Chic Updates from Ritu Kumar, Namrata Joshipura & Tarun Tahiliani

Chic Updates from Ritu Kumar, Namrata Joshipura & Tarun Tahiliani

Veteran Indian designer Ritu Kumar will soon be honoured with the Padma Shri. She is the first mainstream designer to be conferred this well-deserved honour, with more than four decades in the fashion industry, preserving and promoting Indian textiles. Ritu Kumar’s body of work has paved the way for contemporary Indian designers and was once synonymous with Indian bridal wear before the current breed of designers gained popularity. After all, some of the new bridal designers were probably infants while Ritu Kumar was revolutionising the textiles scene in India. Hats off, Ms Kumar!

Meanwhile,  Namrata Joshipura has been announced as the grand finale designer at the upcoming season of Lakme Fashion Week. This will be Namrata Joshipura’s first show at LFW,  which will be her interpretation of Lakme’s cutting edge makeup range.

image

With the week’s renewed focus on upcoming talent, this is not a surprise.  Last season,  Kallol Dutta and Pankaj-Nidhi presented at LFW’s grand finale. The show was well-appreciated but not without controversy.

Everyone it seems, is cashing in on the Pantone colour of 2013- emerald green. Timex has introduced timepieces studded with emerald green China CZ stones and sparkling Swarovski crystals designed by Tarun Tahiliani.

These India-inspired watches for women are available for Rs. 23,995 and Rs. 12,945. (Available at The Time Factory, Dadar, Mumbai). So if you can’t afford a TT lehenga, here’s your chance to own a piece designed by him. So what if it’s not your wedding joda?

Bollywood Fashion: Inkaar’s style will make you want to work in advertising

Bollywood Fashion: Inkaar’s style will make you want to work in advertising

Inkaar’s fashion is kinda agency-style cool. You’ll want to wear Chitrangada’s pencil skirts or Arjun Rampal’s blazers. Either ways, it’s a stylish introduction to ad agency fashion though agency guys will tell you they dress cooler and way more relaxed. After all, they can get away with chappals to office and Simpsons tees on a regular working day.

Inkaar- Arjun Rampal and Chitrangada Singh

If you want to dress for success, join an ad agency, or just know how to dress like either of the two super-hot actors, read on.

Chitrangada Singh: Awkward junior to bitchy boss
Maya Luthra’s transition from a gawky copy writer to National Creative Director (NCD) is documented through varying levels of bitchiness and change in wardrobe.

Inkaar- Chitrangada-Singh

So from baggy printed peasant blouses, messy hair and chin piercing, Maya gradually moves to crisp blouses, designer accessories, formal dresses and blow dried hair. Her put-together look (by Nick Roy) and choice of accessories might be too jarring for a chilled-out work place. Statement neck pieces,  Louis Vuitton belt, and well-coordinated totes would stick out like a sore thumb among the Angry Birds slippers and Fab India kurtas. But hey, Maya’s NCD and I know women would want to dress like her (including me).

Inkaar- Chitrangada-Singh

The only fashion faux pas were the few “revealing” outfits Chitrangada wore. The unwritten “no-cleavage-in-office” fashion rule was broken, and the sari blouses covered way too little though there was good reason to highlight her sex appeal.

Inkaar- Chitrangada-Singh

Get Chitrangada Singh’s Inkaar look:
Team a pencil skirt with a pastel blouse that flatters your skin tone and figure. Accessorize with solitaire earrings (real diamonds if you can afford them), killer pumps in neutral or pop colours, and a statement watch.  Apply nude makeup with special focus on the eyes.

Inkaar- Chitrangada-Singh

My favourite piece: The pencil skirt!

Arjun Rampal: The suave, smart CEO

Arjun Rampal’s character Rahul Verma is a small-town guy who has made it to the top and is now “grooming” young talent (which involves sleeping with the new girl). He seems to be the serious type– staying aloof,  not smiling much, and wearing dark-rimmed spectacles. BTW,  those glasses make him look handsome in a geeky sort of way. The mature look by Niharika Khan suits the actor wonderfully.

Inkaar-Arjun Rampal

His workwear choice is semi-formal and smart casual, such as shirts with smart jackets and blazers. The colour palette is largely blue and grey with some additional subdued colours that a career man would wear. I especially liked the dull green blazer with elbow patches.

Inkaar-Arjun Rampal

Get Arjun Rampal’s Inkaar look:
Wear a lightly-coloured formal shirt with interesting detailing such as a contrast placket, collar or cuffs. Add a blazer in a colour of your choice with slim fit trousers or dark jeans (depending on where you work). Put on a pair of glasses that suit your face shape, preferably with dark rims. Skip the tie, but do wear lace-up or slip-on leather shoes.

My favourite piece: The glasses—they would make any man look instantly mature and sexy! 😉

It’s Women’s Day today! So let’s talk about men

It’s Women’s Day today! So let’s talk about men

It’s International Women’s Day today, but I’m not one to celebrate it. You can read my rant against Women’s Day here.

So to “celebrate” Women’s Day, I’ve decided to focus on men. This is a special post especially for men, based on inputs from girl friends and Speaking Chic readers. They’ve shared their views on what they like best about men (from the fashion POV). In short, they answer the question—when and how do men look their best?

This post is meant for the guys, so I’ve addressed the men, not the ladies.

Guys, here goes:

Start with the jackets: Women love men in dinner jackets, formal jackets and stylish casual jackets. My personal favourite these days is the light linen jacket like the one SRK wore in Don 2. Tres chic! (Below: Jacket from Zara)

 Zara jacket with buckle collar

Impress with your fragrance: Not one, not two, but three women told me they love fresh, clean, aquatic scents (I do too)! Which means CK’s Eternity for Men Aqua is a hands-down winner.

CK Eternity for Men Aqua

Dress down once in a while: While women love men dressed formally, they also like the guys to chill out once in a while. So wear casual shirts with sleeves rolled up, geeky tees with reference to popular culture and coloured polo tees. (Below: T-shirt from Guru).

Guru tshirt A/W 2011

Don’t forget to groom yourself: Well-groomed nails are a must. One reader even recommended manicures for guys. Also on the list are soft hands, shaven face and moisturised lips. (Below: L’Occitane Shea Butter hand cream, The Body Shop lip balm).

Body Shop lip balmLOcccitane hand cream

Hair is important: Shiny, glossy hair is awesome. So is the neat and clean gelled look. But not too spiked, thank you!

Accessorise: Sport classy belts with brands/ logos, and wrist accessories like bracelets/ kadas. My current favourite is an oblong dial watch with a leather strap. (Below: Watch from Fossil)

Fossil Roman Leather Watch Black

Rock those jeans: If a guy can pull off well-fitted jeans (not the skinny ones), the woman will be super happy! That’s because it shows the guy is healthy and fit. And we all like that, don’t we? (Below: Look from Diesel)

Diesel jeans

Try on new trends: Women like to see men who are “with it”. Think coloured shoes, boots, fresh colours, slim fits, grunge and lots more.

Health is wealth: Toned biceps, flattish abs, muscular legs. A good body and confidence can pull off almost every look. So being healthy and strong will make you look young, haute and happening! Drool… 😉

Models at LFW S/R 2012

Ladies, what are your fashion and style tips for men?

PS—Thanks to Florence, Tanveer, Harlein and Kanika for their inputs.

PS 2 —There’s a hidden message in this post. Can anyone find it?

Bollywood Fashion: Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu’s Kareena Kapoor dresses quirky, Imran Khan goes formal

Bollywood Fashion: Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu’s Kareena Kapoor dresses quirky, Imran Khan goes formal

I watched Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu over the weekend, and found it a refreshing movie in more ways than one. The movie was fun, and the actors’ wardrobes were stylish, which is what you’d expect from a Dharma Productions film.

Kareena-Imran Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu

I was happy to note that Manish Malhotra (Kareena Kapoor’s designer for the movie) managed to bring an element of fun, quirkiness and style to Kareena’s wardrobe. Here’s a breakdown of Kareena’s look.

What Kareena is wearing:

Kareena plays a hair stylist Riana in Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu. Now if you go to the salon I go to, you’d know that most young stylists have their unique way of dressing showing their creative side. Riana is just like that. She wears a range of colours, dresses casually, and looks like a chic mess. 🙂

Kareena in blue Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu

In Las Vegas, Riana’s staple wear is layered tops with a jacket and short skirt with dark tights (it’s winter). In Mumbai she wears jeans and tees with light cotton shrugs.

Key trends:

Striped tees: Simple striped V-neck tshirts are a huge trend globally (you see them more in Europe and US than in India). With these tees, Kareena gets an instant international look.Kareena striped tshirt- Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu

Jackets: It’s December in Vegas, so Kareena wears all kinds of outerwear- waistcoat, leather and fleece-lined jackets.

Kareena in waistcoat- Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu

Tight mini skirts and shorts: Kareena has curves now, but that doesn’t stop her from wearing denim and lightly-embroidered minis with black tights. Good news for us normal-sized girls.

Kareena printed scarf ek Main Aur Ekk Tu

Layering with colour mixing and lace: Manish Malhotra has very layered Kareena’s costumes by mixing colours. The looks are really colour-coordinated or matchy-matchy. Also, the ace designer has innerwear-as-outerwear a more relatable spin by giving Kareena camisoles and slips with lace on the neckline, then adding tshirts to layer. Loved that!

Accessories:

Jewellery: Kareena wears two rings on her right hand (one is a pearl) and a watch on her left. Her dangling earrings mostly comprise little charms like dull gold leaves.

Oversized bright bags: Yellow, fuchsia, blue… yum!

Manly shoes: No stilettos or sexy heeled booties for Riana, because she wears rugged men’s shoes! I loved the scene in which Kareena tottered around in Imran Khan’s shoes and complained they were too big. 😀

Scarves and stoles: Patterned and bright!

Kareena pink stole Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu

Hair and makeup:

Kareena’s hair is wild and astray, which she keeps in check with clips and pins. The red highlights suit her skin tone and style, while her lined eyes and light glossy lips keep her “real”. 🙂

Special Mention:

In the song Auntyji, Kareena Kapoor wears a gorgeous royal blue wrap dress that is feminine, classy and doesn’t reveal much (she’s out with her family after all). You can’t help liking that one!

Kareena wrap dress Ek Main AUr Ekk TU

Imran Khan’s look:

Styled by Shiraz Siddique, Imran Khan is all grown up in Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu. Dubbed appropriately as a “tightass” by Riana, Rahul is formal and stiff. His colours are mostly black and grey and he wears only slim fit shirts, trousers and cardigans. That’s right, no jeans or tshirts for Imran Khan.

Imran Khan grey shirt Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu

The only hint of colour was the green V-neck cardigan Imran wears while hanging out with Kareena in Vegas.

Imran green cardigan Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu

But if there’s one thing I could steal from his wardrobe, it would be the light blue shirt with white collar he wore in Mumbai. Paired with khakis, that was as casual or semi-formal as Imran’s character could get.

Imran blue shirt Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu

Chic surprise of the movie: Statement neckpieces

Whoever thought Ratna Pathak Shah could be so convincing as a South Mumbai socialite? This talented woman plays Imran Khan’s mother with a chic hair do, lots of attitude and is always dressed to the T. Most importantly, she can’t do without her Louis Vuitton luggage, and has a penchant for oversized neckpieces, which she carries off with a high-brow pout and smirk.

My favourite neckpiece is the one she wears at the formal dinner she hosts, large baubles and all. (Sorry, couldn’t find the picture). But here she is on the way to the opera.

Ratna Pathak Shah in Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu

What did you think of the costumes in Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu?

Five chic things to do before Diwali

Five chic things to do before Diwali

It’s Dhanteras today, ladies! And if you are as unprepared as I am for Diwali, here’s a quick checklist of things to do in the next two days.

One: Get your outfit ready

If you’ve bought a new outfit for Diwali, it’s time to get off the packaging and figure out the best way to wear it. How will you drape your sari or pin up the dupatta of your lehenga? Does your blouse or choli fit you perfectly?

Chic tip: Stock up on safety pins and carry some in your clutch for emergencies.

Below: Anita Dongre at LFW W/F 2011; Payal Kapoor at LFW W/F 2011

Anita Dongre at LFW W/F 2011 Payal Kapoor at LFW W/F 2011

Two: Choose your jewellery

Polkis are a big trend and they’re here to stay—choose a traditional piece for Diwali. “Indian” designs like flowers, petals and peacocks are fantastic for Diwali.

Chic tip: Younger women could opt for trendier pieces which they can club with jeans and blouses after the festivities.

Below: Earrings from Sia Art Jewellery; Mor-Peacock ring from Toniq

 

Sia Rasrawa earrings  Toniq Mor- Peacock Ring

Three: Grab a clutch

If your outfit goes easy on the embellishment, you can choose a blingy clutch with it. Brocade clutches go wonderfully well with Indian ethnic wear.

Chic tip: If you prefer dangling a bag from your wrist or bangle, choose a cute potli.

Below: Nizam clutch from Holii, clutch  from Esbeda, potli from Shagufta Quamar at LFW W/F 2011.

Holii accessories Nizam clutch Esbeda Clutch

shagufta quamar-potli

Four: Embellish your feet

If you haven’t got a luxurious pedicure done yet, get one immediately. Then step out to buy bejewelled footwear that will you will wear for the entire festive and wedding season.

Chic tip: Can’t find shoes that match your outfit? Don’t worry, shoes need not always be matchy-matchy! Just make sure they go with your ‘look’.

Below: Groom Multi from Steve Madden, sandal from Mochi

Steve Madden Groom Multi

Mochi-sandal

Five: Last-minute gifts

Some fashionable gift ideas that suit all budgets (depending on the brand):

  • Beauty/ skin care hampers
  • Perfumes
  • Set of candles/ diyas
  • Watches

Below: Juicy Couture light moisturising lotion, perfume: Guerlain Shalimar, men’s watch from Fossil.

Juicy Couture light body lotionperfume Guerlain Shalimar_plumesFossil watch

 

Chic tip: I’ve recently turned into an advocate of gift cards or vouchers (giving my cousins gift vouchers for Bhai Dooj). Most well-known stores have gift vouchers, and we stumbled across a site called Gift Cards India, where you can shop for vouchers from an amazing number of brands!

Bonus: Shopping for the festive season

Diwali shopping is a great time to get wonderful options and offers on clothes, accessories, makeup and tonnes of others things. So for fashion lovers, it’s ideal to gear up for the upcoming wedding season NOW!

Chic tip: Pret-amoda.com has some excellent festive pieces. Type in the code bcNVoFAH2I when shopping to get a discount. (Valid till October 26, 2011).

Pret-amoda Diwali promotion

Happy Diwali, everyone!

Chic Accessories: ToyWatch, now dressed by Missoni

ToyWatch: hot and stylish. Missoni: colourful and fun scarves. Put the two together, and you get a limited edition collection: ToyWatch dressed by Missoni.

The collection features by Missoni’s signature scarf fabrics as foulard straps or classic fabric straps with leather buckles, as part of the famous ToyWatch watches. This collection is available worldwide, with 36 watches in India. There are six models in India, with each watch in three colours.

ToyWatch by Missoni accessory ToyWatch Missoni watches and accessories

I found it fun wounding and tying the “scarf strap” around my wrist, it made the watch all the more special. The watch is easily recognisable as a ToyWatch and the “scarf” makes it a fun accessory. It’s for those who love adding a splash of colour and prints to their wardrobe or accessories.

Speaking Chic spoke to Nayantara Thacker, Head of Operations, ToyWatch India, about the collection.

On the ToyWatch-Missoni collaboration:

ToyWatch India's Nayantara Thacker ToyWatch and Missoni is the perfect marriage—they’re both fun, funky and stylish.

How to wear the watches:

You can dress up or dress down with the watches. I’m wearing the watch with a sequinned top, and someone else has paired it with a classic white shirt. The watch looks great with both outfits.

About the pricing:

ToyWatch is positioned as affordable luxury globally. We have chosen to have the US and Europe pricing in India.

What’s next for ToyWatch in India:

We’re excited to be coming up with an India-exclusive collection in a tie-up with an Indian magazine. You’ll see the collection next month, in the February edition of the magazine. That’s all I can say yet!

(Remember you read this first on Speaking Chic!)

ToyWatch dressed by Missoni is available exclusively at Aza, Mumbai. The watch is priced at Rs 20,025.

Chic and easy party looks: Sequinned & studded

There are party dresses, and then there are some more party dresses. But how do you transform a cocktail or evening dress into a complete party outfit? It’s all in the accessories! We show you how to get the right party looks with two classic sets of accessories: Sequins/ shimmer and studded.

Speaking Chic tip: Start with your dress as a “base” and play around with colours, accessories and jewellery till you find the right combo. You can choose one offbeat accessory if you like to experiment.

Sequins and shimmer

Party dress sequins & shimmer

Dress from James Ferreira and Savio Jon’s After Eight collection at Ensemble
Headband from Zara
Watch from ToyWatch (Gems collection)
Violent Thunder Clutch from French Connection
CELO shoes from Tresmode

Studded

Party dress studded
Dress from James Ferreira and Savio Jon’s After Eight collection at Ensemble
Hairband from Zara
Studded clutch from Aldo Acccessories
Shoes: CENT and CULT dressy peep toe with laceup, both from Tresmode

 

Which party look will you opt for tonight?

Aishwarya escapes press in Longines TV ad

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is known to be a very private person, and she played this role just right in the recent Longines DolceVita television ad, also starring British actor Kate Winslet and Taiwanese actor Chi Ling Lin.

Shot in Rome, it’s a truly international ad, with brand ambassadors of three very different backgrounds (and markets) brought together to endorse the DolceVita line of Longines watches.

This line of watches is inspired by the Italian life and the Italians’ refined sense of style. (Dolce Vita literally means ‘the sweet life’), which could explain the choice of location for this TV ad.

In the advertisement, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Kate Winslet are wearing black dresses in classic silhouettes, while Chi Ling Lin has worn a beige dress. The three women try to escape the paparazzi separately to later meet in the town for a girls’ day out.

Interesting point to note: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has the most screen time in this 35-second TV spot (or maybe the ad had different scripts for different audiences, though that’s quite unlikely). Which means they’ve got big plans for India. Hmm… (Though Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been Longines ambassador for a while now, this kind of TV spot, with international stars, is among the first for Aishwarya since she joined Longines.)

Here’s the advertisement. Tell us what you think of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and the other ladies. Does it do justice to Academy Award winner Kate Winslet’s star status? And does Aishwarya Rai Bachchan embody the Longines woman?

Chic Diwali gifts: Steel watches for guys

After the girls’ most-wanted Diwali gift (sporty watch), it’s time to kick off the Chic Diwali gifts series for guys. And here’s a killer accessory to top the list: a sexy steel watch.

Tissot Bridgeport watch

 

Steel watches reflect a guy’s confidence, and can add a youthful touch to a drab office wardrobe or a fun touch to a collegian’s casual look. The steel watch can have a sporty dial, like Fossil’s  Dress and Sport watches:

Fossil Multifunction Silver Dial Watch Fossil Decker Black Chronograph Dial watch

Alternatively, men can make a sophisticated statement with Tissot’s Classic range of watches.

Tissot Classic Dream watch Tissot Classic Dream watch

PS: A special thanks to Rahul (a Speaking Chic reader) for sharing his Diwali fashion wishlist with us.

Guys, which accessory do you want as a Diwali gift? Tell us!

Chic Diwali gifts: Sporty watches for girls

Diwali is not too far away, and it’s time to draw up a list of things we covet (separate lists for guys and girls). Our list is too long to share in one go, so we’re kicking this off with Diwali gifts for girls.

First up on our girls’ list: a sporty, oversized watch. It’s classy, it makes a statement, and it’s very very trendy. I liked the ones at Swatch and a couple at Toy Watch Co.

Check out these Swatches:

Swatch gold   Swatch silver

What chic accessory do you want as a Diwali gift? Tell us!