Archive for February, 2010

Suggestions To Make A Kurta Look Indian As Well As Western

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

A Kurta is an Indian representation of culture which has changed and evolved differently over time. A Kurta earlier would be long, full-sleeved and practically like enveloping your entire body, like a long night gown. Today, kurtas have reached heights of modernism, as well as many a Kurta style have kept to the Indian style and tradition. A Kurta is basically a long top, which looks Indian or Western, depending on its print at times and most often, depending on how one decides to wear it!

Suggestions to make a Kurta look Indian as well as Western are listed as below

1.     Wear a Kurta over jeans and make sure that the Kurta you buy has a bit of Indianised embroidery stitched on it. Team it up with Sandals that can match an Indian or Western attire. Do not wear a Bindi with this look and do not accessorize with bangles. This is one look guaranteed to look Indo-Western. Both Indian and Western are the looks suggested by dressing as stated in the above

2.     Wear a plain Chickan Kurta with no prints in subtle colours over tights or a salwar and put on a bindi if you like and maybe two bangles in gold or silver colours, which will match with any coloured Kurta or Salwar. This look will make the Indian girl shine with simplicity and style and is a guaranteed, comfortable Indian look.

3.     A kurta worn over skinny jeans or tights that reach up until below your knees (also called capris) with a bracelet and sans-bindi, carrying a modern, large, handbag or an elegant clutch of a neutral colour, will once again achieve the dual look of looking both Indian and Western. Also popularly called the Fusion look.

4.     A Kurta over pants and a pair of stilettos or pumps or wedged heels will look formal and fusion and this can be a look that one can decide to wear to an evening out or to a ceremony where one does not want to dress up and yet wants to be appropriately dressed for the occasion. This is a multi-faceted look and can even be worn to an interview for work (without stilettos, replacing stilettos with small heeled sandals/shoes)

These are different suggestion to guarantee a super-cool and yet a traditional flavored look by wearing a Kurta in different concoctions. For all you stylish and experimental people out there, enjoy and use the suggestions!!! On this stylish note, I sign off!! Ciao!

Indian Saree: Back With a Bang In The Fashion Circuit

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

The Indian Saree- Age old, part of India’s history and culture, the oldest dress form for women in this country.

The Indian Saree does the best portrayal of the desi-indian-girl. An Indian saree has come back with a bang and a boom to the fashion circuit. Shows on ethnicity and designers like Ritu Kumar have embodied the concepts of style and tradition by creating versions of the Indian Saree. A Sabyasachi saree is different and has a unique quotient to it, while a Satya Paul Saree would be colour-centric and pleasing to the eye that favours colour. Meanwhile you have not so high-end stores selling their special versions of the Indian Saree making it feasible to choose from various options and looks. From looking elegant, to looking hot, to looking basic, to looking stylish, there is a saree for your every requirement for every look

When Priyanka Chopra Wore the gorgeous Saree in the song Desi-girl from Dostana, it looked sizzling on screen. It literally created a bigger stir than her swimsuit scene of the film. This goes to show that the Indian Saree concept is not drab, and it’s not overtly traditional any longer either. It has taken a turn and today, the saree is embodied internationally as well. And this is a proud moment for India for having come a long way from having seven yard sarees as the only choice to today, having seventy inch long sarees as well! So, leaving the long and short of it to your style sensibility, here’s a desi-namaste until next time!

Clothes Define A Person- Myth or Reality?

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Clothes do define a person. Not a complete myth. Not a complete reality. The answer lies somewhere in between. For actors, their main job is to look good and presentable all the time; this makes the phrase ‘clothes define a person’ a reality of sorts. Today, with fashion shows embedded into the circuits of Mumbai and fashion channels providing exposure to the young and old, all the same and with the importance attached to Fashion Designers, clothes have become an intrinsic part of many a person’s life and lifestyle.

Actors get defined by how they look and what they wear. An actor like Kajol will be seated in the front row cheering on designer pal, Manish Malhotra at a fashion show because of the innate affiliation that every actor has with their favourite designer. Manish Malhotra is a striking example for being the candy-coloured designer of Bollywood, making colourful, happy, vibrant and stylish clothing for his leading ladies for movies and in personal life.

Aki Narula, being the head-stylist and designer for movie Kurbaan, is a big deal. The clothes for the movie were required to be demure, secretive, concealing and sleek.  When one read Aki Narula’s name in the credits, one would know that much importance is given to the designer of a movie. This is essential because clothes too, define a movie sometimes. Imagine if you have to watch Kajol in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’s first half of the movie, in un-fitted Salwars or Kurtas, it would have been a disaster. Her look in the first half of the movie, as Anjalie , was tom-boyish and Manish Malhotra designed the look to the tee. And it’s important to know the body type of each of the actors because only then can one do justice to dressing a star up- male or female.

In real life, people ape bollywood. For these people, a lot is about getting a look of their favourite star and this entails copying similar clothes and this would mean that clothes in certain extents define them as well. There are many socialites and many more who love to dress up in their favourite brand of clothing. Like, there are people who will only buy from certain stores because they feel that those brands compliment their physical attributes and provide a sense of comfortable confidence. These people give much importance and many marks to fashion-clothing. In many case, people do not care or bat an eyelid to their dressing sense and will be comfortabke in whatever they wear and do not have preferences, for these percentage of people, clothing defining them would be a myth and far from reality.

In conclusion, for many people, clothes define them to a large extent and to a percentage of people; clothes do not define them to any extent. Only clothes, however much there is obsession towards it, cannot be the single definitive factor in anyone’s life. Therefore, the article started by a mention of how clothes defining people lies in between a myth and reality.

Bollywood Style Secrets

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

Did you know that bollywood has many secrets, most of which are style related?

Did you know that actors (male and female) are so particular and sometimes obsessive about their appearances and style on and off screen?

Did you know that style competition exists in bollywood all the time?

Bolywood has stylish leading men and women. Even the wives of actors are so keen on keeping up with the cool-quotient and remaining stylish. Actors have to look after their skin and their diet all the time because of the profession they are in. This allows them to get fixated on gymming, eating right and healthy, using the best products for their skin types, and wearing clothes from their much-loved designers and so much more.

Being stylish is a lot about being comfortable. Style should be and fall easily with one’s personality. You see, in real life, Kareena kapoor is stylish and well dressed at all times. We see her carry off a Salwar-Patiala from a Pakistan based designer, as easily as she carries off a Manish Malhotra saree or a short mini skirt in K3G in her character- Poo

Preity Zinta can wear a cap with a white tee during IPL and a hat with a beautiful, fluffy top at the Derby (races) with the same, effortlessness and this is what pronounces style. And this is what makes women style icons.  Amitabh Bachchan could have popularized the Reid and Taylor look by his suits worn, whilst yester-year actor Dev Anand epitomized the concept of a scarf with shirts.

Bollywood stars like their facials and skin care. They each invest in their range of skin care to make them look youthful and vibrant. Shoes are a fetish in Bollywood as well. You hardly see a star repeating a pair of shoes at events. They buy shoes from the best brands across the globe and they invest in black dresses as well. In every fashion journal, a little black dress is a must. Similarly, actors buy the right fitted, perfect for them, black dresses which they can repeat at times if they wish to, with different shoes and accessorize differently with gorgeous handbags belonging to different seasons of different brands.  A black dress is a definite piece of clothing in an actor’s wardrobe!!!   (I say actor because today, actor is a generic word for both male and female movie stars)

Denims for toddlers

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

Denims as a fashion are just not restricted to adults. There is a whole range in denims made for winter wear for children. Chic, elegant, casual and yet trendy the styles for kids denim wear is full of choices.  Kid’s apparel is however much about frills, drama and a lot of accessorization. Many big labels use denim as a fabric to mix along with the main lines so that there is a comfortable feel to the collection.

 

Going from cute to serious jackets, the denim can be explored in shades of blue and goes to grey and black. The best lines in denims are about cuts which includes the gent’s collection. The buttons are usually big and makes a statement. For girls there are these cute frock styles which are laced with white lace or other fabric that makes the swirl adorable. Matching head bands, belts and caps seems perfect to complete the attire.

 

The size in branded products goes from small to double XL. This helps the buyers to try various varieties that come new in the store each time. Denim pants are a must have in the collection of a child’s wardrobe. The style is also seen in semi grunge pattern with low waist pants aided with a dependable belt. The pinafore style for the girl is perfectly worn with a yellow or red short sleeved skirt. For winter collection the dungaree denim collection is the right choice.

 

Screen prints and embossing is another embellishment form of denim. Here in the ethnic style one can also see appliqué work with kundan or sequin fixes and also bead works are quite popular. Embroidery in the back pockets in denim pants has been very much common these days and people also prefer some art motif on the collars or the front of the denim jacket.

 

The button down jacket with its bold prints seems perfect for the boy’s collection which is replicated with pink or cartoon appliqué work in the girls collection. Match the same with booties or shoes to almost create your own style for the little ones.