East Meets West

I have always been a person interested in different cultures, languages, and people.  The influx of people from the east has always inspired me to wonder about their assimilation of into our country; what the traditions were. This post is how I would mesh my American ideals with some of those traditions from the east.

Eyes Toward the East

When I was a young girl, I saw what I thought was one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen. It was the Chinese woman in David Bowie's Little China Girl video.  It may not be politically correct anymore, but I absolutely adored that video; I loved its music as well as the cinematography.  Years later, I became an avid fan of Amy Tan.  I loved her books and her film; my children and I loved Sagwa, the Chinese Cat.   Also, like most of America, I became a fan of Zhang Ziyi, the phenomenal and sublimely beautiful actress, who portrayed Jen in one of my all-time favorite movies, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

When planning a wedding for the Chinese bride, I love the idea of staying with the traditional themes of red or yellow.  Red, which is traditional for a Chinese bride, signifies joy.  Yellow, the color of Imperial China, along with gold, is very symbolic and considered prestigious.  

Beautiful Reds

West

Faithfully2 Gown available at DhGate

Gorgeous.  Giorgio Armani 

Perfection. Vera Wang. 

Vera Wang.

East

A phenomenal traditional look.  Guo Pei.

Love the combination of red and gold here.  Also by Guo Pei.

Stunning!! Guo Pei.

Great combination of red and gold. Both Looks,  Ne Tiger.

Fantastic red and gold Cheongsam. Available at Elegente.

Bridesmaids ideas, Ne Tiger.

Gorgeous Golds and Yellows

West

Lovely. Honeybuy

Pretty. Available at Aliexpress.

Spectacular color!!  The Max Chaol Gown

Gorgeous in Gold, Elie Saab.

Lovely Mustard. Elie Saab.

East

Beautiful. From Idreammart.

I love this traditional look in a non-traditional blue. Guo Pei.

The Land of the Rising Sun

The first time I was introduced to a tiny tidbit of Japanese culture, I was a very young girl who was fascinated with Ralph Macchio, lol.  As a teen, I was an avid watcher of CNN's Style with Elsa Klensch, and was introduced to fantastic designers such as Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakudo (of Comme des Garçons), and of course Junya Watanabe (also of Comme des Garçons).  There were even amazing editorials featuring Kabuki make-up.  I also watched House of Style religiously then, and via the program discovered the Japanese singing duo, Cibo Matto.  Years later in college, I read the short story Patriotism by Yukio Mishima, and was immediately enthralled.  

I am still a huge fan of Miho Hatori, and thanks to Gwenny-Gwen, discovered the amazing and interesting place and its subculture, Harajuku.  I also became obsessed a few years ago with Arthur Golden's beautiful novel, Memoirs of a Geisha, and its incredibly wonderful film adaptation.  

The following are beautiful ideas for both traditional and modern Kimono for a Japanese wedding. 

Traditional

I love the detail. Sceana D'Uno.  Available on Polyvore.

Fantastic Look. Also by Scena D'Uno, on Polyvore.

So Beautiful. Hisako Takayama

Modern 

Gorgeous!!  Zuhair Murad

So pretty!  Analisa

An Iconic Cate Blanchett moment in Alexander McQueen

A. Maze. Ing. Christian Dior

More in the Middle

I have to say that my love of different genres of music made me a fan of a lot of countries of the east.  Artists like Ofra Haza (Isreal), Cheb Khaled (Algeria), Dead Can Dance, and even Shakira (Lebanon), all with their eastern influences, made me so curious about that part of the world!  That whole side of the world seemed like such a departure from my American ideals, lol! At one time, I began watching the public access channel to see the latest artists and musicians from India.  As a teen, I immersed myself in the culture (and delicious food) of a neighbor who was from Bangladesh.  I found the culture beautiful, and I especially love the saree!!!  These are my picks for traditional and modern looks.  

Traditional

Lovely. Available on Utsav Fashion.

Fantastic. From Utsav Fashion. 

Beautiful. Utsav Fashion. 

Another incredible look at Utsav Fashion. 

Absolutely exquisite!  Available on Cbazaar.

Beautiful!!  At Cbazaar.

I love this color!  Cbazaar. 

Incredible details. Cbazaar. 

Absolutely Goregeous. Siddartha Tyler Lehenga gown.  At Strand of Silk.

Beautiful Siddartha Tyler creation.  Available on Strand of Silk. 

Beyond fantastic. Raahesh Agarvwal.  At Strand of Silk. 

Bedazzled in blue. From Sareez

Perfect Pink. From Sareez

Modern

Naeem Khan

    

  

Beautiful Gown, Naeem Khan.

Gorge!  Also Naeem Khan.

This phenomenonally beautiful creation worn by Sridevi is by Sabyasachi.  Fantastic!!

Gorgeous mesh of traditional and modern!  By Atelier Signore.  

Zuhair Murad

Kamaali Couture

Monique Lhuillier.  Available at Bergdorf Goodman.

Years after my teenage days, a colleague of mine from India was helping a friend plan her wedding, and for some time, came into the office with henna-dyed hands. Being an artist myself made me fascinated with the intricate, beautiful details.  Here are some ideas for traditional Mehndi.

Very beautiful, simple design.  Idea courtesy of EasyDay Snydle.

Amazing. Idea from EasyDay Snydle.

Gorgeous detail.  Ideas from the Let's Create Crafts website.

Intricate work. Idea from Let's Create Crafts.

Also, if you are in search of a beautiful headdress, may I suggest both the Kyles Collection and Femina websites.  I cannot post pictures here due to copyright, but both of these sites offer absolutely phenomenally beautiful Southern Asian and Southern Indian hair accessories, such as hair combs and tiaras; even traditional Maang Tikka, Shingar Patti, and Plaits. 

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