Sukhman & Hernoor - A Floral Boutique

It's great when your favourite bloggers and fashion influences put their hard work towards something beautiful and create something that we can all have. Two of my favourite influencers, Sukhman and Hernoor have put their amazing tastes and creativity to use, and have launched a beautiful collection of outfits through their new brand, Sukhman & Hernoor. Each item of their collection is carefully designed, with hand-selected fabrics and gorgeous cuts, and is a beautiful fusion of Indian and British tastes to suit everyone.

"Sukhman & Hernoor offers a range of ready-made apparel designed by the Grewal Twins with a spirit of understated simplicity and elegance.

Their dual identity as British Indians, their affinity for travelling, and the diversity of cultures in their home city of London all play their respective roles when it comes to taking the sister's style ideas to the design drawing board.

Each fabric is hand-selected by Sukhman & Hernoor and all garments are exclusively designed and made with care and precision in London, UK."

One of the things I really like about this brand is how much care has gone into designing and creating the outfits in the collections - you can see how much love and work has gone into it, and for me, it makes such a difference to have a unique outfit than just an ordinary mass-produced outfit. Each of the outfits from this brand have their own story - perfect for special occasions.

Here are two outfits I've seen which are love - both are beautiful outfits which I loved as soon as I saw them.

Firstly is the Gulbargh collection's Rose Garden Dress, which is beautiful floral print maxi dress. If you know me, you will know I love my maxi dresses, and I love floral ones even more - so this is right up my street.

One of the things I love about this dress is how elegant yet simple it looks - it's all about the cut and the luxuriousness of the fabric - I can imagine this being perfect for a summer wedding, or a registry outfit to make for an elegant look.

Secondly is the Gulbargh's collection the Rose Garden Sharara, which harks back to the vintage years, and also reminds me a little of the 'Pakeezah' style years in old-era India, which you just can't go wrong with. As with the previous dress, the beautiful floral and roses print looks lovely - perfect for a daytime summer wedding!

BRB, trying to convince my husband to hand over his debit card.

The brand also did a collaboration with jewellery company Sahib Jewels recently, which was a beautiful photoshoot of gorgeous jewellery to set off their beautiful floral collection. I really like that the pictures below show how well the jewellery and the outfits work, and make a classic look which can be dressed up or down for a beautiful look. I also love how the outfits and jewellery speak for themselves, and look seriously glamorous.

I'll be looking forward to seeing what this brand grows into, especially when two seriously talented people like Sukhman and Hernoor are at the forefront! I love that this is something which is so culturally relatable for me - not just Punjabi, or Asian, but also as something which reminds me of our roots and our fusion tastes - both British and Asian. I also really love that these outfits are pretty modest, which is always a worry for me - but in this case I can easily see myself in these!

Social Media links

Instagram page - SukhmanHernoor
Facebook page - Sukhman & Hernoor
Email - mail@sukhmanhernoor

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?

My Online Shopping Experience: Hali H

I haven't ordered a lot of outfits in the past year, partly because I've had less of a budget, and partly because I haven't had as much need to, as there's been less weddings and events to go to. I do still keep an eye out on the fashion trends though, and do love a new outfit every now and then!

Over the last couple of years, there has been a huge increase of Instagram sellers (remember when it used to be the Facebook sellers?), who have created a business online by selling replicas, designer outfits and budget-friendly outfits for people to buy. I find that Instagram has been much more successful for businesses that Facebook because it's more visual and accessible, and pretty easy for people to place and order and order and outfit.

I wanted to post about a brand that I found online recently whose service I loved, and who I ordered a outfit from for a wedding we had recently. The brand is Hali.H, a UK vendor on Instagram who sell their own designs, which are pretty, trendy and quite wearable. I have seen their designs before, and was also recommended to them by a friend who had ordered and who had a good experience with them. The brand is actually not just Instagram-based - they have a website as well as a London-based stored which is in Tooting so London customers can easily go there and try on things before they buy.

So after being recommended to Hali Ldn, I messaged the company via the Instagram messaging system and asked the vendor to show me their latest stuff, as I wanted to see what they had as well as what was on their page. The vendor showed me a few things from their collections, as well as a few things which were on display in the store, like these pretty outfits below - I loved the colours of all of these and couldn't decide what I wanted!

Before I had a chance to pick, I saw a new design from Hali Ldn which had just come in, which was on the company's Instagram page - this pretty, mauve outfit with a gharara. Ghararas have become pretty fashionable and popular in the last few months, and I've been in two minds about them - I've never thought I suited them in the past, and I always get confused by shararas and ghararas! (Although now I know the difference, shararas are looser, flowy two-legged pants, and ghararas are very similar but have a band around the knee and more 'ghair' or excess material which flows out from the knee).

The vendor also showed me the other colours in this same style - a pretty lilac and golden-beige, both of which I loved. I almost picked the lilac but just loved the mauve so went for that. The seller was very quick to respond to my messages, and extremely thoughtful about a lot of things, like adding lining to sleeves of the outfit, as well as checking the measurements would fit me properly. I'm very conscious of outfits fitting me properly as well as outfits which are too sheer or short, and it was really sweet of the seller to consider this in regards to my order.

I paid for the outfit via bank transfer, and the seller confirmed that she had posted out the following morning. I was a little worried that I wouldn't get the outfit on time because the wedding I wanted it for was only a couple of days away, but the outfit literally arrived the day after.

This is the outfit I received - isn't the colour beautiful? I'm a big fan of dusky pinks and purples, and this is right up my street, a gorgeous colour for a formal - perfect for a wedding! The outfit is a 4-piece one - with the kameez coming with a full-sleeved slip for underneath, the pants and a beautifully embroidered dupatta.

I loved the detail of this outfit - the beautiful jamawar used for the gharara pants, the embroidery on the kameez and the beautiful pearl and embroidery detail on the border and hemline. I have had bad experience before with bad finishing, and even bad stitching, and in this case it wasn't an issue at all - there was nothing out of place or badly made, and I thought the quality of this was great.

I was really happy with how fast I got this outfit, and how lovely it looked - we've all had that experience of ordering an outfit which ended up looking nothing like the pictures! One of things which keeps me going back to the same sellers and designers that I've been happy with is the customer service I get, as well as the quality of the outfits - and in this case it was above and beyond my expectations. Ordering on Instagram has made a lot of people's lives easier (especially those who aren't near a lot of shops selling Asian outfits, like I am) and it's really nice to see a brand which takes their customers seriously, and gives not only beautiful outfits but customer care - from quick delivery, careful packaging and being on top of their messages.

I'll be posting the outfit as I wore it at the wedding soon (which I loved wearing!) so watch this space!

BOLLYWOOD ISHTYLE; Anushka's Charming Colourful Outfits in Sultan

I recently watched Salman Khan's latest blockbuster Sultan, which made for an interesting watch, about a Haryana-based wrestler and his struggles, not least because the subject had a surprisingly decent plot.

One of the things I loved about the film was the beautiful set, and the attention to detail with the village and the use of beautiful colour, the landscapes and the buildings - it's grand and vivid yet still remains something which is easy to imagine as being in many parts of India, which I loved. (My husband loved a scene in the film where the boys are chasing cut-down guddis - kites which are flown and fought over by boys and then chased to be caught - it reminded him of his boyhood days!)

The first outfit which I loved was this ivory bridal worn by Anushka (sorry for any spoilers, but she gets married!), with traditional gold fringing on the dupatta, and delicate zari work all over. I've always been a fan of the very traditional look and this one harks back to the 1950s and 60s with the sharara bottoms - perfect for a down-to-earth nikkah event, and serious bridal inspo!

I also loved the jewellery worn by Anushka here - beautiful gold pieces with pearls and beading, which really gives a beautiful bridal look, as well as the pop of green from her bangles.

Apparently this is part of a collection called 'Lafz' by Diva'ni - which is a India's first cinema inspired brand and a collaborative venture of Yash Raj Films and KBSH. You can see the outfits below which are available to order which all have a gorgeous theme of ivory and golds, gold fringing and detailed work. I think the one Anushka is wearing is most like the first outfit, but the third one is also very similar.

Images from Elle

The second outfit which caught my eye was this vivid green affair, which was a lot more playful and colourful. While it did remind me of Anushka's royal blue outfit in Band Baaja Baraat (the style of the song too!) I think this is a lovely outfit and it certainly suited the character. While it's not something you may see on the catwalks, it's a classic Punjabi style (or should I say Haryana?) outfit which

I also thought I'd throw in a mention for the 440 Volt song in the film, which is basically just a fantasy song but has plenty of beautiful colour and funky outfits - there's a quick mix of traditional saris, a glamorous gold maxi dress and this flouncy skirt with a biker-studded style leather jacket - is that payals (anklets) I see on her boots?

I also loved the set on this song - neon lights, a night-time funfair and lots of gold gramaphone-style speakers - very artsy!

I've mentioned how much I loved the setting in this film - it doesn't feature grand palace-like buildings or exotic locations but more real settings - the big courtyards in someone's house, the local villages and the fields - all again something which can be easily recognisable in any part of India (or Pakistan!)

I loved the flowers in this wedding scene - the whole house is covered in marigold garlands and floral structures (including a huge flower peacock and there's a hanging aeroplane made of flowers somewhere too!)
I think I loved this scene because it reminded me of the traditional weddings in the village where my grandparents used to live - usually done in the house and in the huge courtyards with plenty of friends and family around, lots of food, lights and decor.

I also liked this nikkah scene - the decor is mainly white with red flowers for a lovely decor look - but the room is homely, filled with guests all squashed around the bride and groom!

Images belong to creators of Sultan

All in all, this is a colourful movie which aims for a very down-to-earth look, both in the setting and the outfits. While the outfits look gorgeous on Anushka, they're not too glitzy or over the top, and they definitely look like outfits you can easily get made. I'm sure you can guess that I loved the bridal outfit best - I've always been a fan of traditional ivory and gold with the vintage look, and it works well with the jewellery here.

To be honest, while there are colourful song sequences and a couple of weddings thrown in, the bulk of this film involves the main characters in dusty vest tops and learning to wrestle. The outfits and decor of this film make up a smaller part of the story of this film, but it really contributes to the homely feel and the way that it seems to show small town life.

Have you seen this film? What do you think of it?

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?

BOLLYWOOD ISHTYLE: Bajirao Mastani's Dazzling Mughal Dresses

Next week sees the awaited release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's latest luxury epic, 'Bajirao Mastani', featuring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra, which I'm looking forward to after his last feature, Ram-Leela (with the same trio!)

As always with SLB films, the outfits, jewellery, sets and dances look as amazing as expected, and there's plenty of anticipation for the two main actresses and how they'll play the two Queens in the movie. Set in the 1700s in the Maratha empire, the costumes, which designed by Indian designer Anju Modi, look amazing, and you can really see the designer's creativity.

While I'm not sure what to expect for the storyline of the film itself, I LOVE the costumes and style - there's a range of styles from lenghas, pishwas and nine-yard saris, complete with the luxurious jewellery and details.

One of the first outfits I've seen if from Deepika's song Deewani Mastani, where she is trying to impress the king with his first wife in audience - I loved the take on this outfit which looks elegant yet feminine - especially the turban cap she's wearing which is draped with jewellery.

(This song is apparently the director's tribute to classic movie Mughal-e-Azam's timeless song 'Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya', particularly in the way he emulated the mirrored tiles in the ceiling to show the dancing and swirling of the heroine!)

I love the jewellery she's wearing as well, it could be seen as some as too much jewellery but I think it works - it's balanced out with very simple makeup and hair and a a flowy outfit which balances it out, and it also adds a lot of elegance to the look.

The outfit itself is a 'pishwas' style outfit - a long flowy jacket and dress which is less like an anarkali and more fitted yet flowy - complete with sharara bottoms (two-legged flowy pants) which flow nicely with her dance. I think the colours were lovely too, although it does blend a little too much with the background details rather than standing out.

The other main song I've seen is the duet dance Pinga between the two actresses, which has been compared to Devdas' famous 'Dola re Dola', both which have iconic dance moves between the two actresses in the films. In this song, the women are wearing a traditionally-draped Marathan nine-yard sari, complete with jewellery and flowers in their hair, which looks very well done.

I have to admit though, I was a little less impressed with these outfits - while the style is lovely and suits them, they don't stand out that much and the colours are too similar to each other, there's no iconic styles to them which differentiate them or make them stand out.

I also though that the updo suited Priyanka's face than it suited Deepika, but again the jewellery works well with it and I love the contrast of green bangles added in.

I wasn't able to find many more pictures of the outfits in this film apart from the official images, but I'm sure we'll be able to expect a lot of beautiful pieces once the film is released - below are some of the ones I did manage to find!

I really liked this outfit which I also saw in the trailer worn by Deepika - there's something very regal about it, which also reminds me of the old-style, 'Begum' outfits of the past, which Deepika pulls of well. The outfit is mainly draped shawls and scarves but it looks great and not fussy at all.

Another few outfits I found worn by Deepika are below - again these are soft colours paired with luxurious jewellery and some seriously beautiful embroidery on the outfits - it's all about the detail here and you can see how carefully each look has been put together. I really like how Deepika's face is kept natural - no garish bright lipsticks or colours, just natural glow complimented with gold and pearl jewellery.

Similarly, Priyanka's character is just as ornate, but perhaps a little more sober and mature - she is meant to be the first Queen after all so her outfits are a little less ornate and playful than Deepika's, but the detail is still all there. With her outfits you can see the rich fabrics, the less heavy jewellery which balances her look and makes her look more Queen than bride (in Deepika's case).

I'm liking what I'm seeing so far from this movie, and I'm sure I'll find more - I'll reserve my comments about the actual film until I've seen it, but I'm sure that Bhansali's done an amazing job as always. My favourite outfit so far have been the one from Deepika's song Deewani Mastani purely because it's a funky take on a traditional outfits, but I do love a lot of the saris I've seen as well.

Are you looking forward to this film? Which outfits to you like?