Shah Rukh Khan

In 2012, Accessories, Fashion, Men

Chic 2012: Brands that created buzz

Speaking ChicDecember 31, 2012December 30, 2012Leave a comment

New Movers

Formal wear suddenly became important with the launch of Kenneth Cole and Thomas Pink. I’m especially excited about the Kenneth Cole though the Indian tax-laden prices could stretch anyone’s wallet.

WonderBra lifted Indian women’s hopes (pun intended) by making their debut on Zivame.com, while Furla’s accessories made for a colourful display at their Palladium store.

Superdry got the best launch publicity ever with Shahrukh Khan wearing a Superdry vest in Challa from Jab Tak Hai Jaan.

And Sephora’s first store in India was the best Christmas gift ever! Can’t wait for it to come to Mumbai, even though a friend has promised to bring me some goodies from the Delhi flagship at Select Citywalk this week. Fingers crossed.

Coming soon

Lipsy for party dresses and red carpet gowns; Stuart Weitzman for pricey men’s and women’s accessories; Dune for footwear and accessories that are a bit more affordable.

With Indian law now allowing 100% FDI in single-brand retail, we can expect many more brands like Topshop and H&M to consider setting up shop on Indian soil.

Almost disappeared

Esprit called off their deal with Madura, so the brand’s flagship stores in India are already shutting down. Miss Sixty is nowhere to be seen either—any idea if the Italian brand’s around at all?

This is the second in a series of posts rounding up the Indian fashion scene in 2012.

In 2012, Bollywood Fashion, Fashion

Bollywood Fashion: Shahrukh Khan wears Superdry in Jab Tak Hai Jaan

Speaking ChicOctober 28, 2012October 27, 2012Leave a comment

If you’re in India (or an Indian living abroad), you’ve already seen the Jab Tak Hai Jaan promos including the Rabbi song Challa. In the video, Shahrukh Khan wanders the streets of London strumming a guitar and looking quite cool.

(Picture courtesy: Yashraj Films)

That vest is a Superdry jacket, closely resembling the Academy Vest from the current collection.

(Picture courtesy: Superdry)

Since the song from Jab Tak Hai Jaan was shot several months ago, the vest would most likely be from an earlier season, but the brand’s design elements have been carried forward to the current season. (This vest could be a core product from their range).

In a wonderful coincidence, Superdry is opening its first store in India today, at Palladium (Lower Parel), Mumbai. Brought to India by Reliance Brands, the Superdry store will offer t-shirts, jeans, sweaters, joggers, shirts, rugby shirts, polo shirts, bags, and accessories for both men and women from the AW12 collection.

Whether the song was carefully planned to release around the Superdry launch in India, or is just a coincidence I haven’t figured out yet. Either ways, it’s great news for the brand. After all, Shahrukh Khan sporting a brand prominently in a much-anticipated movie is good awesome publicity. What do you think?

In 2012, Bollywood Fashion

Bollywood Fashion: Favourite looks from Yash Chopra films

Speaking ChicOctober 22, 2012October 21, 2012Leave a comment

Yash Chopra (RIP) made the biggest blockbusters over the past five decades, writing unforgettable dialogues, creating iconic characters and teaching us how to fall in love and how to avenge.

And somehow, his films re-wrote fashion too, sparking new trends, keeping women and their darzis quite busy. Here are my favourite looks from films directed by Yash Chopra.

Chandni

A rainy day. A girl in love, looking sensual in a chiffon sari (never mind the weather). This sari later evolved into a shaded one, worn with sleeveless blouses on the snow-clad Swiss Alps.

(Picture courtesy: Yashraj Films)

Silsila

Rekha’s flowing hair, dark maroon lips, soulful thickly lined eyes– mesmerizing even today!

Deewar and Trishul

There were some serious business suits in Yash Chopra’s gripping dramas, comprising Sanjeev Kumar’s waistcoats in Trishul and Amitabh Bachchan’s bell bottoms in Deewar and Trishul. Fine tailoring, power dressing redefined!

Veer Zaara

Manish Malhotra’s chikankari work gained popularity with Preity Zinta’s coloured dupattas and semi-patialas. Soon after the movie’s release, every cloth market in India had its own collection of “Veer Zaara suits”.

(Picture courtesy: Yashraj Films)

Dil to Pagal Hai

Skinny Karisma Kapoor wore hot shorts and sparked the superfit craze among women so they could flaunt their legs and abs. Madhuri Dixits’s sheer long kurtas worn over short choli-style blouses drove thousands of women to their tailors. (I was too young at the time, but I wanted to dress like Madhuri too!). Now that I’m grown up, I want to wear chiffon saris instead. (Check out the song in the video after the jump- you’ll know what I’m talking about).

(Picture courtesy: Yashraj Films)

In 2012, Fashion, Men, trends

Chic Trend: The Linen Buying and Wearing Guide

Speaking ChicMay 14, 2012August 1, 2012Leave a comment

Where to buy linen:

A number of high- street fashion brands have included linen in their summer 2012 collection. For men, the top choices are Tommy Hilfiger, Zodiac, Allen Solly and French Connection. I loved the delicious colours in Tommy Hilfiger’s menswear collection.

Solid linen shirt from Tommy Hilfiger

Women can check out linen tops and tunics at AND and Allen Solly. Again, there’s a good choice in colours though styles are limited.

White and navy linen dress from AND.

Alternately, you can buy linen fabric that you like, and get it tailored into fabulous jackets and trousers. Siyaram’s just-launched Royale Linen collection (with Manish Malhotra) offers high quality linen in a range of patterns, colours and textures.

Linen buying tips:

Linen shirts mostly have looser fits, especially for men. So men may need to buy a size smaller than the usual. I learnt this the hard way when I bought a Tommy Hilfiger linen shirt as a gift for a friend.
Opt for shirts, jackets and trousers that are close to linen’s natural shades such as ivory, ecru and grey if you want a classy look.

Arklow Washed Linen shirt from French Connection.

How to wear:

My favourite formula to wear linen- Linen shirt + chinos = Smart and sexy!
Skip the jeans if you can. Denim makes you feel warm, which is the opposite of what you want to be in this weather.
Wear beige or white linen jackets with pastel shirts or blouses.
If you want to wear an all-linen outfit, then pair coloured linen shirts with neutral linen pants (white, gray or beige). Pure white linen shirts go with all colours, from indigo to tan.

Ultimate linen inspiration

Shah Rukh Khan in Don 2! Loved the linen jacket.

Also read: Chic Trend: 5 reasons to wear linen this summer