Gone are the days when the choice of sleeves was restricted to short, long or quarter length styles. Gone are also the days when you would be content with a little design, a little craftsmanship or strong border on the sleeves. These days it is all about creating impression with sleeves and I couldn’t help but notice how our designers have unleashed their creativity in the recently concluded DCW (Delhi Couture Week). They have created sleeves that are dramatic, bold and speak for themselves. (Didn’t I tell you I would not bore you with just picture review of DCW)





Most of these designs are not entirely new; we have witnessed these in red carpet gowns and in various fashion weeks across the globe. What is striking is how these have been incorporated into very traditional Indian blouses. The strong shoulder jackets that are in vogue these days have made their way to the lehenga and saree blouses. So have the balloon sleeves that we see in tops and shirts everywhere. These are the global fashion trends served to us in our closer to home Indian Platter, with a "desi tadka".





So, do you think that just the simple sleeves designs would suffice the fashionable diva in you? Or are you game to sing along and wear these trends with your saree, suit or lehenga?

The house of Valaya never ceases to amaze me. And, the latest collection of JJ Valaya did just that. Valaya is one designer who time and again has proved that rich fabrics and a talented designer alone can create “magic”.

Most of the bridal collections that I have seen on the runway are loaded with bling – heavy sequins, stones and over the top embellishments. So much so that it is hard to think of bridal wear without the bling. (Now, don’t get me wrong. I love bling when done in subtle way though not the Manish Malhotra kind of bling, but more on this in the next post) . But once in a while I also want to drift into simpler times - when the outfit is all about designs and fabrics and not about how heavily it is embellished. And, that's exactly why I love Valaya's collection.

He is one of the very few designers which can be worn straight out of the runway. Just like that. Sometimes he does it with innovative printing (read digital printing) on ultra rich fabrics and sometimes with intricate thread embroideries on classic fabrics. And, unlike so many designers he doesn’t resort to overuse of bling to prove that the outfit is perfect for the Indian Bride. And, talk about styling up the models - How dramatic is the disc shape maangtika and how so romantic is the red flower in the previous collection. Valaya scores it again for me.

(P.S.Reviewing designer collections is not what I usually do on this blog, but this time there are a few very interesting things that are forcing me to sit up and pay attention. So, please bear with me for a while.)

(P.P.S : Thank you all for your comments in the previous post and for your helpful suggestions. My hand is much better now and as you can see, I am back to blogging:))

Orange perfectly fits the bright bold colors that are a hallmark for Indian Weddings. That being said, I think that the best way to play orange is to mix and match with other colors. In summers mix orange with cream, beige or aqua as in the outfit above. In winters, orange with blue or dark mauve would look darn good.



Most of the brides tend stick to the traditional color scheme of orange with red, pink or green. And, it works just fine if you want to say closer to home and want a traditional look. But, I strongly recommend experimenting a bit and playing orange with cream, gold or aqua. The pastel orange (see the lehenga above) is the new craze these days and is perfect for sangeet, mehendi or other functions.



(P.S. I have been going a little slow on blogging these days as my hand has been troubling me a lot. It is showing signs of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and if anyone experiences the same pains then please share what to do? And, thanks to Splurgerina for sending me those exercises. I am onto them now.)

A man they say is known by his shoes; a woman by her hands. But often hands are the most neglected part of our body and in the hustle bustle of daily life we forget to give them the proper care that they require.

So, I invited Anamika of Wise, She as a Guest Blogger to share some of her tips for beautiful hands. Anamika is truly a “Pandora box” when it comes to beauty tips, health and fitness advice. You can checkout her fabulous blog here.



This is what Anamika says:

Our hands take the most abuse when it comes to wedding. However, they are one of the most noticeable things after your face. Beautiful, polished and graceful hands speaks thousand words and go a long way in increasing a woman's self-confidence. Below are some tips and remedies can give you beautiful hands to flaunt in your marriage and forever after.

* Take wax and boil it in a double boiler. You can heat it for a minute in a microwave too. When melted add 1 lemon juice and 1 tbsp of glycerin in it. Apply it on your palms, wrist, forearm, and elbow, covering your whole hand. Similarly apply it on your foot, ankle, knee and legs. Make sure that the wax is not too hot for your skin. Rinse the mixture a bit on the applied area and let it get dry.

When dried wash it off with lukewarm water. This remedy helps in making skin soft and heeling cracked heels. It will remove all the dead skin too. If you want you can apply moisturizer after using this remedy.

* Massage your nails with olive oil. Dip your nails into warm olive oil and with the help of a nail filer you can push your cuticles .Get your nail strengthened and conditioned 10 weeks before your big day and get your hands and feet moisturized .

* Keep vaseline or shea butter with you and apply it several times a day. Cover your moisturized hands with a cotton gloves before going to bed every night. This will soften your cuticles and will make your hands really soft.

* If you do not have long nails then go for gel or acrylic nails they look beautiful and stays for long.

* Also stay away from harsh detergents, washing clothes and dishes for few months and if its not possible for you then wear gloves.

* Many of the soaps are drying. So when you wash your hands, use something that doesn't contain alcohol or detergents.

With these simple tips you can be the proud possessor of soft, beautiful hands for life.

I would love you to share any tips or secrets that you have for maintaining your hands. Hope you all are having a great weekend.

Krimly from My Cherry Gum has featured me in the list of ten blogs that she likes (see here). This is my first feature and it means so so much to me. Just want to shout out and say thanks to Krimly and to all my my wonderful friends here on the blog, who make this blog so very very special. Please do stop by and say hi to Krimly from my side :)

Coming back to the original post that I intended to do . This is probably my most favorite piece of clothing these days. I love the linen fabric and the fact that they are so comfortable and can be styled up in so many ways. This is how I wore them on two different occasions.



And, now passing the "A Blog with Substance Award" that I received from Ruth of Underneath his wrappings (here) to the following amazing blogs.



1) It's Uber Chic
2) My Cherry Gum
3) Pink & Black
4) Animated Confessions
5) Someplace Else
6) Miles of Style

A long time since I have stepped back and pondered over “What Not to Wear” rather than “What to Wear”. Has the sense of distaste of the outside world improved from bad to better. Apparently not.



1) Is it walking in the garden or the garden walking by itself? While I am all for florals & frills (see the good ones here - 6th &7th) but when done in subtle, pleasing way. Here I think the flowers are both too big in number and too huge in size and that is what is making the gown so unappealing. Imagine wearing this to a red carpet or some other event. Oh well! Don’t imagine. It won’t be a pretty picture.
(P.S. – I like the color though. It is not in the face, jarring red that we usually see)

2) I am really on the fence for this. I like the fabric and I don’t mind the color but I think the main culprit here is the border. It is just so huge and has so many frills and gatherings, that it is much too overwhelming. The model is just managing somehow with her fierce expressions but anyone else is sure to get lost in it. Imagine if the belt is not there.

But since I can be crazy at times, lets poll this. What do you say (you can be as mean as you want to)

poll by twiigs.com

And, now passing the "Versatile Blogger" award which I received a few days back (see here) to the following beautiful bloggers.



1) Sherin at HiFashion
2) Katie at Fashion's Maven
3) Leia at Leia's Delights
4) Simratha at Vogue Vibes
5) Kiran at Fitness Solutions
6) Neelam at Being Zara&Zidan

Will be passing the rest of the awards very soon. I know I have been sitting on them for too long now.

In India, we live, eat and breathe gold as far as jewelry is concerned. Most of the jewelry designs in gold have been very traditional up till now, but the designs below break the norm. They are versatile, trendy and exquisite. So, you can have a great return on your investment (in gold) and stay stylish too.


(P.S. : The big chunky necklace and the kamarband totally have my name on them)

Hope you all are having a great weekend.

Two very popular Indian designers, Sabyasachi and Shyamal and Bhumika, showcased their Bridal collection recently. I have always believed that clothes tell a story and these designers painted two very different pictures of the Bride.

Sabya’s collection reflects a strong regional flavor for the quintessential bride. Sabya’s bride is a "deep-rooted girl" who represents the ethos of global awareness with the traditional pathos of Indian culture. Sabya’s signature patchwork and motif designs stitched into unusual fabrics gives a feeling of going back to ancient and medieval ages.

COLORS – Earthy muted tones of taupe, violet, cyans, multi-facets of vermilions and somber reds dominates this collection.

FABRICS - Blending velvets, silks, brocades with organzas, chiffons and other lighter fabric, Sabya’s collection is an epitome of textile art.


Shyamal & Bhumika’s collection painted a picture of a bride who is fun, eccentric and does not hesitate to experiment. She has an aura of mature woman-like sensibilities with a girl like vividness.

COLORS - The bright oranges with vivid greens and blues create a with Mixing a kaleidoscope of colors that perfectly encapsulates the lively spirit of this bride.

FABRICS - Inspired by the colors and styles of Gujarat and Rajasthan, the lehengas were free flowing with lavish dupattas and the elaborate saris, accessorized with tassels & mirror work.

One look at the pictures and I immediately associated myself with the second collection. The big bright colors are totally my style (I had three different colors in my wedding lehenga).

What about you? What kind of bride you were or want to be? Are there any particular elements of the collection (like colors, fabrics etc) that you associate yourself with?

Hey All

In case you were wondering where have I disappeared these past 4-5 days, I went to LA over the long weekend. Needless to say that I missed blogging quite a bit and that’s why I am writing this post sitting at the airport..(talk about addiction).

A little bit about LA and then off to the other stuff of the blog.

I felt that LA is in true sense of the word “a melting pot” of the world. There are people from anywhere and everywhere, in all shape, sizes and colors, presenting a vast cultural spread that ranges from spic and span highly polished people to the colorful hippies. Of all the places that we saw I think the Venice beach and the Huntington beach truly represented two different worlds. While Huntington, with its grand houses, lavish restaurants and impeccably dressed crowd spoke of lavishness and richness of LA, the Venice beach resembled the LA of mafia, gangs and drugs that I saw in movies(of course, I didn't actually experienced them but got a feel like this). I think the rest of the place keeps swinging somewhere in between. I was also so fascinated by the famous Rodeo Drive (well who isn’t?) which has mansion like shops of designer brands, where you can go inside see, see the stuff and come out sulking on its expensiveness (at least I did). And, the big movie buff that I am, it is needless to say that I absolutely loved the Universal Studios.

Anyways, to cut the long story short, if I have to describe LA in one word it would be “Grand”..the architecture, lights (at night), charm of Hollywood, extravagant houses and fabulous beautiful people, shine in all their glory and captivate and fascinate anyone who goes near them.

And, now time for some awards. Last week two of my very dear blogger friends honored me with some awards. I just want to say thank you so so much for all the appreciation...this is what keeps me going on and on.

The Mommy at Mommy Pages gave me "The Versatile Blogger Award". Do check out her beautiful blog here and say hi for me.



Also Ruth of Underneath His Wrappings presented me with "A blog with Substance" Award. Wow! thank you so much Ruth. Ruth is as beautiful a person as her blog, which I insist you please check out here.


Now the rule - Sum up your blogging philosophy, motivation and experience in five words. HERITAGE, INSPIRATION, GOOD TASTE, IDENTITY & ENCOURAGEMENT.

Finally, a vibrant young girl Vivarjitha of Life is Beautiful honored me with "Cherry on Top Award". Do check out her fabulous blog here.


As part of the deal I have to spill some beans about myself. So here I go:

1) I am a typical typical gemini. I always want to do ten different things at a time and when I am onto something I find my mind racing in totally different direction.

2)Sometimes readers of my blog think I am a fashion designer or associated with the industry in some way. I am not. I am a management student.

3) There was a time when I was crazy about Suniel Shetty (please don't laugh..it is embarrassing enough)

I am saving passing the award tradition for my next post. I am feeling pretty drained out today.