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March Vibe

Mood: Basic shades. Minimal Accessories. Stand out details.

Source: snobfashionblog, zara, monicarosestylist

Ansab Jahangir: The One To Watch

Designing since the age of seventeen and with a few successful exhibitions under her belt, Ansab Jahangir is finally bringing her designs to a larger audience with the launch of her upcoming store this May.

Looking through her previous collections, Ansab's inclination towards detail oriented pieces coupled with feminine silhouettes is apparent. It is this aesthetic that seems to be carried forward to Ansabs upcoming collection,‘Reminiscing Paradise’, which is full of beautiful, ethereal looks, perfect for formal day events- something us Karachites long for, come summer!

While we all wait for her collection to be released, here is a sneak peek of some exceptional pieces that will be part of Ansab Jahangir's 'Reminiscing Paradise' collection:

Zohra Rahman: A Lesson In Wearable Art

 

Unsent Letters

This week, I got a chance to meet the extremely talented jewellery designer, Zohra Rahman to discuss her pop-up shop in Karachi and the elements that inspire her design aesthetic.

Taking a look at Zohra's collection, you can see that her work is nothing short of art, but while not all art can be worn, Zohra ensures that her  pieces are as commercially appealing, as they are cutting edge. As Zohra would put it, 'I want my pieces to be wearable and interactive. Not sitting in a museum'. 

Moenjodaro

A native Lahori and a Central Saint Martins graduate, Zohra's work pushes ideas, taking two dimensional art and transforming it into three dimensional wonders. Making use of sterling silver, she has hand made a collection that holds abstract yet thought provoking pieces.

Minima

My favourite line is 'Unsent Letters' which was a idea she got while at university and explored it once she began creating. For this line, Zohra has taken the idea of torn paper and transformed them into beautiful earrings, cuffs, necklaces, rings and broaches. 

Unsent Letters

Her second collection, 'Moenjodaro' is made in connection with Pakistan. The line is made up of four different, traditional personalities, namely The Hunter, The Builder, The Vandal and The Charmer. On the other hand, Zohra's 'Minima' collection is all about clean lines and basic pieces.

Moenjodaro 

Minima

While all her pieces are on trend (you'll see some beautiful chokers and mismatched earrings), the ideology behind them transforms them into classic works of art. For me, what is probably most impressive is how she has managed to take a complicated idea and convert it into clean and minimal designs. 

Moenjodaro

To get more info on Zohra's designs, check out her Facebook Page

Lust List: Zohra Rahman Assymetric Earrings

In love with these asymmetric earrings from Zohra Rahman's 'Unsent Letters' collection:

Be sure to check out her pop-up store at Generation, Dolmen Mall till 23rd February 2015!

For further details, check out their Facebook Page

Why you should go bare this season

For his Spring 2015 collection, Marc Jacobs sent models down the runway sans make up and since then it seems like the fashion world has fallen in love with keeping there skin practically bare, looking to just minor contouring to accentuate their features while keeping the majority of their beauty look to the minimal. 

For most of us, weaning ourselves off our kajals or liners may seem impossible, but you'd be surprised how fresh you tend to look once you really get in to keeping your face bare. I for one, really love this new trend, not only does your skin look a whole lot better without the use of a hundred products but it's a good change to the typical looks we might usually go for. 

For some of you, going bare may seem like a scary thought, but I'd say give it a try; you'd be surprised how gorgeous you naturally are.

Here are some tips you could use to help you carry off this look:

1. Bold Brows: Be sure to keep your brows groomed and on the thicker side, with a slight arch. These look striking against bare skin and really help frame your face. 

Tip: If your eyebrows aren't naturally dark/thick, use a nice brow kit to help fill in your eyebrows (using a shade slightly lighter than your eyebrows will give them a more natural look). 

2. Keep your skin healthy enough that it glows: By keeping your skin mostly bare, you will notice a huge change to your skin's health. Opt for healthier food options and load up on the fruits and veggies to get you glowing from the inside. Of course, keeping your self regularly hydrated is a must and will majorly help to even out your skin tone. Monthly facials also tend to do wonders to your skin (make sure you go to a specialized, hygienic salon and only choose treatments that you know will suit your skin. If you're a newbie, It's always smarter to start with basic treatments, so that your skin can get used to them).

Beauty Tip: To fake a glow, try using a subtle highlighter on areas that capture the light on your face (above your cheekbone, under and above your brow bone, your chin and the center of your cupids bow)

3. Contour: Just like you should highlight the light capturing areas on your face, contouring the darker areas will help accentuate your features. However, make sure you don't go too overboard with your bronzer (especially no shimmer), this look is all about subtlety. 

So will you be going bare any time soon? Be sure to tag me on Instagram (@stylehavenblog) with your beauty look, to get a chance to be featured on my Instagram page! xx

Image Source: vogue.com

Make Up by Iman

So most of you guys may know that I got engaged this month and for my hair and make up I decided to go to Meher's Salon and get my make up done by one of my closest friends and the super talented make up artist, Iman Ali.

You guys may also know that for my haircuts I pretty much always go to Meher Auntie, because I always have the assurance that I will be happy with whatever she does (my sister recently got an ombre done by her and she looked amazing). But I never had a chance to get my make up done by Iman before, even though I've been so impressed by the work I've seen her do on numerous people and have been wanting to get it done on myself for a while now. So when it was time for my engagement, I couldn't think of anyone better than Iman to get me ready for the day.

For my engagement, I wanted to go for something super light and girly. I actually have this weird fear of having some crazy, over the top makeup done on my wedding, where I won't look like myself at all. Thankfully, Iman completely understood the look I wanted to go for and gave me exactly what I wanted. Iman did smokey but very light eyes (paired with false lashes) on me, with a coral lip and accentuated cheekbones (I love a good contour). For my  hair I went with a classic 60's look, with volume at the crown and loose curls towards the end. The best thing about the whole experience was that Iman was very much open to my concerns and worked towards my preferences, which I think is super important, since we all have an image of what we'd want to look like on our big day and it's comforting to have your make up artist bring that to reality.

In the end, I got to enjoy my day to the fullest. I was happy and relaxed and I don't think I would have been able to achieve that without the help of my killer make up artist!

Check out my entire look below! :)

I'm attaching a couple more pictures of Iman's work below for you guys to check out. You can even get more information here

Golden Globes 2015- Style Vibe

I don't know about you guys but I love award shows, especially the Golden Globes, what with the show being hosted by the likes of Ricky Gervais, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey (how sad is it that this is the last year Amy and Tina will be hosting the event?). So let me start by saying that award shows are not necessarily about 'fashion'. You won't always see stars taking risks with their sartorial choices. The looks are more about looking good, even if that may come across as being safe at times. Therefore, I can't necessarily talk about the fashion at the Golden Globes; instead I'll be discussing the general vibe of what the stars were leaning towards when it came to their outfits. Here are the four major looks the stars were channeling:

OLD HOLLYWOOD GLAMOUR: Award season is the time celebs really get to go all out with their looks and really amp up the glamour. This year we saw some of them take on the challenge in a more minimal and classic form, with Salma Hayek, Anna Kendrick and Taylor Schilling going for voluminous but clean cut gowns, while Amy Adams, Amal Clooney and Diane Kruger went for more column-like, figure-defining silhouettes.

Salma Hayek's Alexander McQueen fit her tiny frame perfectly, while Taylor Schilling's red Ralph Lauren gown had to be one of my favourites (anyone here an Orange Is The New Black fan?).

Salma Hayek in Alexander McQueen, Anna Kendrick in Monique Lhuillier and Taylor Schilling in Ralph Lauren

On the other hand, though I'm absolutely in love with Amal Clooney (In my opinion, she is the aspirational, new age woman), her beautiful yet understated Dior Haute Couture gown could have done without those white gloves (apparently she sew them herself.. is there aything she can't do?). Those Harry Winston earrings were definitely on point though!

And then there was Diane Kruger. It's no secret that I'm obsessed with Diana Kruger's style. I mean, look at her, she's gorgeous! Her gorgeous metallic Emilia Wickstead gown was, like her, modern yet classic.

Amy Adams in Versace, Amal Clooney in Dior Haute Couture and Diane Kruger in Emilia Wickstead

Side Note: Diane Kruger's reaction to boyfriend, Joshua Jackson's show The Affiar winning Best Television Series-Drama had to be one of the cutest Golden Globes moment!

                         

HEAVY METAL: Metallic shades reigned at the 72nd Golden Globes, with stars going for silver, high shine ensembles. I like that Emma Stone kept her accessories to a minimal so as to let her Lanvin jumpsuit really take center stage, while Dakota Johnson stood out in a sequins Chanel Couture dress.

Kate Beckinsale in Elie Saab, Dakota Johnson in Chanel Couture and Emma Stone in Lanvin

Juliane Moore, who won the award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for Still Alive, looked amazing in a custom Givenchy feather gown.

Julianne Moore in Givenchy and Reese Witherspoon in Calvin Klein

THE GOLDEN GLOBE CANARIES: Celebs turned to the colour yellow for a bit of oomph to their outfits and it really seemed to pay off. My favourite had to be Jenna Dewan, who in all honestly usually tends to get over shadowed by her husband Channing Tatum (can you blame her), however, this time she managed to grab all the limelight, with a soft, almost pale yellow ensemble by Carolina Herrera. She actually looked amazing. Loved the dress, the makeup, the hair; everything! 

Leslie Mann in Kaufmanfranco, Jenna Dewan in Carolina Herrera and Naomi Watts in Gucci

GOING GIRLY: The women turned to their feminine side in pretty dresses in light tones and delicate detailing. All three looks though super feminine, were unique from one another. My favourite being  Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown Lupita Nyong'o wore that looked as good on her as it did on the runway.

Chrissy Teigen in Zuhair Murad, Lupita Nyong'o in Giambattista Valli and Sienna Miller in Miu Miu

Bonus: As a bonus, let's all just take a second to appreciate these three women who don't seem to want to age any time soon.

Heidi Klum in Versace, Cindy Crawford in Versace and Jennifer Lopez in Zuhair Murad

Source: vogue.com, usmagazine

2015 brings back the 1970s

The 1970's are back! Look to the female style icons of the seventies to keep up with this year's trends. Here's where you can get started:

TREND INSPO:

Feminine or androgynous, there was always a sense of sensuality to their look. I think it's because there was an ease to how they dressed, like they seemed to really dress for themselves and to put their personality across. It's this confident dressing of the 70s, coupled with a balance between rocker chic and hippy nonchalance that is being carried forward to the new year.

Here's how you can bring back the seventies in 2015:

Go for a streamlined tomboy-ish look. Waistcoats are always a good idea.

Of course your pant game needs to be strong and invest in a quality pant suit à la  Bianca Jagger.

Look towards classic fabrics, like leather, suede and tweed.

If you prefer a more feminine silhouette, look for dresses with unique prints (florals are necessary) and bright colours.
Slits are another detail you should look at.

Still need some motivation? Here's some Blondie to get you going (we should also talk about the effect of music during that era as compared to today, but let's leave that discussion for another time):