How to Write a Fairy Tale by Anju Modi

Anju Modi

When you tread in reality everyday of your life; when the world is dull and filled with routine; when your spirit needs reviving and your soul is sick and screaming –let’s escape together to a world where anything is possible, let’s escape together and enter our Fairytale.

Anju Modi

As we unravel our imagination, the Cosmo goes wild, the woods turn dark, the wolves get greedy, and the moon is blue and as snow consumes everything, a woman in red stands tall. Her head held high against the elements, she is everything that is good.  She is love, she is hope, and she is beauty: the beauty of creation that makes every moment in our lives meaningful.

Anju Modi

It is from this meaning that Anju Modi presented her Autumn/Winter 2015 collection this year. Every fabric draped, every line sketched, and every muse revered is an ode to this fairytale that takes us away from the mundane and breathes life back in our souls.

The Summer Bride By Anita Dongre

The Summer Bride By Anita Dongre

As we stride into a resplendent summer, Anita Dongre brings to life yet another fairy-tale through her latest collection, ‘The Summer Bride’. The collection reminisces the quintessential moment of the big day in the life of the modern Anita Dongre bride, beautifully portrayed by her muse and the enthralling ‘Jaipur Bride’ – Nayantara.

The Summer Bride By Anita Dongre

The Rajasthan-inspired collection takes us through a series of visual affairs that emblazon Nayantara’s journey of the bride she aspires to be. It takes us down the sartorial memory lane to the instant that led Nayantara to realize that she had found her frameable moment of radiant love, the portrait of her happily ever after. It wasn’t just a mere tryst of destiny, but a striking black and white portrait of her strong grandmother that stayed with Nayantara for decades. A vision she treasured through her growing up years.

The Summer Bride By Anita Dongre

Renowned for her splendid couture designs teeming with romantic details, each Anita Dongre ensemble is an ode to femininity, a celebration of dreams. Dreams in hues of summer comprising of nude, blush and dusky shades that work up to navy blues and crimson for a finale of more dainty ruffles, crystals and embroidered gowns. Their sparkle is magical, the colours melt together, and the handcrafted threads of love are superimposed in an incredible impression of lightness. The collection explores elements of its symbolic significance and design creation, as the final flourish of bridal resplendence and delicate elegance.

It’s All About Micro Bags!

 Cara Delevingne showcasing a FENDI micro bag

For Spring/Summer 2015 FENDI launches the micro bags, a modern and quirky interpretation of two iconic bags of the Maison, the Peekaboo and the Baguette, in a unique micro version. FENDI micro bags are perfect for the modern urban dweller – for the woman who just carries minimal essentials.

Fendi micro bag

Fun and compact, these bags are versatile at the same time. They can be worn either as a clutch with an evening gown or cross body during the day, as all of them feature a long strap.

FENDI micro bag

FENDI embraces irony and plays with aesthetics, proportion and colour, never sacrificing quality and savoir faire. Micro bags provide a bold fashion statement featuring high craftsmanship ability, mirroring techniques employed in the creation of regular-sized bags in the atelier.

Cara Delevingne, Karl Lagerfeld showcasing FENDI micro bag

These pieces are perfect for the edgy woman with an eye for detail, quality and creativity. The micro bags are available not just in nappa leather but also in special variations, including ‘Bag Bug’ eyes and precious materials like fur and croco. Wear them alone or pair them with their regular size icons.

The Art of Watch-Making—Bulgari

 

Bvlgari Serpenti collection

The legend:

The first Bulgari watches were made in the 1920’s, but it was only at the end of the 1970’s that the firm presented its first important collection. In 1982 Bulgari founded the company ‘Bulgari Time’ in Neuchâtel, the heart of Swiss horology. This company now has over 500 employees, who are responsible for overseeing and inspecting the creation and production of all Bulgari watches. The technological research connected with the production of watch movements was initially carried out in collaboration with Girard Perregaux, one of the oldest and most respected Swiss watchmakers. This partnership triggered a process of continuous technological refinement and sophistication of Bulgari watches until 2000, when the Bulgari Group acquired sole ownership of Gérald Genta, Daniel Roth, and Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie. The first two firms produce high-end Swiss watches, while the third is owner of the production plants. They were all merged into Daniel Roth et Gérald Genta Haute Horlogerie S.A. In 2005 the Bulgari Group acquired 50% of Cadrans Designs, a Swiss firm that makes sophisticated dials, and 51% of Prestige D’Or, a specialized maker of bracelets in steel and precious metals.

101956- Serpenti watch,35mm, pink gold-diamonds case, Gold -full setting dial, Quartz movement, Diamonds 228 pce, Weight diamonds 1.11 [ct], Weight precious metall 125

The craftsmanship:

Bulgari craftsmanship produces complicated mechanisms with exclusive content. It is committed to complete control of the watch-making process, during both design and technological development. To do so, it chose to operate independently during the design and production phases, by centralizing development and production activities at just one atelier. Its staff includes des engineers, prototype makers, CAD specialists, and master watchmakers. Their work becomes an integral part of the watch itself, as in the case of the BVL 347 caliber of the Diagono Phases de Lune, with an exclusive display for tracking moon phases and a retrograde display (150°) of the day and date. The 347 components of its movement, which are hand finished and polished, required over 3,120 different steps during production and 350 quality control stages.

101787- Serpenti watch, 26mm, white gold-diamonds-case, White mother of pearl-diamonds dial, Quartz movement, Diamonds 134 pce, Weight diamonds 8.0 [ct], Weight precious metal 70.5

The movements:

Bulgari complications perfectly represent the fusion of Swiss watch-making art and unmistakable Italian design. Bulgari can satisfy the most demanding collectors with its characteristic and prestigious high-end watches, created by the passion of master watchmakers. For example, the handcrafted movement and dial and exclusive design of the Multi Complication Squelette case perfectly embody the essence of a Bulgari watch. The movement is the heart of a watch. It is the most complicated part to produce and develop, requiring over 7,360 hours for development and 380 for assembly and adjustment. The extremely delicate assembly phase is overseen from start to finish by the same Master Watchmaker, who guarantees its functionality and accuracy. The Bulgari Group develops and realizes ‘large and small complications’ in-house, at its subsidiaries Daniel Roth and Gérald Genta. Its objective was to continue creating unique movements with innovative ideas analyzed by watchmakers and translated into new technical designs. A prototype is then created and subjected to severe tests that can guarantee the technical feasibility and reliability of the movement.

101938- Serpenti watch, 35mm, pink gold-diamonds case, Full setting dial, Quartz movement, pink gold bracelet, 7 loops, Diamonds mounted 1.1100 carats

The case:

The case is a key part of the unique design of a Bulgari watch and not just the element that contains and protects the movement. Balancing these different functions renders its creation very complex. For example, a structure with 67 components was developed for the Assioma chronograph. Each individual step in the production process demands total precision, starting from realization of the prototype to definition of all the production phases. After all the components have been meticulously checked by experts to ensure the highest standard of quality, they are assembled by hand with the most delicate care.

101788- Serpenti watch, 26mm, gold-diamonds-case, Mother of pearl Black-diamonds dial, Quartz movement, Diamonds 42 pce, Weight diamonds 0.700 [ct], Weight precious metal 77.2

The dial:

For Bulgari, the dial is not just a simple device that indicates the time but also an important tool for demonstrating its watch-making experience. The incredible attention to detail that result from the combination of exacting skill and traditional Swiss craftsmanship is clearly reflected in the extreme complexity of all Bulgari dials. Cadrans Design of La Chaux-de-Fonds, the Bulgari Group subsidiary that specializes in the production of top-quality dials, has provided Bulgari with the tools and knowledge necessary for development and in-house production of high-end dials. The philosophy of Bulgari designers is to achieve sophisticated results through different combinations of colours on different levels of the dial in order to continue developing exclusive creations. Once the design is finalized, it has to be subjected to a careful technical analysis. Every treatment, colour, or supplemental surface (from 0.1 to 0.3 mm) could interfere with production of the dial. In the Assioma Multi-complication Squelette, the dial is composed of four levels (for a total depth of 0.8 mm) on which four different treatments are carried out. Different decorations can be realized in high-end horology, from the simplest to the most complicated motifs. The most common are: the Soleilé effect, the vertical treatment, Emaillé, Clou de Paris, Côtes de Genève, Azzuré, and Guilloché – the most precious of all.

101666- Astrale watch in white gold with marquise cut and pear cut diamonds (4,29ct), emeralds (4,29 ct) and round brilliant cut diamonds

The bracelet:

A watch bracelet complements the case by highlighting the principal features of its design, assuring comfortable wear. This implies a highly complex structure that often entails the use of more than 100 components. Following acquisition of Prestige D’Or, the Group subsidiary located in Saignelégier that specializes in the fabrication of bracelets, Bulgari can develop and produce its own bracelets in-house. The components are then finished by hand in order to obtain the desired level of finish and comfort. Only after this delicate operation is carried out can every single element be assembled in the exact order specified by a professional assembler. Over three hours are needed to polish the bracelet, a step that is carried out entirely by hand, while the delicate and painstaking assembly process takes from 30 minutes to one hour.

Indulge in the regal splendour of Pinkcity

Pinkcity by Anita Dongre

Continuing to celebrate the legend of the Pink Flamingo—a legend regaling the romanticism and dreams of a young beautiful princess in search of love, Anita Dongre unveils her latest collection of bespoke gold and silver jewellery, for her jewellery line ‘Pinkcity’ with a collection that is a celebration of timeless pieces of art, brought to form using highly skilled traditional Rajasthani craftsmanship. The gold jewellery selection in meenakari and jadau, crafted in 18k and 22k gold continues to celebrate the beauty of intricate designs and impeccable craftsmanship—a must have for the wedding season.

Pinkcity by Anita Dongre

The collection of Pinkcity Gold is an exquisite blend of traditional mystique and contemporary glamour, comprising of understated yet elegant multi-strand polki and coloured gemstone necklaces, chokers, delicate rings and Mughal architecture inspired earrings. A delight for the jewellery connoisseur, as they not only boast of the designers’ unique design aesthetic but, each piece bears a hand-painted symbol of the famed Pink Flamingo—as a unique mark of identity for each Pinkcity creation.