High Waisted Lehenga's - A New Wave of Design...

Once in a while a new wave of thinking comes along and revolutionises the way we see and think about things, I suppose that seems to dramatise things a bit! But honestly what I want to talk to you about today will challenge the way you think about Lehenga's - yes that right Lehengas!

Now just stay with me a minute I've not completely lost the plot yet! (My mother would probably argue otherwise!) and all will become clear! After a busy and magnificent fashion week and many many fashionable moments there was one  big trend and styling tip that I think should be taken away from all this! A trend that I genuinally believe is here to stay and that of course is High Waisted Lehengas now I know its not the most obvious thing to have taken away from Fashion Week but for me it revolutionised and challenged the way I thought about myself and how I dress in order to flatter my body shape!

For years and years stylists and well anybody who has anything to say about how we should dress has been banging on for years that we should dress for our body shape and that we should wear things that suits our individual bodies and styles and with the help of the fashion gods were starting to see that reflected in garments appearing on the runways!

Long gone are the days of unflattering and unconfident feeling women wearing Lehengas endlessly wishing their bodies maybe looked a certain way or had a little less of that or a little more of that! We've all been there I'm sure, so your not alone ladies! It's completely normal and we have to appreciate that every single human being is differnt and that we've got to love the body shape that we have and learn how best to dress the body shape we have! That's Rule No.1 for Life too ladies! 

Lehenga's are historically worn draped on the hips or maybe just above but definitely draped round the mid to lower half of your body! Now culturally and I say culturally because I know that not everyone follows this pattern, but culturally tradition has lent towards the idea that Indian Women have more curvaceous figures, so we lean towards the hourglass shapes, so we tend to have slender waists and wider hips. Like I said this isn't true for everyone! But taking that into account why then have we been for years highlighting the wider areas of our body and not the more slender areas?!

But thaks to creative genius Anju Modi and Sabyasachi Mukherjee  who demonstrate perfectly (I mean lets be honest - don't they always!) you'll get to see exactly how much more flattering it is too highlight your waist instead of your hips! By hanging your Lehenga on your waist you skim over the lower areas of your body creating an illusion and silhouette with your body. Similar to the concept of contouring with makeup I suppose, using makeup to highlight specific areas of your face - the concept is exactly the same here! 

Masaba Gupta - A Revolutionary Talent...

Masaba Gupta is a name that by now you must have heard of! If not, where on earth have you been?! Not only is she one the of the freshest talents to hit the Indian fashion scene but she is also one hell of a business women as she is continually expanding and pushing the boundaries with her work. At the young age of 25  she has achieved a tremendous amount and seems quite frankly unstoppable.

Her unique and modern take on Indian and Western Fashion is a breath of fresh air, and you know the mark of true and legendary designer when you can think of them and know exactly what their trademark quirk is and Masaba is one of those brands. 

She has launched her own label Masaba but is also creative director of luxury brand Satya Paul both labels infamous for heir incredible saris and ready to wear clothes, I'm personally coveting a many number of her saris! Both brands are synonymous with Masaba's love for bold and quirky prints and is known by all those who love and know her work for making them look effortlessly wearable. 

Now the reason I wanted to dedicate an entire post to her was not only to simply boast about her incredible talent as a designer but to introduce to a brand that will revolutionise the way that you think about your average outfit and especially your sari's! 

You know that feeling you get when you just want to wear something stand out and completely different, something that you haven't seen done a thousand times over, then Masaba is your go to girl, paired with her reasonable prices she's the answer to all your dilemmas. Her saris have been seen on the likes of fashionista Sonam Kapoor, Soha Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor, and are such a breath of fresh air. Her unusual outlook and colour palettes create such magic when worn, so if your looking to have at least one investment piece that is nothing at all like the rest of your wardrobe then I would say invest in one of these beauties just as would a timeless handbag! 

This sari is a personal favourite!  

Sonam Kapoor wearing Satya Paul by Masaba Gupta  

The designer herself wearing one of her own creations, showing flawless her creations look!  

Sari Draping...

So the sari or saree is you prefer, is an age old classic and I've done a previous post (check the blog archive for more info!) about the recent updates it's been given!  But I wanted to dedicate a post the skilful art of draping a sari!

Now I won't claim to be an expert here by any means, and quite frankly draping a sari is an acquired skill and craft! I still need assistance more often then not! 

But I definitely feel like there's so many differnt way of draping a pallu that a whole post should be dedicated to it! Now essentially draping a sari involves a mixture of wrapping and complicated pleating a long length of material! But there are so many differnt ways to wrap a pallu (the part that is draped over the shoulder.)

Now I won't really waste time going over the normal ways to drape a sari because we have essentially the over the shoulder drape and the pleat on the shoulder style. But there are many new and fabulous ways to  drape your sari and I have one personal favourite!

The Drop and Drape...

• This is what I like to call the drop and drape pallu- It means exactly what it says. Now you'll have to bear through my somewhat 'interesting' description of this particular Pallu (and I promise even if your still a little lost after, just check out the pictures below and you'll understand what I'm chatting about!) Now this Pallu has been spotted on the runways of Fashion Week but also on many Bollywood celebs such as Sonam Kapoor, she sported this type of drape most recently at Ahana Deols' Wedding Reception. What it basically involves is draping the Pallu so that there is a 'loose' drape between the blouse and the pleats of the sari (check out the pictures below) 
• Usually when we wrap the Pallu round we wrap it round quite 'tight' so that it has a sheath like quality, this type of drape is essentially the opposite, were aiming to create a drape...
• If you wanna give this a try, what you need to do is insert fewer pleats in what I like to think of as the skirt half of a sari, this basically means that the part that is meant to overhang on the shoulder is really long - What you'll need to do is basically drape this over the shoulder leaving a comfortable gap between the Pallu and the blouse
• This style is especially stunning when the blouse of your sari is a feature piece... 

You can see the gap between the Pallu and the Blouse, this is the 'drop' part of the drape and then once you have a gap that your happy with you drape the remaining parts of the Pallu on the shoulder...

I used this picture previously for my statement necklace post but it also a perfect example of this type of drape! 

How to Wear Statement Necklaces with Indian Wear...

My last post was dedicated to statement bracelets and this week were going to look at how to mix statement necklaces with indian wear!! Now believe it or not wearing big statement-ish necklaces with Indian clothes has been around for decades, but theres a new way to accessorise your indian wear. Now some of you guys in the east may be more familiar with mixing more western style statement necklaces with indian outfits but here in the UK its not something that I see all too often! Now the concept of wearing a statement necklace is essentially the same, when you have a single tone or fairly simple outfit lets say, a dark green based anarkali with hints of burnt orange and reds  to contrast pairing this simple silhouette with a chunky and long rustic gold or even burnt orange multi-strand necklace is a great way to add a touch of glamour to a fairly simple outfit without it looking over the top 

In the west when we pair jewellery with suits and saris and we tend to, in my opinion , think a little inside the box, we go for a fairly simple chocker style necklace style, very rarely have I seen long to medium length draped necklaces with indian outfits. 

So I wanted to share with you guys a few simple tips and inspirational ideas so that you can try it out or yourself! I first came across this styling idea when I had a pre-wedding party to go to and I was asking one of my dearest of friends for advice, she was like 'have you got a longish type necklace to go with this, it will look fabulous?' and when she asked I just looked a little confused and she looked at me like 'whaaatt?!' and I honestly just couldn't fathom mixing what seemed to me like two very independent types of clothing with what I considered westernised jewellery. But I went and dug up my very unorganised stack of necklaces and lo and behold she was right - I was gob smacked, it worked and couldn't BELIEVE I hadn't mixed this style before! 

Now its my go-to look whenever I feel like changing things up, read on for my key styling tips: 

• Tip One: Always choose a chunky necklace, and I'm aware that sounds obvious considering its a post dedicated to 'statement' necklaces but dainty necklaces won't do the trick here. It has to be noticeable!
• Tip Two: Colour - colour in statement necklaces always looks fab, but your not going to want to start  clashing different tones! My advise would be to pick on main colour from the indian suit/sari and run with that... 
• Tip Three: Layering/Multi-Layer necklaces: Layering necklaces or choosing multi strand designs are an easy way to wear a statement necklace with indian wear, they give this interesting contrast with the traditional or even modernity of indian clothes. I especially love the mix of enamel stones which we typically would pair with western wear, with the contrast of indian wear. 
• Tip Four: Pendants/ Medallions: don't be afraid of large hanging pendants, like the one shown in the    pictures below wearing the icy blue and red sari. This is often the feature point of the necklace so its the accentuating part! It also adds a rustic regal touch but if your not quite sure, start of with something a little smaller, but like I said in Tip One Chunky is the way to go here!