Step Dance On Runway

I recently posted an interesting video on my Facebook page. It was Rick Owen’s Spring 2014 collection fashion show from Sept 2013. Interestingly, his models weren’t slim, tall and fair. They were black and had real bodies. They did not do the regular catwalk. They were not required to look pretty. They had their faces angry and gritty. They bared their teeth and looked ferocious while they performed the step-dance. Their energy was violent. It is indeed a captivating video.

Stepping is an old form of dance that originated in Africa. It is an aggressive dance in which the dancer’s entire body is used to create rhythms through footsteps and hand clapping. This dance is usually performed in groups.

African tribal men used this dance to attract and impress women. Their step-dance involved rolling their eyes and baring their teeth. More aggressiveness was considered more attractive.

Step-dance was very popular in American Universities amongst African-American students. Today, there are stepping dance groups and competitions.

The point of all this is that fashion picks up lot of things from history. History repeats itself. We see how trends of sixties and seventies keep coming back; how vintage is totally in suddenly. If you go back and look at how people dressed in 3000 BC in various dynasties, you will see familiar designs. Many of today’s styles have been picked up from there.

Rick Owen’s Spring 2014 sportswear collection is called ‘Vicious’. His way of presenting his collection through vicious step-dance has been very innovative and made everyone sit up and watch.

You MUST watch the video. It is spectacular.

We were shown this video in our History of Fashion class.

Dotty

I stepped into my fourth semester at school 2 weeks ago and things have been crazy since then. As always, I am taking time to fall into a new schedule. I have been lost, to some extent, such that once I got days confused and ended up going to the gym on the wrong day for a class.

If classes and job search weren’t enough, I have taken up internships at a couple of places. Ok, 3 places. That’s a lot, no? I took up these opportunities because I was excited about the profiles and learning they had to offer; I couldn’t say no to any of them.

In the process, I have pretty much ignored my shop and my blog. Thank God for scheduling, my social media has been pretty active.

Talking about internships, I was pretty nervous about them. Initially, I had doubts about even getting through, forget surviving. To overcome this fear, I decided to face it. I just went for it. I applied at 3-4 places, gave interviews and to my surprise, got through all of them! Imagine my delight!

I have begun work on all of them and it is super-fun. I enjoy all the profiles. Sometimes, it is craft work (something I haven’t done since graduation days), sometimes styling and sometimes handling social media – all of which I enjoy. It is so much fun going back to what I really enjoy.

More about them later.

This post was long due. I really liked how the pictures came out and was reserving them for a ‘better time’. Well, there is no better time than now. So here they are.

Skirt: The Basic Closet

Top: Custom made

Shoes: Payless

Earrings: Fabindia (gifted)

Bangles: Street find, India

Janmashtami Dressing

On Janmashtami, my cousin was holding a small puja. Just she, her mother and her room-mate. Not a big affair. Before that, they planned to sing Krishna songs – both film songs and non-film songs. Now those who know me know that I am hardly the religious kind. I don’t remember when I last went to a temple to pray. Or the last time I tried to connect with God. Performing pujas or fasting is out of question.

It is not that I do not believe in God. It is just that, we were never a religious family. As I grew up and began living on my own, the more I understood myself walking along the path of life, I focussed on clarity of conscience and spirituality more than deity worship.

Anyway, I decided to be a part of my cousin’s little celebration. Not that I am turning religious. Just that, being away from India makes me miss things particular to India – the festival, ceremonies, traditions and little beliefs. Singing Krishna songs was a way of connecting with my country. A way of remembering the life there. A way of saying I still respect all that my country is. And a proof that my heart is still there.

Here is what I wore. Nothing grand yet not very ordinary.

(Do you ever decide to wear a piece of clothing or an accessory or a pair of shoes first and then choose the rest of the outfit to go with it? Here, I decided to wear this scarf-cum-necklace and then chose the rest of the pieces.)

The scarf is an interesting piece. The necklace is joined with the scarf. It was gifted.

 

Err, did I forget to mention that this event was also an opportunity for me to dress up and go out? Secondary reason. Believe me.

Pakistani Designers Impress at Lakme Fashion Week 2014

Top Pakistani designers dazzled on Day 1 of Lakme Fashion Week 2014. They brought in colors, patterns and art of a different culture, this bringing in a whiff of fresh air to this popular runway show. These designers debuted at the fashion week for the first time and oh, what a grand introduction it has been. I loved Anita Dongre (always a favorite), Anavila, Swati Vijaivargie and Shruti Sancheti (tough to choose just four favourites) too but designers from our neighbouring country brought something new on the plate. Here are some of my favourite looks.

Sania Maskatiya

Sania Maskatiya’s collection ‘Sakura’ was inspired by Japanese culture depicting cherry blossoms, tea houses and famous Japanese landscapes. Her silhouettes were classic, yet contemporary, very wearable and prints, refreshing. I loved the silky fabric she used and how she mixed fauna prints with geometric.

Pictures Source: Sania Maskatiya Facebook Page

Zara Shahjahan

Her collection, ‘City of Gardens’, was inspired by vintage fashion of old Lahore; vintage florals were pre-dominant. She used lot of organza and shimmer in pastel colors. She is known for her intricate designs and silhouettes that represent feminine grace.

Pictures Source: Zara Shahjahan Facebook Page

Rizwan Beyg

Probably my favourite of the lot. His designs for the fashion week were taken from truck art. He dedicated this collection to local artisans of Pakistan ‘who work on streets and are not recognized’. His quirky graphical designs were dosed in overwhelming color combinations.

Interesting, right?

Pictures Source: Riyaz Beyg Facebook Page

Got a favourite?

Skincare In Your Kitchen

A good intake of raw fruits and vegetables is no doubt good for your skin. But what affects your skin directly and faster is applying those fruits and vegetables to your skin directly. Try them before you rule this option out or consider it tedious. It may look time consuming on the outside but once you begin following certain practices and enjoying the results, it will come as effortlessly as eating or watching tv.

I have been applying only natural ingredients on my face for quite some time now. I do not use face wash at all. And the difference is apparent. More than anything, I enjoy the whole process because of the results and the experience. The feeling of sweet smelling fruit pulp on your face is just too good.

These are some fruits that I have been using and would recommend –

Tomato

I use tomato on my face almost every day. It is perhaps the easiest and most handy ingredient because tomatoes are usually always available at home. Apply a piece of tomato directly on face and leave on for good 15 minutes. Wash off with cold water or ice. Tomatoes contain anti-oxidants that fight acne. To turn this into a routine, just chop some tomatoes and store it in the fridge. In the morning, pick up a piece, rub it on your face properly (you may use the juice or pulp), leave on while you go ahead with your others tasks and wash off after 15 minutes.

Papaya

This tropical fruit is rich in Vitamin C and, like most fruits, antioxidants. It has exfoliating properties. While eating papaya, just take a piece and mash it with your fingers or spoon. If you want to store some of the paste in the fridge for later use, blend a larger quantity in a mixer; you will obtain a better consistency. Apply on face for 10-15 minutes and wash off with cool water. There you are!

Cucumber

Cucumbers reduce swellings and restore facial tissue. You may rub a slice of cucumber on your face or do what I do. I grate a portion of cucumber and refrigerate it. When a cucumber is grated, it tends to release juice. It is then easier to apply. I like to apply it for 15 minutes and then rub ice on my face. Washing off fruit juice with ice is a feeling you MUST try. It is rejuvenating and radically refreshing.

Avocados

Avocado has a creamy texture (and, oh, don’t I just love how it tastes) which is excellent for dry and ageing skin. Just mash up a piece (mashing an avocado is real easy; we all agree to that?), apply on face and wash off to get baby-soft skin. You don’t need moisturizer after this. Avocado is naturally moistening. You can achieve the same results with banana too.

There are lots of other fruits that you can just mash with your hands and apply – like oranges, mangos, strawberries, grapes, cantaloupes and so on. When you eat these fruits, don’t forget to set aside a few pieces for your skin.

You can apply them alone or mixed with honey or olive oil (olive oil mixed with tomato juice heals sunburn). If you find yourself lacking in time, forget honey or olive oil and apply just the fruit. Results will be equally good.

Whether you are a full-time mother or a career lady or a student – you must allot some time everyday towards good skincare. Make a schedule for yourself. It may be difficult initially, but once it becomes a routine, you will love getting to your skincare regime and will follow it come what may.

I totally vouch for natural ingredients. They cleanse and moisturize your skin equally well or better than face wash, which is nothing but a mixture of chemicals.

Do try some of these organic measures and let me know, will you?

Pattern Play

Have you ever been so taken with a TV series, film or novel that you look for its instances and scenes in real life? I have been greatly influenced by.. hold it… Tom & Jerry cartoons!

Oh yes. I have perhaps watched too much of them, not just in school, but even later on. I can still watch the episodes I remember by heart and laugh as much. I remember scenes; I remember common instances that appear regularly on the cartoon. And I keep comparing my real life to it. I mean, really.

Like, we went to this Persian restaurant the other day and they served turnip with kabobs. I remembered an episode of T & J where Jerry goes shopping inside a fridge for food (for his magician uncle) and puts in Tom’s nose in his cart. When Tom taps him from behind and points to the place where his nose once was, Jerry quickly removes something from his cart and hands over to Tom. Tom attaches it to his face only to realize that it’s a turnip.

Yup, turnip reminds me of that.

How Tom’s face becomes flat when hit with a pan. How tom fluffs up his pillow before dozing off on it (I do the same with my cushions). And so on.

(Should I be embarrassed that I do things that Tom, the cat, a fictitious cartoon character does too?)

Lately, Law & Order obsession has taken over me. I talk to my husband often as ‘If Jack McCoy heard you say this, he would have said…’ or ‘Goren would have found out about this in minutes…) or ‘I saw a suspicious looking guy outside my gym today; I noted down his bag, clothes, etc in case I am called as a witness’. I actually have a deep desire to be contacted as a witness in a crime or such. Every time a van drives by me, I try to observe its color, painting, etc. If I see workers working on roofs or in gardens, I look at their faces.

I am perhaps going crazy over it. I feel so close with those characters and expect to see them around me in real life.

I have always been fond of murder mysteries; so watching 2 or 3 one hour episodes in a row is no surprise. But getting so carried away by fictional stories and characters.. well, this is something new.

Do you have any such imaginations to share? Or are they too scandalous to tell?

Outfit details:

Jacket: The Basic Closet

Jeans: Bossini

Floral top: Valleygirl (Au)

Shoes: Singapore

Bead necklace: Colaba Causeway

Bracelets: Street finds Bangalore, Baroda

Lipstick: Piccadilly Pink, Rimmel London

The Story of Block Prints

Block printing originated in China about 2000 years ago. In India, this art became popular in the 12^th century in Rajasthan (a western state of India). The royals wore rich costumes featuring intricate motifs. Textile printing later flowed into the neighbouring state of Gujarat (the state immediately south of Rajasthan and also my home state). Indigo seeds have been discovered at the ancient archaeological sites of Mohenjodaro and Harappa. Even today, indigo and white is the most common and popular color combination in block printed fabric.

Block printed fabric is very visible in Gujarat in the form of home decor products like table cloth, bedsheets, cushion covers, wall hangings as well as clothing like saris. A very typical motif used is paisley. It is known as ‘keri’ in India, which means raw mango. Indeed, paisley looks like raw mango and that’s how the motif originated. Other popular motifs were peacocks, horses, birds and flowers. Now, of course, prints have become wilder and quirkier. There are abstract prints, geometric designs and even pop art.

Block printing was originally done using wooden blocks. You will be amazed to know that in many parts of India, even now this method is used. It is what gives the print a rustic, ancient look.

Wooden block printing is a very time-consuming method and requires a lot of precision and skill. Motifs, patterns and border designs are manually printed on using wooden blocks. The colors cannot overlap, motifs cannot be unevenly placed and there cannot be strike-offs. One has to wait for a section to dry before the next one can be printed (to avoid overlap or rubbing off of colors). But this is what makes the art so unique and valuable.

Nowadays, chemical dyes are very common but originally vegetable and plant dyes were used. They were organic and very natural. Even today, most of Rajasthan and Gujarat printed textiles use organic colors. This is the reason why colors tend to run off when washed. But again, the beauty of these fabrics comes from use of earthy colors like indigo, dark green, rust, red and mustard. These are the colors of the royals of the past and Indian art.

I have been greatly smitten by the motifs and patterns of block printing because I have grown up seeing and wearing them. When I worked in Maharashtra (another western state of India) and was always decked up in pretty block print Indian wear, my female colleagues were all in awe. I used to take tons of stuff for them every time I returned from a vacation at home.

Block print may have shied away from the dynamic and modern fashion world but I feel it is evergreen. We do see it here and there; it stands out from the rest of the swarm.

My clothing line is all about printed cottons – some of them are very typical ethnic block prints and some are contemporary. You can totally wear them with today’s fashion pieces because I think blocks prints are here to stay.

Presenting my favourite printed skirt from my line. Hope you like it.

Available for sale on my Etsy shop or Facebook page.

Problems Of A Hoarder

I am a hoarder. My friends, family and room-mates will confirm this fact. As a lover of fashion and beauty, I obviously love collecting clothes, shoes, skin care products, bags, accessories and cosmetics. But, I am also a lover of many other things. And so I also love collecting pens, shopping bags, pans, containers, gift wrapper, books, painted pots, coffee mugs, plants, perfumes – the list goes on. Cute things, colorful things, some-day-it-will-be-handy things – I keep collecting.

Source

Every time I have moved houses and cities, my excessive stuff has caused me numerous problems, stress and depression the most prominent. Stress because of the volume and depression because of realization of how much money I have spent in all the extra, unnecessary possessions. Each time I vow to curtail my purchases but do I stay committed? You probably know the answer.

In the beginning of 2014, I did resolve to shop less (for clothes and accessories) and reuse – recycle what I already own. In my Fabrics Analysis class (Spring ’14 semester), we did an assignment on effects of textiles on environment and calculated our own environmental footprint. In that, too, I stated:

– I have way too many clothes (having been a compulsive buyer all my life). This is something I realized lately because I have no space to keep them. I don’t fit into half of the clothes, don’t even know what clothes exist in my wardrobe and just do not know what to do with many clothes – can’t keep them, can’t throw them. This year, I have resolved to NOT buy any clothes (except absolutely essential items that need to be replaced) and so far I am doing well.

– I will give away my old and unfit clothes to charity, orphanages or Salvation Army so that they can be put to good use.

..to which the instructor replied – Well said!

Recently, I noticed that the number of my eye pencils looked lesser than usual. I would stare at the holder for minutes trying to place why they looked reduced and which ones were missing. I couldn’t. I have so many that I don’t even remember which ones I own. Later, my husband admitted he had accidently knocked over the case and few had fallen behind the cabinet. I located four, put them back and when the holder again started toppling over with the weight of pencils, I felt things were back to normal.

That’s what I am used to. Excess. Overload. Stuff everywhere. Things overflowing. Cabinets bursting.

So that is problem number one. Overcrowding. Lack of space. The situation that I am in right now, I do not have place to keep even one extra t-shirt. Strictly no. Hangers are breaking. Drawers are so stuffed that things are falling off from behind. Clothes are so tightly stuffed they are getting deformed and are getting permanent creases. Don’t ask. Terrible.

Source

Just like it happened with eye pencils, I don’t even remember what clothes, shoes and accessories I own! My bags are in a big plastic storage container. I tend to use the ones on the top. The bags lying deep inside are forgotten. I may rediscover something months (or years) later only to find its surface peeling or stained. So many of my clothes and shoes got spoilt because they had been lying unused for years. I don’t get to use all of them regularly because there are so many. And because there are too many, I don’t remember which ones I own. See the paradox?

There are so many clothes I have grown out of. I still own 4-5 year old pieces. How in the world did I think I would retain my shape and size all these years? No way. I don’t fit into so many. If I do fit into them, they look like they would burst off me. You think its right to believe that someday I will lose weight and fit into them? Because that’s what I have been telling myself..

Source

I may very proudly say that I still have clothes from my school days that I can fit into and do wear regularly – at the risk of appearing outdated. Problem number four. I own so many clothes and bags that are in perfect condition but they are passé now. You no longer see them on the streets or in shops. But you will still find them in my closet. Good thing? Lousy thing? I can’t throw them because they look as good as new (obviously they will, because I must have used each just once or twice a year). Nor can I give them away. So they are stuck with me.

That gives people enough reason to say – why do you want to buy more clothes; you already have so many. Yes, I know, I know but..! Problem number five. All you girls who have to exercise high self restraint can understand what I am saying, right?

Source

Enough problems come with compulsive buying. You see the impact of it only after some time has passed. I have learnt it – again and again – the hard way. So now, after all these years of hoarding and overcrowding, I am NOT shopping more, I AM trying to lose weight, I AM trying to style my old clothes (that look brand new, some with tags still on) in ways that look trendy, I AM digging out hidden, forgotten clothes / shoes / bags / accessories and using them and I AM not repeating clothes so everything gets a chance.

But you know, it’s too much stress and work, doing all this. It is better to invest in classy, evergreen pieces from good brands rather than collecting a whole bunch of random stuff. Quality is a way better idea than quantity here.

What do you say?

This post has been selected for Blogadda’s Spicy Saturday Picks. Thank you guys!

Fringe Benefits

The first time I ever saw a fringed product was a black bag at Rocia. And I fell in love with it instantly. Some 3 years ago, it was a good enough steal at Rs. 1700. I didn’t buy it out of some pretentious, forced greatness and regretted later on. I never saw it again!

So when I saw this bag in Singapore a few months later, I grabbed it. Whatever the cost may be, I wanted it.

I love this bag so much that I keep it safely in my handbags box (yes, it is a big box) and don’t bring it out into the evil world.

When Fashionlivre put up a feature on fringe on Facebook a few days back, I instantly thought of this bag and dug it out.

I think it goes really well with shades-of-grey striped maxi. I also like the contrast of multicoloured feathered statement neckpiece and multicoloured pom-poms golden kada against the grey.

Join me on Facebook and Instagram!

Sunburst Pleats

Sometimes, I just want to do nothing. And not feel guilty about it. All of us are running. Running everyday after things, after goals, after more challenging, difficult dreams. There is no end to it. There are social networks, blogs, blogging networks, work, household chores, social obligations – when do we just sit and do nothing?

I, for example, don’t know where my day goes. I have my morning coffee also between writing mails and looking for jobs. I don’t feel like I deserve to sit back and watch a movie. If I do so, I feel, I am wasting time! I must forever be doing something – productive. Its either college assignments or house cleaning or networking with bloggers or noting down ideas or working on them. And then, of course, there is the constant deliberation of what I am doing and what I want to do in life and how?

When did I last sit in my balcony garden with a cup of coffee? When did I last sit in a coffee shop with a novel? When did I last chat aimlessly with friends? When did I last go shopping for no reason? When did I last lie lazily on my bed and watch 3 movies in a row?

Can’t remember.

There is always something I want to do. I want to finish this and go on to the next task. Like today is the last day and I need to do everything today.

I wake up an hour before my alarm goes off (an hour, can you imagine!!) because I can’t wait to check mails and notifications and get on with my to-do list for the day. Well, it is good in a way that I have so many things to do and look forward to and that I am planning my days well but you know how all work and no play makes jack a dull boy!

So, as August begins, I resolve to give myself some real free time. Get away from all electronic devices and social networks for an allocated time during the day and enjoy with nature or music or a novel. Connect with an old friend and ask them about their lives. Take a stroll in the park and sit down under a tree with a novel. Sit in the balcony in the evening and watch mothers take their kids for a stroll. Watch a classic movie at the end of the day.

Just the thought of it makes me want to really do it.

Join the challenge with me?

The outfit.. Very casual, very easy with some of my favorite pieces. Elephant necklace from Linking Road Bandra, Croquet vest from Lifestyle, Pleated skirt from Bugis Street, Singapore, Tote Bag & Flats from Westside.