The Great Wall Of Mumbai!

So, things are a little better. Thanks for all your kind words. My mom is a little better, though it's a long, painful road to recovery.

I needed a pick-me-up. So Tarun and I went for the Mumbai Wall Project. It's a collaborative street graffiti project, wherein people are invited to come and paint the walls along a particular street in Mumbai. The paints and other material is provided by the organizers. I did a simple pretty design. Not bad for a first attempt at graffiti. Tarun and his two friends - Niharika and Kunal- made the Pakman.

Sorry for being MiA

Hi. I haven't posted in a while. I was away for a serious family emergency. My mom had a nasty fall, and being already weak, she suffered from a life-threatening head injury. She seems a little better now. But I might not be back in action for some time. Meanwhile, I'd try and visit your lovely blogs and post my comments. Take care.

The Future Of Fashion - Tech Couture

As one fashion week after another speeds by, my ADD is kicking in, and I am suddenly intrigued by a less talked about aspect of fashion – Tech Couture. From designer Manel Torres exploring the possibility of spray-on clothing, to the development of “smart” second skin clothing which has interactive fragrance technology permanently built into the clothing: examples include clothing and jewellery that release scents such as menthol, which could help alleviate medical problems including asthma attacks.
That science and fashion interact on such close front is exciting, and not just from an academic point of view. To break free from the current conventions of fabrics and silhouettes, and to be able to explore unthinkable dimensions, and through fashion!

All this isn’t some distant science fantasy. In fact, some of these innovations have already been seen on the runway. Hussein Chalayan’s 2008 collection featured LED dresses: a video dress displaying a time-lapsed image of a rose opening up and closing, with an array of colours and light, made possible by 15,000 LEDs embedded in the fabric. In 2007, Chalayan’s collection featured clothes that changed shape: zippers closing, cloth bunching and hemlines rising, with the assistance of micro-controllers, switches and motors.






Dresses changed shape as the audience gasped


If this is just the beginning, I can’t really wait to see what the future of Tech-couture will be!

LIFW SS 2010- Celebrating 10 years of Fashion

The first day of Lakme Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2010 had an unusual and timeless treat for the fashion lovers in the city - a spectacular show called “Lakmé and IMG celebrate 10 years of fashion”
presented by Samira Habitats. Covering the past 10 years of the fashion week, the theme of the show was Then - Now – Forever: with 20 Lakme Grand Finale designers presenting their looks from “back then”, to now and then finally, the timeless, “forever” looks. The show ran for a full 45 minutes and featured some stunning designs from some of India’s most well-known and prolific designers. Though every design that made a round of the runway is worth writing about, there are some creations that made a noticeable impact on the fashion fraternity present.

Bobby and Manju Grover’s Forever design, a chiffon shot silk grey gown with a metallic Lurex laser cutwork bodice with a dramatic headgear.


Monapali’s Forever, a white net sari with a kantha and mirror work borders.


Rohit Bal’s Forever, his favourite 16 tiered full circle kurta in ivory.



Arjun Khanna’s Forever, a mirror work embellished jacket teamed with a crushed panelled lehenga with gold motifs.


J J Valaya’s Forever, a floral ruffled headgear cum choli with white zardozi lehenga.


Tarun Tahiliani’s fringed dress and gown with corded off- shoulder neckline for Now and for Forever, a draped bronze satin backless dress.


Malini Ramani’s Forever, a fierce, tiger stripes backless mini in gold and black.


Ritu Beri’s dramatic Spanish inspired skirt, presented as her Forever design.


Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s Forever design, a velvet chiffon multi print skirt, blouse and bolero in earthy tones.


Finally, as 20 of India’s most creative minds took the stage, there was, as expected, a standing ovation, marking the end of the fashion event of the decade.  

Kolkata Fashion Week - Ritu Kumar

The Czarina of Indian Haute Couture, Ritu Kumar, presented her collection on the first day of the Kolkata Fashion Week. Featuring her characteristic designs with exquisite blending of the Indian handicrafts with contemporary mediums, Kumar’s collection opened in black and gold, with varied silhouettes to suit the modern Indian woman. The collection comprised of evening gowns, long tunics, chogas, kutchi gathered coats worn over loose pants, all incorporating the exquisite skills of a hugely skilled designer. The theme was taken further by marrying the Indian aesthetic with coats, trench and bomber jackets, all trimmed with leather and worn with tights and boots. The color palette was rich and vivid, in the true Ritu Kumar style. The designer called her collection a tribute to the craftsmen of West Bengal, as she marked it as a celebration of forty years of the Ritu Kumar label.

Hearting LBD

Hearting LBD by pratishtha featuring Jil Sander

Talking about the Hepburns of the world... I now have a sudden craving for over-sized accessories and LBDs.

Style Icons - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

In her book “How to be a Hepburn in a Hilton World,” author Jordan Christy laments the modern day loss of polite, well-spoken, gracious, charming and thoughtful women, like the yesteryear icons, Kate and Audery Hepburn. In a celebrity obsessed world, where Paris and Lindsay are emulated everywhere, she talks about the grace and charm that women from a bygone era exuded. As she goes on to talk about "real women with brains, beauty and self-respect", I start thinking about India’s own style queens of yesterday – Leela Naidu, and Gayatri Devi. Vogue chose them as being among the most beautiful women in the world. Ironically, and tragically, Gayatri Devi passed away just a day after actress Leela Naidu died in Mumbai.

Gayatri Devi was celebrated for her classical beauty and was a prominent fashion icon in her adulthood, Born a Rajput princess, she regaled the world with her intellect, beauty and regal charm. As Maharani Gayatri Devi she was an icon for her generation. A head-turner with her bobbed brown hair, chiffon saree, and understated, elegant jewellery, she was the quintessential fairy tale princess. Despite her life’s ups and downs, the doe eyed Maharani’s fabled beauty and grace stayed with her, till the very end. It comes as no surprise that she was often compared to former US first lady and style icon Jacqueline Kennedy.



Gayatri Devi


Leela Naidu, on the other hand, was an Indian actress. Her ethereal, mesmerizing looks and subtle, effortless style, tinged with the glamour of her profession made her a timeless beauty. As the world moves on to size zero, chic glamour, one can’t help but hang on to the fleeting memory of the women who truly embodied style and elegance.



Leela Naidu