Three things that I love about living in Pakistan are winters (since they are extra special for us as after a long spell of summer and dry fall season), weddings (because why not?!) and winter weddings! So, I am naturally a bit hyper-excited about the wedding season. Kickstarting a new series whereby I would be talking about my wardrobe essentials for weddings, making intelligent choices for your wardrobe without creating a hole in the pocket, as well as, my first-hand experiences with different salons and photographers. 

While there are various brands popping up with their luxe ready-to-wear collection every wedding season, I am an advocate of smart shopping and customising clothes to my liking every now and then. While the process of shopping for lose fabric and customising the kaam wala jora is a pain for many, I enjoy the entire process - from finding the perfect fabrics for mix and match to getting it stitched, unless the darzi imposes his marzi a bit more than required! 

Since the trends keep changing, sometimes it is hard to keep up with them, especially when it comes to formal wear as one does not get to wear formal dresses every now and then. (I never have a problem in repeating them if I like them.) For this purpose, I would be sharing some of the outfits from my closet, which have passed the test of time and saved me from getting a new dress made every time. 

In the first look of this series, I am sharing one of the wedding party wear dresses - a multi-layered dress (yes, you can layer up for the winter weddings by making smart choices and not feel cold even if it is an outdoor night event): a panelled maxi with a front open gown and a heavily embellished dupatta with you folks. 

The reason that I have picked up this particular look for the first post is that it is easily one of the most easy-on-pocket dresses that I designed myself. Since it was for an extended family wedding and I did not want to spend too much and yet go for something better than a usual shirt and trouser. 

OOTD BREAKDOWN:

Dupatta: I have had my eyes on this embellished dupatta for as long as I can remember. It was from my eldest sister's dowry (who got married ten years ago, FYI) and she promised to hand it over to me after she'd be done wearing it multiple times. lol. She did not use it as much (since she one of the kind who never repeat their dresses) as it deserved and it took her nine years to finally have the generosity to pass it on (because it was one of her favourites - and a part of the first dress she had got on the first day of her wedding shopping). 

It is a black chiffon barosha dupatta with heavy traditional (re: classic) hand embroidery with embellishments (sequence, diamontes, katt daana etc.) in plum and green. The dress that it was originally a part of was an original from Usama Silk, F-10 Markaz, Islamabad since what seems like forever. Back in the day, they used to make exclusive formal dresses (only one unstitched dress in one design and colour). Cannot emphasize much on how I miss those. 

Front Open Gown: 

I got this shirt front and sleeves piece from Faisal Fabrics, also located in F-10 Markaz. It cost me around 3000 PKR only. 

For the back, I got the plain black net fabric with a hint of gold from a Pakhtun's shop, located in F-10 Markaz's basement, adjacent to Usama Silk, for PKR 300 per yard. They have a huge variety of embellished and plain polyester and cotton net amongst many other fabrics. One can simply design a gazillion dresses on a single visit. I have actually met a couple of local designers who stock at Latelier, Islamabad, over there. My mom dreads accompanying me there as I can never leave the shop empty-handed. 

Kaamdani/Mukesh Fabric:

I had purchased two kaamdaani/mukesh dupattas from Lahore for PKR 3000 two years ago. This flared/panelled maxi required about 5 metres of cloth. 

Kundan Lace: 

Purchased it from a local lace shop in Islamabad for around 1000 PKR. 

Stitching: 

2500 PKR. 

ACCESSORIES: 

Earrings: My brother got me this from one of his official trips to China long back. The katt daana details went so well with my outfit. 

Bangles: From my first and what seems like the only trip to Anaarkali Bazaar, Lahore - Best bangles at the best price - PKR 250. Can you believe that? 

Also pictured here is the wedding reception dress, also designed by yours truly!

Bracelet: Random jewellery seller at Jinnah Super, Islamabad - PKR 250. 

Rings: Chunky black one: Random jewellery seller at Jinnah Super, Islamabad - PKR 250 and the rest from Haroon's Gift Shop - PKR 290 each.

Clutch: Haroon's Gift Shop - PKR 1200. Quite a steal for the price.

MAKEOVER:

Party makeup from Seemi's Salon and Studio. I had not made an advance booking so this one is NOT their signature party makeover. One of the junior makeup artists did it but Seemi herself gave the final touches. It had cost me PKR 3500 since the escorts of the bride were offered a special discount. 

All I would say is that I was disappointed. Although I am not a pro when it comes to makeup, I could have easily done a better job myself. However, I would neither recommend their Signature Party Makeup (that some of my family members got done - Charges: PKR 5000) nor the Bridal Makeover (that my extended family member got done for her walima).  

Nail Colour: Colourstudio Haute Nails 232 Royal - PKR 250.  

HAIR: 

Seemi's Salon and Studio again. The party makeover included hair styling. I wanted a side bun with my hair twisted and tucked to one side (without looking older than I am. And I did not. At least I think so). Since I was unhappy with the makeover - no colour correction for the blemishes and pigmentation, and uneven and patchy foundation, the hairstyle kind of saved the day for me.

In my zone!! No colour correction and the basic-esttt eyeshadow :/

The idea is to share some cult classic tips and tricks that add a personal touch to your formal dresses and save them from being labelled "outdated" before you've worn them more than once even (as one does not get to wear desi formal clothes often). I don't. I hope there are many like me out there who would find these tips useful.

P.S. Since this was a customised dress and you may not find exactly the same stuff everywhere, there are a few tips and tricks to save the day for you. 

A. Dupatta is the desi swag. Choose one and design the entire outfit accordingly. Find a vintage dupatta at home (raid your mum's closet) or simply go for those jamawar, cotton net, organza dupattas and made-to-order/embellished velvet shawls, which are all rage and easily available in the market these days, can serve the same purpose. I have my eyes on a few since last year. Just waiting for someone to get married so that I can find an excuse to go get one. 

When you're not high on budget and you still want to make a style statement, let the dupatta do the talking. Just pair it up with a plain jora and drape it on one shoulder or the front and you're good to go. I already plan to make a plain raw silk black dress (shirt and pants)with this one.  

B. You can make the outfit heavier (and more expensive) by using a heavy kaamdaani fabric for the maxi/kurta (whatever you want to pair the dupatta/shawl up with) instead or you can just go for a plain dress and let the dupatta stand out as stated in A. 

C. The key is to mix and match. I used chiffon barosha, chiffon with mukesh/kaamdaani and net in this one dress. 

D. Stitching makes all the difference. Even a simple outfit stitched to perfection can make you stand out. I usually prefer maxis and anarkalis etc. when it comes to formal wear because they never go out of fashion. As for shirts and pants/shalwar, the trends keep on changing. 

Do not forget to share your outfit ideas for this wedding season in the comments' section below. 

Until next time, 

Samra. 

The thing with Ladies Watches is as they say, “A woman can never have enough clothes and shoes”, and the same rule of thumb applies for a wristwatch. It would not be wrong to say that a wristwatch is the handiest staple accessory for the woman of today, who believes in exhibiting beauty-with-brains. Like every other accessory, you need one for every occasion. The best thing about the amazing new trends in wristwatches that emerged in 2016 is that they offer something for everyone. While a floral wristwatch would sport a casual T-shirt and jeans look best, a geometrically patterned knitted watch is all the rage for its Bohemian vibe. Planning on hanging out with friends this weekend? A multicoloured woven watch like this one can be paired perfectly with an easy breezy, floral or plain chiffon flared long dress or a long skirt. The obsession with Turkish jewellery across the world (especially Pakistan) is apparently not going to end anytime soon. Jewelled Turkish style watches, which can be best worn during the festive season, are another addition to the latest wristwatch trends. If you're into all-things-vintage, the denim watch or Eiffel Tower watch is sure to make your style game strong. Also, there are those with charms, chains and beads, which the younger lot (read: college and university going girls) can sport on any day, from the bonfire golden night to just any other day at the institution. Those who want their watches to match each and every outfit or pair of shoes they wear can go for the easy-on-pocket watch set which comes with interchangeable straps.

Hello beauties! Hope you all had a great Diwali. Today I will be reviewing a boutique, a first for this blog. Us girls love shopping for clothes, don't we? The trend for traditional/Indian clothes has resurrected among youth lately and today I will be reviewing a boutique cum store that not only stitches beautiful suits but also stocks a huge number of national and international designer brands. The boutique cum store is called Fusion's & Design's situated in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

Introduction:

This is a story of two sisters called Nighat and Sheeba whose hobby and passion translated into their profession. Mrs Nighat Khan and Mrs Sheeba Khan have been into fashion designing and tailoring since time immemorial. The hobby took the shape of an entrepreneurial enterprise with the formation of a brand called Fusion's & Design's in 2014. The entire exercise of setting up this operation of both from a front and back end was planned and implemented by Mr Syed Sarfraz Ahmed (he also happens to be Mrs Sheeba's spouse), who himself came from a corporate background with specialisation in marketing and distribution. 

Fusion's & Design's stocks a huge number of national and international designer brands like Maria B, Sana Safinaz, Gul Ahmed, Faraz Manan, SNM, Charizma, Zunuj, Dawood Lawns, Shariq Textiles to name a few. Recently they ventured into distribution of herbal skincare and hair care and are sole retailer of Kulsum's Kaya Kalp Herbals in the city of Lucknow. I have done a haul post as well as a review of the one the product that I purchased of this particular brand which could be found here and here respectively.

My Experience:

I have not really been into traditional/Indian clothes until I discovered a new found love for Pakistani lawn suits. The prints, designs, patterns are very different from our Indian clothes but interestingly, that's not what led me to Fusion's & Design's. It were my un-stitched suits that were sitting in the wardrobe for like months and my mother's unplanned trip to her hometown which led me there. Upon entering you will be greeted by smiling faces of the sister duo and the humongous stock national and international designer brands. They stock around 78 brands under one roof. I'm not even kidding when I say my jaw literally dropped open when I saw the collection they have! Name a top Pakistani designer brand they have it. They even sell their own designed and stitched kurti which are pretty amazing and you can check them out below!

Usually we would get a not so expensive and a simple suit piece stitched at a new boutique but here we took a risk since we were hard pressed for time and got my mother's expensive suit pieces stitched. She got four suits stitched and one of the suit was purchased from their store itself of a Pakistani brand called Charizma which costed us INR 5500. Since I don't have the original picture with me right now you may feast your eyes on the picture I found online here. The suits were stitched very neatly and were delivered on time despite such a short notice which impressed me and my mother immensely. The suits had beautiful buttons sewed on to them enhancing the beauty of designs/patterns. The ladies are up-to-date on latest fashion so expect your suits to be stitched following the latest trends and fashion. 

The story of my suits is no different, they did full justice to mine too. The suits were stitched neatly and I didn't face fitting issues that I used to with the boutique where I would earlier get my traditional/Indian clothes stitched. Mrs Sheeba who has a thing for buttons sewed some really beautiful buttons on to my suits. I got about seven suits stitched which were delivered to me on time where one of the Pakistani suit from the brand Dawood Lawns were purchased from them only, well, it was a birthday gift to myself hehe and the suit is just beautiful, I solely purchased it for its beautiful colours, it costed me INR 1300. Having made multiple trips to the boutique, I have developed a sweet friendship with both the sisters/owners, we get along really well and what I like is that they treat each customer very cordially and warmly which is rare. 

The Pakistani suit that I bought & got stitched from them

The stitching of suits start at INR 550 which is again fully justified as their work is neat and always delivered on time. As mentioned earlier, they are the sole retailer of Kulsum's Kaya Kalp Herbals, so you if you are into natural and herbals cosmetics then drop in to purchase some goodies.

You may visit them at Fusion's & Design's Ladies Tailor's, 26/1 Wazir Hasan Road, Near Parag Dairy, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Alternatively you may WhatsApp/call them at +91 9839809606 or +91 9336842115 or email at fusionanddesign@gmail.com.

Do let me know if ever visit Fusion's & Design's. Don't forget to share your experience with us.

Until next time,

Deepika

Disclosure: These suits are my own purchase and the views and opinions expressed hereby are strictly unbiased, based on my personal experience. 

Cigarette Pants by Origins

Cigarette Pants by Origins - Details

Kurtas by Origins

Origins Digital Printed Kurta - Eid Pret Colleection'15

Origins Kurta - Eid Pret Collection'15 - Details

Origins Embroided Kurta - Details

First one is from their Pret Eid Collection. It is a digital printed multi-colored floral shirt with Ban collar embellished with mini brass buttons and zip details on the neckline, sleeves and daaman. Promoted on their official facebook page here. I feel it is just SO chic!

Next, I bought myself a printed electric blue and white Kurta with red edging. I have always loved this combination and I just can’t ever get enough of electric blues and whites with bright edgings! I think the long tilla embroided organza neckline looks beautiful!

Printed Leatherette Cross body Satchel Bag By Limelight