Ethnic Looks and Nikki & Sebastian by Silk Threads

rajb12 — Fri, 14 May 2010 21:52:31 +0000

Silk Threads Fashion Extravaganza Benefiting the American Cancer Society

By Carlisa Dorsey on May 6, 2010 http://www.dfwtalkscancer.org/

The American Cancer Society was the charity of choice at Silk Threads, Inc.’s April 25 launch of their new collection. The exclusive, invitation only event was held at the Rosewood Crescent Hotel in Dallas. At the close of the fashion show, Society Regional Vice President Maria Clark was presented with a $2,000 check from Raj Bhandari, Silk Threads co-owner and long-time volunteer.

“Mr. Bhandari has served on our Dallas Executive Management Board for many years. He has been very influential in helping us elevate cancer awareness in our communities, raise funds, and cultivate collaborators who share in our vision to eliminate cancer,” said Clark. “We are thankful for Silk Threads’ support in our fight against cancer and honored to be a part of such an exciting event.”

The collection showcased traditional South Asian bridal wear, as well as more trendy tunics. Silk Threads, known for its vibrant use of colors and hand-made embroideries, is the design house of choice for more than 400 high-end boutiques and catalog houses in the U.S. The minority, woman-owned business has been a leading provider of designer mainstream and ethnic apparel for more than 18 years.

Bhandari is also is a member of the Society’s Corporate Hero Circle inaugural class, a program that offers Dallas professionals the opportunity to network with business and community leaders, while fundraising and educating others about the Society’s life-saving mission. To learn more about Corporate Hero Circle, visit corporateherodallas.org .

Tools ‹ News and Trends of Indian, Pakistani and Desi Fashion — WordPress

rajb12 — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 03:14:32 +0000

Reporting from New Delhi – Shahrukh Khan was facing questions again Tuesday, this time from India’s hyperactive celebrity media. The actor may not be a household name in the United States, but in India he’s known as “King Khan,” a heartthrob, a Bollywood megastar.

So everyone wanted to hear Khan’s version of his controversial encounter with U.S. customs officials who, instead of treating him with the godlike reverence he’s afforded at home, had pulled him from a Newark airport line for special screening as he tried to enter the United States last week.

Fans were outraged at the perceived slight to a national icon. Government ministers threatened reprisals. And Indian media eagerly fanned the controversy, with some suggesting Khan had highlighted the incident himself as a publicity stunt for his new movie, “My Name Is Khan.”

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-india-star19-2009aug19,0,3848373.story

Craft’s Man

rajb12 — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:34:01 +0000

	Print Story
Craft’s Man Paromita-Chakrabarti Posted online: Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 0030 hrs IST Fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee gears up to launch craft co-operatives across the country Most followers of Indian fashion are spared the grimy details of what goes on behind the glamorous pirouettes on the ramp. The poverty of the weavers or the near-despotism of the middlemen are issues that get lost in the swish of silks and the coffee conversations on New York, Milan or the Paris Fashion Week. Now, however, designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee has decided to do his bit for the rehabilitation of the weaver community. The Kolkata-based designer is all set to launch a series of co-operatives of rural craftspeople across the country, including Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan and Gujarat. “A majority of the crafts community I work with include women. There are instances when they cannot come to the city for work, or their husbands misappropriate their income, or middlemen cheat them out of their dues. I thought it was about time that I contributed in some capacity to ensure that they get their due,” he says. Mukherjee’s model is quite similar to what designer-filmmaker Muzaffar Ali had initiated in the late eighties with weavers in Uttar Pradesh, called the Dwar Pe Rozi (Income at your doorsteps) programme. His company will deal directly with the weaver community, which will work exclusively for him from their designated bases. A portion of the stipulated investment will be advanced to them to buy the raw materials. “As for the remuneration, they will take back with them half the money while the rest will be deposited with the single user personal bank account of the craftsperson to curb misuse,” he says. Incidentally, this will also mean that the infrastructural costs will go down for the designer himself. Mukherjee, who is also preparing for his show at the New York Fashion Week on September 12, says he is now scouting around for suitable locations in south Bengal for the first of the co-operatives. While Nandigram, the seat of Bengal’s recent political upheavals, and Barasat are the chosen locales in the state, Mukherjee will also turn to Gujarat and Rajasthan next. The first of the co-operatives, tentatively at Barasat, is expected to be functional by April next year. Co-operative apart, there’s bling. Up next is a signature jewellery line slated for a launch in October. “Even before I started working on apparels I was interested in jewellery. I didn’t have a chance in all these years to work on it. But now that my brand is established, I have tied up with a bunch of talented karigars and will take it up seriously,” he says. The thrust of the line will be on ethnic Indian jewellery, particularly on traditional pieces like the jadau or the filigree. “It’s a combination of the best ethnic styles from around the world. Expect gold, diamonds, emeralds, rubies and the works — but all in a traditional mould. Mukherjee will start off with private exhibitions initially to gauge the market, and go in for a bigger launch thereafter. http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Crafts-Man/351320/

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Game for fashion

rajb12 — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:50:03 +0000

November 4, 2006

Kirti Mehta, Hindustan Times

Email Author

New Delhi, August 20, 2008

First Published: 12:01 IST(20/8/2008)

Last Updated: 13:07 IST(20/8/2008)

Game for fashion

If you are a sports enthusiast and watch Wimbledon and Olympics, then you’d know that fashion has become an integral part of sports. To tap into the trend, Reebok, Nike and Adidas have come into the market with lifestyle-inspired collections.

Reebok is launching Reebok Classics. Adidas already has a new lifestyle collection that is all about sports-infused attire. Sajid Shamim, executive director, marketing, Reebok India, explains, “Urban Indian spending has risen by 35 per cent in the past two-three years, which is spent on entertainment and personal grooming. Given these trends, it was imperative for Reebok to provide greater choice to the consumer in the lifestyle space. Reebok Classics is a sport and style fusion wear. Alternative terms to describe it could be sports fashion or sports-inspired style.”

The company has opened around 20 Reebok Classics stores across India. Andreas Gellner, MD, Adidas India, says, “Nowadays, people wear sports products not just to the gym but also when they go out. Also, consumers in India are extremely style-conscious and like to stay abreast of international trends.”

Adidas Originals caters to a variety of tastes and demographics — like Respect M.E., in collaboration with hip-hop artist Missy Elliot. It has flagship stores from LA to Tokyo to Sydney, and launched its first store in India last September in Delhi, followed by a store in Chandigarh. Nike may not have a separate line for lifestyle products, but it does have a range that sits at the crossroads between fashion and sports. It focusses on lifestyle, while stressing on performance.

“Like all the other sportswear brands, we are targeting lifestyle consumers with their eclectic wear infused with performance-packed products,” says Sanjay Gangopadhyay, marketing director, Nike India.

He adds, “Consumers are becoming more evolved and with that their expectations are rising. We believe that it is important for brands to recognise this and provide the same to consumers. And thus we have collections that are best suited for both causal or sporty attire.”

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=21c1f451-af12-440e-8c37-2b9609f01d9f

Fat Days

rajb12 — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:47:26 +0000

Seema Goswami , Hindustan Times

August 18, 2008

First Published: 16:33 IST(18/8/2008)

Last Updated: 18:02 IST(18/8/2008)

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I’m sure you’ve all had your fair share of them. Fat days. The days when nothing in your wardrobe fits well or feels right. When your jeans are a tad too tight around your waist pushing that muffin roll of fat around your middle well over your belt. When the buttons of your shirt come perilously close to buckling under the strain of holding in your ever-expanding torso. When even the most cunningly cut jacket can’t make your bum look small. Fat days.

We all have them, some of us more than others. And the only way to cope with them is to have special fat day clothes set aside for that purpose. I have blocked off a portion of my closet for these, and you can’t believe how calming it is to know that no matter how many pounds I may pile on during the holidays there are always a couple of outfits I can wear without looking like a blimp.

In case you’re curious, here are my rules for fat day dressing:

When in doubt, wear black. It is a bit of a cliché, yes, but you simply can’t go wrong if you fall back on its slimming qualities. If black seems too funereal to you, then any other dark shade like navy or burgundy will do the trick.
n No oversized clothes – never ever. It’s a common rookie mistake to believe that they will make you look slimmer. They won’t. You will just look like a tent. Much better to wear something tailored that nips in at the waist or skims your hips and gives your body some shape.

If you are wearing something loose and outsize then pair it with something fitted so that you don’t look like a helium-filled balloon. So, if you want to wear your boyfriend’s sweatshirt, pair it with skinny jeans. If you’re wearing loose pyjamas, then wear a structured kurta on top.

Draw attention to the thinnest parts of your body. No matter how fat you may feel on the day in question, there is always some part of your body that looks slim. It could be your ankles, your forearms or even your shoulders. So wear something that draws the eye to these parts: a boat-neck blouse that shows off your clavicles; cropped trousers to reveal a well-turned ankle; three-quarter sleeves that make the most of your tiny wrists. This will create the illusion that the rest of you is as thin (well, a girl can only hope!).

Invest in some control underwear. You know the kind of granny pants that Renee Zellweger made famous in Bridget Jones. You might look like a tightly encased sausage before you put your dress on, but the spandex will hold in all the bumps and bulges and give you a streamlined look once you’re ready to go.

Minimizer bras (which miraculously take a couple of inches off your bust) are not a good idea, though. Reduce your bustline and your waist will look thicker in comparison. The reason Nigella Lawson has that hour-glass silhouette is because her ample bosom and bum make her waist look tiny by comparison. That’s a good recipe to follow when dressing if you’re bosomy and big.

Wear clothes with a bit of give. You may be able to squeeze into your tightest pair of trousers but you’re also going to ooze out of them in an unsightly way. You may be able to button that fitted shirt but spare a thought for the ugly bra-roll it exposes on your back. Much better to wear something that actually fits and keeps all your wobbly bits in.

Don’t be afraid of showing a bit of cleavage. A deep-V neckline makes your torso look slimmer, reducing the danger of looking top-heavy.

Wear high heels; as high as you can possibly go without toppling over. The shorter you are; the dumpier you will look. The taller you look; the slimmer you will seem.

Carry an oversized bag in a solid colour. When that huge weight is hanging off your shoulders, your arms will look as spindly as Victoria Beckham’s. There is a good reason Posh Spice is always photographed carrying one humongous It Bag or another (rumour has it that she has a thousand Birkins!). She knows that there is no better way of looking skinnier than ever.

Seek shelter in the six yards of a saree. When everything seems too tight for comfort, there’s nothing quite as safe as the good old saree. You can hide a million flaws within its folds, and who’s to know that the drape of your pallu hides a blouse that is bursting at the seams.

Get your hair done. No, it probably won’t make you look any thinner, but you’ll feel much better for it anyway.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=&id=e996b0b7-0e20-4d6e-a062-46626a2b07ed&&Headline=Fat+Days&strParent=strParentID

Go desi this Divali

rajb12 — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 05:28:20 +0000

The Tribune

hello(); Sunday, October 28, 2007

FASHION
Go desi this Divali

Try out gold-bordered kurtas, crisp dhotis and formal sherwani and churidar sets during the festival of lights, writes Phiroze Kharegat

Women have yards and yards of crystal-encrusted sarees, flashy rocks on their fingers and necks, pretty bags embroidered to match their pallus and perfect stilettos with the attached paayal. The men get shirts, pants, shoes and car keys to care of. In this day and age where men have to be as chic as women, this just won’t do. What are you men going to wear at the Divali or Karva Chauth bash? Here are a few tips on what you should wear on these festivals.

Let’s begin with casual wear. Go for light colours as it keeps you cool and makes you look cool. You can buy white kurtas with chikan work on it with innovative collars such as the bandgala and Nehru collars. Together with white pyjamas or churidars, the outfit gives you a refreshed image and it works for everything from an early morning puja to a Sunday brunch with friends. Roll up the sleeves to keep you relaxed. If kurtas are too desi for you, buy short ones to wear with loose white drawstring linen pants. You can’t get more comfortable than this.

For casual kurtas in silk instead of cotton and khadi, you can buy some smart and traditional kurtas from Fabindia where you can choose from a nice range of dark colours. They also sell cotton kurtas in nice prints and unique colours. But if you like printed cotton kurtas, go for dark colours, otherwise you might look gaudy.

If you really need to make a stir at high-profile parties, there is a range of formal sherwani and churidar sets you can buy. If you have the big bucks, go in for a designer set by Manish Malhotra, JJ Valayaya, AD Singh and others, with the embroidery and classic cut. But if you prefer not to splurge, you can get quality sets from fashion outlets and men’s apparel and clothing outlets.

Restrict your ethnic wear to just the pant-shirt look-alike. Be adventurous and wear some gold-bordered dhotis with crisp kurtas. These will grab more attention than the sherwanis everyone around you will be wearing. Be careful to tie this garment tight and right as they can be tricky. Otherwise you will be catching attention in more ways than one. Dhotis look traditional, and if you want to experiment, skip the white dhotis and wear maroon and dark blue ones with gold borders. With a matching kurta in a softer shade, it will look contemporary, yet traditional.

But don’t stop there. You have got to complete the set. Never ever wear shoes when wearing traditional wear. That can seriously clash with the image you are creating. For some serious ethnic style, buy leather jootis. These have been the footwear of the royalty and have a unique class about them. Men’s jootis place more emphasis on the deigns cut into leather (and the polished or embossed leather jootis are classy) rather than ‘sewn on sequins and embroidery’ that women’s mojris have. Don’t worry about them being too feminine. These are ideal when you have a wedding to attend as you can slip them on and off with ease. Buy neutral shades as they can go with any outfit. Make sure you buy them from good shops rather than the souvenir shops or roadside stalls.

But unfortunately, jootis may pinch your feet a bit initially as the leather softens with use and your feet get used to them. Rub a little oil or cream on the insides and it will soften the tough leather. If you don’t have the time, go for leather Indian chappals, which come in browns and match virtually anything. For a slightly more western touch, try black or brown thick leather sandals available in every shoe shop. With the strap effect on the foot, these sandals are fine for ethnic wear although the black may be an overpowering colour.

Your best bet are the jootis or the Indian chappals. Sherwani jootis are a little more different. They are peaked at the tip of the toes and have a sleeker shape.

Remember to have a good dupatta. Don’t worry, I’m still talking about men’s wear. Dupattas add a touch of elegance to the outfit, whether casual or formal. I would recommend a dark dupatta for the white kurtas. Other shades in this category can go solo. Formal sets usually come together with dupattas in matching colours. Slinging the dupatta around your neck and then over one shoulder looks much more masculine than just around your neck.

Do you really want to look like soap stars at a big event? Go for a red long tilak on your forehead. That will definitely make you stand out. — MF

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Wills Lifestyle S/S Fashion Week in Sept!

rajb12 — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 22:56:49 +0000

India : Wills Lifestyle S/S Fashion Week in Sept!
July 21, 2007

Celebrating 10 Editions of India’s largest fashion trade platform – The Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring Summer 2008 event will be held between September 5 – 9, 2007 at the Pragati Maidan, India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) in New Delhi.

Announcing the dates and venue for WIFW SS 2008, Mrs. Rathi Vinay Jha, Director General, FDCI said, “This is the 10th edition of India’s leading fashion design platform – The Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. The Indian fashion industry has evolved and has come a long way.”

“Since its inception, the FDCI has focused on enhancing and developing the relationships among all our key stakeholders and over the editions, The India Fashion Week platform along with the title sponsor, Wills Lifestyle, have been successful in not only making fashion a serious business but also taking Indian fashion to the global marketplace. The celebration of the 10th edition will unfold many new initiatives and take the business of fashion to new heights.”

http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/company-news/wills-lifestyle/newsdetails.aspx?news_id=38061

Mumbai more fashionable than Delhi?

rajb12 — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 22:48:53 +0000

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As a California-based company left Delhi out of its list of fashion cities while giving Mumbai the 18th place, DT takes the fight further…

The Indian fashion industry is busy discussing the list of Top Fashion Cities 2007 that came out recently. Compiled by The Global Language Monitor, a California-based media tracking and analysis company in its annual survey, the list rates New York as the top fashion city in the world. It is followed by Rome, Paris, London and Milan, in that order.

But the reason why our designers are debating the list is this: Mumbai, listed at No. 18, has made it to the top 20 of this GLM list, whereas there’s no mention of Delhi.

The Indian fashion industry argues it out…

Almost everyone questions the credibility of the list. “I think the list is biased. I agree that NY is hip and happening, but where fashion aesthetics are concerned, it has to be Italy. Fashion runs in the Italian veins – their blood group must be F positive,” says Pradip Hirani of Kimaya.

Asks the FDCI chief, Rathi Vinay Jha, “What is the source on which this study is based? The largest number of designers are based in Delhi, and the biggest fashion trade event in India happens here. Now if that doesn’t make Delhi the hub of India fashion, then what will?”

Ritu Kumar too feels that such lists are very subjective. “Because it is a California-based study, NY has topped the chart. Unless it is done by comparing trade figures, number of designers, the popularity of the fashion weeks, etc., such lists are meaningless.”

Echoes Mumbai-based designer Narendra Kumar Ahmed, “Who decided these names, and on what basis? It’d be best to leave it alone and carry on with the good work the Indian fashion industry as an entity has been doing.”

Delhi designers’ take

“I think the list mentions Mumbai because of Bollywood’s global presence these days. The whole world has seen what Aishwarya and Bipasha have been wearing lately. And that influences the way the world perceives Indian fashion. Bollywood has always been the reason why Mumbai gets international attention,” is Rohit Bal’s take.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Delhi_Times/Mumbai_more_fashionable_than_Delhi/articleshow/2222784.cms

rajb12 — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 22:28:00 +0000

Bollywood: The fashion guru
SANJEEV AGRAWAL

[ WEDNESDAY, JULY 04, 2007 04:22:44 AM]

Indian fashion is bracing up to gain increased visibility both at home as well as internationally and what could be better than Bollywood to influence the Indian masses! Indians have long been involved in the cultural phenomenon known as Bollywood.

Earlier in Bollywood, clothing was either casual or way over the top garish. It was when Manish Malhotra did those catchy numbers for Urmila in Rangeela that designers came to limelight and ever since Bollywood fashion has become a force reckon with.

When Sushmita Sen appeared in flowing saris in Main Hoon Na, sari got a big boost and made an urban style statement. Shamita Shetty made the sharara a hit with aptly titled “Sharara Sharara”. While clothes worn by film stars have always been a rage of late these have become a fad or trend, now you have Veer Zaara suits, Bunty Aur Babli dresses, Parineeta blouses.

For designers, rather than introducing new designs on ramp, it makes commercial sense to introduce them through films. The large canvas also allows one to experiment which may not be available through trade. Bollywood can be a catalyst for booming Indian retail as each film is a brand in itself and with each one a fresh fashion emerges.

In the 1990s, fashion advertising for apparel brands was dominated by the rush for international models and foreign locales, very much like the “yash raj amsterdam” shots with the tulips, advertising imagery across brands started merging. During this period, the dominant media for fashion industry was print but soon they started flirting with TV.

In a typical magazine, fashion rubbed shoulders with auto industry and computer hardware, where fashion stood out because of bright colors. On TV the glam quotient was much higher, what with colas, soaps, confectionery and even autos all vying for viewer share.

So the fashion brigade jumped onto the Bollywood bandwagon. These were not designer labels but mass fashion brands looking at breaking clutter and creating an identity. Multiple associations and several disasters later, the rules of the game are now being re-learnt by the industry.

With regards the usage of Bollywood stars, one learning that came many campaigns later not how big a star but how fashionable he or her personally is. The fit was a factor of the star’s public personality and the ability to represent the fashion attributes that the brand stood for.

A stars fashion quotient both on and off the screen would affect the credibility of the brand he endorses. Flip through a Page 3 story or any TV channel and you have them in full public view day after day. It is not just what they wear on screen or in ad but also how they are seen in public that determines a star’s fashion quotient.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2173274.cms

Bling it on

rajb12 — Wed, 16 May 2007 15:45:22 +0000

Bling it on
15 May, 2007 l 0017 hrs IST
Colour, style and size is no bar — everybody’s going big in jewellery. If it catches your eye, you’ve got it right.

1. A polka-dotted bandana, matching hoops and a puffy red heart pendant may be a little too cutesy, even for Sania Mirza. Remember this key tip – don’t go overboard with matching accessories.

2. You’ve got to have the right attitude to carry off Sabina Singh’s funky ball chain with its painted pendant. Leave your hands, ears and fingers bare for the right impact. With a pendant like that, who needs any accessories?

3. Arti Surendranath’s single-tone multi-cluster of beads around the neck is a classic that’s always in. Wear it with a dress, a saree or a salwar-kameez.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/City_Supplements/Pune_Times/Bling_it_on/articleshow/2045634.cms