Deepika Chadha - My Lehnga review

Hello Peeps

Long time no seee???!!!!!!

I've been a bit hectic! Wedding season hit my husband and I full on; we attended 5 weddings in four months (we still have 4 to go!), two of them abroad and obviously the desi weddings all had numerous events so I'd barely had time to digest the biryani when the blessed month of Ramadan started. Now I don't have the energy to blog... but here goes!!

For my very special cousins wedding I was informed I needed a lehnga for the Mehndi. I love leghnga's and although I LOVE Pakistani designers and style, when it came to a lehnga I knew it had to be Indian!

I had my parents do a quick search for me whilst they were in Delhi but as I had a limited budget and they didn't have much time... we didn't have any luck.... then whilst searching through instagram I came across Deepika's page. I know; I am the first to warn people to never order of randoms and never order unless you have a recommendation; my other rule which I always harp on about is never order a replica but I was desperate and decided to break ALL my rules!!

Deepika was so lovely to deal with and so reassuring; she sent me samples of the types of kaam she had, colours, sketches and everything else I fussed over that I knew that I could place my trust in her. I was also relieved to see she only posts photos of her own work on her facebook page, always a good indicator in my opinion.

I paid her only half up front which as around £90 and the rest once the outfit was ready to be shipped and she had sent me photos of the finished garment. The lehnga was £180 with shipping, she knew I was apprehensive and agreed to make it within my budget as a first time order.

I knew I wanted something a little toned down, not too heavy and very elegant. I had set my sights on this Shyamal & Bhumika Number which at around £700 was totally out of my budget

I've ordered enough online not to expect a replica of this and its not what we wanted either, I worked with Deepika in developing an inspired version right for my budget and the occasion.

I was VERY pleased with the final outfit, it looks really elegant as it has just the right amount of work and the colour combination is just perfect; muted with a pop of bright colour. Initially I wasn't too happy with the size of the motifs on the dupatta, I had been sent photos of them in advance so couldn't complain and thought they were too big when I saw it in person however when I wore the lehnga the large motifs actually 'made' the look and are probably the highlight of the lehnga.

The quality of stitching and finishing on the garment is superb, The fabrics used are of a high standard; the blouse is raw silk fully lined and the skirt also has a silk cotton lining, netting then a second lining to protect my legs from the netting.

I had a sizing issue but that was due to miss communication, Deepika had assumed an open back and the blouse had been cut accordingly, however it was only later I clarified I need a more modest version... for those who don't know open backed blouses are cut differently and it alters the sizing massively, its actually not so easy to fix and took a few visits to a local tailor from my end and if I am honest the fitting of the blouse is a bit weird now but again to point out that wasn't really the vendors fault as in India open/low backs on blouses is pretty much standard and as I was going against the norm the onus really was on me to point this out :)

The quality of kaam is nice; its a lot thicker and less fine than what I usually go for but it looks good and to be honest stands out a lot more; it works well with the overall look so am more than happy.

I would certainly order from Deepika again, I loved the fact she was always available on whatsapp and we could exchange photos and ideas instantly. My outfit was delivered on time, is good value for money, is beautiful and I honestly cant wait to wear it again! I've found a new trusted designer to order from. All is well!

Deepika Chadha Designs can be found on Facebook.

My Bathroom selfie...!

Photos Deepika sent me before I made final payment