Henna Magazine...a different one!

Another magazine called Henna? Yep, You may remember I reviewed a newly launched magazine called Henna back in June (see here to refresh your memory) and then yesterday in WH Smith I came across another magazine called Henna, with the tagline "asian and beyond".

If the two mags weren't so different it could get very confusing! Here's my review of the other Henna magazine.

Front Cover
Henna went for a big name on the front cover of their "supermodel issue", none other than Yasmin Le Bon. The cover makes a bold statement with white text on a dark background, and instead of sticking an advert on the back they've designed the back cover too and opted for a striking black and white shot:



Articles
The team behind this issue of the magazine include former Asiana editor Poorna Shetty, model/actress/journalist Veronica Webb and Gerry DeVeaux (the judge from Britain's Next Top Model).
The magazine splits it's articles into separate sections - People, Culture, Bollywood, Fashion, Mens, Beauty, Food and Travel. You might think these are all pretty standard things to find in an asian magazine, but something about this magazine makes it truly stand out compared to all the other alternatives out there.
There are no "filler" articles which are just put in for the sake of it, no stupid quizzes, no problem pages. I have a feeling this magazine won't appeal to everyone, mainly because the ratio of words to pictures is a lot higher than most other asian mags! In fact I haven't even had a chance to read through every article yet - I like a good quarterly magazine that I can put down and pick up a again a week later and still have something new to read.

Fashion and Beauty
Well, as always this blog isn't here just to review magazines, it's here to review fashion! There's definitely a fashion focus in this issue, "the supermodel issue". There's an interview with the front cover star Yasmin Le Bon, and a piece on back cover star Masood "Moose" Ali Khan.
When it comes to the fashion editorials, there's not one single item in here that I could afford! Everything is designer with a captial D! but the images are beautiful probably thanks to the styling/production by Gerry DeVeaux. There's also some western designerwear mixed in with the HSY, Libas, Azara, Tarun Tahiliana and Manish Malhotra pieces.
Another thing I like about the fashion editorials is that the majority of them feature a range of different designers. With the likes of Asiana etc. you'll see 6 pages in a row of outfits by one designer or boutique, mix it up sometimes!

Overall
I really like this mag, and with a cover price of £4.50 it's the same price as most of the other quarterly asian magazines out there. As I said before, I don't think it will appeal to everyone though - do you like to read thought provoking articles? or do you like your magazines to be more of a shopping catalogue full of asian outfits in an array of colours and styles?
Personally I like both...which may explain why I always end up buying both types of magazine!

Anyways, back to Henna, you can see highlights of the magazine online at the Henna Magazine website, or can purchase a copy from WH Smiths and Borders.

Mela at the Mall fashion show

Photographer Shahid Malik recently posted some photos from the Mela at the Mall fashion show (held in Ilford Exchange shopping centre) to his facebook page.
The show featured outfits by Mongas, Rang and RDC. Here's a selection of photos from the show:

RDC showcased some anarkali style churidar suits, which just goes to show this trend isn't dead yet! The pieces they had on the catwalk were in more subtle autumn shades compared to the bright colours worn in the summer.

Rang had some brighter colours on show, including this lightly embroidered blue outfit:






I'm loving the colour combination on this green dress below, but not sure I like the bottom of the dress where it flares out. If you got rid of the puffy-out part of this outfit, it would make a great mini-dress!




Mongas had these genie-style outfits on the catwalk for their section of the show. They look fun, but I can't quite imagine wearing something like this to a party or event! Have you ever worn one of these?





Mongas did have some long flowing skirt suits too though :)



Check out the Shahid Malik facebook group for more of Shahid's photo shoots.

Chance to work backstage at the Asian Woman Awards of Excellence 2008

Asian Woman Magazine are holding an awards ceremony next Saturday on the 22nd November in London and they're on the lookout for some volunteers! This is the ad they posted on facebook, looking for people to help out at the event:


The Asian Woman Awards for Excellence is fast approaching and this is your chance to be involved in the biggest and most stylish event on the social calendar.


This red carpet event is attended by celebrities and dignitaries alike and is on Saturday 22nd November 2008.

Details below. Please see the website for more information
http://www.theasianwomanawards.com

How can you be involved?

By being a part of the backstage team and working specifically on the catwalk show.

We require people to style, assist with props and theming and dress models.

The successful candidates will need to attend a briefing on Monday 17th November at 11am in our studio in Chessington (directions attached).


The nearest rail station is Chessington North. Trains leave every half an hour from Waterloo station. You need to get the 10.16am train.

We are 10 mins away from Chessington North station. Come out of the station, turn left, onto Sopwith Avenue. Walk to the end and then turn left again. Walk under the stone bridge and onto Sanger Avenue – this is a long street with houses either side. We are at the end of the road, big, blue and silver building.


In addition, you will need to be at the venue on Saturday 22nd November at 12:30pm.


What do you get in return?

A once in a lifetime experience to be involved in a truly professional and successful event
Experience working on a catwalk show that will be televised on B4U and Prime TV
The opportunity to meet and mingle with the stars
Complimentary ticket to the after party (at same location) from 11:30pm -2am. (Value £20).
A year’s subscription to Asian Woman magazine (if live within UK)

The Event Details

The Asian Woman Awards for Excellence

Saturday 22nd November 2008

1pm – 11:30pm (breaks and food will be provided)

Banqueting House, Whitehall, London, SW1A 2ER.

Please see parking information attached or see online.

http://www.westminster.gov.uk/carparks/trafalgar.cfm


If you would like to be a part of it please email me with your name, contact details and any relevant experience by FRIDAY 14th November 12pm.

OF IF YOU KNOW OF SOMEONE WHO MAY BE INTERESTED PLEASE FORWARD THIS ON!!!!

Kind regards


Brianna Ragel

Editor

Asian Woman

brianna@asianwomanmag.com

(P. +44 (0) 8707 555 502

www.asianwomanmag.com


So if you're based in London with an interest in fashion, or just want to get a "behind-the-scenes" look at how an awards ceremony and catwalk show come together email Briana before 12pm on Friday - 14th November! (and if you get picked let me know how it was)

Focus on menswear - The Sherwani Company

Menswear is not something that has been covered very much on Asian Fashion Blog. I wrote about the RCS collection on at the Asiana Bridal Show at the start of the year, but since then there hasn't been a sherwani in sight!

If I'm being completely honest, menswear doesn't really interest me! There was one occassion when I went with my other half to buy an asian outfit from Burooj in Manchester, but aside from that menswear doesn't hold my attention the same way that womenswear does.

However, when I got an email telling me about The Sherwani Company I decided to take a closer look and here's what I found!

The Sherwani Company are based in London, with their main aim being to give todays' Asian grooms the same choice that their brides have when it comes to choosing their wedding outfits.
A quick look through the gallery on their website shows rich fabrics, detailed embroidery, bold colours and unique designs, all of which can be customised to match or compliment a chosen theme or even the bride's outfit.
Here's a selection of what they have to offer:

These next two outfits stood out to me cause I like the detailing at the top where they fasten. Yes all the outfits look amazing on the models in the photos, but in reality I think the little details in the designs are more than just to make the clothes look pretty - they serve a purpose too? For example certain designs suit certain body shapes and I'd bet the Sherwani Company could advise most men on what to wear to look their best...and hide the rest (cause men have body hang-ups too!)




The next outfit is my favourite. I love how the colour in the outfit is so subtle - just a hint of blue in the embroidery with a matching blue scarf. If I was looking for a mens outfit to match one of my own, I'd probably pick something like this.


What do you think of these outfits? Would you kit your groom out in a customised sherwani?


For more info on the Sherwani Company check out The Sherwani Company website, which has contact info and a gallery full of photos!

Asiana Magazine Week mini catwalk show

I managed to find some snaps of the Asiana "magazine week" catwalk show that was held in Borders bookstore last month, and the photographer Nardip Singh has very kindly let me post some of them here (you can see some more on the Nardip Singh photography facebook group).

This free fashion show featured designs by Rina Dhaka and Vinita Pittie (both of which are available in the UK from the stockist Maaha) with hair, make-up and henna being provided by Joshiv Beauty.

Here are 3 of my favourite outfits from the show:

I really like the richness in the colours of these outfits. Sometimes with such bold colours it's difficult to add details without making it look too over the top, but I think the designer has reached the right balance to make these outfits stand out for the right reasons.


I thought I'd include a shot of Joshiv, from Joshiv Beauty doing a mehndi design. Joshiv advertises her services very heavily in Asiana magazine so I suppose it made for a perfect collaboration on this show. Did you notice the first two models were wearing necklaces in their hair? :)

Fusian Magazine

FUSIAN magazine launched this month, promising to be "the magazine made for the British Asian woman of today". I got my copy the day after it launched and here's my review!

Front Cover
There's just 4 colours used on the front cover, and the combination of red, white, black and grey makes for a very bold looking image.

Articles/Features
This mag isn't all about the pictures, it's full of articles. These aren't the usual articles you'd find in the other Asian magazines on the market, in fact they're the type of thing you're more accustomed to seeing in a mainstream/English magazine (but with a twist for the British Asian woman obviously!)
A lot of the articles have a focus on relationships, such as:

- how to make him run a mile
- the guys you have to date before you meet Mr. Right
- how to tell he's cheating on you
- datng deal breakers
- is he the one?
- signs he's really into you

As a settled married woman, these articles were a bit lost on me, but I know for a fact there are plenty of single/dating asian girls out there who will probably get a good read out of these.

In addition to those, there's bits and pieces on Bollywood, entertainment, careers...and of course fashion and beauty!

Fashion and Beauty
Fusian's ethos is to have less of a "catalogue" feel and not be full of ads, but there's no way it was going to be completely ad-free! However I think they managed to get the right balance, so that fashion lovers will still get their kicks from this mag too.
Aside from the ads, the fashion section mainly features 3 designers/boutiques - Mimi, Coconut and Sharon's Couture. What I like about their fashion editorials is that they mix up their designers' outfits with high street pieces so you can recreate the looks yourself. They also have 4 pages of "best buys" from £50-£200 which I think is a fab feature, one of my criticisms of the other Asian mags is that they don't feature enough affordable clothes, that's not the case with Fusian.

The Final Verdict
Are there too many Asian magazines out there now? Do we really need another one? Well I think it's great that there's more of a choice for Asian women when it comes to magazines. Fusian really does offer something different, it's not just the way it looks but it's the way it's written. Unlike all the other London-based Asian mags, Fusian is based in Birmingham and that makes them more accessible to designers outside of London, and all the beautiful aspiring models who aren't in London too! It's also worth mentioning that with a cover price of £2.50 Fusian is slightly cheaper than the quarterly mags.


For more info on Fusian, check out the Fusian Facebook Group

Manish Arora teams up with MAC

I'm signed up to the MAC mailing list and when this email landed in my inbox I just knew I had to post it on here!

Indian designer Manish Arora has a limited edition of MAC cosmetics now available in the UK from the MAC website and Harrods in London. I'm not sure about availability worldwide, but all products are sold out on the US MAC site.

The collection consists of 4 items - an eyeshadow compact, lipstick (2 colours available), lipgloss (2 colours available) and powder blush (again 2 available in 2 colours).

I've not seen these in person, and I'm not taking the colours of the make-up itself into consideration when I say this, but from the pictures/packaging this limited edition set just doesn't appeal to me. When you buy premium make-up, most of your cash goes on the packaging and I don't like this packaging - I know it's supposed to have an "indian" look cause the collection is in collaboration with an Indian designer but I think this looks a bit cheap! Maybe it's different in person??

Check out the MAC website for more info.

What do you think? Would you be proud to pull one of these out of your handbag?