Category Archives: LifeStyle

Get Acquainted With

Varsha Bhawnani, a fashion stylist and wardrobe consultant, helps us identify and enhance our personal quotient. Besides educating her clients on the latest trends, nuances of clothing and accessorizing she also assists them in developing a fashionable and practical wardrobe.
 
Backed by a management degree Varsha launched Vinegar in March 2005, exporting high fashion clothing to US, Spain, Russia and Dominican Republic. Subsequently, Varsha started her fashion studio catering to high end fashionable couture with personal assistance in styling along with Vinegar team of professional stylists. Her clientele includes women from all walks of life- executives, business and professionals.
 
As Varsha puts it, ‘Individuality sets us apart and fashion translates style, it will make a difference wherever you go. After all, we judge the book by its cover and then the content.’ Guided by unfaltering taste for fashion and with an international experience her studio Vinegar gives a harmonious transformation through a range of services-
  • In person image consultancy
  • Wardrobe Makeover
  • Wardrobe set-up
  • Aaptable make-up application
  • Hair consultation
  • Special occassions

Smart Curve

Building on the success of its glamorous fashion extravaganza, the global skin wear leader Triumph International captivated and stunned audience by transforming the stage into a visual fiesta as the glitterati of Mumbai witnessed a runway presentation infused with lavish lingerie amidst clinking crystals.
 
The show featured the sleekest bodies adorning high fashion leisurewear for younger women and the new limited edition made with CRYSTALLIZED- Swarovski elements. And for those who are vying for perfect body, Triumph brings to India ‘Body Shapers’, to revolutionize the lingerie sector.
“The triumph collection made with CRSTALLIZED- Swarovski elements caters to the need of today’s cosmopolitan woman, who wants brilliance and glamour to add celebration in everyday life. The allure of lingerie gets a heightened appeal in this limited edition collection and we hope for it to be a hot seller”, says Sanjay Sharma, Country Manager, CRYSTALLIZED-Swarovski elements.
 
The two series smart curves collection is color coordinated and made of delicate satin and transparent tulle to add an extravagant kick to cool night life. Whether it’s strapless, halter neck or racer back, each option creates a gorgeous and irresistible décolleté. The smart curves bra, with double push-up effect and multi option straps, and the hipsters are perfect under summer dresses and are absolute eye catchers.
 
Conceptualized by Thorsten Allenstein, MD, Triumph International and choreographed by Farah Khan, the duo created sheer magic and an aura of fantasy. The glitzy red carpet themed evening with a Parisian cabaret soiree inspired grand stage in hot burgundy, glowing gold and virgin white was daringly different, tantalizingly triumphant and spectacularly sexy.

Tbz’s Red Carpet Collection

TBZ Nirmal Zaveri choose Pria Kataria Puri to showcase his exquisite amalgamation of handcrafted dazzling jewellery and European crafted heirloom sets. Each of TBZ’s latest offering is a stunning piece made to match glamour and maturity as the season’s elegant red carpet collection.
 
Pria’s collection, which comprised of beautiful gowns and spectacular dresses in chiffons, satins and laces were an amazing blend of sharp prints and solid colors with beautiful feminine cuts. “I am excited to showcase this unique collection of party dresses and lounge gowns. The clothes are an ultimate cocktail wear, very luxurious and truly red carpet,” stated Pria Kataaria Puri.
 
With its lineage in creating best jewellery designs,TBZ Nirmal Zaveri introduced its precious range of ear drops, neckpieces, handcuffs, bracelets, rings and charm among others. Each individual piece strikes as a statement marking an era of inborn elegance, luxury and style for every occasion that creates a milestone in your life.
 
Speaking on the occasion Samrat Zaveri, MD, TBZ Nirmal Zaveri said, “The new season, as well as the new year indicates a propensity towards contemporary and international classic jewellery design. All our pieces exude the elegance and beauty of our legacy, combined with an innovative outlook. A special private luxury lounge too has been created to facilitate private viewing and customization with an in house design expert.”

 

The Mystical Goblet

In India on invitation ‘Vincenzo Reda’, the acclaimed Italian contemporary artiste presented his wine inspired works to Indian connossieurs.
 
His art is unique. One that stems from a passionate understanding of the mystical drink: wine. He paints with the colors that wine leaves behind on paper creating abstractions that recreate fragments of his own mental iconography. Indian art gallery ‘The Art Alive’ had Vincenzo interact with leading masters of contemporary Indian art, curators and collectors.
 
A grand master of the ‘order of the Vine leaf.’ Vincenzo has been painting on paper, cloth and glass using red and white wine. His works are on display across the globe in Italy, USA, South Africa, Brazil, Germany and Russia.
 
“My works are pure forms. The contents are in the wine I use, in the mist of my mind and in the fantasies of those who look at my paintings,” Says Vincenzo, an, artist, writer who is also very active in theatre and photography.
 
Over the weekend leading Indian art gallery Art Alive made Vincenzo interact with leading masters of contemporary Indian art, curators and collectors. And as a finale there was a meeting of Fashion and Art with Indo –German label Lecaonet- Hemant creating a heady visual concoction blending the wine inspired art with much evolved European fashion.
 
Vincenzo’s works was toasted by the city’s elite at Radisson hotel, New Delhi. On the occasion the much acclaimed fine diner The Med treated the guests to a sumptuous spread of seasonally inspired cuisine with French, Spanish and Italian influences.

Wedding songs at Cibo

Cibo, Delhi was a warm host to wedding thoroughfares with the launch of a music album, Haathon mein mehndi rache. The album presents a collection of wedding songs in Hindi by singer Minu Bakshi and was unveiled by the lady who defines glamour, Sharmila Tagore.
 
The music tantalized the low whispers and affectionate welcome gestures of the guests around with wedding rituals enacted on songs from the album. This thematic showcase adorned in the collections of Rohit Bal, Varun Bahl, Suneet Verma and Ritu Beri with exquisite diamond jewellery by Asmi. The mesmerizing presentation was choreographed by Harmeet Bajaj.
 
Minu Bakshi made uproar with her previous wedding albums in Punjabi and counting on her earlier success she was inspired to present something similar in Hindi. The music for the album is composed by Satish Sharma and the lyrics are by Ajay Jhingran who together crafted ten beautiful songs for each ritual of a Hindu wedding beginning from the Mehndi ceremony right up to the time of Vidai.
 
Saregama India Limited, India’s premier music company in collaboration with Asmi Diamond Jewellery (Gitanjali Gems) has launched the album and would be available in music stores all across India and is priced at Rs.125.00.

The Visual lore of Madhushala

Madhushala is a 135 quatrain verses of four lines by Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan pioneered in the post Chayavad era of Hindi literature. Now Namrita Bachchan has translated the verses into 25 artworks inspired by Madhushala. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, US, Namrita combines her two passions of poetry and art. She uncovered her first solo art show in the Palette Art Gallery Golf Links with the exhibition comprising of all the illustrations made for the centenary edition of the book Madhushala- The house of wine. The book itself brings together the beloved long poem of the same name, with the imagery of his granddaughter Namrita Bachchan. As a trained graphic designer, she has formatted the book to be a bilingual illustrated read, so as to revive the poem to fit today’s essential generation.
 
The artworks are Namrita’s individual response to the poetry and hence use her own array of saturated symbolism to bring colour to the rhyme. In effect, the book is a creative dialogue between poet grandfather and painter granddaughter. Namrita Bachchan says, “The work is my individual response to Madhushala, I have recreated it in my own style on canvas.”
 
The paintings are illustrious, decorative reflecting the artist’s personal symbolism with a style that dictates riots of colour, texture, geometric pattern ink, paint and mixed media on canvas. The title of each work comes from a line in the poem. The artwork is priced at Rs 1-2 lakh each. The book, Madhushala: The House of Wine, also on sale at the gallery, comes for Rs 3,500. It has the poem in Hindi along with English translation by Marjorie Boulton and Ram Swaroop Vyas. It is interspersed with Namrita’s illustrations and has a foreword by Amitabh Bachchan.

Art with a cup of Coffee

The youth today turns the table according to their comfort factors or you can call it the ergonomic designs. So no one wonders at the rising number of concept coffee stores springing up in the city. Mocha ArtHouse is yet another passion driven coffee rendezvous that brings two conflicting spheres of interest Art and eating out together. The place opened doors on the 16th of November at the ground floor of DLF Promenade Mall, Vasant Kunj.
 
Mocha ArtHouse is a space for consumption of creativity in all its forms ­— Art, Culture, Food, Drink, with a prime focus on the space being a Gallery first and a café later, in its L shaped zone. A definitive platform for new and emerging talent in the fields of Art, Sculpture, Music, Dance, Books, Comics, Travel, Theatre, Films, Poetry, Photography, Fashion etc… The purpose is to showcase the underground, urbane and young art community in all its experimental, untamed and energetic glory.
 
The restaurant lays emphasis on experiential dining which is supported by visually appealing presentation and innovative methods of cooking as it put together a whole new gastronomic experience. The menu is substantially divided into various sections to include health food, raw food, one pan meals, salads, pies, desserts, bagels and panini, 18 different types of coffees from around the world, wholesome yoghurt smoothies, fine hot drinking chocolate other gourmet dishes and also an exhaustive spirits list.
 
The artist expression in the gallery inaugurated with artworks of Kapil Das’ possessed by vernacular India; Pixel Art by Oomleo from Indonesia, action script and degenerative art by Mark Knol and sketchbooks of food, places and people by Susan Rudat. The art selection plans to be refreshed every month. The curators of the art gallery are BOX Designs and BLOT with the Mocha ArtHouse being an initiative of the Impresario Entertainment and Hospitality Private Limited.
 
The music here is also an inevitable part of the culture imbibed as mocha hosts live music performances of sitar, guitar, drum and bass, dubstep etc. by renowned as well as young talents from all over the globe.

Samsaara winter Soir

Luxury redefined started their winter celebrations at Samsaara, the abode of fashion, with designers like Preeti Chandra, Nandita Mahtani, Aditi Wasan and Priyali Chopra at its South Extension, Delhi store. The evening welcomed the crème de la crème of the society and fashion fraternity.
 
The winters at Preeti Chandra eludes in jumpsuits, easy silhouettes trousers and shift dresses. She has used an exotic palette of colours like spicy ginger, midnight navy, toxic violet, root brown along with muted shades of oyster grey and pearl white. Metallics remain strong in her collection, with the season’s burnished gold, bronze and copper, however buffed down and tonal. The fabrics used are vast right from the wooden tweeds to luxurious velvets, flowing chiffons, silks and georgettes. Prints that are abstract and geometric and modern paisleys are used in monotones. Animal prints have also been used very effectively. “My design inspirations are in constant quest for change, wear ability being the prime concern. I don’t construct something that I won’t be able to wear”, exclaims the ordinate designer.
 
Aditi Wasan coming from one of the giants in high fashion leather exports Wasan group induces the same exquisite quality and supremacy of design in a burst of unpredictable colours and unconventional stylish cuts in leather jackets. She previews her pioneer with glittering new sumptuous fashion wear for ladies, which are exquisitely designed and meticulously crafted to bring out the best in every woman. Each piece in the collection is an epitome of tremendous and superb craftsmanship. The creations cut from the finest leather and designed by the best couture designers are excitingly innovative and refreshingly different. Aditi has brought snug jackets, diverse colours, drapes and with her leather’s taken a fashionable turn this season or can be defined as a stylish comeback. Vibrant colours, impressive drapes, chic styling helping leather shed its biker grunge look.
 
Priyali Chopra’s new collection of footwear resonates in range of wedges, thongs and mushroom-toe flats to choose from. Her creations incorporate the eco-friendly components with least use of leather. Each pair is handcrafted and studded with Austrian Swarovski embellishments and metallic finishing.