Hi guys!

As promised, here's the first post in the #EthnicEverywear series, where you guys send in pics of how you style your own ethnic pieces for everyday!

Here's broadcast journalist Niala, wearing these awesome embroidered cuff pants with an embroidered belt that she's tied around her waist over a white collared shirt.
(On an added sidenote, check out the gorgeous ethnic textiles in her room!)

What do you guys think of her look?

Remember, you can send in your pics to me here: sanaa.ansari.khan AT gmail.com, or tag on Instagram with #EthnicEverywear, and I'll post them here on the blog!

#EthnicEverywear

I wanted to share with you these beautiful photos of a custom bridesmaid order we worked on this summer for Haute Heritage. The wedding was a fusion affair, blending the bride's Indian heritage and Western culture. You can check out the pics of the gorgeous wedding here!

So many times, we have an event like a wedding come up, and have no idea what to wear. Add to that a "fusion" element, where different cultures are represented, and that can just lead to utter confusion. 

I designed the maid-of-honor dress in a fusion style to complement the bride's burgundy-red gown with sage-green and gold and pearl embellishments.




The bride wanted the dresses for each of the girls in her procession to represent their individual personalities. The maid-of-honor wanted a boho-chic vibe, complete with braided crown and dangly earrings. I selected sage green for her to complement her green eyes, and a long, flowy cut for the boho vibe. We finished the piece with a gorgeous gold and pearl embellished neckline and waist.

It's Wednesday! So that means it's time for some style inspiration. If you're new to the blog, you'll find that every Wednesday, I like to share work from some of my favorite designers or artists, who have inspired my own style and aesthetic. 

Stella Jean is an Italian-Haitian designer who blends her cultural heritages phenomenally. Her design aesthetic has been described by Vogue as a "multicultural, eccentric mix-and-match." She tries to travel to a different place each season, and then reflects that local culture on the runway. In her Spring 2015 collection, she went to Haiti.

My favorite looks from this collection were the ones that paired sports jersey t's with bold African print skirts. I think it's a style that will come to be identified with the mid 2010s, so it will probably end up dating itself. Still, the juxtaposition of masculine and feminine in bold, bright colors leaves a memorable look that's fun and funky at the same time.

I wanted to share with you these gorgeous photos of the bridal I worked on for Haute Heritage this summer.


Ameera is not your typical Desi (i.e. South Asian) bride. Having lived in New York for almost 10 years, she wanted her wedding to represent both her Indian cultural heritage as well as her American/New York style. She wore a traditional white dress for her civil ceremony, and wanted an East-meets-West dress for the evening reception. So she approached me to design her evening dress.

Sketch of the dress before going to production

Ameera was a great bride to work with. She's fun and she likes taking risks, which was evident throughout her wedding style. My favorite part was hearing how happy she was with the dress, and how she felt so beautiful.

We also created her maid-of-honor's dress - stay tuned for photos of that piece, coming soon.

Congratulations Ameera!

It's Wednesday! That means it's time for some boho chic inspo.

Chanel's Paris-Bombay Collection Pre-Fall 2012, featuring some gorgeous high-fashion boho chic:

Hello my fashionable lovelies,

This long gown is made from a soft, satiny flowing fabric in a subtle nude blush shade and accented with beautiful matte gold sequins in a sophisticated linear cutout.

I wore this piece to my sister's wedding - you can check out the pics here. 

This dress (any many more to come) are now available for pre-order! You can contact me at sanaa.ansari.khan AT gmail.com with any order inquiries.

It's Wednesday, which means you know what time it is! Time for some designer inspo. 

For your visual pleasure, relish the beautiful ethnically-inspired colorful embroidery of Valentino's beautiful Spring/Summer 2014 Collection:

I'm inspired by all different global styles, and love incorporating ethnic pieces into my everyday outfits. I have a lot of South Asian and Pakistani clothes in my closet because of my personal cultural heritage.
The pieces are so beautiful, but I can usually only wear them on special cultural occasions. So I've set out to make them wearable in any outfit, any occasion.

That's where the "Repurposing Ethnic Pieces" series comes in. You can check out previous posts in this series (Parts 1, 2, and 3) here, here and here.

Here, I take a traditional Pakistani lehenga choli and wear the choli as a short embellished vest over an everyday black shift dress.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments below! What do you think about repurposing ethnic pieces for a more versatile, everyday look? Would you try it out?

I'm working on a wedding dress for a client right now, and wanted to share with you all a sneek peak... stay tuned for full photos, coming soon!
xo

Hi guys!

As promised, here's part 2 of the new Style Matrix series, "How to Repurpose Your Ethnic Pieces". In this set, I'm wearing a similar tunic dress to the one I was wearing in Part 1, below. This time, I tucked the dress into a neoprene flared skirt and accessorized with gold aviators and stilettos.

It got chilly all of a sudden, so this was probably the last time I'll be able to wear this ensemble before next summer!

Hope you're enjoying the series so far. As always, leave any questions or comments below. And remember to check back soon for more parts in the series coming up!

xoxo

Hello lovely readers!

Today's post is the first in a series that will show you how to rearrange traditional ethnic pieces into other interesting, everyday outfits. The idea behind these posts is to see how many awesome clothing options you really have if you look at your wardrobe just a little bit differently.

I have some traditional costumes hanging in my closet that I don't get a lot of wear from. Some have gorgeous embroidery and embellishment details that I just love. And it was a pity they were just hanging there unworn for lack of occasion. That's when I had the idea to pull them off the bench and put them in rotation. Why can't I just mix and match these pieces with my other everyday ones, I thought, to create a truly unique ensemble?

Here is a tunic and pant outfit that I loved so much, I made the tunic into a dress for my line, Haute Heritage.


Traditional tunic and pants (Shalwar Kameez): 

One of the reasons I started this blog (a long, long time ago) was to follow modern fashions inspired by indigenous styles from around the globe.

A contemporary designer who's made this style her signature is Mara Hoffman. From Fall 2014:


These were my favorite looks from her last season that just showed at NYFW:


I'm not sure what it is I like so much about global indigenous styles. I love the vivid colors and the long, feminine silhouettes. I love the gold accents and geometric shapes. But most of all I think, I love the attention to detail and craftsmanship that goes into all the hand-embroidery and embellishments. There's something about knowing someone's time and talent went into crafting a piece that makes it special. And I appreciate designers who are able to take those traditional styles and make them contemporary and accessible to everyone.