Wednesday, 25 May 2016

Bollywood Stars at Cannes 2016

Last week saw the prestigious Cannes Festival, which also meant L'Oreal ambassadors from Bollywood made their way onto the red carpet. There were several stars who brought the magic to the carpet, although I'm still deciding which I like best!

Aishwariya Rai-Bachchan made a splash with several of her red carpet outfits, although some drew negative comments too!

For her first day on the carpet, Ash wore an Ali Younes Couture gown in gold with a cape, paired with loose curls and smokey blue eyes. I loved this outfit, the colour suited Aishwariya wonderfully and the cape looked great too. Not everyone was in love with the blue eye-makeup but I think she pulled it off!

Next she wore a red Naeem Khan flouncy dress for interviews - I'm not a fan of the fringing along the waist but I loved the bright, fresh red shade and loved her hair as well.

For her second red carpet appearance, Ash wore a lovely beaded Elie Saab gown in gold - she clearly went for a colour which she knew suits her! Some reviewers have said that her second look should have been a different colour as the first red carpet look, but i think the overall look with the rich deep red lips looked just as good.

While interviewing for her upcoming film Sarbjit, Ash wore a metallic bronze jacket with a black dress by Rohit Bahl, complemented with smokey eyes which I though looked great - very elegant and dramatic!

Lastly were the infamous purple lips with a pretty Ram Kadi floral dress with a lilac purple lipstick - again Ash got a lot of criticism for pairing a smokey eye with this colour lipstick, but I think it shows that she's willing to go outside the boundaries a little and be adventurous!

Sonam Kapoor, on the other hand, interestingly stuck to one designer at Cannes this year, with one or two exceptions.

On arrival Sonam wore an Anamika Khanna jacket and dress (right) before changing into another Anamika Khanna outfit for interviews - I love the pretty print of these, right up my street!

Next Sonam wore this Rimzim Dadu structured sari in a rich blue - I think this was my favourite of her looks because it worked well as a fusion of east-meets-west. I haven't seen a sari like this before and  I loved how arty it looked.

For her first red carpet appearance, Sonam wore a Ralph and Russo a sari-inspired caped white gown. The thing I liked most about this was the elegant hair and makeup - it's youthful, simple yet very pretty. In all honestly I liked the shape of this outfit but less so the embroidery - it reminded me of dresses from the 90s with floral beading and embroidery which didn't quite catch my appeal.

While in interviews, Sonam wore another funky Ralph and Russo outfit, although this was more playful with a peplum look which was very flattering on the figure.

Her second appearance on the red carpet was in a white sequined and feather Ralph and Russo gown with an emphasised silhouette feel to it. Like the first outfit, this came with a cape, but I think this one was a little more playful because of the soft colour and the feathered flowers.


For the evening, Sonam chose a black lace Ralph and Russo gown with lace gloves and a diamond necklace. This was another outfit which looked pretty but slightly burlesque to me - I'm still deciding whether I like it or not!


Lastly was this pretty ice blue dress, again by Ralph and Russo - someone described it as an 'Elsa' look from Frozen and I agree! The dress was slightly too pale though and made her looked a little washed out in some pictures, but I do like the simplicity of her makeup, and LOVED her beautiful gold jhumka earrings,


I also loved Sonam's hair, which was a pretty braided tied in gold string, which looked very chic.

Mallika Sherawat was another Bollywood star who stayed loyal to a single designer throughout Cannes, with most of her dresses by Lebanese designer Georges Hobeikaa.

Her first appearance on the red carpet saw Mallika in a Georges Hobeika gown and diamond neckpiece from Maison Mellerio. I wasn't a fan of this dress, I though it was a little mish-mash with the horizontal stripes and the blue hem, but it was very flattering on her figure.

Next Mallika wore a Pucci maxi dress for her interviews, again I'm not a fan but it's a nice casual look which suited her figure.

While attending the amfAR gala, Mallika wore nother piece by Georges Hobeikaa in purple lace. Again, I'm not too keen on this dress but I do think it was a nice daytime dress which Mallika wore well.

WHile at a UNICEF party, Mallika was seen in an ombre dress by Parisian designer Alexis Mabille - I loved the colours but not the lace and flowers. While this looked slightly too  busy I like that she went for something dramatic.

Lastly is another gown by Georges Hobeikaa, which was more of a silver princess dress. I think this dress was a girly one which looked pretty and glamorous for the red carpet - it certain stood out to me more than her other dresses.

Although more of a Hollywood actress than Bollywood, Freida Pinto also made an appearance at Cannes, opting for less flouncy dresses and more muted yet elegant looks.

For her first appearance on the red carpet, Freida appeared in Tory Burch shift-cut maxi dress. I didn't love the border down the middle of this dress but I did like the cut and though it looked very chic.

For the press meet, Freida dressed in a summery Prabal Gurung dress with a white jacket, which looked very pretty for a daytime look.

Lastly is this Elie Saab Couture dress which Freida accessorised with a blue belt and stud earrings for an elegant but alternative look to the usual maxi gowns worn by a lot of the stars. I though this was a really pretty dress which was girly and not-try-too-hard, and suited Freida's fresh makeup style as well.

I loved the variety at Cannes this year, and followed the event on Instagram as the stars posted their pictures on each day. Personally, while I loved Sonam's chic outfits, I though Aishwariya was a little more daring this year and went for outfits which looked very glamorous!

You can see more pictures of what Bollywood celebs wore here and here.

Friday, 20 May 2016

A Meet and Greet Blogger's Session with Imaan Boutique

Last weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to an afternoon high tea with leading Malaysian hijab and modesty-wear brand Imaan Boutique, and also a chance to meet Imaan Boutique founder, Madam Rubina Mughal. The company had exciting pieces of news, firstly the company celebrated their second anniversary, and secondly the release of their new Eid collection.

Imaan Boutique has a gorgeous range of scarves, modest outfit pieces and abayahs which aims at an audience of young adults, career women and also 40s women. Initially the brand was launched online in 2013 with the use of social media, but since then the brand has opened a boutique in Malaysia, and aims to launch new collections every season to keep up to date with trends. One of the things which really struck me about this brand was how colourful yet wearable this brand it - it aims to create beautiful outfits which appeal to many ages and which fit in with comfortabole yet modest.

The event took place at Skylon Restaurant in central London, and when the bloggers arrived we were all given an outfit or a hijab to try on. I arrived a little late (blame the trains!) so I didn't get a chance to try on the abayahs or dresses, but I did manage to look at the hijabs, and I loved the fabrics which were used.

The group managed to have an interview session with founder Rubina Mughal, where she told us about the brand's aim and the new Eid collection, which consisted of beautiful pastels, maxi dresses with drapes and pleats, soft pinks and mints and embroidered sleeves. Personally I loved the scarves, the material draped beautifully and I love that they are big enough and versatile enough to be draped any way the wearer wants.


Here's a quick peek at the restaurant we went to - I forgot to take a picture of the amazing view overlooking the River Thames and all of the lights below, but you can see how lovely and floral it was inside!


Here is also some pictures of the outfits on the actual bloggers - I love that we all got a chance to try and get a feel for the new collection for ourselves. Most of the bloggers (including myself) loved the outfits, and agreed that they were very wearable. Not all of us wear abayahs but the designs were very appealing and there were also a mix of maxi dresses which looked lovely.



And of course a mention of the tea itself! We were served several juices and teas, along with delicate sweet treats and nibbles, which tasted lovely - I quite liked the raspberry and pineapple tarts!



Imaan boutique very generously gave each blogger an outfit and a hijab to take home - I got this lovely black one with embroidered sleeve and a very pretty salmon-coloured hijab. Even though I don't wear abayahs normally, I can imagine wearing this one because of the flattering cut and how wonderfully it drapes, especially as it was made from a thick silky material which looked quite decent in quality. I also was really happy with the hijab scarf as the material is a non-slip one and the colour is something which is right up my street!



All in all, I thought this was a really fun day to meet the Imaan Boutique brand, and also to meet other bloggers who are interested in hijab, modesty and fashion. It's great to see brands which are trying to make hijab fun and colourful without compromising on modesty. In this day and age, it's still too easy to associate boring with abayahs, especially if you see a lot of plain black ones, or even for non-Muslims to find hijab intimidating, so it's lovely to see brands like this which try to combat this.

I'll be styling my Imaan Boutique hijab and abayah soon, so watch this space!

Imaan Boutique online store

(You can also see a few Youtube Vlogger's videos here and here of the day!)

Wednesday, 11 May 2016

Upcoming Expos, Shows & Exhibitions...May 2016

May is a fairly busy month, and I've noticed that there are a few exhibitions and expos happening over the next few weeks around London. I thought I'd do a quick listt of the various shows happening in May, as I get asked by readers where to buy clothes and a lot of these brands are usually only available online.

Most of these are for Indian and Pakistani designer brands, as well as modesty-wear fashion brands so hopefully there's something for everyone - it's also a good opportunity for those of you looking for Eid outfits early or wedding pieces.

I'll be updating this page as I hear more about events this month as well, so watch this space! You can also let me know about any events you know are happening, and I'll update accordingly :)

Farrah Naaz
When: Saturday 14th- Sunday 15th May
Bringing the latest collection to east London.
Venue: 37 Belle Vue road Walthamstow London E17 4DQ
Link: FacebookInstagram, My previous post, email: farrahnaaz1@gmail.com
Entry: Free


The Designers Studio by Obaira
When: Sunday 15th May
Amber Gohar • Lubna Ali • Ramira • Sameen Kasuri • Shiza Hassan • Najia Wazir • Zainab Salman and many more !
Venue: No 4 Scenix House, 86 Chigwell Road, London, E18 1FF
Links: Facebook, Instagram, email: thedesignersstudio@obaira.com
Entry: Free


Hina Rasim
When: Sunday 22nd May
Hina Rasim houses the most visionary Pakistani fashion designers. Stop by at the Luxury Summer Soirée taking place on Sunday, 22nd May at the ‪#Landmark Hotel‬, London. Entry is Free ! 
Venue: The Landmark Hotel, 222 Marylebone Road London NW1 6JQ
Links: Facebook, Instagram, email: info@hinarasim.co.uk
Entry: Free


Saverah Women's Expo 2016
When: Sunday 29th May
Fashion shows, exhibitions and shopping, seminars and Muslim marriage events.
Venue: The O2, Peninsula Square, London SE10 0DX
Links: Website, Facebook
Entry: £10 - but if you register now on the website you can get a free ticket for entry and standing view of the fashion shows


Tuesday, 10 May 2016

BOLLYWOOD ISTYLE: Bips and Karan tie the knot!

I'm a bit late to the party, but I thought I'd post this because of how fun the wedding seemed - Bipasha Basu tied the knot last week to her fiancé Karan Grover Singh, and I loved the look of the '#MonkeyWedding' (the hashtag coined by the couple!)

In true Bollywood glamous, Bipasha wore beautiful outfits for all three of her events, and I love the different styles she had for each occasion.

Mehndi - for her mehndi, Bipasha wore a pretty pink Anushree Reddy floral outfit, finished off with a pearl necklace and floral jewellery which I love - it's soft, girly and Bipasha pulled it off well. It's a great alternative to the usual yellow/green/orange colours for mehndis, and shows how you don't have to go for the usual colours for your special day.




 Wedding - for the main event, Bipasha went for a traditional Bengali bridal look, with a gorgeous red Sabyasachi bridal. I loved that she opted for something to reflect her roots, and the fact that she added some gold and green jewellery for a traditional look.




Reception - for the reception Bipasha opted for a Sabyasachi maxi dress in gold, which looked a little more contemporary than the previous bridal look. It went great with Karan's smart tuxedo and looked a little more chilled out and more of a 'fusion' look, which looked great. Again, I loved Bipasha's jewellery with this outfit, which was a pop of green against the gold.




And of course it's not a wedding without the celebrity guests! In today's day of social media, most of these are from Instagram and Twitter, and it's great to see so many celebrities attend the wedding and having fun.






 Images from here and here

I've followed a few celebrity weddings in the last few months (Preity Zinta and Urmila also tied the knot recently!) and I loved seeing all the guests with the bride and groom taking selfies, meeting friends and of course, dressed up in gorgeous outfits.

What did you think of Bipasha's outfits? Which one did you like the most?

Monday, 9 May 2016

Holidays and All That Jazz - Beautiful Bergen, Norway

I know, I've been quiet for a little while, but I had a good reason! The hubster and I decided to take a short but much-needed break a few days ago to Norway, where we enjoyed plenty of fresh air, greenery, picturesque houses and plenty of boat trips!

You can see more pictures if you head on over to my other blog here, but in the mean time, here's a shot of me in front of the harbour in my floral maxi dress which I managed to get tailored!

Curly Fries xx