The Classy Summer Dress

I love shopping for vacation. Clothes look best abroad with the most scenic backgrounds. My only issue is remembering to wear them again afterwards especially the super tropical dresses. I'm going to make it a point to get rid of this habit and wear them all during this crazy heat in Chicago. Does anyone else experience this? Once you wear it, you forget about it. 

Dress: I got this beautiful off the shoulder dress from Banana Republic. It was originally $80, but I happened to be with a friend who used their employee discount and got it for $40. Thank the lord! It's a gorgeous chic dress with a timeless style piece. I wish we had more occasions to wear it too so I will be on the hunt on how often I can re-wear this. Blue stripes or red stripes will always be in style so keep those pieces in your closet. Also, try to buy vertical stripes instead of horizontal stripes, they're more flattering and lengthen your figure rather than widening it. 

Jewelry: I’m wearing my favorite and only rose gold watch by Cluse. I love the metal band it fits perfectly to your wrist and blends in well with a tan skin tone.  

Purse: I got this beige bag as a gift in Pakistan. You can purchase it from the store Sapphire. I love the color because it’s perfect for casual looks and will go with anything!  As for the big blue bag, this is a limited edition Celine bag and as you can tell my love for blue, this bag is perfect for all seasons. 

The High Garden Outfit

Most of my adolescence, I’ve been avoiding the Chicago sun. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll hang outside usually when the weather gets cooler, the sun isn’t too harsh, or if there’s quality shade. Only because I get the worst ashy brown tans in Chicago. However, this has been forcibly pushed aside by my almost two toddler who demands to be outside in 90 degree weather and likes to take his time standing in the beating sun. So now, it’s early August and if I’m going to be tan I might as well hit up the islands to get a nice golden tan. Who else is trying to vacation soon? 

Top: I recently bought this white textured tank from Anthropologie. I love Anthropologie, but their sizing is definitely unreliable especially when they took away the petite section in stores. So I love the top, but it’s slightly loose on me and would’ve looked better if it fit better. The white top in general is amazing to have for all seasons. Summer of course I wore it alone to brighten up the high tea garden look. In the fall, this top will look so chic under cardigans and kimonos. 

Bottoms: I love this blue khaki skirt from Aritzia. I truly love that store it’s heaven for petite girls and basic wear, but the pricing is unreasonable so I try not to shop there often. This skirt looks beautiful paired with any soft tones like peach, light red and to bring its brightest look out, pairing it with a white top. I love how it has an elastic band to create the scrunched look and has the cutest bow to go with it! So chic. 

Jewelry: I was gifted these beautiful blue earrings with black and silver beading by Enayahs jewelry. This is the perfect aqua blue to wear with any blues or for an elegant pop of color. I’ve always had a thing for blue earrings, but I find this style easiest to wear since sometimes you don’t want your earrings to catch too much attention. These blue stone earrings are subtle and classy.  

Shoes: I’m wearing the blue denim plexi heels by Gianvito Rossi. These heels are so cute and gorgeous. I love the blue aspect of it because I’m wearing so much blue these days! I have a similar pair by Christian Louboutin with a black pointed toe, but they’re too tight on me so I can seldomly wear those.  

Purse: I’m rocking my limited edition blue suede Celine. Before I had to go around carrying a baby bag, Celine managed to carry everything for me. This purse is massive and highly durable. Whenever I’m not rocking a baby bag, I will try to bust out Celine.  

The Maria B. Favorite

Wedding season has all sorts of exhaustion, but to the point where you’re rotating your outfits? Through years of practice with my parents forcing me to attend a million weddings a year, I’ve mastered on how to rarely repeat an outfit. Ok fine maybe I’ve reworn the exact outfit twice in the same season, but I’ll let you in on my secret. First off, you usually have an idea of all the weddings you’ll be attending in the summer so you can strategize what crowd sees which outfits. Second, I get bored wearing an outfit twice in one season so I like to change it up as much as I can so it’s still fun for me. I diversify the look using different bottoms, and most outfits are capable of this! On top of it, I change my hair and makeup as well. So yeah, wedding season has got me exhausted, but I always look forward to trying out outfits in different ways. Enjoy! 

Top: This beautiful nude pink top is from Maria B. What attracted me about this outfit was the blush pink and puffy sleeves. It also was a pleasant surprise when I realized I could wear this off the shoulder a bit. Although, this outfit wasn’t intended for the off the shoulder look at all, I definitely took the opportunity to rock it like this. More ways to diversify your look, the more I love the top.  

Bottoms: These embroidered wide legged black pants came with the Maria B outfit. I love these pants. The cut is beautiful, but I honestly think this top doesn't give these pants justice. You’ll see me rock these pants with a shorter top and then you’ll understand how amazing these are. For now, Maria B loves adding her funk and she’s been able to do so through these pants.  

The Yellow Skirt

I love food. I don’t think anyone realizes how much I love to eat, but it is seriously a mission to stay away from the delicious food in Chicago. If you’re looking for the best Lobster Roll in this city, hit you GT Oyster & Seafood. It is soooo good, and make sure you get it warm because of the soft buttery bread that comes with it! It melts in your mouth. 

Photography by Rari Filmz

Top: I bought this white statement tee from the Zara sale. It was definitely off the $10 rack. White tees are amazing, they’re even better when they have something useful written on them. Never underestimate a basic white tee. 

Bottoms: I got this beautiful skirt decades ago from Forever21! Okay I wasn’t exaggerating when yellow is the color of summer. I’m on the borderline of over-doing it, but I really can’t help how outstanding this color and completes your summer look.  What I really love about these skirts is that the more fabric there is, the more versatile it is. Fitted skirts don’t offer many diverse looks, but pleated skirts with lots of fabric open up a window of endless possibilities! 

Cotton Blue - Muslima Chic

I love fusion clothing. I’ll admit it’s slightly hard to infuse actual traditional pieces into your Western wear without it looking overpowering, and that’s why I look forward to fusion pieces so much! It’s effortless on your end basically. With this intense summer heat, why don’t we have more of that?! I found a designer Muslima Chic who does exactly what I was looking for :) 

Photography by Rari Filmz

Top: This beautiful blue modest top is by Muslima Chic. It’s super breezy and comfortable to wear, as I was modeling this in prime Atlanta heat! I love how chic it is with the pearls on the cuffs. What I appreciate the most is its flattering cut. Sometimes modest wear can be a little too baggy for me, but this fits perfectly and it’s not tight! 

Bottoms: I wore my distressed white skinnies from Forever21 with this top to bring out the most summery look. I love how versatile this top is because it will literally look good on any pair of pants! Denim jeans will make it more casual and you can transform into a complete Pakistani look by adding any trouser or pants. 

Photography by Rari Fimz

Photography by Rari Filmz

The Beautiful Red

I love it when investments make appearances over time and that’s how you know it really was worth it. With it being the first time attending a Hindu wedding, I really had to dig through my closet to find what’s most appropriate. Pakistani fashion is really different from Indian fashion believe it or not. Pakistani fashion really distinguishes by their pant-suit trends versus Indians really like to embellish their gowns and two piece skirt outfits known as cholis. I didn’t want to be boring by wearing another shalwar kameez outfit so I managed to bust a gem from the closet that blended in perfectly without compromising my style!  

Top: This lovely red silk crop top is from Lena Boutique. It’s a customized embellished top that the designer really went above and beyond with. The work is rigorous and really detailed, which I absolutely love. This crop top is a perfect fusion and can be paired with anything. I honestly think it would look amazing with jeans, just have to make sure there’s no belly with it (easier said than done). 

Bottoms: This beautiful bronze skirt is also customized by Lena Boutique and came with this beautiful crop top! I love wearing the two together which truly brings out its exotic work. This silk skirt has a ton of material so it looks amazing when you wear it with any top!  

The Polka Dot Skirt

Summertime Chicago is comprised of graduations, tons of weddings and rooftop season. It’s so easy to get tired and choose to stay in, but you can’t give in! I caught myself being tempted and you know what? This is the time to enjoy. Now is the time to live, before anyone leaves, before we get older, before we have more kids—before anything changes. Even the stuff you dread going to, like who actually enjoys going to graduations, you gotta do it to be there for your loved ones and to cherish these moments. The weather’s beautiful, everyone’s happy— it couldn’t be more perfect.

Top: You bet I bought this basic white tee with a little scrunched sleeves at the Zara sale. Honestly guys I can’t stress enough how underrated their $10 rack is. Basic white tees are extremely necessary, they are the trending ultimate casual and also go with everything. You can never go wrong with a basic white tee. I have a bunch varying in different styles, it sucks though once you get that stain on it so I do my best to keep it clean and everlasting!  

Bottom: I bought this polka dot nude pink skirt from Forever21 back in my college days, aka 6 years ago. I love how it’s simple and beautifully pleated. It’s super chic and comfy. I’ve held onto this gem forever and continue to wear it every year.  

Shoes: I got these light pink classy loafers from Zara before the sale. They’re so classy and proper, everyone needs a pair of these to dress up their casual trendy outfits. It helps, trust me. 

Shades: I bought these shades a few months ago from ASOS. I love shopping their sunglass collection, they have the trendiest sunglasses for such a reasonable price and an amazing return policy in case you don’t like them on you!  

The Navy Sari

I really miss wearing saris. I was only able to wear it once and that was right before I was expecting. Although wearing a sari with a toddler is definitely a challenge, it was worth it! Plus I made sure I was only going to be wearing it for a short time, that was key.  

Top: The blouse is a black and gold glitter lace blouse. I mix and match it with variety of saris I have and I recommend you do the same. Shop neutral color blouses so that you keep your sari looking trendy than ever!  

Sari: The sari is navy blue trench chiffon with some beadwork done. It’s precious fabric so I had to take major precaution while pinning everything. The material though is what creates this elegant look, so definitely worth the investment.  

The Chic Black and Yellow

I attended my best friend’s graduation and I really thought I’d snooze through it, but fortunately the speeches were actually interesting and the names flew by! So what really stuck out to me and I’m sure everyone else who attended the Chicago School of Psychology graduation, was a speech by the 2018 class representative, Karim Wasim. He confidently spoke about how he immigrated from the Middle East and did his best to assimilate to eliminate attention, aka the story of any immigrant. He mentioned his fear of the two worlds coming together, (which automatically is a heart attack for Muslims to speak about to the Western world let alone a speech in public). Yet how welcoming his experience has been at this school, and “not because of the mission statement, but because of the people”. I was pleasantly surprised to see the whole audience break out into a standing ovation. I thought to myself, wow that takes balls and two the world still has good people out there. It was moving, it was relevant, it was necessary. Thank you for that speech!

Top: I recently bought this black top from the Zara sale. It was on the $10 rack and those tops are seriously underestimated. It’s a black, sleeveless crop top with a boat neck. I love how it’s super classy and you can rock it with anything. This is my second time wearing sleeveless and it was worth it. Black and white is too plain for me, I can’t deal with just those two so I added my pop of color, and the color of the season, yellow. It’s a loose cardigan from Zara as well, but I purchased it years ago. It’s always great to have layers in pop of colors so you can always add it onto your outfits. This cardigan never lets me down!

Bottoms: This beautiful striped black and white maxi skirt is from Zara and also a purchase from years ago. It’s very fitted so you need to be on your top game to wear this skirt, that’s probably why I don’t wear it often. It’s super comfortable and I actually wore this a lot during my pregnancy. This skirt goes with any colored top, literally!  

Shoes: I’m wearing a comfortable pair of Tom’s wedges. I love wedges for events especially if they’re outdoor or downtown, because wedges are the only heels I can walk distance in.  

Camouflage

Guys it’s already July, we’re close to being halfway through summer. I’m so sad! Make each summerday count before Chicago gets all gloomy and moody again. Don’t wait for a special date to go spend a day on the boat or hit up the pool, just go do it! 

Top: I’ve never worn camouflage before and I’m finally giving it a chance because of this cute crop top from the Zara sale. It’s pretty comfortable and has a cute cut too it, so now I’m liking what I see and I’ll wear camouflage more often. It’s all about those cuts. 

Bottoms: I love these high-waisted wide khakis by Aritzia. These pants seriously are such an awesome boot-cut and so flattering. You can pair these bottoms with a variety of tops, which I will show you! I love the wide cut these days, get your hand on a pair for this year’s summer and fall. 

Shoes: These slip ons are from Zara sale. I love these sandals because they’re so chic and complete each casual look. I’ve been wearing them quite often lately, which means I’m obsessed.  You can never go wrong with a pair. 

The Perfect Mustard

I always underestimate ATL, it’s such a beautiful Southern state. With plenty of outdoor activities, amazing soul food and of course that Southern hospitality. I come here often because of my in-laws and I wish I had explored Atlanta sooner. I was so glad to se my Southern belles this time! Social media seriously helps with where to go and what to eat— so thank you guys for the recommendations! 

Top: Guys, this is my favorite shade of mustard yellow and when I saw this top at Zara, I knew I had to have it. I bought this before their sale, so I’m not sure if it’s still on the racks, but they’ve been carrying this shade for this season so get your hands on it! It looks beautiful on olive skin tone and literally will go with any thing you pair it with. 

Bottoms: I’m wearing my favorite mom jeans by Levi’s. They’re not the comfiest, but they’re rigid s and certainly handle my toddler’s shenanigans. Mom jeans look amazing with a fitted crop top, try it out for yourself!  

Shoes: I bought these slides from the Zara sale. They’re not comfortable, but they look great for every casual summer look. Get your hands on a pair.  

Necklace: I’m wearing the signature name necklace by Nominal. Use code MARIAM15 for 15% off your purchase! I love their necklaces they make every outfit shine and I’m trying to get my hands on some more.  

My Grandma’s Closet

I grew up with a very fashionable and active grandmother who lives in Pakistan. She taught me responsibility and the perfect etiquette. My grandmother also had the best goods in her closet! My mom and aunt would take her stuff all the time, but soon enough she started handing me down some of her most prized possessions. The quality of fabric and stitching is incomparable to these days, it was everlasting as you can see I’m still rocking her outfits today! Unfortunately in the last 5 years she was hit with Alzheimer’s and Dimensia, so now she’s in the complete opposite state. Please keep her and my grandfather’s patience in your prayers for me please.

The Light Summer Lawn

Growing up I used to dread attending graduation parties because I had to dress up in Pakistani clothing. We definitely used to overdress then and I love how casual and simple everyone has become. Dresses are cute too, but they look better with heels and definitely not when are heels getting stuck in the grass. Now I look forward to busting out my lawn outfits for summer outdoor parties because of how perfect they are for the occasion. The material is so light and breezy, you can eat comfortably and you look great! What more do you want? 

Top: I love this super soft satin top from Cross Stitch in Karachi. It was on sale too so I grabbed it for a casual summer top that actually looks better than I thought! You can dress this top up many ways and I believe I’m wearing it the most formal way possible. I love it’s kimono style sleeves, its style is perfect for a hot summer day. Pair this top with different colored pants to achieve different looks from super casual to formal! 

Bottoms: in order to make this more for a dressy look, I paired this kimono style kurti with a pair of white shalwar pants that I grabbed from Khaadi. These pants are so light, it literally feels like I’m wearing nothing and that’s what I love most about them! I can’t get hot. Stay tuned for more looks with this top with different colored pants such as jeans, nude pink and black!  

Hat: I love sunhats and have a collection of a variety for summer vacations and outdoor events. If you haven’t started one yourself already, I can’t stress how much you need to do it! You may feel like you’re being extra, but they provide great protection from the sun (which is exactly my main reason for wearing them) and they make your outfit look so elegant! Invest in a couple!  

Shoes: I recently bought these black slides from Zara on sale. They’re perfect for the desi casual outfits as well as the Western casual looks! They’re not super comfortable to run around in, but I can definitely hang in them for a walk. 

Favorite Ripped Jeans

I’ve always been curious about what it’s like to become a designer. Do I have what it takes? It’s one thing to wish you could make your own clothes, but another thing is do you have that creative aspect in you? I definitely love styling clothes, so I figured let’s see if I can try designing with The Garment Creative. They make your first steps so easy and I’m thankful because designing can be extremely overwhelming. They have this easy to use Adobe design software on iPads, which you can sketch and color in your designs onto the templates. I’m very much a visual learner, so I had to try on all the pieces to get an idea of what I wanted. The fabric options were sooo beautiful I honestly didn’t know where to start and they were premium quality as well such as Italian cotton. I finally got my details of my first design down and they’ll be manufacturing a piece for me in about two weeks. Let’s see if I have what it takes to design! Thanks so much for this awesome experience The Garment Creative and I highly recommend anyone who wants to try out designing to go to one of their classes with their girls. It’ll be way more fun than your Paint Night. 

Top: This beautiful off the shoulder top is by BCBG Maxazria. It’s actually a friend of mine that I’ve managed to randomly find in my closet from years ago. It’s a beautiful and comfortable top that I love rocking in any season!  

Bottoms: These are my favorite jeans. I bought them from Forever21 ages ago and they’ve come a long way. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of Forever21’s quality, but these work in my favor. They started off with a lot more stitches and threads, and over time the threads got looser and the holes got bigger. I love the look even more now!  

Shoes: Of course I love being comfortable and decided to go with my blue Sperry’s.  

Summer Pink Nudes

Sometimes we get so caught up in our work and routine, we just need to take a little break and do something spontaneous. Dress up and go have a nice dinner downtown, go hit up a festival, check out the gardens midweek. It might sound like work -- getting ready and driving 40 minutes in the usual Chicago traffic, but it's SO WORTH IT. Life is short, we can't get lost working like machines, so enjoy the moments you get. Moreover, seriously enjoy this weather who knows when we'll have such nice weather again. 

Top: I recently got this beautiful red striped top from Zara. Stripes are perfect for summer and always bring the simple chic look to your casual outfit. I love the ruffles on the sides, also I'm obsessed with ruffles in general, but what better way to spice up your basic top?! You'll be seeing this top again, red stripes are so easy to pair different colors with such as neutrals, nudes, navy blue, etc.

Bottoms: I got these pink nude trousers from Zara about a year ago. Yes, I shop at Zara a lot, but that shop is your best bet. Someone mentioned how do I find trousers that fit length wise because we're so petite and honestly, the only solution is to not give up and try them on. I've seen it often at shops like Zara and H&M where the pants might be too long one time, but in another style they fit just right. So always give them a chance and just try them on. 

Shoes: These beautiful loafers are also from Zara. These babies are normally overlooked on the rack, but when you pair it with your outfits they complete your cute look. They're in between flats and sandals, and these babies would be your perfect mix. They're a nude pink color so I would only pair these with a pastel palette. 

Purse: I love bringing a little bit of extra class with my single flap caviar leather, Chanel bag. If it's one purse you should invest your life in, it will always be this classic and timeless Chanel. 

White With a Touch of Floral

I love wearing white in the summer. With Chicago’s fire summers, white not only feels better in the sun, but also goes perfectly for the summer look. I’m always extra cautious when I’m wearing white though just because I’m prone to dropping something on myself or my child leaving his shoe marks on me. Joys of motherhood. 

Top: I recently purchased this floral dress from Zara. I love how light the material is and it brings out the perfect summer white. This dress can be worn multiple ways and I can’t wait to show you. For this look, I combined it with a white tank and only buttoned the middle buttons to bring out more of a trendy casual look for an event. I'm going to show you guys another look I plan on doing with this by using it as a kimono instead.

Bottoms: To complete the white look, I paired the dress with white leggings. I bought these off Amazon for a great price. I don’t wear white leggings often, but they come in handy in the summer especially for wearing under short dresses. 

Shoes: I’m wearing the black wedges by Toms. Wedges are the perfect pair of shoes to wear in the summer. Dress up your summer dresses, but still remain classy and chic. 

Black Lawn Outfit

I wish we could wear lawn outfits here in the US, but since we don’t have enough occasions to wear our semi-formals to, it’s impossible. Eid did fall on a weekend this year and we were actually able to rejoice all 3 days of Eid. By the third day, I wanted to look cute, but wear something comfortable and finally was able to pull out my lawn outfit!  

Top: I got this awesome black kurti from Gulf Bazaar in Karachi, Pakistan. With the Peshawari trend still in action, this top was perfect to celebrate the casual, yet festive holiday. Now is the time to wear your kurtis with a ton of color work before it goes out of fashion by the end of summer. 

Bottoms: I love wearing these bell bottom black pants from Sapphire. The lace edge emphasizes the flare and creates a Bohemian look! I love it.  

Shoes: I’m wearing wedges by Tom’s. A pair of wedges is perfect for casual looks and I love the fact that Tom's donates a portion of their sales to charity.

Jewelry: I’m wearing the black druzy earrings by the new and upcoming designer, Rida Chhotani in Texas. Her new collection is perfect for the summer with hints of island jewels and floral shapes!  

Eid Al-Fitr

These are the days of Eid! Does that ring a bell? I have that song on repeat all weekend. I love it. 

Top: I bought this beautiful pink nude top from Agha Noor on my trip to Pakistan in November. The beautiful thing about Agha Noor is that their pieces are timeless and will always look elegant. The quality is great and their loose fitting style is so comfortable.  

Bottoms: These beautiful white embroidered pants are from Daman in Dolmen Mall. These are the fanciest white pants I own and they always bring out the details in every outfit. 

Shoes: I’m wearing the nude Pigalle Louboutins. These beauties are comfortable to an extent and they look perfect for neutral and nude outfits. Because of how mainstream Louboutins have become, I've stopped purchasing them. 

Ramadan Nights

I love Ramadan and I’m sad it’s coming to an end. It’s such a festive and peaceful month that brings a diverse group together. Everyone puts aside their hangry attitude and does their best to bring out the goodness in them. Isn’t that amazing? How often does anyone do that? Why can’t we be like this everyday?

Top: I got this beautiful floral lawn top from Daman in Dolmen Mall, Karachi. Seriously Pakistan is on a whole another level of fashion guys, it sucks how we barely catch up living in the states. My favorite part about this top are the ruffle sleeves and the pretty floral colors, it’s not often you see the two together. 

Bottoms: I got these fringe white pants from Sapphire in Pakistan. It’s kind of nice that you have a variety of pants to mix and match with, but also a pain when you always have to pay for pants separately! Anyway, I love the fringe and yes it will go out of fashion soon, but I’m going to try rock it as much as I can until then. 

Shoes: These are my favorite colorful shoes by Manolo Blahnik that go perfectly with my top! I actually got asked which I bought first and if I purposefully tried to match. Shoes definitely came first! Don’t be scared to try bold shoes, you wear them more often than you think and they bring the fun to you. 

Purse: I stole this silver steel purse from Mom, who also got this from a bazaar in Pakistan.  

Jewelry: I am wearing the silver druzy studs by Rouge by Rooj Amir. Mention MARIAMSHIBLY for 10% off your purchase. 

The Blogger Formal

I had the honor of speaking with a Syrian refugee, Heba. She welcomed me into her home to share her Ramadan and new world experiences. I was so nervous because this was the first time I came face to face with a victim of such a fragile situation. The interview was a success because this woman is no ordinary mom, she is a strong and brave leader. She came here with her kids after being held at gun point by the rebels and managed to escape the one chance she got. Not only has she survived, but she is already making a name for herself in this new world.  Alhamdullilah for all the blessings we have and pray that peace spreads all over the world. PS. I’m creating a little package for this sweetheart and her cute kids, if you’re interested in contributing any way please contact me, I will be collecting until Sunday, June 9th. Here’s Heba’s story: 

Heba is from Shams in Damascus. What she loves about Ramadan is how her faith strengthens by reading Quran, uniting the family together by eating together and praying together, especially when the family is busy working night and day. I asked Heba how her Ramadan has changed since she’s moved here and it brought tears to her eyes. She said she and her family would cook together and eat together. They’d go to taraweeh together, then hang out until suhoor and did this everyday in Ramadan. She even laughed and said food tastes better when you’re with your loved ones. We took a break and hugged it out. I can’t imagine what she’s going through, but I admire her strength. Heba tries to bring a little bit of Syria by making the same kubbeh dish to have her kids remember a little bit about Home.

The biggest challenge was when they first moved here, no one could understand them. There was a huge language barrier, they didn’t know where they’d get furniture from, much less, how they were even going to pay rent. The syrian community network stepped in and was able to provide them the resources they needed. In less than two years in the States, Heba took English classes and is now looking to take accredited courses to be able to find a suitable job to help support her family. What struck me the hardest was that after everything Heba’s been through, she never gave up. She was forced to leave her home, her community, her parents, to live a new life in a country she knew nothing about. I asked her how she manages and she said, you see what you want and you go get it. No matter what, if you want it don’t stop until you get it.

Top: I’m wearing a loose white tee from H&M with a light blue cotton blazer from Forever 21. Adding on a blazer creates the formal look of what I was going for and not the boring corporate look. Let’s be honest, no one ever dresses up in a suit for fun. The tee was what contained the casual look and it’s super comfortable to wear under a blazer!  

Bottoms: I’m wearing the mocha brown culottes by The Boutique Liverpool. They’re sooo comfortable and have the best prices ever! Mention MARIAMSHIBLY to receive even more discount, 15% off your purchase! These culottes are so much fun to wear in the summer and fall. You can make them super casual or trendy formal as I did with this look. I’ve always rocked these mocha culottes with a white top, I’m still experimenting with what other colors I can get away with.  

Shoes: I have to complete the trendy formal look with a pair of wedges by Toms. They are so comfortable and add the perfect heel height to make the culottes stand out.   

Purse: This is one of my favorite blue beauty investments, Celine.  

Jewelry: My silver watch was gifted to me by my beautiful friends and is by Burberry. I’m wearing my favorite signature necklace by Nominal. Use MARIAM15 at checkout for 15% off your purchase!  

A Floral Summer Dress

​Chicago heat has me desperate to be indoors. I’m always trying to find cool ways (literally) to play with my son without having either of us faint in this heat. The heat was never really an issue for me because I’d always have the option of staying indoors, but when you’ve got an active toddler, you have no choice, but to deal with the fire head on. So mommy’s please share tips on how to stay cool with your babes! I’ll be waiting. 

Dress: I got this floral wrap dress from Forever21 a few years back. I’m not going to lie it took me forever to figure out wrap dresses. I just realized that the first time I wore it was definitely wrong, especially since I had to use a safety pin to keep it all together. Wrap dresses aren’t the safest bet, but if you tie it the right way and tight enough, you shouldn’t be too worried about pulling a Marilyn Monroe. I love the flowy cut of the dress and the delicate appearance it brings. I mainly bought this dress because it has sleeves and this cute cut, which I find it rare amongst Western  dresses to have both. Get yourself a cute floral dress for the summer if you haven’t already, and try to get one that comes with sleeves because cardigans do really take the look away sometimes. 

Shoes: I bought these red strap sandals by Report from Nordstrom Rack last summer. The best time to pull out red shoes is in the summer, and if you can find a pair of coral red shoes, buy them. They’ll never grow out of fashion.  

Jewelry: I’m wearing my ultimate favorite name necklace by Nominal. It is the signature collection and use MARIAM15 to receive 15% off your purchase! 

Casual Go-To

Atlanta is some serious heat. It feels like I stepped into a sauna everytime, but by the evening it is such beautiful weather. My in laws reside in ATL so we made a quick trip. We haven’t had the chance to really explore ATL besides seeing a little bit of downtown and the aquarium. What I really need to dig into is the food scene. Thanks for sending all your recs, with Ramadan it was hard to try most of them, but I’ll be back next month and definitely hitting them up then! 

Top: I bought this light blue tunic top from Forever21 years ago. I’m surprised it stuck around for this long, but I love pulling this top out for summer. It makes your outfit look casual trendy and it’s perfect for the weather. The secret to this look is the comfortable collar— that’s how you can dress up any pair of solid pants. Here’s a top similar to one I’m wearing. 

Pants: I bought these navy pants two years ago at Ann Taylor. They’re actually dress pants, but they’re so comfortable to wear you can wear it with anything just tuck it in and show off the waistband. 

Shoes: I copped these Sperry’s recently at Nordstrom Rack. I feel like an official mom rocking these 24/7, but when your kid is constantly on the go you need to be comfortable chasing after him.  

Kiwi Tropics in New Zealand - Maheen Jewels

I finally went on my dream vacation in New Zealand earlier this year. I'm sure every one of you has one, you know its THE spot you've been dreaming about--the ultimate vacation. We finally had the opportunity to do go to New Zealand, and two weeks wasn't enough. I am definitely coming back for some more. Anyway, most of the time I was in sweaty active wear, there were seldom dressier days and this is one of those days. I love dressing tropical, it's fun, easy and you can never go wrong.  

Top: I just grabbed this royal blue silk top from Zara. It's such a pretty blue I couldn't resist. It's perfect for summer and winter looks as well, and in this case for my summer look. I'm also a huge fan of blue, it's a color you can never go wrong with it. It's super easy to match and just the right amount of pop of color.

Bottoms: I love these wide legged yellow pants I got from Khaadi in Pakistan. They're unbelievably comfortable and are so tropical. I did have to iron them a few times since they wrinkle easily, but these babies feel so great on summer vacation. I didn't want to be too "matchy" so I decided to go with a colored top that wasn't included in the design and it worked really well. 

Jewelry: I got these silver polki kundun earrings from Maheen Jewels. These earrings are so cute, they're perfect with any outfit --Western or desi, casual or dressy. Maheen such an eloquent variety and the quality is outstanding. By quality, I mean the whole deal--the stones stay on very well, the backs aren't loose at all, and best part of all the earrings don't lose their sparkle. 

The Yellow Dress

There aren’t enough events to gather everyone for a cause above all, helping those in need. Thaakat did an amazing job putting on a “Dinner for Dreams”, a fundraising dinner for the poverty-striken Pakistani children to gain an education. There are so many children eager to learn, but not enough resources unfortunately. If you’d like to donate to the cause you can donate to Thaakat here. 

Dress: I bought this stunning yellow dress from Kinza Chicago back in the fall last year. I’ve been waiting quite a while to be able to wear it. It’s such a flattering color, I love it! This tone of yellow is an essential for any olive based skin tones. It really makes you stand out in any crowd, but in a graceful manner. In fact, Amal Clooney recently rocked this color to the Royal Wedding and she looked the best in my opinion. Besides the color, this dress is so comfortable and I bought it for $30! That’s a steal. The material is quite warm so I’m not sure if I’d wear this during a hot summer day, but definitely be perfect to wear in the spring or fall. 

Purse: My mom brought this beautiful rustic steel purse from Pakistan and of course I had to “borrow” this from her, basically she’s never getting it back. Thanks Mama! 

Jewelry: I’m wearing the vertical name necklace by Nominal. I’ve been told it looks like a YSL necklace on multiple occasions, but nope it’s just my name in Arabic sideways and it makes such a cool design! Use MARIAM15 for 15% off your purchase at checkout. I’m also rocking Baublebar’s double moon choker. 

Shoes: I’m wearing my favorite pair of pointy toed black heels by Aquazarra.