Fashion Forward: Hina Rabbani Khar

Move over Michelle Obama and the Middletons....we in the Sub Continent now have a style icon of our own, and no, she is not a Bollywood Barbie but a politician from Pakistan; our newly elected Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar!

Currently on an official visit across the border, Hina Rabbani Khar (lets call her HRK shall we?) is in the focus of every fashionista right now; be it in Pakistan or India. Ariving in India in an outfit in ink-blue, which is the colour of the moment, Roberto Cavalli sunglasses and peals, HRK sure dressed to impress!

There is no doubt Miss Foreign Minister has been recieved well across the LoC and is creating waved within the media as well as the masses there! Dont believe me? A quick check online proves that #Hina Rabbani Khar #HRK and #Birkin are trending from India on the microblogging website Twitter. And is that wasn't enough, the India media is having a field day with the fashionista's oversized Birkin, her Roberto Cavalli sunglasses and classic pearl jewellery. "Pak bomb lands in India" (Mumbai Mirror) , "Pak Puts On Its Best Face" (The Times of India) are just some of the headlines from popular Indian publications.

HRK's style in understated glamour, very reminiscent of Jackie O...what with her strands or pearls and diamonds, oversized sunglasses, designer heascarves and coveted handbags. they say you can measure a fashionista's style quotient by the handbag she carries....and in that case, HRK's Birkins prove it all. Yes, i said Birkins, for HRK owns not one but two of the most recognized bags in the fashion world. She is almost always seen sporting either version of her Birkins, either tan or black, complemented perfectly with the right amount of bling and other tasteful accessories.

With a clear preference for monotone dressing, HRK, as per Islamic tradition dons headscarves...and dare i say, makes then look chic too! She also opts for sleek cut trousers in lieu of the traditional shalwars, proving she ain't no extremist, knows what's in, and carries it well too!

HRK sure has the Delhi skies droooling right now, but be warned India, she is more than just a pretty face! She may be stylish and rich but hey, she is no Paris Hilton! HRK happens to be Pakistan's first female Foreign Minister and the youngest to-date too! One hopes she takes her dressing smarts to the negotiation tables too!

FASHION FOCUS: AMY WINEHOUSE

There is no doubting that Amy Winehouse was followed not just for the music she made, but for her amazingly free-spirited fashion sense too! With her toweing beehive, exaggerated eyeliner, misscellany of tattoos and body artand obvious dedication to 60's style clothing, Amy Winehouse inspired more than just Haloween costumes, and will continue to do so. There is no denying that, in tandem with her career, the late Winehouse's style was retro, distinctive and utterly rock n roll.

Interestingly, Amy's sense of dress, as the voice she was bestowed with, reflected the free spirited individual she was and will continued to be remembered as. Some liked her and some obviously didn't.... and likewise it was for her style sense. But hey, it has to be said that she was, unlike many others, original. So many musicians draw their muses from the past, but not Amy! She made this look her own, imperfections and all, left now for legions of music and fashion fans to follow.

With her beehive being a hit with designers such as Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld, and her tracks also proving to be runway favorites, its not understatement that she was as important to the fashion world as fashion was to her. She liked dressing ;'easy'; white tank yop, denims and converse shoes being her most favoued attire whiel performing... but the simplicity of that, coupled with her exagerrated make-up, made Amy Winehouse larger than life.

Not that it hasn't been the 'in' trend for the past few years, but i'm predicting the Amy Winehouse look will be bigger than ever before this halloween! Oh, and i'm also predicting eyeliner and red nailpolish sales will be skyrocketing in the next few days!