Off to Bhutan...

Will be back on 19th June with pictures and stories. Much love to you all. Here is a glimpse of this stunning country.

Say hello to Mr Olowu...

Breath in. Breath out. Relax. Calm down.

Okay. So this is pretty much my reaction to anything Duro Olowu. I gasp, I pant, and generally misbehave. The London based designer, who trained as a lawyer, and is now among Michelle Obama’s preferred designers, believes that fashion should be joyful. That it shouldn't dictate to women but it should invite them into the fantasy of the designer who is making them.
Hoo boy, Mr. Olowu, look up, I am right there, fantasizing about your designs!

Olowu, first discovered by Vogue's Sally Singer and Julie Gilhart, of Barneys, makes stunning fluid dresses, from vintage fabrics that he finds all over the world as well as new prints that he's been designing himself. Mixing prints on a background of cheerful patterns and vibrant hues, his Fall 2011 collection had plaids alongside watercolor prints and polka dots as well as different stripes juxtaposed against one another for a statement-making look.
Fur-trimmed coats, voluminous long skirts, form-fitting column gowns, printed capes ... There is so much to covet! Okay, there I go again.

Breath in. Breath out. Relax. Calm down.

Poetry in motion --- Miki Orihara

Dear God,
I will be really really good in this lifetime. Please make me her in my next lifetime.

Love and hugs,
P







A principal dancer of the Martha Graham Dance Company, Miki began her training in Japan at an early age in traditional Fujima Japanese Dance and modern dance with Nanako Yamada and Chizu Shoda. After graduating from Bunka Gakuin high school in Tokyo, she came to New York to study at the Joffrey Ballet School. She then received scholarships to study at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance.

In 1983 she became one of the original members of the Martha Graham Ensemble and thereafter shortly joined the Martha Graham Dance Company. The rest, cliché cliché, is history.

A Friday evening and some raw mangoes

A lazy Friday evening, with the entire day spent without any human interaction. Ummmm... I like lazr Fridays. Unfortunately, my joy at having a lazy, long weekend ends here as I have to work tomorrow. Groan! Don't ask.

To cheer myself up, I am making some Aam Panha, an awesome Mango drink that can lace a gloomy, work ridden Saturday with sweet-sour joy. And you know what, it's so easy to make! So get those Raw mangoes home and get going.

For roughly 6 to 8 servings of the Panha, you need,

Raw mango Pulp - 1 cup. 
Jaggery or sugar - 3/4 to 1 Cup - Quantity will depend on the sourness of the mangoes and your sweet tooth. 
Saffron strands - 1/4 tsp 
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp 
Salt - a pinch

Boil water in a pot. Put in the raw mangoes, skin and all, and let them boil till they are soft. Should take about 10-15 minutes.If you don't have that kind of patience, you can pressure cook the mangoes.

Once the mangoes are cool, remove the skin and seed and keep the pulp. Blend the pulp well with the jaggery in the blender. Add cardamom powder and saffron. The thick pulp is ready. You can keep it in the fridge and to serve, add about ¼ glass pulp into a glass and top with ice and cold water. Make sure you stir the miture well. You can add Rock salt or black pepper powder for extra flavor and taste. 

I will hopefully be done with work at a decent hour, because I want to try a new chicken recipe for dinner tomorrow. Sunday morning, I plan to go to the Organic Market to get supplies for the week. So, what are your weekend plans?

Doesn't get better than this!

A wet, monsoon afternoon, good music, friends Mathew and Dhanya's shack, Rainmakers, in Lonavala. And my sweet, special recipe for "Dream Chicken". This will be one of the recipes I will be sharing in my Entertaining At Home classes. Get ready to have your guests beg for more!

Lakme Fashion Week Recap

Some of the designers whose work impressed...

Emerging designer Sabah Khan’s Sabashe label let loose a quirky and colorful collection “Tuk Tuk”, (colloquial for the Tangewala or Rickshawala). Finding her muse in the pastel uniforms of the rickshaw drivers and the bright interiors of the rickshaw, Sabah devised a series of trendy, interesting ensembles. From cute bikinis to hot pants, dhoti dungarees, waist coats, T backs - Sabah's inspired summer wear struck a cord with the young and the bold.






Harangad Singh's "Madame Pavone" brought alive the Pre-World War II Fashion decadence with opulent shades like sand, gold lemonade, pink, Tahitian red, sea blue and black. the collection featured maxis, summer cardigans, and flapper dresses from the 1920s shifts, embellished with embroidery replete with fine net, chiffon, seed beads and crystals. Details included pleats, cowls and 3D drapes.

Lakme Fashion Week Day 5 - VJ Balhara

The 5th day of the Lakme Fashion Week Summer / Resort 2011, and I finally made it to the venue. I still can’t get over it. My favorite five days of the fashion season, and I missed them! Well, almost. I did make it to the 1.30 show where VJ sent his collection down the runway. I have already given you a preview of the collection, so won’t go into that again. All I can say is that from the very first strain of the music, it was a collection that had the audience swinging and applauding. VJ’s penchant for controlled drama was at play, as “Rustic Sophistication”, a collection in 100% cotton and chanderi unfolded in an inspired palette of lavender, fuchsia, turquoise, white, ivory and olive among other colors. Empire line smocks, cool summer pants, tunics with gathered hems, full pleated tents, drop crotch linen churidars, flared mul blouses, gypsy dresses, paisley embroidered skirts were all unusually styled with colorful birds in models’ hair, and exquisite, understated accessories that complimented the outfits, the collection bore the VJ Balhara stamp of edgy originality through and through. That the show was styled by VJ’s extremely talented wife Cynthia added a special touch to the event.

But what truly took everyone’s breath away was the showstopper, VJ’s muse Carol Gracias in a melon and taupe tiered circular Angarakha had the audience let out a collective gasp. And then, my favorite moment of every VJ show when the ex-model turned designer walked the ramp for a final bow, as the applause kept getting louder. When I first saw VJ’s designs, I saw in them a promise that finds substance with every new collection. Unfortunately, the show has left me with a dilemma. I am weighed down with the urgent need to lose ample weight to fit into one of VJ’s breathtaking designs. That, I hope will happen before his next collection.









All Photos Courtesy: Nitesh Square Photography