The Valentino collection for Spring/Summer 2014 seen at Paris Fashion week last month was different from the design house’s past collections. Usually known for its classy, luxurious, and timeless designs, the fashion house this time injected an element of colorful lace and embroidery that called to mind traditional indigenous methods while sticking with their trademark elegant silhouettes.

When I saw the collection and the distinct needlework embellishment, I was immediately reminded of pieces I’d seen on my travels in Pakistan. The Style Matrix readers will remember the dress below from a previous post that was later featured in a segment on Voice of America. I picked up this vintage piece from a Silk Road fair in Karachi last year. The needlework is typical of the northern areas of Pakistan and the colors truly made the dress stand out from across the room.

I loved the design and color combination and decided to make the piece my own. I updated the look with a chic beige jacket around my shoulders and paired it with a neutral bag and shoes. Adding a string of pearls made the dress work-appropriate.

Explaining how to update traditional folk pieces to Voice of America correspondent Sarah Zaman

Valentino complemented its stunning designs with solid gold accessories – including scarab-accented jewelry and clutches - that gave the collection a sophisticated and opulent look to make the clothes wearable in evening.

With these trends, we’re beginning to see high-fashion designers cater to a global market by incorporating indigenous artisan traditions into their pieces. In other words, we’re seeing a fusion of traditional east and west styles in high fashion.

So next time you’re traveling, try shopping for pieces that incorporate local design traditions. The pieces are sure to be unique and can provide a wealth of style inspiration. It takes looking at them with a new set of eyes. Remember, the pieces can always be mixed and matched with contemporary accessories to give a current update and more sophisticated look.

Hello everyone!

I am at 7 months now! The weather is definitely starting to get colder, so I've taken to layering. Here I'm wearing a suit jacket around my shoulders to give a caped look. It works for the pregnancy silhouette and is also a good option for when weather is unpredictable. I'm also sticking to neutrals here - I tend to like neutrals anyway, but especially now because they complement each other and are great to layer.

This olive green is one of my favorite colors, probably because it works well with everything from beige to black. I got it recently from Forever 21, which I found has been a great source for pregnancy clothes because they're not much of an investment. Another thing I've learned about pregnancy fashion is that creating some structure in your ensemble - whether through a jacket or belt - is really important in avoiding a "tent" shape and not looking bigger than you really are.

I'll be back with more style posts soon!

xoxo

Hello lovely readers!

This weekend was crazy busy. Some of my best friends who I've known since childhood visited from out of town and my friends here threw me the most beautiful baby shower ever! They knew I'm not wild about ballerinas and princess themes, so they went with a cute jungle safari one instead. I wore leopard print (you know how much I love leopard!) to celebrate. We had amazing desserts from La Madeleine (I think I ate all the chocolate mousse shots by myself) and cupcakes from Couture Cupcakes DC. We played fun games with prizes, including designing onesies with paint and glitter pens, which I just loved! I felt so lucky to have amazing friends who went out of their way to put together such a great shower. Thank you to my lovey friends (you know who you are!)

And you can take a look at some of the pics below!

xoxo

Although summer is officially over, we've been lucky with some gorgeous weather lately. A great neighborhood to enjoy these exceptional warm nights is Dupont Circle. After a day of walking around and shooting pics, hubby and I enjoyed a yummy dinner @ Circa. The calamari was delish and the Mahi Mahi was to die for!

Hello lovely readers!

I'm at 24 weeks now (6 months!) Time is going quickly although I would've probably told you the opposite during my first trimester. There are still lots of things we must do to get ready for baby but so much information is out there that I'm trying not to overwhelm myself... at least not yet. In the meantime I'm just trying to stay healthy by eating clean and working out and doing yoga - pregnancy is a marathon, not a sprint and I want us to be strong! 

So even though summer is officially over, we've been having gorgeous weather lately which made me bring back some summer clothes (I don't mind!) Here I'm wearing another breezy shift dress from BCBG. I just loved the neon green and navy blue combo in this cool geometric print. And you already know how I feel about shift dresses during pregnancy (yay!) If you follow The Style Matrix on Instagram, you'll also recognize this clutch I picked up last month. I couldn't wait to feature it on the blog. It's a great white and gold combo and the size was just PERFECT for pregnancy as it's big enough to cover my belly when I want. 

Hope you're getting a chance to enjoy this great weather - it's perfect for getting out there and doing some fun fall activities! 

xo