Off & On Air

Last night I had the privilege of attending Rico Rinaldi's Women's Wear 2016 fashion show in Bukit Damansara. Two of his collections were strutted out on the runway -- casual wear and bridal-inspired. 

Both collections were stunning! 



How would I describe Rico?

A young, talented and hardworking designer.

This was proven when he designed and made my wedding dresses. ;-)

The Nikah Dress 

My nikah ceremony's theme was simply 'Different Shades of Blue'. I had procured textile from Indonesia for this one - material akin to what people call 'Prada Lace'. Typically for nikah, the fabric was of off-white color. 

So I told Rico to add dashes of blue to it. The end result was spectacular. 

A closer view

Wish I can wear it again!

The Reception Dress

During discussions with Rico on my dress for the reception, I wanted something more traditional. 

Back in the day, almost every marrying couple opted for the songket for their wedding attire. Through time, people preferred lace, chiffon, etc and songket was kind of left behind. 

I think it's true what people say though, that songket is timeless. It's coming back!

Our reception attire was a little more complicated, so I left it in the hands of Rico and his team. I remember my jaw dropping when I saw for the first time - the hand-crafted embellishments on my dress. (You can see some of the pictures if you scroll on the right side of my blog.)



The songket is soft cream in color, with gold and silver embellishments. It also has some ruffles above the hip area, giving it a peplum look.

Holding on to my mobile, as I get dolled up. Hehe.

To add some shape to the lower portion of the dress, Rico and I decided to add a laced outer piece.


Rico also provided the accessories. This sanggul lintang wasn't heavy but it did kinda hurt towards the end of the ceremony. The headpiece had to be attached by using many, many bob pins.

Beauty is pain!

A short veil to finish the touch

And the shoes -- oh, the shoes! I loved the shoes. It's made from the same songket material. Rico has various designs and this one was the most comfortable for me. I had to be in a 5-inch pair of heels the whole night! 

The groom getting prepped by Rico himself.

The whole ensemble

What we got to wear for the nikah and reception was beyond what was expected. My dreams truly came true. :-) 

*     *     *

So now back to the fashion show. 

Rico had collaborated with a local shoe line called Madre (it means mother in French). The moment I saw the designs of the sandals, I instantly knew I wanted one. Two of the designs which came from this collaboration were sold at the fashion show venue. I decided, why not - let's get both! They're sandals, flat and presumably comfy!




Apart from these sandals, Madre has a beautiful collection of wedges. Their designs are unique and comfort-based. Check them out on Instagram! 

The models working it out on the runway were all wearing Madre sandals too.

Leaving the fashion show happily!

One of the bedrooms

The kitchen

Ouh, there's the famous London taxi!

Beginning to look a lot like summer? Hehe.

Don't get it mixed up with the London Bridge, btw.

Tower London Museum (lots of history learning in there)

Eye of London

A view of Buckingham Palace from Green Park Witnessing the change of guards outside Buckingham Palace We were lucky enough to enjoy some 'summer heat' and blue skies during the first part of the trip, though there were days which were gloomy and rainy. Typical UK weather. On one of those days, we decided to head for the British Museum.   In the Southeast Asia section, we found exhibits with a familiar country of origin:   A bronze bell from Klang! Because of the gloomy weather, we settled for some hot waffles right outside the museum before heading to our next destination. That was when it started to drizzle.  The trip would not be complete without going on a quest for the best fish and chips! With the help of Google, we found an award-winning eatery in Fulham called Bailey's Fish and Chips. Again, the streets of the Fulham neighbourhood was quiet. We thought we were in the wrong place at first.    But ta-daa!! Indeed, Bailey's is located along this street...and their dish of fish and chips did NOT disappoint us! One dish was fit for 2 persons, actually.  Their staple sauce/gravy here is vinegar as opposed to ketchup or chilli sauce. There's also something you won't find here -- curry gravy! However, their version of curry is a little different than ours - thicker and not spicy. It tastes splendid with the fish, especially during the cold weather. The curry gravy did cost about RM6 alone, though. But it satisfied our UK-curry-craving. :-)  A heart-warming feature at this eatery is that they cater to the needs of Muslims. They serve halal sausages which are cooked separately. Good on ya, Bailey's!   Another dining experience of Muslim-friendly cuisine was at China Tang, The Dorchester - a very upscale and posh hotel. Entering the hotel to get to the Chinese restaurant was like walking through etiquette class. People were having tea and scones in a very upper-class set-up.  "Can we go up to our room, now?" one of my nephews asked, after eating. I wish we were staying here too, kiddo!  Fried Rice at China Tang The food was alright, but worth an experience at The Dorcheser. What I loved about the hotel was its restrooms. Each cubicle had its own sink and toiletries. Music was played with people reading famous poems to keep you company. Kinda creepy when you think of it. Some of the poems were dark... We also travelled outside of London, by taking the First Great Western. Easy to purchase tickets, convenient and reliable. Okay, next stop : every Asian's dream and must-go destination! LOL.  ...a factory outlet outside of London by the name of Bicester Village! Yes, the handbags are a lot cheaper than those in Malaysia. If you're a Kate Spade, Gucci, Coach or even Pandora fan - Bicester Village is a mandatory checklist item.  Needed a break, so I ordered mango crush from Starbucks. You can't find this in Malaysia. I couldn't resist. I got my first Anya Hindmarch. :-D :-D  Hard work pays off, kids! We ended our London trip by stopping by Piccadilly Circus. I can just see Bridget Jones walking by and the advert monitor goes, "Go Bridget, Go!"   Til next time, London!