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"   I love to get decked out. Give me any reason to don a little Lanvin or a piece of Prada, and this girl is in heaven. But there&amp;#039;s another fashionable side to me, one that doesn&amp;#039;t get out so much\u2014the side that pays homage to my South Asian heritage and loves, loves, loves to wear traditional clothes of the Indian subcontinent. Wrap me up in a sari for a black tie affair and call it done. The occasion this time: my younger sister, Saira, was getting married in an over-the-top ceremony in the City, and the weekend affair (short by South Asian standards) called for all sorts of sub-continental regalia\u2014think jewels and silks\u2014maharajah style all the way. Like any fashion, the clothing of South Asia is evolving, and traditional clothes aren&amp;#039;t so traditional anymore. The old-school techniques are dying in favor of new methods of mass production. While the traditional methods should definitely preserved, I have to say, the new methods appeal to my sense of contemporary fashion. I had no idea where to even start to buy the clothes I needed in London, so I contacted one of my friends, who&amp;#039;s a Londoner of Pakistani decent, and she had this to say, &amp;quot;There is a woman called Zainab Alam who sells Indian couture from her house in North London \u2013 this is where me and my friends go for good stuff.&amp;quot;  And good stuff she had. I was only meant to buy one piece and walked away with three (yikes!)\u2014the temptation was just far too much to bear. The orange outfit, by designer Rina Dhaka, is a variation of a traditional salwar kameez, a two-piece set that consists of a long tunic over a pair of pants paired with a coordinating scarf. The one I am wearing is contemporary in that the top is more of a dress rather than a tunic, but still paired with traditional skinny, cigarette pants called churidar (yes, we have been doing cigarette pants for centuries.) And the sari- oh my goodness, do I love this sari. It was so delicate, in the palest shade of powder pink, and the embroidery and pearl and rhinestone detail amped the pretty factor tenfold. Rather than wearing a traditional blouse piece underneath, the designer, Tarun Tahiliani (who has dressed superstars like Liz Hurley and Aishwarya Rai in his wares) paired it with a silk corset. I felt princess-like all night. It was a fun affair and I can&amp;#039;t wait for the chance to do it up like that again soon! I want to hear, though, what are some of your more eclectic fashion faves? \u2014Rebecca Suhrawardi Austin Photo: Me in two looks from my sister&amp;#039;s wedding "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elle.com/fashion/news/a2051/fashion-from-far-away-2461/>