Magazine Review - Asiana Wedding Summer 2008 Issue

Can a girl have too many bridal magazines? If you've seen one are all the rest just the same? If you've already chosen your wedding outfit (like me!) is it still worth buying more magazines??
Well here's my reviw/preview of the latest Asiana Wedding magazine, so you can decide if it's worth it for you!

Front Cover
"Majestic. The return of regal glamour" is the tagline for this issue of Asiana Wedding, and you can see for yourself it's a very regal old-style kinda of look. The heavily embroidered outfit is from Bombay Trendz and that overpowering triple-layer necklace is from Mona Vora.
If the front cover makes you think that the whole magazine in going to be full of traditional outfits and styling like this then think again! There's plenty of features inside for modern/contempory wedding styling.

Features/Articles
I'd imagine the articles in this magazine aren't the main selling point for most people - it's the pictures! I'll get to those later, but first every magazine needs some substance and the actual articles/advice start on page 112 of this issue.

Mr.Sanjay Anand, the director of events management company Madhu's, starts things off with his usual Q+A. I couldn't help but chuckle at the first question sent in - "I've saved myself for the man I'm going to marry and I don't want him to think I'm a slutty girl on the big night". Laughs aside, there were questions about beach weddings in the uk, combined stag and hen nights, and what to do if you've read negative comments online about the make-up artist you've booked.
There's also a financial Q+A which, in the current credit-crunch climate are a useful addition.

Then there's the real-life weddings. If I'm being completely honest these are starting to bore me a little bit now, none of the weddings seem very original...well apart from "celebrity" wedding. It's not really a celebrity as such (I've never heard of either of these people) but the son of some big jewellery dynasty getting married to his sweetheart made for a big lavish 4-page spread in the magazine. (They had 4000 guests in case you're interested!)

Other articles that stuck out were the "how to choose your caterer", a gift wishlist and a review of Thailand for a honeymoon destination.

Fashion/Beauty
Aside from all the beautifully shot clothes ads, there's an article on hats. Yep you read correctly HATS. I love a good hair accessory, not sure I'd go as far as wearing a hat, It's a very modern look which would probably be best suited to a registration rather than a wedding day, but Asiana have shown they've got their finger on the pulse and even categorized what type of hat would suit your face shape.
Beauty-wise there's an article on "overnight beautifiers", products which work while you're asleep! There's also features on make-up artists Jawaad Ashraf and Joshiv Beauty.

The clothes!!
I think I've spelled out that there's LOTS of clothes in this magazine, and there's just so much variety. From modern suits to traditional outfits, registry outfits, partywear. No prices on the outfits, which makes you assume they're all totally expensive, but here's a tip for you - if there's an email address in the contact details on the store, drop them an email and ask the price. I emailed the boutique Maaha and got a reply the next day.

Overall
I'd say this issue of Asiana Wedding was worth buying. With a lot of other bridal magazines, by the time they get to their 14th issue you start to see the same articles/advice coming back again and again. Of course their going to repeat themselves, cause each year there's a new set of brides who need the same advice, but I think Asiana Wedding manage to keep it fresh and don't repeat themselves too much :)



Asiana Wedding Magazine is available for £4.50 in the shops, but you can get 3 issues for £12.50 if you become a subscriber, with the added bonus of having it delivered to your door (so no more running round the shops trying to find a copy!)

Events Team looking for models, dancers, and choreographers

This opportunity for models, dancers and choreographers turned up in my inbox this week, and I thought I would share it with all Asian Fashion Blog's aspiring stars!
(I've been informed the date and time are subject to change, but I'll let you know if anything changes)

Audition for MODELS, DANCERS and DANCE CHOREOGRAPHERS
Date: 29th June 2008

Time: 10am - 7 pm

Venue: Clerkenwell House, Hatton Wall, London (Closest tube, Chancery Lane)

We are looking to cast models, dancers and dance choreographers of any ethnicity for a show which will be held in September 2008.

This is one of many series of shows planned over the next year. It is in preparation for a big scale charity fashion show which will be staged in 2009.

The idea behind the show is to raise money for the charities involved and to elevate the profile of the performers.

As this is a charity show, it will be unpaid. However, you will be promoted to the media and entertainment industry via a brochure distributed to the VIPs at the show and via TV coverage of the show.

Models
- Looking for confidence, grace, elegance and ability to pose without direction
- Good facial expression
- Ability to walk to the beat

Preferably size 6 - 10. Height is not important, we are looking for models with a unique look.

Models will need to perform a short catwalk, to judge their facial expression and ability to walk to the beat. A natural photo will also be taken on the day.

Dancers/Dance Choreographers
- Any style or experience
- Confidence
- Good facial expression
- Good leadership skills and teaching ability (Applies to choreographers)

You will need to prepare a 1 minute dance routine which will illustrate your ability. It can be any style and to any kind of music of your choice.

Please bring CV and portfolio if you have one, and a professional photo that you can leave with us.

For more information, contact Saima Awan:
saimaawan@hotmail.com
07939 038 062

Update - Anarkali Suits

Following on from my previous post about where to buy Anarkali Churidar suits online here's an update on some of the new suits available from Kaneesha.com

These suits are everywhere in the shops now, but I know not everyone has a host of fabulous asian boutiques on their doorstep. I'm starting to wonder...when will this trend come to an end??

Fusion of Fashion and Photography catwalk show - part 2

If you missed my the first photos from the Fusion of Fashion and Photography show, held at the Pakistan High Commission, click here to check them them out.

Here's part two, again with photography by Shahid Malik.

These two outfits are both quite standard, I'm sure I'm not the only one who has seen designs like these many times before.

These two red outfits below are a bit more out of the ordinary. I'm struggling to think of what occassion/where these outfits would be worn! If anyone has any ideas please leave a comment and let me know!



After the red, there was black black black! I like the idea of wearing a dressy top with jeans, and thought these tops were pretty but I felt I'd seen them all somewhere before, in shops like Warehouse, River Island, New Look, even Primark!




Coast have a similar version of this last top, click to take a look.

Overall, this part of the show was a bit disappointing. We've all seen and probably worn outfits like these before. Still, I wouldn't have posted the pics if they were totally useless - what do you think of the hairstyling???

Fusion of Fashion and Photography - at the Pakistan High Commission

The Pakistan High Commission recently held a fashion show, called "Fusion of Fashion and Photography". The show featured collections by the following designers: Maheen Khan, Deepak Perwani, Samrya Rashid, Simoneel Sidiki, Dania Habib and Mahin Hussain.

I didn't attend the show, but photographer Shahid Malik has very kindly let me use his photos.

It all started with some bright summery outfits, all with short jackets:

I'm liking the use of yellow in the above outfits, although I think the the heavy pink top in the first pic is a little bit over the top. Likewise, I'm not keen on the blue "bobbley" trim on the dress (and in the earrings)


I think a plain top underneath looks so much better with the patterned jackets. I'm really loving the pink jacket/white skirt look above...although the bag it's accessorised with is a bit scary!


There were a few darker coloured outfits thrown in there, but these were teamed up with a bit of red on the sleeves and white embroidery on the black dresses. I really liked these outfits, they look good but also comfortable and wearable.


The red sleeves were back again, although they don't look too good with this outfit! There's just too much going on here it's a mess!


This part of the show ended with these two outfits - a longer jacket in blue, teamed up with a white skirt, and this white dress.

What do you think of these outfits? Would you wear any of the items seen here? Look out for more photos from the this fashion show in my next post!

Where to find a good beautician for eyebrow threading

Having neat and tidy eyebrows can make such a difference to the way you look, anyone who's ever let their eyebrows grow out wild and then had them tidied up/shaped can tell you this! So what's the best method of achieving fabulous eyebrows?? Waxing, Threading or Plucking?

I'll admit, I've never had my eyebrows waxed, although I have heard horror stories of eyebrow waxing gone wrong. Most salons offer waxing treatments, but to find somewhere reliable that offers threading can be a bit more difficult, well in the UK anyway.

I've been to some really unprofessional beauticians in my quest for perfect eyebrows, from the woman who stopped halfway through to have a phone conversation, to the salon where they used an old toothbrush to comb my eyebrows! I didn't complain at the time cause I thought I was lucky to have even found somewhere to go for threading, because in a lot of places it's almost impossible to find beauticians who offer threading.

Nowadays, threading is a bit more mainstream. This weekend I walked into Selfridges in Manchester City Centre to see a live threading demonstration taking place right in front of my eyes - courtesy of Blink Brow Bars. Blink can also be found in the London branches of Harvey Nichs, Fenwick and Selfridges. Although you might want to take note that they charge an extortionate £17 for eyebrows!!

For people that don't live in London or Manchester, and people that can't justify spending £17 to get their eyebrows done, there is somewhere else you can look for beauticians - Gumtree.com. Although it's not a site dedicated to beauty, it's a good site for finding services in your area, and it has most major UK cities listed, as well as some other non-uk cities too. A lot of freelance beauticians post ads there so it's worth a browse. Just search for threading! Here's a random ad I found for a beautician who offers threading: Threading and Waxing Treatments.


So lets assume you've found someone you're happy with to thread your eyebrows, but what do you do in between your threading sessions? Personally I suggest using tweezers to maintain your look for as long as you can. Once your eyebrows are all neat it's a lot easier to notice when those hairs start growing back!
You can get tweezers from most shops, but if you want a pair to be proud of, you have to try Shavata Professional Tweezers.




They don't come cheap at £19.50 each, but tweezers are quite a personal item like make-up brushes so you might not want to scrimp on price! I have to admit the pointy pair do look a bit scary, but I reckon these are the kinda of tweezers you'd keep for life! (as long as you don't lend them to a friend who doesn't give them back) Click here For more info on Shavata's products.

Any other suggestions for ways to find a good beautician? and does anyone have any eyebrow horror stories to share? Or is it just me who has all the bad luck?!!

Silons at the Asiana Wedding Show Birmingham

The final show at this year's Asiana Show in Birmingham, was by Silons and they ended it in style! There was so much variety - in the colours and in the designs.

They started off with this white outfit, and a little bit of dancing (the menswear was by Pronuptia).

Next up there was a succession of colourful summery skirt suits, which I think were intended to be registy outfits. I really liked all of these, and would probably buy them all if I had somewhere to wear them (and if I could afford it!!!)









Ok...maybe I wouldn't buy this last outfit...it makes the models bum look huuuuuuuge!



Next up was their bridal collection, which was a big contrast to the bright colours of the registry outfits. I didn't really like these outfits, even though there were certain features which I thought looked good. The overall look and combinations didn't make me think "wow".










Finally, there were what I would describe as party outfits - including two churidar suits which were so short they looked a bit like ballerina tutus. The models certainly looked like they were having a party as they danced on stage!








These were the final two outfits. I'm loving the one-sleeved churidar dress!




Silons are based in Birmingham, and you can visit their website by clicking here.

So that's the end of my pics from the Asiana Bridal Show in Birmingham (it took me long enough to upload them all didn't it?!!). Which collection did you like best? Did you see your future wedding outfit on the catwalk? Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!

Sana Designerwear at the Asiana Bridal Show Birmingham

I'd previously seen some of the Sana Designerwear collection earlier on in the year at the London Asiana Wedding Show, and many of the outfits they had to show in Birmingham were exactly the same as last time...you can check out my review of that show by clicking here. They did however, have two new outfits:

As you can see, Sana Designerwear don't do "modern" and I wasn't impressed by their outfits at London's Asiana show, but I do really like some of the new outfits on their website and in the latest issue of Asiana Magazine. Check out the Sana Designerwear website and take a look for yourself.

Laaj at Birmingham's Asiana Wedding Show

Laaj had the "cupid theme" for their collection at the Asiana Wedding Show in Birmingham, complete with feathery wings and love-heart bow and arrows. They started off with this gold outfit:

This was followed by a procession of dark purples and dark greens. Maybe it's just me but I think these type of colours are more suited to a winter bridal collection rather than a summer collection. These outfits were still pretty though and I guess not everyone wants to be sparkly and bright!







When I initially saw this outfit, and even after looking at these photos the first few times I didn't even notice the design of the skirt cause those big sleeves attract all your attention! What do you think of it all?? I admire the designer for doing something a bit different, but I think the whole look is just too much and something people would only wear because it would get them attention!!



Next up were some deep reds, with big bold embroidery.







They ended the show with this red outfit, complete with matching bolero and a train.


Laaj are based in Birmingham, and you can check out their website by clicking here.