm quite well equipped for the year! More on my haul later, but this was one of the outfits my husband bought back for me. It was loose, super comfy and perfect for the warm weather. I wasn't sure whether to wear black pants or white, but I opted for white because I liked how they looked, and they look quite summery. I also paired these with wooden bangles from Pakistan (via Mum) and an embroidered velvet clutch (also from Pakistan, via hubby!)

The food was yummy and plentiful - lots of curries, rice, salads, chaats and roast chicken, finished off with several desserts and tea to wash it all down!

I didn't get many photos of the guests or my sisters, but the little girls happily posed away for me in their super cute pink gharara outfits from Pakistan (while I kept pulling up their trousers before they tripped!) My sister also made and handed out Eid sweet packets for everyone after dinner, which was happily munched by us all, although I think all of us were quite full at this point!

She also gave the girls in the family a gorgeous personalised box each with pretty presents inside, which I thought was a lovely touch - mine was the pink box of course!

Every Eid I promise myself I'll put henna on, and most times I forget, or am too tired and just go to bed! This time around I made myself stay up and used a cone to apply some mehndi (especially as I had about 4 mehndi cones sitting in the fridge!) - not professional but I like what I finished up with!

Did you do anything on Chand Raat? Did you get any mehndi done?

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

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!

OUTFIT OF THE DAY: The Grey & Red Outfit by Elegance of Oooh My

I'm always looking for affordable (translation: cheap!) outfits online - if I can't find them on the high street then I usually have a search online on various websites, Instagram pages or just stalk some of my randon style icons to see where they shop!

I was recently sent a lovely outfit by online company Elegance of Oooh My, (their sister company is modest fashion wear Oooh My), which sells affordable ready made Asian outfits, ideal for casual wear or slightly dressier occasions (I'm thinking dawats, bbqs and random dress up days!). The outfits on the website aren't too dressy and are mostly cotton, lawn and chiffon embroidered pieces, with the emphasis on comfortable, including kurta style tops and 3-piece outfits.

I was invited to pick an outfit to try, and picked this outfit below - a grey 3-piece suit with black embroidery, accented with a pretty scarlet red scarf and red rose embroidery on the hem of the kameez. This is the kameez below - I loved the tassel details!

Here are the details while the kaam is not high end, I think what you pay for a cheap outfit is not too bad. The embroidery is machine-worked, and the material is standard cotton, but I thought the cut of the outfit was done quite well.

This is me wearing it - I really liked the fit of the kameez and thought it looked lovely with the red dupatta. I'm a little wary of outfits which don't fit well in a flattering way, and also am not too keen on kameezes which are too short - so this was the perfect length for me, short enough to  be trendy but still long enough to be modest.

I loved how easy it was to wear this - just pair with red shoes, red lips and you're done! It was also a lovely suit for the heat - the material is quite lightweight and it's very fuss-free.

Outfit - Elegance of Oooh My

Shoes - New Look

Handbag - Zara

Overall, my experience with Elegance of Oooh My was great - the communication with the seller was great, my outfit arrived in about 2 days after I confirmed the order, and it was exactly what it looked like on the website. 

I have often bought custom-made outfits in the past (especially in the days of Facebook sellers!) but am a little more wary now - I would rather buy an affordable branded outfit or a buy from a reputable seller who posts pictures of their actual products rather than generic photoshoot or catwalk photos so I know what to expect. I am also finding that as the prices of designers and custom-made businesses are raising their prices, there are also more companies filling the need of those who want affordable ready made outfits (although not all of them are brilliant!).

I thought this outfit was a pretty good bargain - this particular one is only £35.00 which is cheaper than a lot of the pieces I've seen on the high street, and the company has come across as quite reliable. The website itself has outfits ranging from £25 to £38 which I think is reasonable, and the outfits are pretty on-trend which is always great!

Elegance of Oooh My - website
Elegance of Oooh My - Instagram page

I'll be posting most of my experiences of Instagram sellers, but do let me know if you have tried any companies worth recommending!

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?

FRIDAY FASHION LINKS...!

I'm not always able to blog, especially when full time work and random bursts of social events happen all in one go! So here's a few bloggers whose blogs I follow, all of whom have a style I love.

1. Zahra Rose Alazaibi
Apart from her very cool outfits, Zahra also posts about skin products, makeup, her travels to various parts of the world and yummy food recipes. She's a gorgeous part-Italian, part-Libyan blogger, and I love how she manages to put her finger on the pulse and write about the latest stuff.

2. Grewal Twins
These two are among my favourite bloggers (so I can't believe I didn't mention them before!). They're both friends of mine, and both have a very and both of whom are also both friends of mine, whose work I admire a lot, and who put a lot of effort into their photography, music, poetry and tons more.

Recently they stirred up a storm with a viral post about Sikh wedding ceremonies, and how they combated the sexist prejudice in this by having their mum perform the (traditionally-male) wedding rituals. I love that they have such a beautiful, meaningful story behind this, as well as so many more of their traditions and parts of their lives.

They also do a lot of photo series with a lot of cultural and historical significance behind them, and I love the stories behind each of them, which have a lot of designing, styling and curating behind it all!

3. Saira Hayat Khan
A Canadian-Pakistani blogger, this is a gorgeous blogger who writes about her life, fashion, motherhood and health. One of the things I really like about Saira is how down-to-earth and quirky she is, yet unbelievably stylish and beautiful.

Saverah Women Expo '17

I recently attended the Saverah Women Expo 2017 at the O2 Arena, which was a weekend featuring a collaboration of vendors selling scarves, modest and Asian outfits, jewellery, halal food, skin care products and makeup, and Islamic art and stationary. There was also a series of seminars and workshops, fashion shows to see the latest collections by different brands, and even a nasheed concert to enjoy.

I only managed to attend one day of the event, but I had a good browse at the shopping hall, caught a catwalk show and managed to speak to lots of other bloggers and vendors, which was a really fun-filed day!

I  managed to get a good look at the vendors who had outfits and scarves available - I often see a lot of outfits and modesty-wear from online websites or Facebook/Instagram groups, and it's nice to see some of these brands up close and see whether they are as nice as they look!

I managed to find a few vendors which I wanted to list, as I get asked a lot by readers about UK-based brands which are reliable, and I thought some of these had some really nice outfits!

First are Traditional Images London, who carry a lot of Pakistani designer pret wear, such as Khaadi, Maria B, Agha Noor, Sapphire, Gul Ahmed and Threads and Motifs (all brands that I LOVE!), which I was really pleased to find!

I also really liked the dresses by Amore Mio, a brand which sells dresses and modesty-wear which I thought were really pretty.

I also liked the abayas by Avyaana Abayah, which had some really chic pieces that caught my eye - I really like that these incorporate current trends like frills, bell sleeves and rich materials.

There were also pretty scarves available by Aidijuma, a Malaysian brand which had scarves for a very reasonable price (from £5.99 upwards), and beautiful dresses and abayahs from designer Jenny Tyayawati who also had her pieces on the catwalk as well.

Lastly were pieces by Haiqah UK, which was a range of dresses, abayahs and scarves, as well as some more luxurious pieces by Sana Zinga, whose pieces I thought were beautiful, with lovely fabrics uses and interesting cuts.

I'm a big fan of jewellery from Pakistan and India, but it has to be decent quality pieces, as there is also a lot of junk out there too! I also came across jewellery vendor Artisan Jewels, whose pieces were beautiful, and who I bought a few things from (post coming soon on that!).

We also came across a halal makeup brand FX Cosmetics, which was developed by two scientists to be properly wudu-friendly, which I thought was really interesting. I liked that there was a huge range of products available, and there were some seriously pigmented eyeshadows and highlighters which I loved!

Halal skin-care company Tamese & Jackson were also at the exhibition - have a read of my post to find out more about them!

I also found a really cute stationary and card company Islamic Moments, which had a range of products that caught my eye (and naturally I bought some cards and notebooks from them!)

I also managed to catch a fashion show with a few brands showcasing their collections, with a range of modesty brands and Asian fashion-wear. I loved the colours and styles of these pieces, although I would have liked to have seen some more dramatic pieces as well.

And of course here's what I wore, a kimono with off white separates (which were the comfiest pieces ever!), and accessorised with a colourful yellow bag!

It was also nice to catch up with the other fashion bloggers while I was at the exhibition - here I am with Modest Seamstress (here and here) and also Be.Hijabi, both of whose blogs and social media accounts I love!

The Saverah Women Expo was a pretty fun event, although I do feel that more could have been done to interact with customers and people who attended, as a it took a while to get busy (although this is also down to the bad weather that weekend as well!). I was really glad to find a lot of new designers, vendors and sellers, and managed to make my purse a bit emptier by spending on a few things too!