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

If you've been following this blog, you know I try to find beautiful ethnic pieces and incorporate them into an everyday look for a unique style. You can check out more posts in this series here!

I think the reason I'm drawn to ethnic pieces is because they're so bold and colorful. I love that hand embroidery and embellishment have been practiced for hundreds of years. It amazes me that indigenous embroideries throughout the world - whether in South Asia, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, or South America - all have styles in common, without the communities having any actual contact with each other. It reminds you how small this world really is, and how we are all so much more alike than we sometimes think.

Mixing and matching these pieces into an  everyday look is also a small way of celebrating my own ethnic heritage. I came across the front embroidery for this top when visiting the Middle East a few years ago. It was sourced from the northern areas of Pakistan, and I made it into a shirt for Haute Heritage. Here, I paired it with denim shorts and bold red chunky tie-up heels for an added pop of color.

I know some of you have started mixing your own ethnic pieces into your everyday looks too. Please share them with us! (You can post them on The Style Matrix Facebook page here) or share them on Instagram with #EthnicEverywear! I will start sharing all your looks on the blog here, so keep posting and check back often!

Let me know what you think of this look, and if you would like to see anything in particular featured on the blog here. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts and having a conversation about how to wear beautiful ethnic pieces! #EthnicEverywear

xoxo

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?

Hello lovely readers!

Welcome to another installment of Repurposing Ethnic Pieces. This week, we take a striped black and white shalwar kameez by Pakistani designer Sana Safinaz and turn it into a totally chic, modern look.


I think the black-on-black embellishments are what really make this traditional piece easy to mix and match. My favorite part is how the black on black embellishments carry from the front to the deep scoop in the back.








If you haven't already, be sure to check out parts 1 and 2 of this series here and here! 

As always, thanks for stopping by and be sure to leave your questions and comments below!
xoxo

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): 

I was in a colorful mood the other day and thought I'd try something a little different. The dress I'm wearing here is a vintage '80s inspired piece from our collection coming out soon. It has antique Kashmiri embroidery in pink, gold and silver along the front collar. I just love these touches of color, they make a piece truly unique! On top, I added a tie-dye scarf (another one from our collection) to bring even more brightness to the outfit. And I finished off the look with gold accents (shoes, jewelry, watch) to really add that '80s factor.


Dress: Haute Heritage | Earrings: Kenneth Jay Lane | Purse: Bimba y Lola | Shoes: Zara | Watch: Michael Kors | Assorted bracelets | Scarf: Haute Heritage