Real Bride: Laughter and Light

Hi everyone. I'm so excited to be kicking off this week with a Real Bride feature.  It takes me a while to find a bridal look or photography style that I feel is worth sharing, but when I find one I love, I keep talking to the photographer until I convince them to let me post their work.  I found Ayesha Ahmad's work while surfing Gup Shup forums for some material.  I was so moved by her pictures, as though I had attended the wedding myself, that I knew her pictures had to be my next choice for a Real Bride feature.

The lovely bride is Syrian slash Pakistani, so she had four outfit changes over three events to reflect both sides of her heritage.  I fell in love with her pictures because she seems to be always laughing, and surrounded by laughter.  She is glowing from the inside-out.  This bride was photographed by Aysesha Ahmad of Ayesha Ahmad Photography.

To see more of this wedding, click here, here, and here.  Ayesha Ahmad, self-dubbed "lover of beauty" is based out of Maryland, DC, and Virginia, although she is available to photograph weddings throughout most of the Northeastern United States.  To view more of Ayesha's work, or to contact her, visit her webpage or her blog.

Love at First Sight: Mixed-Media Necklace from Ranjana Khan

You guys, I just died, and went to heaven. I found jewellery...made from other jewellery, and beads, and embroidery and flowers and fabric. And fabric flowers.  But that's not even the good part.  The good part is that someone who does this is making money and selling their stuff at Neiman Marcus and collaborating with famous designers.   That someone is Ranjana Khan, who creates unique pieces of jewellery using unexpected elements like embroidery.

Mixed-media necklace from Ranjana Khan. Source: SAB blog

If it had occured to me that I could create my own jewellery using needlepoint. I wouldn't be writing this blog. I'd be making a fortune on etsy.  Excuse me while I break out my sewing kit.  Price: Wow...$750 from Neiman Marcus.

The Accessorized Bride: Brooches and Belts

I love accessories because they always fit, and they are cheaper than buying a whole outfit.  You can take an outfit to the next level for less than 20 dollars.  So it shouldn't come as any real surprise that this next look is right up my alley. 

Exclusive Pleated Sari from Trends of India. Source: Trends of India

Trends of India has added these big brooches to the shoulders of their sarees, and while they are just some beads and embroidery on  a piece of bookrum (ask your mom),the idea is good.  It could easily be done with another brooch and a different belt on any sari you choose, for a style that is uniquely yours.

Bollywood Bride: Katrina Kaif in Namastey London

The wedding scene opens with an aerial shot of the beflowered

mandap and pennants (I love pennants for a summer wedding...so festive!)

It's been a while since I've done a profile of a Bollywood Bride, and if you're wondering why when I finally choose to do one, it's from like ten million months ago, it's because I am out of touch with Bollywood.  But also because, believe it or not, bollywood doesn't do long, drawn-out wedding scenes anymore. So pictures are hard to come by.  The wedding is not a popular theme in Bollywood these days.

I really like this lovely peach-tone outfit that Katrina is wearing because it is such an untraditional colour, but at the same time so beautifully suited to her that it hardly matters.  Peach, like plum is a great colour for brides who don't like colour, or hate unnatural makeup, because they complement the skintone of any woman beautifully and lend themselves well to a more muted makeup look.

The top is very flattering to a curvier figure because of the way it hugs the waist with a seam just under the ribcage. It's modest enough for the religious function, yet at the same time very alluring.  I didn't manage to get any good shots of the skirt, unfortunatelyy, but it was simple fishtail with a slight train at the bottom.

As you can see from this shot, her dupatta is pinned once, lifted up a bit, and pinned again, this adds height and volume, as well as lightening the weight of the dupatta.  She also has it pinned around her wrist on one side, and at the shoulder on the other.  My sister-in-law wore it this way for her wedding and it look GOR-geous!

And a final parting shot...All pictures are screenshots from my copy of "Namastey London" 2007, via Eros Entertainment.

Trendspotting: Spring/Summer 2010

Ready for the Beach

With a pretty, victorian twist

Picture Credits from the top left: Seasons India Showcase 2010/Rocky S at Lakme India Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2010/MAC To the Beach Collection via Temptalia/Maria B Bridals 2010/Kyles Runway Collection 2010 via FashionBrideBlog/Seasons India Showcase 2010

The Pulled-Together Bride: Understanding Your Lengha - The Skirt

Hello everyone, sorry for the relative silence around here, I have been busy coming to grips with some university courses I have been taking, as well as enjoying the beautiful weather with my two kids, and focusing on other projects.  My son is crawling now (I get a little bit weepy everytime I say that), which means a lot more running around, pulling things out of his mouth!  I have a lot of great posts coming up though...I can't wait, so lets get started:

Purchasing a bridal lengha is a nail-biting experience.  Sure, it's your day, and your one time to look more beautiful than everyone else in the room, and be the centre of attention...blah, blah, blah.  Still, it's expensive and you only get to buy one, or two at the most, and everyone has an opinion, so no wonder it's easy to become confused about what exactly you want.  A little bit of background on the creation and elements of the lengha should help to make it easier for you to decide what it is you are looking for, and what price point to aim for and expect.  Let's start with the skirt:

Making the Lengha Skirt

This is the piece that carries the most impact, the most embroidery work, and hence, the most bearing on the cost.  Almost all lengha skirts without exception are assembled using triangular panels of fabric. It is the shape and number of these panels that will determine the style of your skirt.  A panel that is narrower at the top and wider at the bottom will create a narrower hip.  A panel that is that is almost the same width from top to bottom will create a wider skirt.  The more panels you have, the more your skirt will flare out.

Source: chest of books

The Finished Piece

Each panel is individually cut and embroidered before they are all sewn together.  This ensures that they are all identitical, but, if your skirt has more panels in it, that equals more work, and therefore, a higher price.  In order to understand the quality of the work done on the lehenga, it is easiest to identify one panel, and then examine all the embroidery and beading done to it.  The more difficult the embroidery, the higher the price.  I will hopefully be posting on the different embroidery techniques very soon. 

A key element of the finished Lengha skirt is the crinoline. A good tailor or seamstress should have no problem with sewing one, and it should be included in the cost of the lengha.  To read more about this essential piece, click here.  Another piece to a quality garment will be the drawstring, or latkan.  This will be at the waist of your lengha and can be tied across your hipbones to help carry the weight of your skirt.  Some designers accessorize it by adding a beaded tassel at the end, others prefer to tie it and tuck it in.  Many lenghas also have a reinforced, embroidered waistbelt. This seemingly decorative element serves to give your skirt some stability and balance the weight of the heavy hem.

Looking the panel of a lengha skirt individually. Source: Trends of India

The Skirt Style

The different styles of lengha skirt are primary divided into two categories, fishtail and A-line.  The style you choose will depend mostly on the function more than on body type, since both styles are universally flattering.  A fishtail would be impractical for a religious function, where you would most likely be sitting on the floor.   A great option for the fusion bride is to add a train on the back of the skirt like an English-style dress.  This requires about two yards of extra fabric, however, and embroidery, so it adds to the cost.  Variations on these two styles include the gored skirt, which is basically a fishtail with smaller triangular panels added in at the bottom for extra swishinesss, or the sari style, which is an a-line style with additional pleats in the centre-front.

A-line and fishtail skirts, respectively.  Source: Trends of India

The Different Materials

As for material, a lengha is most often made from a soft, natural fabric such as silk or georgette.  I don't recommend one made from synthetics at all.  This is a question of quality.  You want the material to sit and move right. It's like comparing your favourite jeans to a pair of nylon track pants, which look better on you?  

Ummm..pause for a jealousy-inducing photoshoot. The fabrics are selection of velvet,

tulle, and chiffon over brocade, respectively. Source: Seasons India Showcase

The type of material will also affect the final look you want to achieve.  A silk taffetta will be stiffer and will hold it's shape, making it ideal for a fishtail, for example.  Brocade silk has an antique effect, and is suitable if you are trying to achieve a vintage look.  A new look that is coming in is a layer of chiffon over the brocade, and the embroidery is done on the chiffon.  Again, go with silks, not polyesters.  If you are going for a more modern look, tulle is a good bet.  Polyester tulle is stiff and looks cheap, so again, go with a silk tulle, and hand wash at least once before they day, to ensure that it is soft and moves well.  Velvet is also a big trend, and again has natural and synthetic options.

Customizing the Lengha
Different companies have different policies on customization, some include it in the cost, others may charge extra for it.  What and how you choose to customize is as unique as the individual.  You may choose to change the cut, number of panels, the material, the embroidery.  Adding more embroidery or upgrading to a higher fabric may change the cost of your lengha since these are cost-determined changes. If you aren't changing the material, for example, but are changing the cut from fishtail to A-line, this will generally not effect the cost, since they are both cut from the same cloth.

 And there you have it, all you need to know for purchasing a lengha skirt, and possibly a little more.  I'll post again soon with info on the lengha top and dupatta

Trendspotting: The Lehenga Sari

Although I am Indian, the quintissential dress of the Indian woman, the sari, doesn't really come into play in my wardrobe.  I do own one, and every now and then I pull it out to look at it, but I never wear it.  It might be because it's too fancy, but it's mostly down to the fact that growing up in Shalwar Kameez, I really never learned how to wrap one, and wearing one is far too complicated an endeavour for me to manage.  The pleating, tucking, and pinning of a sari is actually a huge mystery to me.

Teal Lehenga-Sari with burgundy velvet gores. Source: Trends of India

Still, I have always admired the drape of a sari, and love the way it transforms the wearer so that she carries herself with elegance and grace.  So I think for me, and for many other women, the lengha sari is a great idea.  If you don't want the bother of a dupatta on your head, or you want to wear a sari on your wedding day, but can't be asked with all that wrapping and pinning, it's definitely a good option to consider.

Green and navy lehenga-sari. Source: Trends of India

The way it works is that you have your standard lehenga style skirt, only one seam, they attach the short side of the duppatta, which you then wrap around your waist and bring up over your shoulder like a sari's pallu. Combining the practicality and ease of a lengha skirt with the drape and femininity of a sari, this new design from dress-makers in India makes perfect sense.

Tricks of the Trade: Airbrush Foundation

Temptu Home Airbrush Kit. Source: dealrocker

As cameras become increasingly intuitive, there has been a frenzy to find makeup solutions that stand up to the scrutiny.  No one likes that plastery look of badly applied foundation and it's even worse if it turns up in your wedding day pictures.  One solution could be airbrush makeup.  Now, I want to stress the fact that any makeup, applied by an experienced professional, should hold up on HD camera, but airbrush has its advantages.  For one thing, it sounds attractive, like airbrushing yourself to look like a magazine cover.  For another, it's popular with industry professionals in TV and film.

Source: ayushveda.com

What It Is:
Applied using an airgun, this medium is not your standard foundation from the bottle and comes in different formulations.  There are several popular brands available on the market, including Temptu and MAC, which are favoured by most makeup artists.  Temptu is water-based, and in my opinion, more dewy in finish, and MAC is silicone-based and very, very matte in finish.  You can apply other types of makeup on top of foundation, such as blush or concealer or eyeshadow.  Some artists prefer to apply the concealer first. 

The Good:
Airbrush makeup is favoured by bridal artists because it lasts ALL DAY.  It looks the same in real life and on camera.  You can get full coverage with very light application (think of painting a wall with a brush versus a spray-can).  It's easy on the skin because it sprays on and doesn't required blending in with a brush or sponge so if you're skin is easily irritated or goes red quickly, this may be a good option.  It's very matte, which means that light will not bounce off of  those unsightly shiny patches on your face and your skintone will appear more even and clearer in pictures.

The Bad:
It looks very matte, to the point of looking dry and can look chalky on dry skin.  Different artists get around this problem in different ways, from using an illuminator like YSL Touche Eclat with the makeup, or a moisturizing primer like MAC Strobe Liquid. Even though it is smoother on application, if you apply a lot, it still looks heavy.

MAC Airbrush Gun. Source: MAC Pro

Overall:
I recently had an opportunity to view a demonstration of this makeup technique and my overall feeling is that, it's like any other method, with it's fair share of pros and cons.  I personally feel that the overall effect is far too dry looking and tends to sit on the skin just a bit.  I love a matte finish, and my skin isn't dry, so I love the look of it, but it's not for everyone.

One of the benefits of classic foundation application is the ability to blend and contour, so that in the hands of a skilled artist, it can create some dramatic transformation (think Scott Barnes' "About Face").  Not all makeup artists can achieve that effect with airbrush.  To me, it seems the main attraction of airbrush makeup is its longevity, but as far as I'm concerned, there are at least a dozen formulations of regular foundation that promise and deliver on longer lasting wear. 

The main consideration should be, as always, comfort.  Your wedding day is not the time to be going out of your comfort zone, so if after a trial run with airbrush makeup, you still don't like it, be honest with yourself and your makeup artist and stick to what you prefer.  If it turns out you love the finish, then that's excellent.

Resources:
In writing this article, I referred to the fabulous Wayne Goss' blog, to see what I used, click here.

The Picture-Perfect Bride: How to Pose

Posing for pictures, especially wedding pictures, can be daunting.  You want to be poised, not stiff.  There are several things you can do to perfect your pose for the camera:

Practice good posture.  Sit up straight right now, notice a difference in the way you feel?  Now look in a mirror, see a difference in the way you look?  To learn more, check out my post on good posture by clicking here.

When you are standing, shift your weight onto one foot like you're about to start dancing, so you get an S-shaped, hourglass figure.

If you are carrying a bouquet, hold it closer to your hip and away from your waist, and keep your elbows away from your body.

If you are on the heavier side, turning your hip so that your body is at an angle to the photographer, will make you appear slimmer.  If you are thinner, face the photographer head on, so that the widest part of you faces the camera.

If you are sitting, sit closer to the edge of the chair, this calls your body to attention, so that you engage all your muscles in staying straight and balanced it will also bring more of your lengha into profile.

Opt out of the heavy dupatta. Seriously.  Most designers these days are conscious of our desire to be comfortable, and increasingly, dupattas are made from light chiffons and tulles, so choose one of those.  You will move with more grace and ease, and hold your head higher.

Picture Source: Amna Hakim Photography

Color Theory: We Are Meant to Last Forever

Anarkali suit from Shyamal and Bhumika Spring/Summer 2010.  Source: One India

Apparently, last year, chocolate brown was the new black, and this year, slate grey is the new chocolate brown.  The thing with colour is, trends come and go, but some schemes are universally flattering and become classic.  I saw this dress a while back on South Asian Bridal Magazine Blog, and I couldn't get it out of my head so I knew I had to blog about it.  I love this combination of colours because a masculine black- brown provides a high-contrast to an otherwise feminine and romantic blush pink, and the whole thing is tempered by camel and gold.  These colours are easy on the eye, but in combination, they make a lasting impression.

Love-ly Locks: Messy Side Braids for the Urban Bride

Source: Style.com

No one loves a long braid like us desis.  It is our trademark and the symbol of devout indian wives everywhere.  So it's probably no wonder I love this look from Alexander Wang's 2010 runway show so much.  Alexander Wang is so inspiring to me, and I'm still dying to copy a look from his 2009 winter collection with the leather jackets. But I digress.  The braid is a classic, classic style, updated and completely wearable and easy.  The volume and messiness give it an edge perfect for an urban scence.  I can totally see a bride wearing this look for a wedding.  To see it done right for a desi bride, click here to check out this post from Amplified Soul Makeup + Hair Couture, or check out a previous post I did on this look by clicking here.

The Zen Bride: Compromise and Sacrifice

A generation ago, our parents had little control over whom, why, or when they married. It wasn't always the dreaded arranged marriage, but it was largely orchestrated by the parents. These days, more often, we are introducing our parents to our choice.

The increasing control of our fates has extended to our need to control other aspects of marriage. Brides are less willing to compromise, creating a prolonged search for the right guy, and when we find him, longer laundry lists of what we expect, and what we will not tolerate,  and what we will and will not do.

Popular media (Hollywood or Bollywood), our education system,  and the inherent inferiority complex of a visible minority, has led to an internalization of the belief that we were oppressed and we need to assert ourselves, lest we become victimized once again by our patriarchal culture.

In our rush to demand our own rights, have we pushed our duties as brides, wives, and daughters-in-law to the wayside? Or are we actually gaining equilibrium and balance, validating and acknowledging both partners? At what point can we stop saying "me, me, me" and start saying "you, you, you" without giving up too much?

Picture Source: Peach Orianna from Bargello

The Pulled-Together Bride: Crinolines

I mentioned that my experience at Bridalicious was extremely educational, and a good example of that would definitely be the schooling I got on the elements of a quality lehenga.  Understanding how  it is made and what makes the finished piece look good on the body really allowed me to come to grips with the sometimes high price of wedding clothes.  One such key element is the crinoline, which, 200 years ago would have looked liked this:

Source: Star Rabinowitz

Obviously it didn't last long, since it was just impractical.  Today, a crinoline is more of a petticoat with a flounce (layer of ruffled fabric) at the hem.  This additional part of the lehenga is made of a stiff cotton or silk, similar to the one used in the making of a sari petticoat.  It would look something like this:

Source: my half of the brain blog

What it does is help the lehenga hold its shape so that it has that nice little "kick" to it and flows away from the body as you walk.  My cousin just came back from the UK and she's saying a huge trend over there is to get the flounce on the lehenga petticoat made of tulle and then raise the hemline of the lehenga skirt just a bit so the tulle shows from beneath for an 80's fusion look.