Hina Rasim's Eid Extravanganza at The Landmark Hotel

You may have seen my previous posts over the last couple of years of Pakistani designer clothes vendor Hina Rasim's Eid Exhibitions (you can see my posts here and here), so I was looking forward to seeing the latest designs at her 5th-year anniversary which was held last weekend.

The event was held at the beautiful Landmark Hotel (which is a beautiful venue in itself, highly recommend a visit if you are around the area!) in the hotel's Drawing Room. As with the previous exhibitions, the room was beautifully decorated with flowers, candles and gorgeous bridal outfits.

There were quite a few different Pakistani designer outfits on display, which each designer on a rack - there were a lot of big names such as Suffuse by Sana Yasir, Elan and Farah Talib Aziz (as well as a lot more!).

There was also a good mix of heavy formals and casual kurtas, and fusion pieces which I liked. By the time my friends and I got to the venue, some of the collections had already sold out, so it was an idea of how busy it was!

These pieces below especially caught my friends' and my eye  - the first is Shehla Chatoor, which was a kimono piece with beautifully intricate work, the second is a Dr Haroon outfit which looked perfect for a traditional mehndi outfit, and the last one was a really pretty peplum piece by Elan Official, which was covered in pearls and embroidery for a pretty, summery look. These pieces all ranged from £950 - £1500, so not cheap but pretty much what you expect for a designer piece.

I didn't take too many pictures of the outfits this time round, mainly because I was requested to keep it minimal to protect the designers and their pieces, but here are a few of the snaps from Hina Rasim official instastory which I'm sure she won't mind me sharing!

I really liked this gorgeous wrap by Nida Azwar, which was covered all over in gold gota pieces, and came with a black plain jumpsuit to wear inside. I'm not sure I'd wear the jumpsuit (maybe in white?) but I loved the look of these jacket. Unfortunately it was outside my budget at £850, but it's nice to dream, eh?

The exhibition also showcased jewellery by Tanaya Couture, whose pieces I have come across before and looked amazing up close. These were pretty popular because of the bridal necklaces, and to be honest a few of them caught my eye too!

There was also another exhibitor, which were sunglasses by JiaElle - embellished and blingy statement pieces which were quite popular. I quite liked some of the sparkly pieces with stones on the front, but didn't get any - these ranged from about £60 upwards.

I think we all loved the flowers and decor by Essential Wedding Couture - it all looked very grand and beautifully done, and made amazing wedding decor inspiration.

I always like going to exhibitions which sell Indian and Pakistani designer outfits, because even though I don't always end up buying something, it's great to see the outfits up-close and judge for myself the quality. We don't always get to see whether an outfit is really what it appears from the catwalk or promotional photos, and I have been surprised in the past (or pleasantly surprised!) when a designer's collection looks different from my expectations in the past - which just goes to show that pictures can be misleading!

I'll be keeping an eye out for more exhibitions as Eid comes up, and will post more as I attend - it's a pity that some of the prices for Pakistani designer pieces are going up, but I'm on a hunt for affordable brands and will post when I do find them!

BOLLYWOOD ISHTYLE: Rekha in Raybans

I'm not a huge Rekha fan, just because of personal preferences, although I do think she has had a significant input in shaping Bollywood cinema. This one is specifically for my older sister, simply because of her love for oversized sunglasses and dark red, dramatic lipstick, and it really did remind me of her! Rekha shows that you don't always need luxurious jewellery or glamorous outfits, as she shows off her glamour in a simple draped sari accessorised only with Raybans and a beautiful shade of red lipstick :)

 Image from sareedreams

BOLLYWOOD ISHTYLE: Priyanka's Seven Styles in 7 Khoon Maaf

7 Khoon Maaf revolves around Susanna (played by Priyanka Chopra) and her search for love, which leads to her having a total seven husbands, as well as showing the circumstances in which she is widowed by each husband. I found it interesting that as Susanna gets older and ends up with a different man, her physical style also subtley adapts to reflect this change as well as her relationship with her husband. It is appropriate then that as she has seven husbands, she has seven different styles to show these different periods of her life. (ALERT: Contains spoilers, so apologies in advance for the long post, and don't read this if you want to watch the film without any foreknowledge!)

The First Husband
Requested by her late father to marry an Anglo-Indian Army Major Neil Nitin Mukesh, Susanna has a youthful, flowy look, with pretty dresses, long hair and a choppy fringe to make her look younger. Poor Susanna does not have a loving relationship however, as her husband is possessive and jealous, resenting her love for dancing and drinking.

The Second Husband
Played by good old John Abraham, Susanna marries a budding rockstar in a whirlwind marriage, with her Christian wedding ceremony marked by a pretty white lace dress, spring flowers and natural make-up. What Susanna doesn't know, however, is that guitar-riffing John has an addiction to something other than our Susie which is bound to end in tears.

The Third Husband
Susannah finds her poetic and romantic side, expressing it with traditional, light-coloured salwar kameezes, lovely jewellery and draped scarves and dupattas, finding a new husband in poet Irfan Khan in the snowy backdrop of the Kashmir. All is not romance and giggles here for long though and Susannah (or Sulthana as she briefly names herself) soon changes her guise.

The Fourth Husband
We can see here where the clothes designers (and the storywriters) got creative here, as Susannah acquires a Russian husband. Doesn't end well with this one either, stories with spies never have happy endings really, do they? The sari which Priyanka wears here is lovely, although I think the hats used are a little bit of a stereotype. But hey-ho.

The Fifth Husband
There's not a lot of commentary for this one, Susannah is emotionally blackmailed into marrying a police-officer investigating the Russian hubby's death, which of course does not bide well. Susannah is shown in a slight comfort zone here, showing that she is aging; wearing glasses, greying hair and a slightly plumped out figure.

The Sixth Husband
This is another interesting twist in style, where Susannah marries Dr Naseeruddin Shah in a traditional Bengali ceremony. It follows on the look being carried, in which she is comfortable and more mature, with a slight mum-sy look.

The Seventh Husband
I shall leave the seventh husband as a mystery to you, but what I will point out is the difference in Priyanka's flowing locks in the first pictures, compared to the short, grey hairs she sports at the end of the film. Also, there is a differene in how relaxed her character look, becoming less tense and wearing more modest, flowy clothes.

All images belong to directors/producers of 7 Khoon Maaf

There's not a lot of  overdone glamour and sparkle in this film, but the idea of a changing, evolving character being reflected in her physical appearance is an interesting one. I think my favourite 'look' has to be the romantic one in the banks of the Kashmir, although its the oversized sunglasses which really won me over :)