LIFESTYLE: THE CHIVAS OOMPH!
Monthly Archives: December 2009
Women and Wine
Women toast a celebration as Kanchan Kapoor launched the W Factor Club, a wine appreciation and celebration club exclusively for women at Le Meridian, Delhi. W factor is the realization of Kanchan’s vision to create an exclusive zone where women could be themselves, unwind, indulge and learn something new.The launch accompanied a sizzling fashion show with fourteen top designers’ dressing up women who are as apt as their muse. Opera Wines uncorked their newest offering, a sparkling rose with Faces; Canada setting up station at the event for all the ladies to get a colourful and classy makeover and spa brand Tathastu spreading their natural world.
Proposing to host over twelve events in a year, the club goes beyond wines to blend in every element of style as it invites a cross section of women to be part of the board including Anuradha Prasad, Deepali Goenka, Zeenat Aman, Naina Balsaver, Promila Bahri, Nishi Singh and Shalu Saraf who already comprise the advisory committee. Kanchan Kapoor, President, the W Factor Club says, “I firmly believe that the contemporary woman is not just an accomplished professional but also a perfect home maker. She entertains in style and is keen to learn and imbibe new trends and movements. My club plans to give her the edge laced with an element of entertainment.”
The club’s calendar includes an exhaustive list with innovative programs that include an all girl’s karaoke session at Harry’s Karaoke Bar, know your diamonds session at the Zoya store, New Delhi, a vineyard visit and proposed trips to exotic locales, besides off course an all women’s Vintage Car Rally. The club also plans to support Angel Foundation, an NGO that works on gender issues.
The Handloom Affair
INDIA has richest histories of textile production, spanning around 5,000 years and Indian hand -woven fabrics are renowned for their sheer weaves and elaborate patterns. The Government of India has taken a number of initiatives for the development and promotion of the handloom sector, one of it being the organizing of ‘Handloom Week’ (an initiative by Ministry of Textiles & NEIFT) in December every year beginning this year.Inaugurating a week long affair Textile Minister Dayanidhi Maran said, “Handloom is the second largest sector which represents the continuity of age old Indian heritage of hand-weaving and 425 clusters have been adopted by Ministry of Textiles for holistic development and welfare of handloom weavers and allied workers”.During the ensuing Handloom Week, to encourage weavers to sell directly to consumers, various theme-based expos, fairs, crafts melas and exhibitions are organized to promote the marketing of handloom products, added the Minister.
To encourage the weavers fashion show, ‘Symphony in Weaves- The Handloom Ensemble’ showcased exclusive handloom products and exhibited the skills of Southern Fresco, Vibrant West, Northern Mosaic, Mystic East & Exotic north-east. The Fashion Designers from NEIFT and the textile designers of the clusters together created , various traditional & diversified products of innovative & contemporary designs in the Handloom Sector which is well accepted both in the domestic and international markets.
Opening of this remarkable tradition of vibrant, hand-woven and handcrafted textiles witnessed some eminent people from the industry viz, Ms. Rita Menon, Mohd. Azharuddin, Shabana Azmi, Ritu Kumar,Sunil Sethi,J J Vallaya, Nitin Bal Chauhan, Samant Chauhan,Vikram Rai Medhi, Madhu Jain, Dhruv & Pallavi, Joy Mitra, Charu Parasher and many more.
The Chivas Oomph!
December 18th – 20th, ITC Maurya Sheraton, New Delhi – Fashion with grooves, what else would you call a chivalrous upsurging extravaganza of music, art, sculpture and of course fashion. A global property, the Chivas Studio was launched earlier in New York, London, Madrid and Sydney, thus travelling the globe it presented its India edition, four city event, from Bangalore, New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, with celebrated artists across creative forms such as Prabuddha Dasgupta for photography, K.S Radhakrishnan for sculpture, Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan featuring Gino Banks and the Maske trio from Australia for music.
This much awaited conjuncture of the weekend with a new edge and groove to fashion, catalyzed a unique platform and brought together connoisseur from their respective fields. The inaugural affair was kindled in the lawn of ITC Maurya with opening of an exhibition by K.S Radhakrishnan, of his master pieces in figurative sculpture with bronze casting, and an enthralling photographic frameworks by Prabuddha Dasgupta, a self taught photographer who grew up in the cultural chaos of post- colonial India. K.S Radhakrishnan on his latest union with fashion said, “It is an experiment to bring our art closer to a different flavor of audience. Prabuddha and I have been lending our artistic expressions to a very similar kind of people so this was an interesting opportunity to explore fresh vision.”
As the evening drooled the starry night had geared up for definitive perfection of fashion shows. In the meanwhile the confluence had already toasted a drink or two at the Chivas bar designed in an evening garden. The show area a projection of ultimate luxury and design welcomed in to an elliptical ramp and a little extra spread of the walkway for the models. The arched walkway created a chequered mesh pattern out of different sizes of rod that allowed a translucent vision of a feminine flare walking behind the purdah before she enthralled the ramp. The designer quotient for the first day was lighted with the creations of Ashish N Soni and Gauri and Nainika. Styled in serious and corporate focus Ashish N Soni drew the right lines in commitment to what is modern in terms of fabric, textures, embellishments, shapes and finishes. The first day seasoned to a futuristic closure with intense glamour in exuberant hues and sharp dramatic shapes sans any embellishment by Gauri and Nainika. The collection transcended underskirts, corseted bodices using luxurious wools and duchesse satins prowling tons of femininity.
The next day of conjuncture created ripples with mixologist Max Warner flying in from UK to oversee the cocktail menu and Chivas Regal ‘signature serves’ on offer. Redefining luxury was jewellery designer Seema Mehta, who created a Special Edition bottle for the Chivas 25, with 35 carat round brilliant diamonds, cut emeralds and a woven gold mesh embellished with signature florals. Fashion exorbitant for the second day of the event was none other than the Goan designer Wendell Rodricks and the order of no-nonsense decree was from the kingdom of JJ Valaya. Wendell’s design marvel sourced inspiration from birds on wing with graceful swoops, plunging dives and fluttering movements for a line of aspirational garments. Layered with feathered strokes and breezy fabrics it was an all white line. The kingdom of Valaya delivered a collection, antidote to the gloom and doom of 2009 and served unabashed glamour, elegance, volume and oodles of optimism.
The sunlit Sunday brunch was a host to creations of Malini Ramani and Surily Goel at the roof top view of ITC Maurya. Malini chose to create costumes inspired from gypsies of faraway lands of Marrakesh, Peru, Mexico and Rajasthan. The collection brimmed with embroideries and rich gold stone embellishment on silks, jerseys and velvets. Reflection of style was Surily’s collection as it embraced metallic accents with a palette ranging from pastels, navy blues and blacks in geometric silhouettes and drapes with colour blocking. The most intense and passionate experience of the three day extravaganza was the evening performance by Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan saluting the true strings of culture. Sarod met drums and classical pop when they came together to jam exclusively for an enthralled audience who got carried away in the musical symphony. An unmatched celebration of fashion and design commenced on the grand finale as Anamika Khanna’s textured layers and Rohit Bal with his majestic interpretation of India’s glorious past sashayed down the ramp. The taste which began with cutting edge neat lines of Ashish N Soni was drawn to a tasteful pallet with Wendell and consumed to a delightful finish with Rohit Bal.
Surily Goel
She is one of the youngest designers to have made quite an impact…
Malini Ramani
She was born in New York, but came to India at the age of 11…
Surily Goel
Surily Goel is one of the youngest designers to have made quite an impact on the Bollywood fashion scene. She broke into the industry after completing her education in fashion designing from the prestigious Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Los Angeles. It was then in December 2003 when she launched her own line titled ‘Surily’. Her break into Bollywood came with styling for Preity Zinta in the movie Salaam Namastey in 2005. Goel has also been personally trained by designer Manish Malhotra.In this short span of time, Surily has become popular as a designer with a keen sense of fabric and colour to complement each season. Her design philosophy can be accurately and perfectly described with three adjectives – clarity, wearablity and most of all versatility. According to her, clothes are not just embellishments that enhance one’s personality they also reflect it. So she ensures that there is only one point of emphasis in every garment she designs. Her garments bring out the personality of the wearer and this forte of hers has given her credibility in the world of Bollywood costume design. She did the styling for Preity Zinta once again in Jaan-E-Mann (2006) and then worked with acclaimed director Sanjay Leela Bhansali for his new film Saawariya in 2007. The year proved to be a good one for her with prestigious projects like Ta Ra Rum Pum, The Last Lear and Saawariya. She also dressed the lead characters of the 2009 film Blue.
This high society chic designer is also a Fashion Week regular. In her debut of Lakme Fashion Week in 2006 she brought forward her collection named ‘Roses Forever’. This collection of Surily Goel was modeled by former actress Neelam and Bollywood stars like Salman Khan and Malaika Arora Khan. The ‘Roses Forever’ collection featured ‘various moods of a woman in love’ from innocence, shyness, sensuousness to passion. The theme was ‘Romance Personified’, a magical story of a young carefree girl falling in love and becoming a mature woman. It encompassed dresses, bright colours with funky designs, skirts and stylish cut pants. The long skirt with an ample slit which Malaika Arora wore at the show is known as one of her best creations. The material had a 1970’s look and feel.
Her kitty is full with a number of upcoming film releases. You can lay your hands on a Surily Goel creation at various high-end stores across India.
Malini Ramani
Malini Ramani was born in New York, but came to India at the age of 11. She moved back to New York to study Fashion Merchandising and Buying at the prestigious F.I.T (Fashion Institute of Technology).
Fashion happened to Malini quite by accident when life was pelting at its own fierce pace. Her constant pursuit for not just excellence in the art and craft of design, but also in her personal evolution in all matters physical and ethereal, has translated directly into the fashion she creates. You will always find tiny facets of her diverse and colorful life coming together to produce a complete collection. Her speciality lies in making women feel and look glamorous by designing sexy clothes for them. And her rule is simple – only create things that she would love to wear herself. Ramani loves colour, shine, embroidery, plunging necklines, and lots of glamour and it shows in her collections. Vibrant, sexy, dramatic and eminently wearable are how some of her patrons describe their favourite designer.
Her first collection titled ‘Rockstar Meets Indian Princess’ at the turn of the Millennium in 2000 in the first ever Indian Fashion Week was widely applauded. Indian elements were fused seamlessly into western styling. Sharp contouring combined with flatteringly feminine silhouettes and plenty of winking sequins gave a particular characteristic to the collection. And thus Malini – The Designer was born. Malini’s fashion universe has been a harmonious amalgamation of contrasts. In her clothes, there is a constant osmosis between the East and the West, a seamless fusion of effortless chic and high-octane glamour, and a playful juxtaposition of “bling” and elegance.
Today Malini is well known in the fashion circuits from Mumbai to Beirut, to Moscow to Monte Carlo. She is also one of the favorites of Bollywood. She has flagship stores in Delhi and Mumabi. Her ensembles are also available in Kimaya, Ensemble, Aza to name a few.
You can contact Malini at:
Web: www.maliniramani.com
The Kingfisher Sizzle
The first look of the supercharged Kingfisher 2010 calendar was unveiled over a plush brunch hosted by Dr. Vijay Mallya, Chairman, and United Breweries at his residence ‘Niladri’ on the 20th of December. The launch party was graced by the presence of the ever so beautiful Deepika Padukone as the guest of honour of the event.
The ever so anticipated calendar had already made incredible buzz with its reality show – Kingfisher Hunt for Calendar girl 2010 on NDTV Good Times. Kingfisher Swimsuit Calendar 2010 features six stunning and gorgeous models from across the globe, giving it a truly global appeal: Aashika Pratt (New Zealand / India), Sonali Raut (India), Gia Johnson Singh(London/India) ,Esha Gupta (India) and NDTV’S Hunt for the Calendar Girl 2010 winner – Himarsha Venkatsamy and 2nd placed Anjali Lavania.
The maverick designer Aki Narula has styled the entire shoot. He dressed the girls in garments form designers like Alberta Ferretti, Diane von Furstenberg, Jean Paul Gaultier, Shrivan Naresh, Dsquared in one-piece zipper swimsuits, monokinis, trikinis, in solids as well as prints. Aki adds the Indian sparkle in accessories as matches’ bondage bikini with ivory bangles from Rajasthan and a Kamasutra bikini with twenty five antique silver necklaces around her. The gallery of shoes he uses is extremely edgy and fashion forward ranging from Jimmy Choos, Lanvins to Jean Paul Gaultier. Aki recollecting his experience during the shoot remarks, “I have given it a completely global look having sourced bikinis and shoes from across the world. The calendar is an amalgamation of culture. Indian influences like the use of traditional ancient jewellery, ghungroos, and hathphool make the calendar at par with any swimsuit calendar in the world.”
The make-up for the calendar has been flawlessly created by Kapil Bhalla, who has painted the picture in dominance of orange and pink for make-up and coral for mouth. However the more quirky fashion is taken care in nail paints that glitter in candy colours of sea green, orange, fuschia and corals.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Vijay Mallya, Chairman, The UB Group, said: “I am extremely proud that what started as a passion to spread Good Times among patrons of luxury and fashion has become a brand to reckon with today. In its 8th edition, the Kingfisher Calendar 2010 is the ultimate in luxury, glamour and style with international brands associating with the calendar making it a truly global property.”
Discover The Diamond In You
A sparkling ceremony to celebrate the success of Prof. Arindam Chaudhari’s book ‘Discover the Diamond in You’ saw the who’s who of Bollywood and corporate sector descent at the J W Mariott, Mumbai. Leading Lady Priyanka Chopra unveiled the book while Prof. Chaudhari himself presented the book to guest of honor Rishi Kapoor and Siddharth Basu.Discover the Diamond in you is Prof. Chaudhari’s third book after the worldwide success of Count your Chicken before they hatch and Great Indian Dream. This 59minute guide to success is amongst the exceptional few books to be globally released in 14 different languages simultaneously. The book not only embodies the mantra of success but also has extraordinary contributions from Shah Rukh Khan and admiration from Amitabh Bachchan complementing the sanctity of the book.
“The book attempts to share with my readers the powerful principles of success that I’ve grown to passionately believe in. It’s an attempt to induce the belief in my readers that they are all gems, infact diamonds, which are just waiting to be discovered,” said Prof. Chaudhari while speaking about the book.
Also present on the occasion were Ramesh Sippy, Ranvir Shorey, kabir Bedi, Pooja Bedi, Gul Panag, Shekhar Suman, Ila Arun and many more. The corporate head honchos who were present included Sandip Basu, Vinod Juneja, Akhil Chaturvedi, Rohit Bhandari, and others.
