Steal The Spotlight This Party Season With Swarovski

Babylon Necklace by Swarovski

Swarovski brings the swing to your party gear with their exciting new trend collection for the festive season. Add some much needed sparkle to your winter wardrobe with an offering of delicate as well as bold neckpieces, earrings and bracelets.

Brazil pierced earrings by Swarovski

Feel like a star on the red carpet with this glamorous pair of Brazil Pierced Earrings. Very refined, they combine emerald green-colored crystals with delicate clear crystal pavé and rhodium-plated metal.

Blacklight Choker by Swarovski

The Blacklight Chocker is inspired by dark romance. This versatile design can be worn as a choker or a headband.

Brancusi Bracelet by Swarovski

In line with the trend for graphic shapes, the Brancussi Bangle boasts a clean, sleek silhouette. A clear crystal in an exclusive Swarovski cut sparkles on the front.

Top Five Christmas Picks Of The Season

Black jumpsuit with ivory Parsi jacket by Pallavi Puri

Ambrosia necklace by Outhouse

Red vase clutch by Lovetobag

Pranthi Reddy’s design

Pale pink floral embroidered jacket by Varun Bahl

RISA: Where Leather Becomes Art

Risa

Leather handbag label RISA, is more of a passionate affair than business acumen for Delhi-based sisters Riddhima and Saloni Sayal. “We grew up around bags, lots of them. We would always tweak the bags in production from the family run export house and started to experiment with design from scratch as the years went by. The love affair with leather became too serious and that’s how our label Risa was born.”

Risa

The brand explores indigenous craftsmanship with intricate detailing in weaving and embossing on leather and fabricating exclusive luxury designs. Infusing specialized modern production techniques with traditional hand-tooling, punching and embroidery defines the brand philosophy. The leather used for the product is processed in an in-house facility. The high-end patent leather is imported however… The brand offers wide range of bags for both men and women like shoppers, totes, wallets, evening clutches and handbags manufactured with buff wash, cow and sheep leather.

Risa

While the parent company (Aries Inc.), handles large scale production for stores like Anthropology, Zara, Asos, Dorthy, Perkins, Armani, Pepe, etc. to name a few, Risa’s vision is to tap into domestic retail and offering international quality standards along with very competitive brands.

Storendipity – a two day Fashion Pop Up at The Big Door

Storendipity at The Big Door

StoreUntold has served as a virtual spokesperson for an array of ‘untold’ fashion brands and designers from across India ever since its inception. It is time to up the notch by providing them a physical platform and bring together twelve meticulously handpicked labels and designers under one roof.

Storendipity at The Big Door

Storendipity, a two-day fashion pop up presented by StoreUntold at The Big Door, Bandra, Mumbai serves just that purpose. The brands and designers will span over resort wear to beach wear, and eclectic footwear and accessories to couture bridal wear. While you satiate the shopaholic in you, also devour upon sumptuous food over live music sessions.

Storendipity at The Big Door

Mix & match and experiment as StoreUntold shares its expertise on how you can style those clothes and accessories in a versatile manner with dedicated styling booths to one’s rescue. Don’t just buy a scarf; take home various ways to drape it at the live scarf draping session. Want to flaunt a T-shirt designed by you? Here is a chance to explore the artist in you. Suggest a design and see it translate on a T-shirt by the experts – Concept Nation.

Storendipity at The Big Door

December is here, so enjoy the nip in the air. Unfold the mystery of what is behind that ‘Big Green Door’ also known as ‘The Big Door’ tucked in Bandra’s plush Pali Hill.

Casa Pop Fashion by Raseel Gujral Ansal

Casa Pop Store

Raseel Gujral Ansal of Casa Paradox, the celebrated label of design and innovation, unveiled an exclusive fashion line, Casa Pop Fashion at Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi. The all new showcase from the House of Casa is a composition of design innovations by Ansal herself. This one-of-a-kind fashion concept presents a range of limited edition apparels, jewellery and accessory pieces that ferment the brand’s legacy in vivacious glamour whilst ensuring it caters to consumers from all segments.

Casa Pop Store

Harboring a multitude if creative advancements, Ansal presents design collaborations with Mynah, Swati Uberoi and Dabiri to present an array of fashion apparels comprising of embroidered and Swarovski encrusted stoles, palazzos, silk pashminas and t-shirts along with exquisitely designed blankets, bedspreads, ceramic stools and more. Partnering with the philanthropic initiative of Princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur and jeweled marvels of Ravi Jewels, Casa Pop Fashion also introduces intricately crafted pankhis, shingaar accessories and more.

Casa Pop Store

This initiative also has an amazing collection of pocket squares, cufflinks, sherwanis, and kurta buttons for men; whereas, ladies can lay their hands on an array of tunics, ganjis, potlis, and more.

Colours of Christmas from CaratLane.com

Christmas Jewellery by CaratLane.com

Christmas, the festival of merriness and parties is around the corner and decking up is all you can think off. To embellish this festival, CaratLane.com brings to you its Christmas Colored Jewellery, decking you up for every gathering.

Christmas Jewellery by CaratLane.com

This Christmas Colored Collection is your one step solution to grabbing the most sought after jewellery pieces at fabulous prices. Known for catering to the urban woman, CaratLane.com is here to turn on the party mode and steal the show with statement jewellery.

Christmas Jewellery by CaratLane.com

Caratlane.com offers an exquisite selection of gemstone rings, earrings and pendants to brighten up your Christmas. Every piece of this splendid collection exudes remarkable illustrations of mistletoes, hollies and Christmas bells. Crafted in gold studded with red, green and yellow depict Christmas decorations and the diamonds add a dash of sparkle to it. The collection consists of inherently playful patterns apt for this festive season.

Estée Lauder Introduces New Enlighten Skintone Correcting Collection

Enlighten Night serum – Model Shot

Tonight, awaken a transformation for naturally glowing, even toned skin with new Enlighten Skintone Correcting Collection, a visionary skincare regimen from Estée Lauder with an “enlightened” approach to luminous, naturally beautiful skin.

Estée lauder’s Enlighten Night Serum

Leaders in night repair, Estée Lauder scientists’ leveraged new research that shows daytime damage leads to proliferation of pigmentation each night. Formulated with the brand’s most intensive, comprehensive skin tone correcting technology, Enlighten’s potent formulas work night and day to help break the cycle of daily assaults and irritation that lead to hyper pigmentation and dark spots, revealing naturally glowing, even-toned skin. Skin’s transformation begins immediately as it’s enlivened with hydration and new radiance.

Vault Café—Redefining British Raj Era

Vault Café

Ambiance: Nestled in the heart of Connaught Place, New Delhi, this brand new eatery joint resonate a certain industrial ambiance that will remind one of a store house of British East India Company. Dark emerald, teal, brick brown and red dominate the colour palette of this place. Leather and velvety seating arrangements placed spaciously across 6000 square feet area makes this place a party paradise.

Vault Café

Like the name suggests, the entrance of the restaurant is like a huge vault. The classy décor elements only add to the vintage vibe of this thematic space. The notion of dine and party inside the vault was customary in the past of the Queen’s nation, which acts as the core mantra of this restaurant. The rustic undertones of the interiors have transformed this café cum lounge bar into a colonial space with influences from the British Raj era. Interestingly, classic vintage note has been subtly blended with concoctions of grunge finishes; for instance, exposed iron bracing, non-processed cement walls, occasional patches of distressed walls, raw wooden effigies and more.

Vault Café

The lounge bar also has an attached terrace where you can sit and enjoy some unusually splendid flavored hookkas. This area overlooks Connaught Place and Palika Bazaar; and it is quite a visual delight. Plus what makes a lunch better on a winter afternoon in Delhi! Overall, this place made me feel adventurous at some subconscious level; maybe because looking at the vaults and chambers (small cubicles of seating areas recreated inside mini vaults) made me feel like, I am on some sort of a treasure hunt.

Penne bacon and mushroom

Food: The menu housed dishes from many different cultures. It was a very impressive spread. I started with some Pokchoi and Water chestnut dim sums. These delicate little dumplings of joy were mouthwatering. The flavour was new to my palate and the concept even newer. The coating was crystal-like gentle and the stuffing was moist and velvety. After this, I ordered for a serving of extra spicy chicken wings; and boy-o-boy, was it smoking hot or what?! The chicken wings were six in pieces and I wished they made it eight because it was so delightfully spicy with subtle hints of sweetness. I love hot, spicy sauces and this particular ‘extra spicy’ sauce made the meal apt. And oh, it went well with my second serving of sweet, crimson sangria. Post this, I opted for prawns red chili; it was spicy as expected and the prawns were soft and well-cooked. Lastly, my super appetizing ‘starter’s’ expedition concluded with a serving of traditional fish fingers.

Mint and lemon chicken

Moving on to the main course, I ordered for a nice serving of grilled chicken breast with mushroom and peppercorn sauce. The chicken breast straight out of a charcoal grill was crisp on the topmost layer and juicy in the center. This was accompanied by a small portion of grilled seasonal veggies and cheddar mashed potatoes. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. The lunch ended on happy, wintry notes with a large slice of tiramisu cake. Did someone say #awsomesauce? Well, I did!

FIsh and chips

Recommendations: The crew here is extremely polite and well-versed with the menu. Ask them for specials or maybe let them know your ‘taste’ and they sure will help you zero down upon the best delicacies the restaurant has to offer, suited best for your palate. Also, if you are a fan of seesha, ask your steward to guide you with the flavours available. Personally, I would recommend a rich and mild blend of paan masala and green apple. This place has something for everyone—be it brunch with the ladies or a bachelorette party, a boys night out or lunch with family, you will have a great time; I can vouch for it.

Find them at: F 60, Connaught Place, New Delhi

Call them at: 011-33105674

 

 

Shraman, The Ashok: Recreating classical Rajasthani Cuisine

Shraman

Ambience: Located in the heart of Delhi’s lush green stretch, Shraman stands coyly in a quaint corner at the majestic Ashok hotel. A rustic staircase with subtle notes of royalty, contoured by gentle pots of plants hanging merrily, escorted us to the restaurant. There was something very ‘vintage’ about this place. Wooden furniture embossed with intricate silver work were laid aesthetically; turquoise blue table cloths became backdrop to white cutlery and a grand art piece flaunting a gorgeous peacock , carved in meenakari work stood splendidly on one of the walls. Old-world charm juxtaposed with essences of Rajasthani culture made the whole setup beautifully intriguing.

Shraman

Food: This restaurant serves only vegetarian food, breaking the taboo of Rajasthani food mostly being related to laal maas, etc. Being a pure non-vegetarian, I was initially a little stuck up about the idea; but to my surprise, their varied options on the menu turned out to be pleasantly delightful. I started with khas aur paan ka sherbet—a divinely delicious mocktail made of beetle leaves; it was absolutely refreshing and a must-try! Usually, I don’t take more than 5 minutes to decide on ordering my food; but here, I was left spoilt for choice with so many mouthwatering names floating in front of my eyes. However, after much speculation, I ordered some starters—dahi ke sholey (cakes of fresh curd blended with crushed black pepper and chili flakes) and Shraman chappan bhog (an assortment of vegetarian kebabs). Dahi ke sholey was soft, slightly grainy in texture and downright delectable. The later one had a range of appealing kebabs made of cottage cheese, potatoes, chilies and more; my favourite was the bharwa aloo, which was stuffed potato cubes infused with cottage cheese crumbles, cooked in typical Rajasthani spices.

Shraman

For the main course, I ordered the stereotypical dal bati churma; it is literally synonymous to Rajasthani cuisine. You cannot miss to have this whilst dining at a Rajasthani eatery. This traditional nomad’s meal was brought to me moulded in warm, desi ghee. The dal was rich in flavour and the bati was soft in the center and stiff at the coating; thus, it was very well cooked. I relished upon this one. This was followed by methi malai mutter—a beautiful vegetarian dish that comprises of fenugreek leaves and peas cooked in thick, rich and creamy malai (cream). This was consumed with mutter parantha. By the end of the meal, I think, my whole pre-conceived notion on vegetarian food had majorly altered. I would recommend this place to everyone (including non-vegetarian folks)—if you want to savor upon classical, vegetarian Rajasthani food in an elegant fine dining setup then this is the place to be.

Shraman

My lunch concluded with lip-smacking desserts. I had to myself a plate filled with shahi tukda and a bowl of phirni. The bread slices in the shahi tukda were crunchy and well-toasted and the rabri was fresh, thick and super creamy. The smell of elaichi (cardamom) and occasional fragments of broken pistachios brought forth an ecstatic feeling. The phirni on the other hand was nothing extraordinary. Overall, I had a great experience lunching here.

Chef’s recommendation: With its many cultural influences, this place offers a varied selection of cuisines to satisfy your palate. Signature dishes like Saundhi Paneer Tikka, Shraman 56 Bhog, Paneer Lazeez, Dal Shraman, Gatta Curry, Jodh Puri Mirchi Paneer, Vegetable Lohla Puri, Sabzi Balluchi and Shraman Punch will leave you craving for more.

Find them at: The Ashok, 50 B, Diplomatic Enclave, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi

Call them at: 011 24672384, 011 24123593

Wedding Fashion Guide by Monika Pal Sood, Co-founder, Youshine

White and Gold Look by Youshine

Look #1: White and Gold Look

Pearl Paradise Head Band: The girl of today is sporting femininity like the bygone Grecian and Indian mythological era. Back to the roots, this gold head chain is made of faux pearls joint to each other with gold links to cover the entire head in three strings.

Bunch Of Bling Ring: A multi-chain dual ring to let you strike bling at its par! A unique jewel adornment is meant for your fingers to give them optimum fullness and fancy. Two engraved rings in gold finish are connected with a bunch of chain strings to make you stand out in the crowd.

Textures and Trinkets Gold Envelope Clutch: Sport it, hang it around your wrist and be the trendsetter. This textured finish peach envelope clutch is made of finely embossed faux leather and is further enhanced with gold frame edging and trinket enhancements.

Traditional Red and Gold Look by Youshine

Look #2: Traditional Red n Gold Look

Wishful Wine Drop Earrings: The deadly charm of oxblood red is here to drag you in its pool of fantasy. These drop earrings in high-gloss gold finish are encrusted with bold wine emerald cut stones stung over delicate gold shackles studded with clear diamante.

Strings Of Surprise Peach Chain Necklace: Revive classic trends with new twists! This multi-string long necklace with peach and gold metallic chains adds subtle charm to your vibrant winter wardrobe.

Blue Wedding Tales by Youshine

Look #3: Blue Wedding Tales

Linked To Pride Blue Dangler Earrings: Opaque stones are ruling this accessory season and when added with a hint of bling, they spell sheer charm. These dangler earrings in junk finish are studded with stones in various cuts, shade and finishes of blue along with marquise shape prominent indigo beads.

Black and Gold Look by Youshine

Look #4: Black n Gold Look

Angelic Aura Black Drop Earrings: Play drop-dead-gorgeous with these drop earrings in the shape of textured fairy wings with high-gloss gold finish and black enameling.

Sheer Nostalgia Black Box Clutch: Let your prized possession whisper through this see-through gold frame box clutch in mocha brown made of translucent brown PVC and a gold snap fastener closure. With an added gold sling chain, you can either clutch it or sling it but surely going to flaunt it.

Lord Of Rings Gold Cuff: Lead the style fiesta with this broad cuff in glossy gold finish made up of rings and stripes pattern.