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?

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!

SPARKLY GIVEAWAYS: Curly Fries x Elegance of Oooh My

To start the 2019 in the right way, I’m having a giveaway! Take a look at my latest post on Instagram, where I’m giving away a kurta or casual suit of your choice from clothes boutique Elegance of Oooh My for one lucky winner. Check the post for the terms and conditions, and the giveaway ends on  Monday January 21^st 2019.

Good Luck guys!

Love,
Curly Fries xx

KAPRAY SHAPRAY: 5 Kurtas I have Fallen in Love With This Summer

The summer heatwave has hit London in full blast for the past weeks - so you know what means? Pulling out the kurtas! I've been meaning to get a few new pieces for summer which are casual kurta that I can mix and match, so have been browsing to see what catches my eye. Unfortunately I have been a little out of touch with the latest collections in the Asian Fashion World, so some of these below might not be part of the lastest releases!

1. Sana Safinaz Yellow Kurta

This is from the Ready To Wear Dresses Collection 2018, which is part of the silk kurtas collection. Unfortunately this has sold out, I've been looking for this online but so far no luck! I'll be keeping an eye out for more of this collection as I really like how cool and comfortable it looks.

2. The floral outfit by Zaha Online

This collection is a new one by Zaha Online, which was released on 1st August  acclaimed fashion designer Khadijah Shah - I love the prints and the feminine feel to the whole look, although the company is Pakistan-based so I'm not sure how good the shipping is to the UK!

3. These lace overlay Agha Noor Kurtas
I recently visited the Agha Noor store in Westfield Stratford, and had a quick browse (during my lunch hour at work!). I loved the collection I saw - light pastel colours, embroidered lace and and pretty cuts which are perfect for the summer. I really liked these two below which were on display - the lilac kurta was a really pretty pearl embellished piece, while the pink kurta on the right has a lovely asymmetric hem that I really liked. Both of these are around £55.00 which I thought was really reasonable, and would look great paired with plain white trousers!

4. These embroidered kurtas from Amelia Boutique
I came across this company on Instagram a few weeks ago and loved the pieces I saw - they're beautifully embroiderered and look great for formal occasions. I haven't found out the prices for these yet (I do have a few bookmarked though!) but will be contacting the company soon.

5. The Sania Maskatiya Eid Collection
I've always been a fan of this brand, although it is a bit pricey for me - that doesn't mean I can't ogle at their designs though! This is part of Sania Maskatiya's Eid collection, which I really liked as they looked pretty classic but very wearable. These kurtas are longer than the usual and are also available as 3-piece suits, with prices ranging from £129.00 up to £600 for the heavier formals.

I'll be keeping an eye out for more outfits and kurtas, especially with Eid coming up, and will try to post my finds! If you have any companies you can recommend, do let me know so I can look these up too!

DESIGNER MODE: Amber Gohar

Amber Gohar is a designer whose work I've followed for the past couple of years, after discovering her on Facebook and Instagram - I like her pieces because they seem comfortable, stylish and easy to wear.

I've seen most of her outfits being worn by real customers, which I like because it shows how it actually looks on, and I love how effortlessly chic the pieces look.

The designer has a range of styles for her pieces - her latest outfits has incorporated frilly sleebs and trousers which seems to be quite popular, and perfect for summer - like the pieces below.

A lot of the outfits I've seen are a range of colours, with either separates for a mix-and-match style like many other designers are starting to adopts as well, or full suits which are perfect for occasion-wear. I really like how most of the outfits aren't too busy or heavy, and look easy to wear.

One of the first pieces which caught my eye from this designer was the cape outfits below, which I loved, and I'm sure I'm not the only one! The outfits are focused on summery colours and lacey material, with minimal work for a more simple look.

There's also a lot of embroidered pieces which I really like, that look really stylish - I can imagine wearing most of these, and I love all of the colours.

The brand also does heavier formal pieces too - I can see that they have a similar style to their lighter pieces with a focus on embellished kameezes, straight trousers and a East-meets-West fusion look.

I also like that the designer and her daughters are often spotted in their own design (and that Amber Gohar's daughter Mishal Asad has her own designer collection, Cross Stitch,which I also love!)

I've mentioned before that I had my eye on one of Amber Gohar's pieces as a potential Eid outfit, and althought I didn't end up buying the outfit, I'll be keeping an eye out for more of her designs. Her latest collection is the 'Wonderful White' collection, which is a series of cotten white seperates, which is perfect for summer.

Amber Gohar is available to buy in London via vender Hina Rasim, through website LibasUSA and also directly from the designer herself.

Eid Mubarak & Hajj Mubarak 2016...!

I've had a lovely, long busy weekend and have enjoyed Eid thoroughly - so of course I'll be posting plenty of pictures!

Here's a sneak peek of what I wore, hope you enjoyed your Eid and here's hoping those who were lucky enough to make the Hajj pilmgrimage will have their prayers and Hajj accepted.

Love,
Curly Fries xx

My Eid - Chand Raat

I finally have some time to post about my lovely Eid, which was a great few days with the family - I hope your Eid was lovely too :)

This Ramadan, my sisters were feeling pretty worn out by the end of the month, so we decided to keep it chilled out for Chand Raat by ordering take-out (who wants to cook, really??) and putting on henna. My eldest sister volunteered to host the Eid dinner for the next day, so she was pretty busy with preps, so we thought we'd help out with the decor a little and also take the older girls in the family out to enjoy Chand Raat on the main road.

We don't really tend to do anything that extravagant when it comes to Chand Raat, but we do still like to enjoy the buzz of the atmosphere, especially as everyone is getting ready for the next day and there's plenty of food, music and late night shopping going on!

Here's a few pictures of the street scenes outside, which were busy with lots of families and women buying bangles and jewellery, having mehndi applied and buying clothes, and plenty of bright lights. 

There was plenty of dhol-players playing 90s and 00s tunes to set the mood, as well as a few dancers on the street (and a very busy road with a traffic jam!)

My nieces and sister got their mehndi done by their neighbour who did an amazing job with beautifully detailed mehndi (although the babies didn't keep theirs on for long!)

I took the opportunity to wear my new kurta from Pakistan which my mum bought a few months ago, It was perfect for the warm weather, very comfortable and looked really pretty paired with trousers from Khaadi. I picked out the red accents with red shoes and lipsticks and was ready to go!

It was a really lovely way to spend our last night in Ramadan and also open our fast with the family. I managed to also quickly get my own preps done for Eid (ironing, wrapping presents, tidying the house!) before I went out for the festivities, and went to bed later in the night tired but happy!

Presents from Pakistan...!

My mum recently went to Pakistan for a few weeks recently to make the most of the warm weather and clean air, and to relax while my dad does some refurbishing around the house. She didn't get a lot of chances to shop (otherwise I would have given her a whole shopping list!) but she did manage to pick up some goodies for all of us!

There's a quite a few girls in the family now (sisters, a sister-in-law and plenty of grand-daughters!) but we each got about two outfits each, plus some mehndi cones and accessories, and yummy pine nuts which my mum always comes home with, because it's so popular with my family.

I got a heavy, blingy outfit in a nude pink with blue piping (left) which I loved (and may possibly wear for Eid!), as well as a printed kurta for the summer which I though was gorgeous! I'll be styling these both soon, and will post pictures : )

DESIGNER MODE: Farrah Naaz Clothing

I'm always looking for new designers who have their finger on the latest fashion pulse, and can provide Pakistani outfits which are fashionable and still wearable. I know I'm not the only one, as I'm always being asked by friends, family and of course, readers, for recommendations of clothes vendors, whether it is making orders online or buying from local retailers on the high street.

The problem I'm often finding these days is that while I love the range of designs on the catwalk and Pakistani designers these days, I can't always afford the hefty price tag. And similarly, while the trends of the high street are beginning to catch up with the latest fashion, they're either too expensive or don't always have quite the thing we are looking for.

I recently came across bespoke designer and business owner Farrah Naaz, who specialises in fusion fashion which caters for all tastes. I met Farrah last year and looked over her gorgeous collection, and loved what I saw - affordable fashion from single-piece kurtas, pants and shawls to full 3 or 4-piece formal outfits.

Like me, Farrah loves her designer wear, but is realistically aware that it's not economically viable for most consumers (like me!) to have or afford a wardrobe full of it.

Farrah Naaz Clothing is designed by Farrah herself, and made by a specialised team based in Lahore, which is where the designer sources her fabrics, work and stitching from. Most of her outfits are bespoke as well as ready-to-buy, and she also does heavier outfits which she designs with her customers for their satisfaction.

Here's a few of her pieces that I loved, these two that are probably among my favourites:

I love the workmanship on both of these outfits, as well as the beautiful embroidery and colours which work well together. Definitely on my wish-list!

The other piece I loved from this collection were the capes, which are very in fashion right now with Pakistani fashion. Farrah's designs are in beautiful colours and come with a slip and trousers for a very chic look - another piece which is on my wish-list.

I also loved this fusion dress, with it's zebra print fabric mixed with pretty floral embroidery, which makes for a really versatile piece.

Of course for those looking for something more simple, there's also single-piece kurtas and shirts, which range from the more casual to the more dressy, and really capture the latest trends.

These are also some of Farrah's heavier formal pieces, both of which I love the designs of because of the beautiful work and gorgeous colours. I also really like how wearable and modest both designs are - I can easily imagine wearing either to a family wedding!

For an idea of prices, roughly they are:

• Kurtas and tops start from £15
• Suits from £75
• Capes from £95
• Party wear from £115
• Heavier formal range from £315 upwards

For anyone looking for Pakistani labels as well, Farrah has also liased with with Gul Ahmed Ideas of Pakistan and brought in their latest collections which she is now selling. She also stocks Khaadi and Limelight pret and ready-wear as well as fabrics which are designed and tailored by her team.

Gul Ahmed autumn collection

I'm really glad that there's a designer out there which is UK-based and has affordable outfits, which are very in-touch with the latest trends. It's easy to fall in love with outfits on the catwalks but these can't always be found in the shops, and I know not everyone wants to order outfits online as they aren't always sure how safe it is or what the end product will be.

I'll be placing an order with Farrah soon (I'm still deciding what to get!) and posting another review of the outfit I get, but I'm really loving the range available as well as the very reasonable prices!

  

Farrah is based in Upper Norwood, Croydon, London and viewings can be done by appointment. You can contact her and view her collections on the links below:

www.facebook.com/farrahnaazclothing

www.instagram.com/farrah_naaz

www.farrahnaaz.com

Tel: 07766563911