{HARI RAYA} ZALIA

Zalora’s resident label Zalia may not be a new player in the game, but one that I know I will keep returning to. Effortless, precious, and romantic; the brand is almost like a lovechild of Zuhair Murad and Elie Saab which is no wonder that these two are the main sources of inspiration for the label.

On the subject of Raya, I picked out a few favourites for my sister and myself. On Iqah, I chose the geo sequined mermaid dress; a cascade of embroideries pouring over the black silhouette which complemented her figure and made her look as if she was a character from one of the A Thousand and One Nights stories (or perhaps The Real Housewives of Brunei would be more fitting).

As for myself, I chose this floral embellished printed blouse to complement my ruffle skirt from Lubna. The colours reminded me of Posh Spice in her gorgeous Cavalli dress (huge huge fan of Vic so I remember most of her memorable dresses hehe). 

Here in Phnom Penh, my family only celebrates Hari Raya/Eid for one day so I didn't particularly came equipped with 5 extra dresses. 

In another note, the news have been a lot to bear recently so wishing everyone a very blessed and safe Raya with your loved  ones wherever you may be. 

love,

{OOTD} A FIT FOR ALL MONOCHROME

A general rule of thumb that I follow is all about looking expertly tailored, picking out clothes that look flattering on your body type, with it all wrapped together in a bow of confidence. There is however, an easier way to streamline your look; an outfit that you can quickly pull together and walk out the door, knowing at least you look good: It’s the monochrome look.

When weekend or the holiday enters the picture, style inspiration is ripe for the picking. While you could spend hours poring over countless street style photos Amal Saima and I dreamed up three monochrome looks as part of her ‘A Fit For All’ series. When keeping this look chic, we played with length and texture to elevate an otherwise consistent look. I was obviously up to this task.

1. BLANC

Everyone looks good in white in my opinion. Whether you’re slim, toned, or cute, sticking to this single colour is flattering for all.

2. ROUGE

What colour encompasses both power and femininity at the same time more than red? Love how Amal Saima can pull off this colour effortlessly by creating a streamlined silhouette.

3. BLEU
Next to white, the easiest fool-proof mono-look is blue. If you're like me, you can never have enough layers.Just be sure to balance by layering pieces that complement each other.

Click here for the full video edited by Amal Saima herself. Enjoy!

love,

SYOMIRIZWA GUPTA PHOTO DIARY

Photo credits:

Billy H - Article on Brunei Times

May Cho

Nabeela of Lipstickmyname

Izzy Osman

Jeera

Yellow for Proceed with Caution

photography by Syafiq Saini

Creamy, with a hell lot of mustard in, like a dessert disaster, is one colour that I am drawn to. I drooled over this long blazer the first time I saw it at the BIFASH event with Ainul and I had to come in the second time to purchase it (took my time drawing a list of WANT vs NEED). ANNDDD because great minds think alike, Ainul even purchased one! 

So what me & Ainul thought of together was how we would incorporate mustard in our daily wear... although in my case I was thinking of how far such colour can be business-appropriate. Granted me and the colour wheel go way back and associating complementary colours together is inherited in my DNA so a very easy formula that I usually work with is pairing neutrals with bright colours. As for Ainul, she pulled off a very chic casual lookbook with an already busy printed shawl.

On me:

Scarf - Hijabelle

Blouse - Zalora

Trousers - Yasmieen Zara

Heels - ZARA

On Ainul:

Scarf - ARIANA

Blouse - Zalora

Pants - River Island

Heels - VINCCI

And the beautiful long blazer is from a new Indonesian brand by Syafina Feriyal (to think coming back to Brunei would mean less of me buying outerwear!). 

{OOTD} Legally Miss Sunshine

OKAY so there is a story behind these banana trousers. For the past two months since I've started working, I've succumb to the system and wore baju kurung to work and if not I would be wearing black all the way. One day after a meeting my boss in his own words said, "why is it you law people always wear black?? please wear something colourful!"

With that in mind, I've gone completely unorthodox and I've started wearing colours again (and pants!). It's not a suprise as there seems to be an unspoken rule that the quintessential legal silhouette comes in Black & White. Since I'm also teaching in some days, I'm given the best of both worlds. 

I'm really digging the blazer from Galore-Ra as it is airy and the size that I'm wearing fits me perfectly. Or that I'm biased because I am obsessed with outerwears!

love,

2016

First things first: Happy New Year 2016! (we are still in January so this still counts)

From the last post, I've mentioned that I'm taking a Gap year but surprise, surprise after months of wearing aprons and spilling coffee everywhere I am now 'seriously' working. It was rather a shock to the system as I was getting too comfortable with the non-serious working life.

I had a thought that I wouldn't be able to spend as much time with my friends when I start work so I've arranged a mini friendsgiving tea cum photo session with Qush behind the lens just last month.

These girls are everything. Hope you too have friends who are just as supportive as mine are.

love, 

Gapper Journey so far

I've been meaning to write something personal for quite some time and I do apologize for being idle. Five months ago, I've made the decision to stay in Brunei and defer my Bar training until the next academic year for several reasons. After a failed attempt to work part-time at a law firm, I thought of taking up a fun job which I eventually did just to give myself a break. Other than that, I've also been occupying myself with rugby (a lot of it). I don't know many who have tried taking a gap year as most of my friends are on a quick pace to move on with their lives and some choose to continue their studies. So the past few months have been a soul-searching journey for me because I've been questioning my intentions to join the practice in the future (I do, but not right now).

At the time being, I'm happily making drinks at a newly opened cafe. It's also overwhelming when some of the customers have recognized me behind the bar. Many have even asked why I decided to work there and my only intent is to fill up my time doing something different for once as I've worked as an office girl once whilst I was still studying and I didn't appreciate sitting behind the computer and 'makan gaji' for the whole two months. I do believe that everyone should have a shot in working elsewhere before diving into their real field. It is a great opportunity to value work and to create new friendships. 

After being in the education system for so long, I've finally got some time to take a breather and appreciate new things, sans exams. These days I've been pouring creative energy into life and I feel excited to partake on new creative projects and slightly nervous to be paving my own career pathway. 

Forever learning,

ps: I do hope my young readers are always learning too