Khushboos by Chand at the Asiana Bridal Show 2013

To kick off my catwalk show coverage of the Asiana Bridal Show 2013 in London I thought I'd start with the collection that had the most dramatic introduction - Birmingham-based Khushboos by Chand had a snake-charming fire-eating belly dancer to start off their show!
As entertaining as the start was, I was more interested in the clothes and was pleased when the first set of long floaty outfits came down the catwalk.
The model above, Sabeeka, told me via twitter that this Khushboos outfit was her favourite from the show!

The cream/gold Khushboos outfit... Simple, elegant & COMFY! "@nazma_afb: @sabeekaimam did you have a favourite outfit from the Asiana show?"
— Sabeeka Imam (@SabeekaImam) February 1, 2013

I really liked these first three outfits and can imagine them being worn by the bride for an engagement, registry or perhaps for a very dressed up sister-of-the-bride?

The two outfits they showcased in the traditional red bridal colour didn't really inspire or stand out to me very much.



The last three outfits were my favourites from the show:

There's so much going on with this next outfit - the pink/purple contrast, sheer sleeves, velvet, stripes and of course all the embroidery, but I think it all works together really well.
Sheer/see-through sleeves are nothing new but it's interesting to see the sheer part on this outfit goes a little further than the sleeves and into the shoulder area (click to enlarge the pic and take a closer look).


Here's a video of the show:

Photos credits go to:
Rafyl Photography and Saty Singh at Studio 4 Photography.

Phulkari London at the Asiana Bridal Show 2013

Phulkari London were one of the many fashion exhibitors at the 2013 Asiana Bridal Show and whilst a lot of the other exhibitors had a "no photos" policy, Phulkari were happy for us to take photos of the gorgeous outfits they had on display.

Their store in East London boasts an impressive list of Asian fashion designers from India and Pakistan, including Sabyasachi and Satya Paul. For this event they showcased a new designer they are stocking - Rimple & Harpreet Narula Couture.
Prices for the outfits from Rimple & Harpreet Narula start at £700 and go up to £2,800.


Phulkari have also recently launched their own range of outfits - Phulkari Bespoke. Below are two outfits from their bespoke collection, which ranges from £700 to £1800.
Contact details for Phulkari London can be found on their Facebook page here.

Asiana Bridal Show 2013 - First Look

The Asiana Bridal show took place this weekend at the Park Plaza Riverbank in London. I always make an effort to attend this event as in my opinion it's one of the best asian wedding exhibitions in the UK and the fashion show always provides lots of asian bridal inspiration!

For the 2011 Asiana Bridal Show and the 2012 Asiana Bridal show I used the event as an excuse to plan a weekend in London, but this time I got the train there and back on the same day - 3 hours each way! Thankfully it was worth it and I have lots of asian fashion to blog about from the event :)

I'll be writing up full blog post reviews on all the fashion from the catwalk show and exhibition, but for now here's a first look at the fashion show (my pictures didn't come out amazingly, but as soon as the professional photographers from the event share their photos I'll be posting them here).

Kyles Collection

Kyles Collection were sponsors of the fashion show and they started off with a viewing of their new video advert followed by a collection on the catwalk. As always with Kyles I loved the headpieces!

RDC

Next up were East London based RDC who had two segments at the show.

Frontier Raas

Amongst some traditional indian style outfits, Fronter Raas also showcased some red carpet-worthy evening gowns.

Khushboos by Chand

Khushboos part of the show started rather dramatically with a belly dancer complete with live snake! I didn't get a decent pic of the entertainer, whose repertoire also included fire eating, but here's two of the outfits from their catwalk collection:

Charmi Creations

Nicky B

The Nicky B collection was all about saris and lehnga saris. I love the detail on the back of this blouse:

Yuvna Kim

Yuvna Kim's collection included white bridal gowns:

Ziggi Studio and Harkirans

Two of Birmingham's fashion boutiques teamed up for the next part of the show, with Ziggi Studio providing the menswear and Harkirans providing the ladieswear.

Frontier Bazar

Mongas

Mongas had the honour of dressing the show host Anuska Arora as well as having Rishi Rich and wife Manrina as part of their showcase. Here's Manrina in the blue, followed by another interesting outfit from the Mongas collection - what do you think of the skirt style?


Did you attend the show? What did you think? From speaking to various people I've heard both positive and negative views, I guess you can't please everyone! My own views are probably a bit clouded by the fact I've been to this event a few years running and it's useful to me because it gives me lots to blog about! Would love to know what you think, especially views from first-time visitors and people who are planning their weddings - leave your comments below :)

Pop-up Asian Bridal Boutique in Bradford

If you're an Asian bride on a budget then this Asian bridal pop-up shop taking place in Bradford next weekend (2nd and 3rd February) will be of interest!

The two day event is a chance to buy ex-display and one off specially designed sample pieces from leading Indian fashion houses. Prices start from just £200 and the first 20 customers will get an extra 20% off.

For more information on the event check out their facebook event page.

Shyamal and Bhumika Fashion Event in London March 2013

Charity Pratham UK are hosting an asian fashion filled charity event in March featuring Indian designers Shyamal and Bhumika.

The event takes place on Thursday 14th March, 11.30am - 3pm, at the Oak Room in Le Meridien Piccadilly Hotel, London and will also feature jewellery designer Neety Singh and "secret celebrity guests".

Tickets for the event are £80 each, which seems a little steep to me, but then again this is a charity that's known for its extravagant fundraising events. Check out photos from Pratham's Sabyasachi fashion show which took place in London in October 2012 and had Bollywood stars Kajol and Soha Ali Khan in attendance.

Here are some pics from Shyamal and Bhumika's Maharaja collection on the catwalk at Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2012.






You can find out more details about the event and how to buy tickets on Pratham UK website here.

Asiana Bridal Show 2013 London

My favourite Asian wedding exhibition, the Asiana Magazine Bridal Show is back for 2013! Taking place on Sunday 27th January at the Park Plaza Riverbank hotel in London, the event has lots to offer for brides and grooms-to-be as well as asian fashion fans.

My main reason for attending is the fashion show, which always offers inspiration on bridal and party looks for this year.

These are the stores who will be showcasing collections on the catwalk:

RDC
Frontier Raas
Kyles Collection
Mongas
Khushboos by Chand
Nicky Bridal
Frontier Bazaar

*Update, Harkirans, Ziggi Studio, Charmi Creations and Yuvna Kim have also been added to the catwalk line-up*

Tickets are available to buy now from the Asiana Bridal Show website, priced at £10 for entry to the exhibition and £20 for entry to the exhibition and catwalk show. A £1 booking fee per ticket is applied for online bookings.

Here are some of my favourites from last year's show:

Harkirans:

Frontier Raas

Bridal look created by make-up artist Jawaad Ashraf

Khushboos by Chand

Ziggi Studio

Ekta Solanki

Check out my full review of the 2012 Asiana Bridal catwalk show here and look out for my review of the 2013 show after the event itself!

How to wear a Matha Patti

I love hair accessories for asian weddings, and for many asian brides a matha patti (or shingar patti) is their accessory of choice. I'm also starting to see guests wearing them at weddings too.

Here's some inspiration to help you decide what type of matha patti to choose and how to style your hair with it!

Bridal Matha Patti looks

As most brides opt for an up-do on their big day, the most common bridal look for a matha patti is to have all your hair up.

Here are two shingar patti/matha patti looks from Kyles Collection, as seen at one of their catwalk shows. These matha pattis don't have a strand going through the parting/to the back of the head and there's no extra volume added to the hairstyle:

Here are two bridal matha patti looks from the catwalk with some volume added to the front of the hair:

Party/Wedding guest Matha Patti looks

This look is from the runway at the Chanel Pre Fall 2012 show.

Here are some open hair styles worn with a matha patti:
Bollywood actress Amisha Patel wears her matha patti with her hair open and wavy

Radio DJ from Kiss FM Neev also wore her hair curly with a matha patti at the 2012 UK AMAs. Her jewellery was from Bees in London:

Cheska from Made in Chelsea wore this matha patti style headpiece from River Island with straight open hair:

This black and white beaded matha patti style head piece is from Elisha Francis London:

The Maharani's Matha Patti by Kavita Bhartia:

Half Matha Patti styles

This style can also be called a "Pakeezah Jhoomer" inspired by this look from the film Pakeezah:

Here are some more modern ways to wear this style of matha patti.
Kangana Ranaut wore this one by Amrapali at the 2011 Indian International Jewellery Show:

This look is from make-up artist Hamida Patel which take the main focus off centre and has the strands going across the forehead:

This half matha patti style is by Naz Beauty

Hair stylist and make-up artist Nisha has made this video tutorial which goes through things you should consider before buying a matha patti:

And finally...here's a pic of me wearing my bridal matha patti, post-wedding, to a themed party, my hair and make-up on this occassion was from Make up by Mus.

I've only re-worn it the once since my wedding, but after writing this blog post I've been inspired to try a new look for my next special occassion!

Check out my pinterest board for more matha patti hairstyles and looks.