Ranis Bradford Official Stockists of Sana Safinaz SS11 Lawn Collection

Ranis of Bradford announced this week that they are now one of the official stockists for the Sana Safinaz 2011 lawn collection, which they will be launching in their store this Saturday 2nd April from 10am onwards.

I think the timing is perfect for this collection - as the weather starts to warm up, why not update your wardrobe with some of these gorgeous prints!

The collection is limited to 100 pieces and judging by the demand at recent events in Pakistan, you'd better be quick to ensure you get your favourites!

For more updates, images and contact details for Ranis Bradford, visit the Ranis Bradford facebook page.

Anita Dongre at Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2011

Here's the "love and life" collection from Anita Dongre, showcased earlier this month at Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2011, in India.

Thie was another light coloured collection, but unlike the Opulent and Chaste collection by Debarun Mukherjee, there was more of a glamourous feel to these outfits.

As you can see there was a good mixture of outfits from maxi dress gowns to saris and lehngas. I definitely felt there was a romantic/feminine vibe to this collection. I liked the hairstyling although I felt the pink flowers didn't really work with every outfit.

You can view more of this collection and from other designers at the Lakme Fashion Week website.

Debarun Mukherjee at Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2011

I know I'm a little late on my coverage of the Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2011, which took place at the start of March in India, but for those of you that haven't already seen photos from the event, let's start with the "Opulent and Chaste" collection by Debarun Mukherjee:

The whole collection was composed of the light cotton pieces in white with bronze detail. Out of the womenswear pieces above I really like the two on the left with shorter tops - they look a little bit more fun to me than the two longer outfits!

The matching menswear was equally as light and had that "breathable" look to to it.

My favourite would probably be this lehnga:

You can view more photos from this collection and all the other designers at the Lakme Fashion Week website.

Highlights from the 2010 Montage Fashion and Beauty Show in Pakistan

Here are some more highlights from the 2010 Montage Fashion and Beauty Show, which took place at the end of November in Pakistan and featured some of Pakistan's most popular designers.

First up is Karma, who had some very heavily embroidered bridals:

In addition to the fashion designers, this event was also a showcase for beauty company Alle'nora. So I have to ask, what did you think of this hairstyle above? I've seen this model is loads of shows (including this year's Asiana Bridal Show in London) and this is my least favourite hairstyle for her...I'd go as far as saying this hairstyle almost ruins the outfits for me!!


Now onto the next designer - Goal by Fozia Hammad, which are a huge contrast to the heavy bridals by Karma, these are your more subtle evening dresses for formal occassions.

Again I'm distracted by the hair instead of looking at the outfit with this last model...I'm sure it's a beautiful outfit, I just don't know why they couldn't have given the model a more sleeker up-do rather than the "Morticia Adams" look.


I think the final designer of this whole event was HSY, who presented these fabulous mostly black outfits

Not really loving this floral skirt outfit, complete with a matching black veil for dramatic effect, which was the finale outfit. I much prefered the beaded dress below, which I think would definitely look more flattering on a normal person than the floral:

You can view more photos from this event, taken by photographer Shahid Malik, on the Shahid Malik Studio facebook page including designers such as Asifs and Nabeel, Maria B Bridal, La Chantal by Saba, Rouge, BNS by Bina Sultan, RNR Couture and Ayesha Ibrahim.

Shazia's Bridal Gallery at the 2010 Montage Fashion and Beauty Show in Pakistan

Here's the collection by Shazia's Bridal Gallery which was on show at the 2010 Montage Fashion and Beauty Show which took place in Pakistan last November.

A big thanks to Shahid Malik Studio for these photos.

It was a very subtle collection in terms of colour - with mostly neutral light shades and only a hint of colour:

I'm not such a fan of this first outfit, you can't really see if the top is composed of a separate jacket and a plainer top underneath or whether it's all one top, either way to me it doesn't quite look right.

I think the rest of the outfits look way better - perhaps it's the sleevelessness which makes these look that little bit more chic than the first outfit?

My favourites were these below which had that little bit more colour to them than the others

Mehdi at the 2010 Montage Fashion and Beauty Show in Pakistan

The Montage: Fashion & Beauty Show, organised by Vision Events Internation, took place at the end of November last year in Lahore Pakistan. Attracting some of Pakistan's top designers, here's the collection by Mehdi.

I know these photos are perhaps a *little* out of date, but I still think they're worth posting! A big thanks to Shahid Malik Studio for these photos.

Out of the non-bridals/formal outfits, these two below are my favourites:

I wouldn't automatically think of pairing light blue with an outfit that's mostly black and gold but I like it.

This maxi is probably the least-embroidered outfit out of the whole collection, and perhaps that's why I like it! I think it has a very summery, outdoor wedding event/party feel to it.

Now onto the more heavier bridals:

My cousin recently had a customised version of this outfit above made for her wedding (some of her alterations were adding sleeves and going for a different shape neckline) I can't post photos I'm afraid, but needless to say she looked amazing - this is definitely not your typical red bridal!

Je Roche at the 2011 Manchester Asian Wedding Show

Je Roche were the final fashion show exhibitor at the 2011 Manchester Asian Lifestyle Wedding and Fashion Exhibition.

Like their collection at last year's event Their designs followed the current trends in Pakistan of long flowing tops and layering.

Here's a video from the event, although it was taken on the second day of the exhibition and I think they changed one of the outfits:

So that's all from my coverage of the Manchester Asian Lifestyle Wedding and Fashion Exhibition 2011, I believe the organisers of this event held another exhibition this weekend (19th and 20th March) in Bradford. If anyone has posted any coverage from that event post a link :)

Chaal Shoes 4 You at the 2011 Manchester Asian Wedding Show

If like, me you thought "Chaal Shoes 4 You" just sold shoes, then you were wrong! I'm wondering if they started off as purely a shoe shop - hence the name, and then branched into clothes too. Either way, they were another one of the fashion show exhibitors at the 2011 Manchester Asian Lifestyle Wedding and Fashion Exhibition.

I wasn't exactly wowed by their lehngas, but their trouser suits, like the one above I found quite interesting - not sure if the hint of animal print really works but I like the gold detail around the neck.

I'm a bit torn overall about whether I like these or not, I don't think they look terrible but I think they could look better had the styling been improved upon.

Has anyone shopped for clothes at Chaal Shoes 4 You, leave a comment and let us know your thoughts.

Rupali the 2011 Manchester Asian Wedding Show

Bolton's Rupali was another one of the catwalk exhibitors at the Manchester Asian Lifestyle Wedding and Fashion Exhibition 2011.

They started off with four lehngas and I liked the striking colours, but there was that feeling that I'd seen designs like these before.

I don't usually like lehngas which are too fully embroidered but out of these four, my favourite would be this blue/green outfit above.

Can't say I liked the menswear pieces too much, perhaps it's the styling and fit but I think these look a bit too restrictive and square around the shoulders.

They finished the show with some party outfits, the churidar suits are pretty but definitely seen them before everywhere! These last two outfits were something different though, according to the Rupali website the correct term for this arabic-style maxi dress is farasha. I managed to locate this exact design too and one of these will cost you £64.

When you take into account the fact that Rupali's outfits are fairly reasonably priced (going by what they have on their website anyway) I'd say that you can excuse the fact that these aren't the most unique designs. I'm not sure about their bridal prices, but with the right styling you could dress these outfits up to make them look that little bit more special.