Where can I buy a fusion bridal outfit in London?

S from London emailed Asian Fashion Blog recently for some advice on fusion bridal gowns, here's her question and what I recommended!

I hoping you can give me some quick advice. I'm getting married in November and I'm looking for a fusion bridal outfit asap (I'm English marrying British Asian). Can you recommend the best places to look in London? I don't mind either gown or lengha but I would like something that's not too heavy with the work but has that wow factor in terms of cut/design. I'll need it by the end of October so they would need to be able to be able to make it quickly ie within 6 weeks!

I recommended the following stores:

Raishma

Raishma are based on Green Street in East London and they have a wide variety of fusion-style bridal gowns. I've visited the store a few times and the bridal lounge feels like perfect place to pick out your dream dress. You can find out more information at the Raishma website.

Khubsoorat Collection

Also on Green Street, if you're visiting Raishma it's worth popping in to view their collection too. Their website says it takes 10 - 12 weeks for bridal outfits but they may have express order options - no harm in asking! Find out more on the Khubsoorat Collection website.

RDC

You will find RDC on Ilford Lane. They have both fusion-style outfits as well as more heavier traditional asian bridals. They regularly update the RDC Facebook page with their latest outfits so that's the best place to go for info.

Traditions

Traditions are based on Broadway in Southall. They displayed some beautiful white bridal gowns with asian-style embroidery at this year's Asiana Bridal Show. You can find more information on the Traditions Facebook page.

The outcome

S replied back the next day, saying she'd been to Raishma and ordered her dream dress. They were able to accomodate her timings and she should have her dress by the end of October, she commented "Raishma's bridal wear is amazing and by far the best selection I have seen".

She's now on the lookout for a make-up artist who can give her a subtle asian bridal look with a focus on eye make-up. My knowledge of London-based asian bridal make-up artists isn't quite as good as my knowledge of asian fashion, so if you have any recommendations leave a comment!

FusionAsia Fashion Show in Manchester - YBQ and Omar Mansoor

The charity International Foundation for Mother and Child Health (IFMCH) is holding a fashion show at the Sheridan Suite in Manchester next week on Friday 21st September.

The fashion show will be featuring designers Yousuf Bashir Qureshi (YBQ) and Omar Mansoor. All proceeds from this event go towards building the free hospital in Mirpur Sakro, Pakistan.

Tickets for this event are split into three different price bands - £35, £50, £75 and alongside the fashion show, there will be additional entertainment and a 3 course meal.

I'm usually a little cynical when it comes to charity events like this, but having attended IFMCH's 2010 charity fashion show and had the opportunity to meet the founders of the charity as well as the designer YBQ himself I can vouch for the work they do.

You can find out more about the event and how to purchase tickets via the IFMCH facebook page.

Let me know if you're attending - I'll be there!

Here's an outfit by YBQ from the IFMCH 2010 fashion show:

Junaid Jamshed UK online store review

Last month an email landed in my inbox promoting a "sample sale" for Junaid Jamshed's UK online store. I decided to try my chances at getting a bargain outfit and here's how I got on!

The £1 sample sale had a limited amount of stock, with just one of each item available. I spent some time browsing through the collection to seek out which items they had in a size SMALL and in a size EXTRA SMALL. The majority of sample outfits were in a size MEDIUM so my choices were limited to the following outfits:

With such limited stock I had a feeling I would need to be very quick in order to get an outfit, so I bookmarked the links for my choices and dragged myself out of bed extra early so I was ready and waiting at 6.45am for the 7.00am sale.

By 7.08am I had managed to get the Najya sample in my basket and was ready to check out. It was probably my least favourite of the outfits, but for £1 (+ £6 postage) I didn't have the luxury of being fussy! All the other outfits sold out within a short space of time so I think I was lucky to get anything at all.

The checkout process was fairly easy and quick, the payment was processed through Paypal which I preferred compared to submitting my card details to a website I'd not used before.

A few days later my order arrived. It was nicely packaged and initially I was happy with my order. I liked the detail on the sleeves and the border.

My main issue with this outfit was the fit. Perhaps the style was intended to be loose, and I know I'm petite anyway but I drowned in this, to the point where it would have been a huge waste of fabric to have it altered. I won't be wearing this anytime in the future, but I'm sure I'll find a use for it somehow!

The Junaid Jamshed website have a photo of a model wearing the outfit and it's quite loose fitting on her too:

Overall even though the outfit didn't suit me, I'm glad I got to take part in the sample sale and felt the shopping experience at Junaid Jamshed's UK online store was a positive one.

Did any other Asian Fashion Blog readers grab a bargain in this sample sale? I'd love to hear what you thought!

Krishna Mehta at 2012 Lakme Fashion Week Winter Festive

"Encore" was the name of this collection by Krishna Mehta showcased at India's 2012 Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive.

As well as the outfits themselves I really like the hair styles:

I liked the little details like the belts. The outfits would probably have looked perfectly fine without them, but they add a little something extra...I feel like experimenting with some of my old outfits and adding belts to try and re-invent them!

You can view more photos from the collection at the Lakme Fashion Week Facebook page here.