RE-INVENT YOUR WARDROBE #2: Add a Maxi Skirt to the Look

I've been meaning to post more about re-inventing your wardrobe but forgot to, and didn't realise how long I've left it since my last one! So apologies for that, but not to worry, I've been thinking a lot about how to recycle and re-use things from your wardrobe without having to buy a new outfit.

After my last 're-invent' post about jackets, I realised that there are a lot of ways to re-invent your wardrobe. One of the things which have become a lot more fashionable in Pakistani fashion is the lengha - it's not just for the brides anymore! The 'lengha-choli' look has come back in, and you can wear it simply or extravagantly for a lovely girly look which I'm sure everyone likes. I've been ransacking my wardrobes for skirts and different colours that I can put together, so you can see some of my results below.

I'm not the only one who has had this idea either - fashion blogger Nazma at Asian Fashion Blog has also posted about her attempts here and here (I love the idea of adding an underskirt to give volume to the skirt, I need one of these!)

1. Wear a skirt with your kameez
Experiment a little with different kameezes and maxi skirts, you'd be surprised how well a lot of them go together - whether they are long kameezes or shorter ones.

I wore this Karma outfit to a close cousin's wedding last year, and loved the detailing on it, which I thought were in gorgeous colours. Due to the price of the outfit being higher than I wanted, I opted for a plain hot pink trousers with the outfit, but when it came to the wedding I wanted something a little more extravagant so pulled out this nude silky skirt from Zara. The skirt is the perfect colour for outfits like these, and blended in well with the kameez, so that there was more of an A-Line look and it looked like a lengha outfit.

2. Wear a camisole top or fitted short top with a skirt.
It doesn't all have to be kameezes - you can mix crop tops, camisoles and blouses for a more Western but dressy look - it doesn't necessarily have to be for a wedding, it could just be for a night out!

This camisole top below is actually from a 3-piece jacket suit by Sania Maskatiya, which I wore with (another) pink Zara skirt for a smarter look with a blazer. The top was actually a printed inner slip for the Sania Maskatiya jacket but because it looks more casual, I thought it went great with the skirt.

3. Mix with a jacket for a layered look.
Add a maxi jacket or a pretty embroidered gown with the skirt, it gives a fuller look and can really pull the outfit together.

I'm sure you remember this outfit from my last post - this is me wearing the outfit put together for a close friend's wedding, because I loved how well the jacket went with the skirt. I got a lot of compliments while wearing this, and I loved how I could incorporate my jewellery into the look without it feeling too much.

4. Add a sharara or even palazzos

Technically these aren't skirts, but half the times when you wear these they look like skirts so I'll add these in! You can't go wrong with a classic sharara for a flowy look, they feel comfotable on and they work with long and short kameezes. Admittedly, I hardly ever wear shararas because I love my skirts, but I've seen these be worn beautifully and they're always a big pick for mehndis!

This is an outfit I put together from about 3 outfits - the kameez is from one of my Eid outfits, the dupatta is from a Sana Safinaz suit I have and the sharara is an very old one from Pakistan from the Noughties years which I've had hidden away! I was trying to go for more of an 70s and 80s vintage look here, something of the kind my mum used to wear in her early days (although her kameezes were shorter!). I loved how this looked together though, the peach worked well when pulled together and the kameez reminded me a little of some Elan bridals!

I also had a few other ideas such as mixing a maxi dress with a skirt to add volume (although this may feel a little too much), maxi skirts with closed jackets (short and long) and even maxi skirts with a top and a cape, although this might look better in my head!

I also had the idea of re-using my bridal mehndi skirt with a kameez for a pretty pink outfit to wear at wedding events. I'm in the process of finding the right material to make a top to go with my mehndi skirt but I love the shape of the skirt, and it's quite a simple design so it won't look too heavy or bridal. I'll be sure to post pictures once I find something and start putting it together though!

I love the idea of re-inventing something you already have for a beautiful outfit, especially as a lot of us spend quite a bit on our outfits so it's nice to be able to get more wear out of them. I also am a big believer in being creative - it gives our outfits that much more of a unique look and I know I can say that when putting these outfits together, the compliments alone left a big smile on my face!

Let me know what you think of these - do you have any more ideas for dressing up a skirt?

Drama and Opulence at PLBW 2015

I followed the beautiful outfits and designs at PDFC L'Oreal Paris Bridal Week about a couple of weeks ago, and loved the glamorous outfits on show. There was certainly a lot of beautiful designs and styles which were a little more interesting than some of the previous shows I've followed, since you could see the change in trends and how these were being reflected.

It's also interesting to see the contrast and similarities in styles and designers between the Pakistani designers on show at PLBW and the Indian designers at AICW previously, which probably had just as much glitz and drama but slightly different trends.

Ammara Khan
I really liked variation of styles from this designer, I've seen some of her work before at exhibitions so it was really nice to see that she's explored more colours, styles and hem lengths. Having said that I could still see some of her signature details on a lot of her pieces!

Fahad Hussayn
I've always been a fan of this designer, mainly for the rich colours and detail and the truly regal look that his outfits have - and this collection entitled 'Matam' was no different. I loved all of these pieces for the vintage-y, old-era Royal style it had ans I thought that it all went together wonderfully, some seriously beautiful bridal pieces here.

Ali Xeeshan
Ali Xeeshan's signature style is always something to look out for, whether it's the elaborate headpieces, the dramatic skirts or the beautiful mix of colour - all of these were strongly present here, and. This designer's pieces had a lot of heavy work on most of them, making funky bridals with a twist (not to mention a little dance between Mickey and Minnie during the show, dressed in the designer's clothes, complete with jewellery!)

House of Kamiar Rokni
I thought this collection was quite interesting, it was a good mix of heavy and lighter pieces, with plenty of layering which actually worked well together. I love how these were all pulled together with red lipstick and bright colours in the outfit, which looked great together.

Misha Lakhani
This is a fairly newer designer in the market, and with a lot of soft colours it was a pretty dreamy collection - lots of flowing, feminine skirts and dresses and delicate work. As much as I liked some of the pieces of this collection (the first outfit in jade and mint really appealed to me), it wasn't as dramatic as the other collections - but it probably wasn't meant to be.

Sana Safinaz
I've become a little bored of this designer over the years, mainly because I've seen too many bridals which look the same and have the similar colour schemes going on. I was really glad to see a difference in this collection - with rich, darker colours mixed with bronzes and gold, which were a lot more beautiful. There were still soft, classical pieces, but it was the richly embroidered, darker pieces which won the audience.

Karma Red
This is another designer who I'm a fan of, and who showed in their collection that rather than focus only on bridals, went for formals which can be part of the bridal trousseau. There was a lot of red outfits, mixed with formals of brighter colours which could be worn for other occasions, some of which looked very beautiful.

Suffuse
This is a newer designer who showcased at PLBW, with a wide range of styles and colours. While all of these didn't appeal to me, I did like the fact that the designer played around with the outfits so that there's something for everyone.

Elan
Elan is another designer that I was waiting to see something different from, and their collection 'Jasmine Court' certainly gave something a little different. I've seen too many pastel-coloured bridals from this designer so it was nice to see their beautiful work and details on other colours - rich red and emerald greens combined with soft golds.

Asifa and Nabeel
These designers went very chic and floral, which resulted in funky hemlines and a mix od prints and lace. While I liked these designs, I think a lot of them would have worked better on their own, which would make them more wearable - but still an interesting collection to see!

Mahgul
This collection was another one which focused on formals, rich embellishments and floral work, which gave very trendy designs. I can imagine we'll be seeing some of these in the social networks over the next year, and not surprisingly either, they're very striking and chic.

Nickie n Nina
This collection was another which showed different styles and hemlines, with a lot of looser kameezes mixed with fitted pants, flowy lenghas and saris. While this might not appeal to everyone, I did like the colour palette and thought it was a well-crafted collection.

Shamaeel Ansari
The first thing I noticed about this collection, called 'Absolutely Oriental', is the use of rich fabrics, which really draws the eye. There's a lot of velvet, rich silks and embroidery in this collection and it made for an interesting collection, mixing kimonos and patiala pants for a fusion look.

Zarmisha Dar
Another debut collection, this designer kept it simple and wearable with lots of light embroidery and colours. While it's not that adventurous, I liked the consistency of the styles, and can imagine these would look a lot more prettier up close.

Saira Shakira
I liked the details of some of these outfits, and the funky styling - jackets over dresses and belts over tops, reminding me of some of the Western designer catwalks I've seen. While they might not be worn like this by actualy consumers or brides, it was a good take of pastel colours and silvers and golds.

Maheen Taseer
I've seen a lot of this designer's work in Instagram, so it was interesting to see her collection, called 'Valiant' on the catwalk. This was another designer who played around with colours, mixing rich black, reds and gold, as well as crystals and pastels. Again, this may not appeal to everyone but I liked the colour palette, even if some of the embellishment and work didn't always work.

Faiza Saqlain
I haven't heard of this designer before, as she is another newer one, but I loved the colour combinations in this collection. Apparently this was meant to be a translation of the Elizabethan era, but the high neckline and ruffles didn't appeal to me, although I did think the formals were pretty funky.

Sania Maskatiya
I'm a fan of this designer for the quirky prints and cuts, so it was interesting to see what would be shown on the catwalk. There was plenty of rich work, silks and velvets on display, with dresses and jumpsuits for a contemporary take on formals. I didn't love all of these outfits but I did like how this designer can do trendy and modern well without looking odd.

Hamza Bokhari
This was another new designer on the block whose gowns were striking and vibrant, which actually looked pretty good. Although a couple of these felt a little old fashioned, they were very chic and didn't look OTT at all.

Republic
This is another designer's whose work I've been seeing a lot of in social media, so it was interesting to see that they went for more classic cuts and colours - plenty of pastels and crustals. I loved the skirts of some of these dresses and lenghas but was less keen on the tops, which didn't really do it for me.

Nomi Ansari
This popular designer did not disappoint with his vibrant coloured outfits - while I'm not sure I'd go for a rainbow-coloured gown covered in work, I can see the appeal and he used the colours of them well. Definitely mehndi outfit options for the adventurous!

HSY
The King of Couture closed the show with a collection in a palette of greys and ice blues. I loved some of these pieces for how well made they looked and the balance of heavy work with flow of fabric. As much as his gowns and maxi dresses looked opulent, for me it was the kameezes and capes which really looked great.

Images Source

There was a good range of designers throughout the show and it was great to see the more established designers mixed with the newer ones. It was also interesting to see that while there was a good variation of colours and styles, they also showed current trends being interpreted in different ways by each designer.

What did you think of these collection? Which was your favourite?

Lollywood Ishtyle: Bin Roye's Glittering Outfits

I saw Bin Roye this weekend, and left the film in love with the beautiful outfits, sets and scenes. Mahira Khan looks amazing in the film and the film itself is really, all about her. I haven't seen many Pakistani films over the years, and I'm not sure this one falls into Lollywood (which I remember from my childhood being Punjabi films with a lot of shouting, over-acting and heroes jumping off buildings!)

I wanted to post some of the outfits showcased in the film - the images below are from both the film and also from the launch of Bin Roye's music at Telenor Bridal Couture Week 2015 last month, where the designer outfits worn were modelled by the main actors and reknowned Pakistani models.

First is this iconic outfit by Feeha Jamshed, which I love the colour combination of - yellow, royal blue and bronze accents. I've seen a few outfits in the Pakistani fashion trends with sequins all over, it works on some and doesn't on others - this one pulls it off with a lovely sparkle and glamour.

This is the outfit as worn by Mahira in the 'Balle Balle' song, which is actually a fun song because it reminded me of some of the dholki songs my sisters and I know. This is one of my favourite looks on Mahira mainly because of the swishy skirt and the simple block colours which work well together.

The next outfit I immediately recognised was this Elan outfit, from PFDC L’oreal Paris Bridal Week in 2012 - I recognised it especially because it's a pretty popular outfit and I love the soft colours and the heavy work. I couldn't find a picture of Armeena Khan wearing it in the fil, but it looks pretty much the same (except she has the dupatta pinned to her head in a bridal style).

I also loved this bridal by Sania Maskatiya, which was really pretty in orange, red and yellow, and ideal for the mehndi scene. It's a very traditional look which you just can't go wrong with, and looks pretty much the same as worn by Armeena on the catwalk (except the border of the dupatta which looks slightly different but that's minor)

It took me a good while to find out where the next outfit was from, I had to ask a few of my friends who are fashion aficionados like myself before I found out it was by Elan (I kept thinking it was Elan because it reminded me of their older designs) I liked the classic cut of this outfit but was less keen on the two-tone look of the fabric and the colour of the dupatta, which I think would have worked better as a deeper colour.

This is the outfit worn by Mahira in the film although with a skirt rather than with a salwar - I loved the brocade print of the skirt and the deep teal colour of it, and thought it went with the rust coloured kameez pretty well.

I also loved this sharara outfit which was modelled by Sabeeka Imam in the Bin Roye music launch, I couldn't find a picture of Mahira wearing it but it looks the same, except Mahira has her hair loose! It's a lovely traditional outfit and I think it works well as a formal.

The last bridal I found from this film is another Elan outfit, although I don't remember seeing this one in the film even though it was part of the Bin Roye catwalk, so I either missed it or it didn't end up in the film.

This outfit is a traditional deep red and purple outfit which is really heavily worked - I liked it but I found it a little too heavy as a bridal, and it not something I would pick myself. I liked the way it was styled on the model, although the jewellery on Mahira looked lovely too.

I also liked some of the simpler outfits worn by Mahira, I won't post them all but you can see the rest here - there were a lot of simple Punjabi-style salwar kameezes and casual suits which I thought was a nice touch for the casuals-at-home-look. 

Both of these remind me of other outfits I've seen in other films before, but Mahira looks lovely in them because she keeps it simple, her hair is loose and the jewellery is never overdone.

The last few outfits I wanted to post were these Elan (1 and 2) and Sania Maskatiya (3) ones below that are also worn in the film, which I loved because of the colours and the floral embroidery - all perfect wedding formals and Eid outfits!

It's really great to see Pakistani designers getting some visibility on the big screen - I'm so used to seeing the Bollywood go-to designers such as Manish Malhotra that it's nice to see Pakistani trends getting some screen time!

The film itself was a nice watch, a little too girly and romantic for me (I do like my sci-fi!) but I went with some close girl friends and we had a lot of fun watching the film. It was also nice to see some Eid scenes and Chand raat scenes as well, which was fun and made me want to visit Pakistan!

OUTFIT OF THE DAY: The Karma Summer Mehndi Outfit

I've posted about my experience with Karma, when ordering an outfit, which I bought for a close family wedding, and thought I'd show how it looked when I got to wear it for the actual big day.

The outfit itself was pretty dressy, and I loved that the splashes of hot pink and rich aqua brightened up the outfit, which made it a lot easier to accessorise. The outfit itself came with hot pink churidar pants, which I chose rather than embellished pants because they would be easier to move around in, but on the actual day I decided to go for a dressier look and added a silk champagne coloured skirt (from Zara, of all places!) to go for a lengha look.

I was given this cream and gold clutch bag below from my in-laws, and it was perfect with this outfit, but the bangles I got mixed from bangle magicians Bees, and the rings I picked out from my jewellery box, which I thought went really well with my outfit. I also had some hot pink shoes to go with my outfit as well to give it a funkier look than the usual gold sparkly heels!

I went for a hot pink lipstick to finish off this look, and kept my eyemakeup simple rather than striking, mainly because I didn't want to over-do it (although there may have been a lot of gold highligher involved!)

This is how the outfit looked on me, the lengha really made the outfit look flowy and was really flattering on my figure, and really made the pink and green accents pop! I've also included a shot of my arm-candy as well to show how well the jewellery went with the outfit, which didn't feel overly-blingy at all.

Outfit - Karma

Bangles - Bees

Double ring - Bees

Kundan ring - Indian Hanger

Court Shoes - Kurt Geiger

Clutch bag - Green Street (no idea which shop!)

I loved how elegant this outfit look, and I got a lot of compliments from family and friends at the wedding. My sister and I had been asked to do some of the photography for the event (more of this, later!) and I wanted to make-sure that I could move around quickly (it can be hard work to rush around and make sure you capture all the important moments!) and this was pretty comfortable, the outfit didn't hinder my movements at all and the most I had to do was keep handing my clutch bag to my mum to look after!

The biggest bonus was the quality of the material and the work, aside from a couple of stones which came look (because they were glued on rather than stitched on), there were no fabric pulls at all, and the outfit stayed in immaculate condition.

I love how pretty this outfit look, and it's definitely a classic one from me. While the outfit wasn't cheap, I can see the difference in quality between this outfit and a cheaper-costing one, and this would certainly last me longer!