kangana ranaut

In my previous blog post, I did a look breakdown of Deepika Padukone’s indo-chic look in Piku. In Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Kangana Ranaut’s character Tanuja Trivedi (Tanu) is also seen in contemporary Indian wear but her definition of indo-chic is drastically different from Piku’s style.

Tanu is a free-spirited quirky girl who loves having fun. As a married woman in London, she opts for Indian styles. So she wears saris in public, complete with mangalsutra and very noticeable sindoor. Her saris are mostly retro-style lacey ones, and in the opening scene she has bundled up in a beige trench coat over her sari.

Once back in India, the pre-marriage Tanu takes over, and she’s back to her colourful self. In the earlier film Tanu Weds Manu Kangana Ranaut opted mostly for greens and blues, but in this film her look is bolder than ever, choosing bright pinks and oranges.

Kanagana Ranaut in Tanu Weds Manu Returns look breakdown

Printed kurta or tee

Printed patiala

Bright printed or crushed dupatta

Accessories: Jhumkas (her favourite carried forward from Tanu Weds Manu), necklaces and stacks of bangles

Makeup: Lots of it, and usually very matchy-matchy. So if Tanu’s wearing a pink kurta, she’s applied pink blush and pink lipstick. And oh, there’s also a tiny bindi and tonnes of mascara and even fake eyelashes!

How to get Kangana Ranaut’s Tanu Weds Manu Returns Look

Kurta from Biba

Patiala from Soch

Dual-toned dupatta from Aurelia, available on Fashionara

Sari from Pernia Qureshi

Jhumkas from Fida

Pink bangles from Vidhya Kangan, available on Craftsvilla

In Celebs, Fashion, News, Shopping

The fabric you need to wear this summer- Liva

Speaking ChicApril 2, 2015April 6, 2015Leave a comment

I have a whole list of summer clothing pet peeves- no denim, no clingy clothing, no itchy fabrics for me please. Of course, this doesn’t leave me with too many fashionable choices for summer.

Hopefully, this summer will be better because I’ve discovered a new age fabric that will make my summer (and other seasons) easier. This new age fabric is called Liva, made with natural fibres and developed by Birla Cellulose.

Fit for ‘Queen’

Liva’s ambassador is the talented actor Kangana Ranaut who wore this statement-making outfit at a Liva fashion show last week.

Oh, Liva!

The fabric has got sheen, feels cool and soft against my skin, and is super comfy. Thanks to Liva’s fluidity, clothes won’t stick or cling to my body, nor make me feel warmer than it is. Luckily, several brands are already using Liva, and I got a closer look at the clothes.

No more boxy looks! No more discomfort!

So what’s common among these dresses, kurtas and tees? For starters, they fall well, so no more weird fits or square shapes. And they’ve got a nice sheen that adds a luxe touch to any look.

Liva is being used by several fashion brands such as Van Heusen, Global Desi and 109 F (among others) and all Liva garments would be specially tagged so you can identify them while shopping.

New designs

Moving from high street to high fashion, fashion designers are already using Liva in their collections. Last week designers Anita Dongre, James Ferreira, Puja Nayyar, Sohum Dave and Narendra Kumar presented capsule collections made entirely of Liva. Their looks varied from easy flow to complex drapes, bold colours to vibrant prints. And the clothes? Tops, tees, tunics, kurtas, saris, pants… you name it, and it can be made with Liva.

If LIVA has you intrigued then please do get in touch with Media Moments for further details!

In Bollywood Fashion

Bollywood Fashion: Is Alia Bhatt dressed like an IIM student in 2 States?

Speaking ChicApril 21, 2014April 20, 2014Leave a comment

From her high-fashion costume stint in Student of the Year and minimum costume changes in Highway, Alia Bhatt had a completely new wardrobe to wear as Ananya Subramaniam in 2 States.

What Alia Bhatt wore

Styled by Manish Malhotra, Alia Bhatt wore a range of cotton kurtas—in neon shades, with jeans, or with a denim waistcoat. Her tees and tank tops were paired with ghagra skirts, and accessorised with jhumkas, cotton scarves and Kolhapuri wedges.

While Alia Bhatt looked great, I got a sense of déjà vu. I had spotted similar looks in other movies like Kareena Kapoor in Bodyguard (also styled by Manish Malhotra) and Kangana Ranaut in Tanu Weds Manu and Queen. All these looks are very Indo-boho / ethnic. You’d probably get Alia Bhatt’s huge collection of jhumkas, ghagra skirts and other such ethnic stuff Mumbai’s Colaba or Linking Road market and I’m sure every Indian town has such a market or two. There are also several local brands like Global Desi and Fab India who stock Indian-looking separates and accessories.

So what do girls at IIM wear?

While Alia Bhatt looks great and is styled well, I wondered what does a girl studying at IIM really wear? There is no definite answer of course- but I got some inputs from my hubby S (an IIM alumnus). While he claims he doesn’t remember much of his two years there (yeah, RIGHT!), and especially not what the girls wore, he add an interesting statement or two to make.

“The girls at IIM did not have time to accessorise or wear makeup.”

Packed lecture schedules, multiple projects and ongoing tests leaves IIM students with little or no time to do anything other than study. So for the girls there, there’s almost no time to find the right earrings before class or carefully apply liner to their upper and lower lash lines. But hey, I liked Alia’s nude pink lip colours.

“They mostly wore business suits to placement interviews.”

Alia Bhatt’s character Ananya wore a sari to her placement interview with Sunsilk (an HUL brand). Hubby confirms that almost all women wore business suits for their interviews- crisp shirt and trousers, blazer et al. Only one or two students chose to wear saris instead. Nice to know that Ananya was one of the rare ones!

“Only a handful of the girls were fashion-conscious.”

Ananya is clearly fashion-conscious- but while she doesn’t seem to follow trends, she has a flair for trying the quirky. Also, she seems to have a good fashion sense off campus as well. She wore a gorgeous sari to her boyfriend’s cousin’s wedding in Delhi- traditional but with bright colours. Given her fashion choices and cute looks, no wonder 11 guys hit on her on the first day at IIM!

What did you think of Alia Bhatt’s outfits in 2 States?

In 2012, Fashion, WIFW AW 2012

WIFW A/W 2012: Key looks and moments from Day 5

Speaking ChicFebruary 28, 2012February 28, 2012Leave a comment

Look: The confident woman

At Kotwara by Meera Ali, the models wore breeches, skirts and ivory shirts in wool, chiffon, bamberg crepe and suede. The look combined structure and flowing lines, which I adore. I want to be this woman!

Look: The quirky woman

There were bright geeky glasses, printed shorts, skirts and dresses, along with funky motifs (exaggerated lips) at Niharika. You need to be very funky to carry off this look!

Hippie gone upmarket

Tanvi Kedia’s hippie-deluxe look is about non-conformist glamour with mish-mash of prints like sandwiched stripes, tapestry patterns and hazy geometrics.

Sheer in winter, anyone?

You can layer sheer fabrics in wintery colours like purple and dark blue with jackets, trousers and skirts this winter. Raj Shroff showed us how.

For the girl who wants to be a cop

For those dreamt of dressing in a khaki uniform for work, Rehane has the right look for you—caps and all!

For the music-loving geeky gal

Noise-cancelling headphones- check. Geeky glasses- check. Sequins- check. Feminine silhouette, manly shoes- check. It was all happening at Schon by Sakshi Pradhan!

For Gwenyth Paltow fans

If you liked Gwenyth Paltrow’s “cape” at yesterday’s Academy Awards, Tahera Peeran’s wraps are for you.

Accessories of the day:

Sling-bag with old-fashioned lock at Verb by Pallavi Singhee.

Carved bags at Virtues by Viral, Ashish and Vikrant.

Uncut diamonds and polki jewellery at JJ Valaya.

WTFashion moment of the day

Abdul Halder’s strategically-placed birds made me cringe. Which woman would want to wear this?

Fabulous ending

JJ Valaya ended WIFW A/W 2012 with a Turkish flourish. He used unusual art and craft based forms such as mother of pearl inlay, Turkish miniatures, Iznik Ceramics, weaves of the Sultan’s robes, exotic birds and graphic calligraphy in his jackets, dresses, breeches, shirts and blouses.

Customary Bollywood appearances of the day

Irfan Khan looking out of place at Kotwara by Meera Ali.

Kangana Ranaut all pouty and serious at JJ Valaya.

In Fashion, WLIFW SS 2012

WLIFW S/S 2012: Day 3 highlights

Speaking ChicOctober 14, 2011November 5, 2011Leave a comment

A glimpse of the top collections on Day 3 of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012:

Divyam Mehta

The designer used bold kantha stitch with deliberate flaws along with Japanese techniques for a easy-going collection. Divyam used lighter fabrics like linen, mul and silk chiffon to offset the dark-ish colour palette (using lots of indigo).

Hemant & Nandita

Hemant & Nandita’s collection was called “Happily Unmarried” and we know why. Women walked freely wearing body-hugging bodices with gathered skirts. We loved the abstract digital prints inspired from flora. I’d love to wear them!

Ela by Joyjit Talukdar

Playing with “engineered” textures and multi-dimensional silhouettes, Joyjit treated fabrics in various ways to create a variety of textures and accessories. He paid special attention to waistlines and yokes.

Nida Mahmood

A kitsch lover, Nida Mahmood’s show and collection was Bollywood-inspired. This time the designer focussed on the geeky look, and combined bold colours with digital and tie-and-dye prints for the quirky Indian woman.

Nikasha Tawadey

Off-whites and soft colours, flounces and loose tunics—Nikasha Tawadey’s collection gears you up for a dreamy summer. This summer will be about keeping it simple and sweet.

Shantanu Goenka

From regal prints to rich zardozi, Shantanu Goenka’s Marie Antoinette-themed collection had it all. Using vintage silhouettes, the designer mixed colours like pastel colours like pink with beige and gold. The construction techniques used were ruffles, pintucks, life-like embellishments and appliqué. BTW, Kangana Ranaut made a ramp appearance for the designer.

Who is your pick of Day 3 at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012?

In 2011, Bollywood Fashion, Fashion

Bollywood Fashion: Kangana Ranaut does a desi curl in Tanu Weds Manu

Speaking ChicFebruary 15, 2011Leave a comment

Tanu of Tanu Weds Manu is a vodka-guzzling, invective-spewing, small-town girl who likes to have people dance to her tunes. And from the promos, she also seems to love dancing, gossiping and has a penchant for drama.

Even as Tanu (Kanagana Ranaut) has totally bewitched her suitor Manu (R Madhavan), we’re admiring her desi bold look.

Speaking Chic breaks down Kangana Ranaut’s Tanu look:

Clothes

Kangana Ranaut is mostly dressed in kurta-salwars in Tanu Weds Manu, wearing the small-town uniform to the T. While most young girls across India seem to have adopted the jeans-tee staple, we’re sure Tanu’s wardrobe is partly dictated by her circumstances—ladkewale and all that. 😉

But Tanu is bold enough to sport low-backed kurtas and blouses (with net saris), perhaps indicating her boldness?

FYI, the movie’s costume designer is Namratha Jani, who also did the forgettable Dil Kabaddi.

Accessories

If there’s one thing Tanu loves, it’s her earrings. Kangana is sporting lovely Indian earrings, from hoops to jhumkas to jadau. Lots of bangles too! (We find this a bit surprising since the current trends favour a few chunky kadas.)

Hair

Kangana Ranaut has often spoken about her extremely curly (and troublesome) hair in interviews, but this is one movie where she’s making the most of them. And her crazy hair contributes greatly to her bold personality. Besides playing with her curls, Kangana has also played with texture by crimping her hair.

Makeup

Smokey eyes go subtle! Kangana’s smokey eyes have been skillfully done—the smudged eyeliner/ kaajal blends seamlessly with the dark eyeshadow. In some scenes, you see Kangana in eyeshadows of colours like pink and light blue. Lips are glossy with a hint of colour.

We loved Tanu, partly because we see a bit of her in us. Or maybe it’s the other way around. What do you think?

In Bad Fashion, Beauty, Bollywood Fashion, Celebs

Bollywood Fashion: Kangana Ranaut teaches some fashion lessons

Speaking ChicDecember 9, 2010Leave a comment

Kangana Ranaut appeared last night on Kaun Banega Crorepati 4 with her No Problem co-actors Anil Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt. For the few minutes she was on the show, her appearance screamed Fashion Disaster. Take a look:

Here’s some fashion lessons we picked up from Kangana’s not-so-good look on KBC 4.

Fashion Lesson #1: Winter floral prints look great!

Fashion Lesson #2: You can dress for winter, even if you’re not bundled up in layers.

Kangana’s blue bodycon dress is perhaps the closest she could have got to a winter outfit in Mumbai’s non-existent winter.

Fashion Lesson #3: Trendy makeup is great, as long as it looks good on you.

Statement lips are hot this season, but Kangana Ranaut has chosen the wrong colour for her, and isn’t able to pull off the glossy bright red lips.

Fashion Lesson #4: Think thrice before changing your hair colour.

Kangana is proud of her curls and can work short hair, but her hair colour is completely out of whack. Along with the glossy red lipstick, it gives her a, well, not-so-genteel look.

Fashion Lesson #5: You can skip accessories

No earrings, no bracelets, no statement necklace, not even a watch. And why not? Kangana Ranaut’s dress does the talking.

Meanwhile, Anil Kapoor looked dapper on the same show.

What do you think of Kangana Ranaut’s look on Kaun Banega Crorepati 4?

In Bollywood Fashion

Chic Find: Hot in sunglasses

Speaking ChicAugust 10, 2010Leave a comment

[tweetmeme source=”spkngchic” only_single=false]

A few weeks ago, Speaking Chic’s post on oversized sunglasses created quite a stir among readers. Several readers said they hated big sunglasses, and that most people looked horrible in them.

But recently, a reader pointed out that there was one person who could carry off the big sunglasses really well. We checked and double-checked and pondered over it, and realised that our reader was right. Hurray! There is finally someone who can carry off the look. And that is:

…. Randeep Hooda!

Yup! In Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, Randeep plays Inspector Agnel Wilson in trademark Ray-bans (or are they Ray-ban lookalikes?), giving a decent performance, while adding considerably to the drool factor. From a cute and slightly cherubic guy in Monsoon Wedding, Randeep Hooda’s become a super hottie.

Meanwhile, if you’ve seen the movie, tell us what you thought of the 1970s look and Kangana Ranaut’s blingy costumes. We think the characters’ get-ups are in tune with the era, though we’re not so sure about Kangana’s one-shouldered gowns. What say?