Category Archives: LifeStyle

Blossom Spa @ Ishwar

Reflexology massages, aqua workouts, nail art, and Vandana Vadhera crooning popular melodies was the spread of the day for women who gathered for the summer special ladies spa Lunch organized by Ishwar Blossom Kochhar Spa. The Spa got together to give the members of the club a special treat before they went away on their summer vacations. 

Situated in Gadaipur, Mehrauli, Ishwar Blossom Kochhar Spa is an oasis of relaxation, a calming heaven laid out away from the clutter of city. Upon entering the premises, one would realize that they have entered the world of serenity and ultimate luxury. A cocoon designed to relax and rejuvenate mind, body and soul. It has a team of highly skilled and professional therapists who can provide exclusive experience and treatments.

The pool side of the Ishwar Blossom Kochhar Spa also witnessed services like Balanese skull massages and de-stress massages after the ladies had a splash in the pool.

As the pioneer of “Day Spa” concept in India, Dr. Blossom Kochhar has been exploring, learning and imparting knowledge on the science of beauty/ well-being and has been instrumental and successful in bridging the gap between beauty and well-being in her own enigmatic style. With the successful functioning and operation of this SPA, she ensures to provide all the visitors a whole new experience of serenity and wellness.
 

Fashion Panorama

Shruti Goradia of Goradia School of Professionals hosted a Fashion show par excellence where in students had designed unique and outstanding outfits. Fashion Panorama provided a powerful platform to the budding designers to showcase their creation to the eminent personalities, press and potential clientele. The show infused optimism & confidence in the students to step into their careers. 

Models like Ishita Sarkar, Alicia Raut, and Candice Pinto walked the ramp. With jury members like Archana Kochhar, Viren Shah, Pradeep Hirani present who thoroughly enjoyed the rounds. The winning collections for the evening were by Parin, Urvi and Jasmina awarded by Bhavni Subramanium and Konkana Bakshi.  The Most creative collection was also won by Parin, Urvi and Jasmina. And the Most Commercially Viable collection was designed by Rajvi and Manali.

With multiple avenues as myriad as diverse emotions, the students expressed what they felt was closest to their heart, just like man has forever been on a quest to express his emotions. The graduating designers worked on expressing their varied emotions in a specific form to create their extravagant creations. The show eulogized the “sprouting of joy and heart breaks into a happy song” and “Romance in the Indian wear” and “desire for the ghagra choli collection.” 

Archana Kochhar said she was surprised to see the excellent designs especially the bridal wear and found the designs very novel. Konkana Bakshi was looking pretty in a red outfit and so was Shriya Kishore in casual jeans and a shirt. Nisha Jamwal said she was hooked on to the show which looked extremely professional as the title of the college. 
 

Khushii Auctions Art

A glittering auction was hosted at The Claridges Hotel, Delhi where Khushii unveiled a spectacular line-up of auto rickshaws that were created into art master pieces by India’s leading contemporary artists. 

As FDCI joined hands with the World Action Forum to raise funds for this sterling initiative by Khushii, these precious three wheelers, limited in edition got formally unveiled at the WIFW autumn/winter 2010 providing the autos a prestigious platform. It was board member of Khushii Leena Singh of Ashima Leena who made the alliance possible. Collectibles in their own right these autos make a very unique installation, adding an element of chutzpah, to any space, be it home, office, golf course or your sprawling farmhouse. 

Speaking on the occasion Harveen Kapur, General Secretary, Khushii said, “The auto rickshaws are iconic of Indian identity. They are piece of art by themselves. Converting them into canvases for the masters’ to work on was an initiative in furtherance to Khushii’s Public Art Forum.’ 
 

Las Ramblas at Lap

This summer The Lap Garden, hotel Samrat, Chankyapuri, transforms into Las Rambas, a cool summer destination bar experience built around a continuously changing mélange of installation art, live music, contemporary tapas, delicious Sangrias, video and fashion. Kicking off the seasonal extravaganza were design stalwart Ashish n Soni and artist Pushkar Thakur. And the guest of honour for the evening was his Excellency Ambassador of Spain to India, Mr. Ion de la Riva. 

Inspired by the famous Spanish poet Fredrico Garcia Lorea who once said “Las Ramblas was the only street in the world that which I wish would never end.” The Lap Garden presents Las Ramblas as an ode to the summer months in the capital, a continuity of sorts in the form of refreshing seasonal avatar where the party never ends.   

The story unfolds romantically around the fountain at the heart of Lap Garden, as each corner transforms into ,modest yet enthralling visions of the Las Ramblas, with the rhythmic strumming from an assorted line up of musicians specializing in everything Jazz to Spanish house and club. 

Speaking on the occasion, Partner AD Singh said, “The Las Ramblas is a cool hangout for summers. It’s a great Boulevard bar experience offering something for everyone. With this we attempt to recreate the experience of wandering around Barcelona or indeed any of the great European cities. Through the festival we encourage you to come and chill in the evenings, try some contemporary tapas, have a look at the video-dome, browse through the fashion on display, enjoy the art. Much of this keeps changing every week so it’s a living, changing display that entices you to visit again and again.”

Mid Summer Night Soiree

Last evening, the city was witness to an unprecedented and exclusive wine & cuisine soiree hosted by none other than Pria Kataaria Puri to present Wine Connoisseur & Food and Wine pairing expert, Sonal Holland. The exquisite four course sit down dinner at Luxury Resto lounge ‘Shiro’ was paired with the finest Spanish wines from the ‘House of Torres’.

Renowned designer, Pria Kataaria Puri displayed her skills in cuisine design and added her fine touches to an exquisite Asian menu specially created by Chef Rahul Hajarnavis from Shiro. The meal of course could not have been complete without Wine Connoisseur, Sonal Holland’s food & wine pairing skills, wherein Sonal introduced the elite set of guest to an unusual Asian & Spanish( Torres wines) mélange of food & wine ; rendering the evening as the ideal Mid Summer soiree of total decadence. 

The elite set of guests was flamboyantly in sync with the aptly titled dress code ‘Fashionably Delicious’. Those present were Amit Keswani from JSM Corp and Marc Perello, representative of Torres wines in India. The first ones to enter on the dot of time were Consul General, Paul Folmsbee with friend Manjit Kriplani. Soon to follow were Suleiman & Reshma Merchant, Lata Patel, Sonia Garware , Ashwini Kakkar, the ever radiant Mahima Chaudhary and Nisha Jhaveri. The others guests present were Shaheen Abbas, Neeta & Shyam Lulla, Namrata & Vikram Shroff, Gayatri & Vikas Oberoi, Zeba & Rajesh Kohli, Kehkashan Patel. 

Rohit Bal unveils Outlander Collection

Rohit Bal, one of India’s foremost fashion designers, unveiled his latest Outlander Signature Collection, at The Grand.  Inspired by the new Mitsubishi Outlander 2010, the line embodied power, grace and elegance.

The new collection reflects the style, power, magnetism and charisma that are personified by the stylish SUV. It includes trendy and stylish evening wear in bold hues of white, black, red, which add an element of drama to the clothes. The fabrics that have been used for the garments reflect the stylish interiors of the vehicle. All the garments have been crafted from fabrics available in India and reflect some exciting colours.

Speaking at the launch of the collection, India’s master of fabric and fantasy, Rohit Bal said, “It gives me great pleasure to launch my new collection, inspired by the Outlander 2010. People usually look for a combination of various elements in their clothes – style, elegance, boldness, drama and even a touch of mystery – which is what I have captured through this collection. There is a lot of drama in the line, which adds to its glamour, and is reminiscent of what one sees in iconic movies like Grease, The Fast and the Furious and Wanted.”

Biguine Beauty

Jean Claude beguine launched yet another sprawling salon at kemps corner, amidst glitz, glamour and grandeur. Celebrating the launch renowned designer Lecoanet Hemant put together a show with its collection titled ‘Green’.

It was a rendezvous of sorts as the models strutted around in the earthy feel of the collection which was highlighted through the choice of material and nature-inspired designs. The French stylists at Beguine derived inspiration from the designers’ collection and presented chic, casual and dramatic looks in their showing.

Commenting on the launch, Dharmendra Manwani,CEO, Jean Claude Biguine, said, “Lecoanet Hemant and Biguine have a lot in common besides being French. His organic offerings reinforce organic services and therefore, this turned out to be more like a natural blend for us to be creating looks for Indian consumers.”

The highly qualified experts at Biguine deliver exceptional personalized skin, body and personal wellness treatments using 100% organic Biguine Bio products.

Speaking on the collection designer Hemant says, “What you wrap around your body is what you wrap around your soul – this collection is a reflection of our green philosophy and our deepest belief that eco-friendly and luxury marry well together”.

“I am happy for Jean Claude Biguine in their new venture and excited to be part of this delightful event”, he further added on his alliance with Biguine.

Zoya Greece Collection

Zoya, the exquisite diamond boutique from the house of Tanishq unveiled its Greece collection in Delhi. The collection recreated the time when gods walked in the gardens of Hesperides, majestic creatures like Pegasus the winged horse roamed the heavens and unparalleled beauty of Helena drove thousands of mortals to wars.   

Contemporizing the famed iconography of the Greek medallion inspired design sensibility and interpreting it fashionably, each elegantly crafted piece in the Greece collection is an ode to Zoya’s journey to share its own glorious story with their discerning clientele.

The celebratory evening also witnessed a spectacular fashion walk of Charu Parashar’s Spring Summer ’10 collection inspired by the Grecian influences. Creating a range that reflects timeless glamour, exquisite natural materials and the romance of folklores, Charu’s spring look is interpreted through geometrically influenced digital designs that follow the famed Grecian draped and poised silhouette.

To compliment the evening was an interesting Mediterranean wine Greek food pairing session by leading Sommelier Magandeep Singh.

A Look at the Met Gala

The annual Costume Institute Gala Benefit took place on Monday, May, 3, 2010 at the Met, and was hosted by Oprah Winfrey, Patrick Robinson of the Gap, and Anna Wintour, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue.  American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity was the theme for the event, so naturally American labels were well-represented on the red carpet — Zoe Saldana chose Calvin Klein while Oprah Winfrey picked a custom Oscar de la Renta gown. Gap also collaborated with several designers to dress attendees like Vera Farmiga (in Sophie Theallet for Gap), and Kirsten Dunst (in Rodarte for Gap).  European designers were also present on the red carpet— Jessica Szohr wore Versace, Bee Shaffer chose Balenciaga, and Anna Wintour wore Chanel for the second time.

According to co-chair Patrick Robinson, the partnership between the Gap, Vogue and Met seemed like the perfect partnership. “Gap is part of the American heritage,” says Robinson. “Especially for the modern woman. If you look at snapshots throughout our forty-year history, you can see it reflected in the fashion of the times—from Sharon Stone wearing a Gap tee-shirt to the Oscars, to the idea of wearing khaki on “casual Fridays”  to, more recently, when we dressed the entire floor of the New York Stock Exchange in denim.  It just makes sense that women would express themselves over the years with an iconic American brand that evolves with them.” 

The exhibition, which will run from May 5, 2010 to August 15, 2010, will harness the resources of the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at the Met and will take a closer look at American women from 1890-1940 and how these women have influenced our perceptions of the modern woman. The exhibition will be curated by Andrew Bolton with the support of Harold Koda and the production designer will be Nathan Crowley, a film designer whose credits include The Dark Knight and Public Enemies.  
 

Chopard’s 150th Anniversary

This year luxury jewelry company, Chopard, is celebrating its 150th anniversary in style.  On Thursday night, a small gathering of A-List celebrities joined Chopard at The Frick Collection in New York City to help celebrate its anniversary.  Celebrities included Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Hudson and Christina Ricci, who shared some laughs and posed for photos together.  Gwyneth chose an elegant, full-length Antonio Berardi dress, while Kate was stylish in a short purple look and Christina brightened things up in a lovely green gown.  The guest list also included actress Claire Danes, designer Georgina Chapman, singer Natalie Cole and performer of the night John Legend.

Chopard is celebrating its 150th birthday by introducing its Animal World collection comprised of 150 unique animal-inspired pieces, which also happens to be the largest collection its ever made devoted to a single theme. The collection required a total of 20,000 hours of work to complete and involved setting over 250,000 stones. Chopard co-president and artistic director Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele told WWD "I really wanted to make them like sculptures." From the emerald-stuffed, fairy tale-ish frog ring to the stunning monkey pendant, Chopard’s Animal World collection is as visually stunning as it is impeccably designed and crafted.  Check out pics from the party and a few pieces from the collection.