A Glimpse of a Bye-gone Era

I happened to visit this magnificent royal palace situated in the heart of the old city of Hyderabad, the Chowmahalla Palace. The palace was used by the Nizams of Hyderabad to entertain their official guests and visitors. This palace consists of two courtyards, four elegant palaces, the grand Khilwat (the Durbar Hall), fountains and gardens.

The Aftab Mahal and the Mehtab Mahal contains exhibitions that reflect on the way men and women used to dress at the time of Nizam's rule. The exhibitions showcase some of Hyderabad’s finest textiles and embroideries. Some of these echo the late Mughal style that came to Deccan from the court workshops of northern and western Indian, other originated or passed through the craft ateliers of Hyderabad. These textiles are remarkable for their refined design and lavish materials. Their bold workmanship flaunts a unique vigour and style. By the middle of the second decade of the 1900s European influences began to permeate the lifestyle of both men and women.

 The heavily bejeweled ladies were attired in the best of finery. The Chowgoshla ensembles of chohs, kurtas, pyjamas and dupattas, displayed here, epitomize the typical Hyderabadi dressing style that became the hallmark costume of the women since the 19th century.

Beauty and the Beast

Hola!
So, lovely people, what animal print would you like to wear today? We have Tiger prints, Leopard prints, Cheetah prints, Zebra prints, Hyena prints, Giraffe prints, Jackal prints etc. all lined up for this fall season. Its just not that designers are trying to style these extravagant animal prints into different colors, shapes and patterns, but also moulding them to take any shape whether it be a dress, skirt, sweater, leggings, scarf, cape, jacket, trench, trousers and what not. And the most sensible thing about these animal prints is that today very often fake fur and digital prints are used instead of animal skin.

Balenciaga, Blumarine, DKNY, Christopher Kane

Mulberry, Isabel Marant, Dolce & Gabbana, Donna karan

Roberto Cavalli, Ralph Lauren, Bebe, A.P.C.

Felipe Oliveira Baptista, Dsquared², Just Cavalli, St.John

Have a great weekend!

Cheers!

The Sartorialist

The androgynous look has been quite popular in the 21st century. Be it celebrities or trendsetters, the look's sartorial appeal had many adorners. This winter is perfect to get into one of these sophisticated pieces from collections of our favorite designers.

Derek Lam, Donna Karan, Dries Van Noten, Jonathan Saunders 

Junya Watanabe, Miu Miu, Ralph Lauren

Anthony Vaccarello, Antonio Berardi, Aquilano Rimondi, Balmain

Sketchy patchy!

"Here comes, comes the weekend
Hear it calling like a siren oh oh
We don't want no problems
We don't like them, keep it moving"

Hello everyone!
Hows the weekend treating you?
Well, mine was getting a lil lethargic, so I thought of doing something silly though interesting.
And here it is! I sketched & sketched to come up with some crazy designs for my very first love, shoes.
Check them out and tell me if you like any of these. :)

Pin it !!!

Look what I found :)
Charming animal brooches!
These and many more adorable pieces... on Ebay...

Trend Spotting - Geometrical Patterns

When it comes to prints, its very common to see designers experimenting with geometrical shapes & tessellations. This year for every season, designers pulled out collections in varied geometrical motifs be it checks, hexagons, diamonds, circles, semicircles, jacquard pattern, crosshatch weave or a honeycomb structure. Ostensibly, many of these prints seem to be inspired by architectural designs and wallpaper motifs.

Preen RTW Spring 2012

Jonathan Saunders Resort 2012 

Kenzo RTW Fall 2012

Stella McCartney RTW Spring 2012, Versus RTW Fall 2012

Holly Fulton RTW Fall 2012, Givenchy Resort 2013, Marni RTW Spring 2012

Prada RTW Fall 2012
Images courtesy: Vogue.com

Chasing Freedom

Happy Independence Day to all my fellow Indians!
Its a joyous day indeed. '65 years of freedom' in itself induces every Indian to celebrate this day with great zeal and patriotism.
But, with freedom comes responsibility which lies on the shoulders of everyone. It is the responsibility to make the nation better and curbing out anything which is a hindrance in the nation's progress, at the same time respecting the freedom of others.
Through this post and on this glorious day, I would like to stand for one of the primitive tribes, Dongria Kondh, hailing from the heavily forested Niyamgiri Hills, Orissa, who continue their struggle to protect their sacred land from being destroyed by an MNC's mining plans.
I got to know about this prevailing situation by one of the lectures on Business Ethics at school which was an eye-opener for me, but in truth for everyone. Even after these many years of our nation enjoying freedom,  the reality remains far from fantasy.
As a fashion liberal, I would like to applaud the dauntless bravery of these tribal people by bringing to light their unique personal adornment to all the fashionistas out there. 

They wear a profusion of hair clips, ear rings, neck rings, and hand rings made up of brass and iron prepared by themselves. Body tattooing is also done in a strikingly beautiful manner. To show appreciation of their high aesthetics, I have tried to adorn their look myself.

In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., "Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed."
P.S. Click on this link to view a song that describes the present day exploitation of tribal land and forests in the name of development.