Dainty yet Bold – Jyoti Sachdev Iyer

Jyoti Sachdev Iyer’s collection

Jyoti Sachdev Iyer’s designs exude fantasy, sophistication and unadulterated femininity for the woman of today. Her dainty yet bold designs define today’s woman. She is a superwoman, who looks after her kids, shapes her career, celebrates life and spreads joy in every life that she touches.

Jyoti Sachdev Iyer’s collection

The designer has been in the industry for about 15 years now. Her stores are at Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai and many other cities in India. She has the experience of working with international brands like Fendi, Kenzo and La-Perla. Her designs are globally inspired yet rooted to Indian ethnicity; it is a combination that truly compliments today’s woman.

Jyoti Sachdev Iyer’s collection

Her colour palette is diverse and her cuts and silhouettes have contemporary notes, reflecting world-wide inspirations. She has clothes for all age-groups, be it you or your mother, you are sure to find your match at her stores.

Royal & rooted – by Aditi Maheshwari

Rohit Bal

Rohit Bal, one of the most sought after fashion designers, popularly known as the ‘master of fabric and fantasy’, gets candid and talks about the current fashion industry and his journey as a designer

What is your design philosophy?

For me, the most important word is elegance. I also give importance to certain styles that are understated, craft based and extremely Indian. Nothing that I do has any western influences. Everything I do has a very strong soul of India; so my design philosophy says that I am an Indian and I like making Indian designs; also, all my designs are hand crafted and at the end of the day, the soul of India should be represented in my collections.

What new techniques and materials are you using?

We are using the opposite of new techniques. We are focusing on age old techniques—those that are long forgotten. We are reviving techniques that used to be an important part of Indian subcontinent. So instead of doing something new, I am using techniques that were used many hundreds of years ago. I am trying to bring back what is lost to India.

Rohit Bal’s bridal collection for Wills India Fashion Week SS’15

What does fashion mean to you?

Fashion for me is a very integral part of lifestyle. Fashion doesn’t mean wearing fancy clothes. It’s about the way you live, your lifestyle, your home, the food you eat, the car you drive, the life you lead; it’s really about your entire life. Fashion is in fact, a necessary evil.

During your formative years, who has been your muse?

When I started out as a fashion designer, I was influenced greatly by a very dear friend, Rohit Khosla. He was my inspiration and my muse.

Most fashion designers are now diversifying into other areas besides fashion. What’s your take on this and how important is it to diversify for creative expression as well as to scale up the business?

I might have been amongst the first ones to have done that. The reason why you do this is because you want your creativity to be experimented and expressed in other mediums rather than what you normally do with fashion. A creative person absolutely must do as many creative things as possible; whether it is designing homes, cars, product designs, etc. A designer should give his creativity another platform. It is a natural progression and extremely important.

Rohit Bal’s bridal collection for Wills India Fashion Week SS’15

What is the future of couture in India?

I think the future of fashion in India is couture and nothing else. In India there are enough international brands. But what we designers do is very up market and occasion wear; whether it is weddings or parties. So, I think couture has a great potential in India.

What was your first design? Do you have any interesting anecdotes in the making of your first piece?

The first design I ever did was for men. The first person who wore those was my friend, Rohit Khosla. The first thing I ever made was a gold tissue bandhgala for men. At that time, such designs were very contemporary and avant-garde.

Way back when you were a student, what inspired you? How did you decide upon this career?

Some very fashionable people used to come visit my college when I was a student. I used to observe some amazing style icons, see their beautiful clothes and get inspired by the likes of them.

Rohit Bal at the grand finale show for Wills India Fashion Week SS’15

How does the business of fashion look like today?

Encouraging. The industry is also getting a little more organised. Earlier this entire industry was very haphazard and not very focused. But now, fashion has become a very important industry.

P.S- Aditi Maheshwari, the author of this story is an avid lifestyle writer who runs a popular decor blog www.pobox9.in

The Summer Edition by Ogaan.com

Ogaan.com

Ogaan went online just about a month ago. At the brink of the changing season, the website is now live with its Summer Edition, packed with easy pieces, saris and some gorgeous, drama-infused jewellery. Here’s what to look out for in the airy summer edition.

Ogaan.com

Raw Mango’s beautiful hand-woven chanderi saris in bright juicy colours— perfect for summer weddings. Sanjay Garg of Raw Mango says of the collection online with Ogaan, “This line has Raw Mango must-haves. You can dress up these saris with a brocade blouse for a wedding or you can wear them with a simple cotton blouse.”

Ogaan.com

There’s a wide range of jewellery on Ogaan.com with a collection from Dang inspired by nature, flowers and twigs made especially for Ogaan – the champa, bail, and nargis earrings being particularly dramatic and fun. Also, spunky haath-phools from Astha Jagwani and India Modern ear cuffs and maang-tikas from Divya Chugh are trending high!

Ogaan.com

Viange Vintage has picks from Vintage Dior, YSL, Sonia Rykiel and more and Ritika Sachdeva brings chunky, modern pieces that go with everything. Ogaan.com allows for gift notes with orders and has a special measurements panel that allows you to figure out your size quickly and easily. You enter your four key measurements and save them; then you can compare them with precise measurements for each size to figure out your own size painlessly.

Ogaan.com

Selections on the website will be changing continuously, reflecting Ogaan’s favourite pieces each season, and in the coming months, Ogaan expects to add more labels from among their extensive list of celebrated and upcoming designers.

A Happy Space. A Colourful Space

Anupamaa Store – Khan Market

Nestled in the heart of Khan Market, New Delhi, the vibrant colours and prints highlight and bring to fore the new Anupamaa by Anupama Dayal flagship store. Spanning 400 sq feet, the new store space brings alive the label’s true essence – vintage meets bold and western.

Anupamaa Store – Khan Market

Planned, conceived and designed by prominent fashion designer, Anupama Dayal, the store features hand-painted flowers and buds along the pale ochre walls and ceiling. Bringing alive the old Delhi, Mughal vibe in the label’s signature colour palette, the store echoes the brand’s ‘raison d’etre’ – revival of the ancient, almost forgotten hand printing techniques of India.

Anupamaa Store – Khan Market

Details like the mascot puppet Hosnara at the entrance, resplendent in a rose pink skirt and a headdress of a hundred flowers, the tapestries along the walls and the designed mirror inspired by the India Gate accentuate Anupamaa aesthetic. With myriad local elements and nuances running through the store, the design and concept has been carefully thought out to capture the label’s bohemian spirit.

Anupama Dayal

An expansion from the previous store in the same neighborhood, the new Anupamaa store encompasses the brand’s product range from the colourful and eclectic garments and accessories to the newly launched Anupamaa Home line.

Global Patterns on Ethnic Fabrics

Neha Agarwal

Known for her vibrant and gutsy designs, Neha Agarwal is back with another inspiring collection— ‘From Russia, with Love’ that narrates a tale of two cultures. Russian-inspired silhouettes and motifs fused with Indian fabrics and techniques are the crux of Neha’s work this year. Usage of intricate hand-embroidered appliqués on georgette, ahimsa, dupion, pure mal, tussar and pattu silk on Russian-inspired artwork makes this array of designs one-of-a-kind.

Neha Agarwal

The collection reminisce form-fitting fashion of early 1900s, Russia. Eye-catching dresses and bamboo denim jackets with cape collars, adorned with cross-stitch detailing and floral embroidery; circular dresses with hand block printed motifs and denim crop tops with printed Russian dolls and flared jumpsuits in pure silk with a denim bodice and embroidered scalloped sleeves, complete this resplendent collection.

Neha Agarwal

Overall, it is an innovative fusion of global patterns into ethnic fabrics and techniques that awaits to take the fashion orb by storm.

Marsala collection by Lalit Dalmia

Marsala collection by Lalit Dalmia

Lalit Dalmia, the face behind the brand of the same name is a self-taught talent from Hisar who has left the world awestruck with his powerful and unique design vision. He has shown the world how his elegant designs for women can take luxury to a whole new level. He doesn’t consider himself as a designer but a creator, who just doesn’t want to make pretty clothes; instead, through his creations he wants to make every woman feel like an urban goddess.

Marsala collection by Lalit Dalmia

His inspirations are endless and can be drawn from anything & everything. His label is synonymous with opulence, contemporary Indian and Indo-Western wear. His intention has been to create glamourous ensembles with traditional textures, embroideries, and craftsmanship juxtaposed with modern designs. He experiments around unusual fabrics and textures to create masterpieces, which takes us back to the Victorian and Mughal period.

Marsala collection by Lalit Dalmia

To sum it all in a nutshell, Lalit attributes his collections as ‘clothes with international styling and Indian soul’. If you are looking for enchanting and sophisticated fusion of distinctive traditional and modern designs with the stroke of muted classy and reserved attitude, you know where to go now! The designer uses a colour palette, which makes one feel nostalgic about our intricate and ancient eras in history.

Entice’s stint at Baselworld 2015

Entice Yellow & white diamond Y-shape necklace

For the tenth year in a row, Entice (Hong Kong), fine jewellery brand by the century old KGK group, participated in Baselworld 2015 with their exclusive booth at B 23 in Hall no. 3.1. Entice showcased its mesmerizing range of trendsetting diamond jewellery from its latest collections. Breathtaking necklaces exuding grandeur, flexible white and yellow gold bracelets studded with white and yellow diamonds in beautiful geometrical patterns, long diamond earrings with intricate detailing, spectacular emerald ring, exquisite combinations of different unique shapes of diamonds like pear, round, rose cut, baguette and more, set in white and yellow gold complimenting unique designs.

Entice cocktail ring with oval emerald center and surrounding marquise diamonds

The Jewellery displayed is now available at Entice Hong Kong exclusively and would come to India later this year. Each piece at Entice has been handcrafted to precision by an expert team of international designers at Entice’s state-of-the-art -manufacturing unit in Hong Kong. Each bauble is unique in its own and exudes opulence, making it a prized possession for the possessor. The uniqueness of Entice jewellery lies in its unprecedented grace and trendsetting flair, which is synonymous with the brand’s commitment to create the best!

Entice Yellow & white diamond drop earrings

Present at the Baselworld 2015, Mr. Sanjay Kothari, Vice Chairman – KGK Group of Companies said, “It’s an honour for the brand to be associated with Baselworld, the biggest jewellery fair in the world. For many years we have been showcasing our finest of the work at this platform and maintain the legacy, this year as well, we have showcased the most premium and best of designs from Entice’s pandora of excellence.”

Furla launches #TagToGo

Furla #TagToGo

Furla launches a new exclusive project, bringing together the value of personalization with the culture of craftsmanship, which has always distinguished the brand as an emblem of Italian style in the world. #TagToGo is the name of the new service, which lets the customer personalize her bag on purchase in the store, with the application of an attractive nappa tag and choosing from different colours and subjects, such as a heart and teddy bear.

#TagToGo Alice Red Bag, Furla

The tag can be decorated with a date not to be forgotten, the customer’s initials or an emoticon in the shape of a heart, a star or a smiley, heat-embossed in gold or silver, using a special monogramming machine. Asia Pacific will be the first region to launch the #TagToGo service, which represents an extremely significant project for Furla—it is the first time that an Italian premium lifestyle brand completes its shopping experience with a customer-oriented service.

An Early Frost by Rohit Gandhi & Rahul Khanna

Rohit Gandhi & Rahul Khanna

Seasons come and fade; and with each season come the greatness of beauty and joy. Yet, winter always presents a harsh beauty—cold and icy, yet spectacular in its own chosen ways. Sometimes, the frost tends to creep in our lives on early notes and existence seems to be fragile and cruel.

Rohit Gandhi & Rahul Khanna

Even last winter, came in early and took away smiles and glee of the milder seasons but reminded us of the fragility of life. This collection titled ‘An Early Frost’ is the tangible reality of mixed emotions of the designers at this moment of their lives. Thus, the collection embodies the colours of a cold forest—ash grey, dark oak, and whitish mist.

Rohit Gandhi & Rahul Khanna

Prints and textures have been inspired from fur textures and infused with signature linear patterns in monotones; the scaling and handcrafted appliqué has been inspired from the intriguing animal skins. Cold metallic aesthetics can be seen in the collection by the use of riveting techniques.

Rohit Gandhi & Rahul Khanna

The silhouettes for the season have a lot of layering and exaggerated sleeves. The capes, high-waisted skirts, embossed neoprene dresses, laser-cut jackets are the key styles of this collection. This special collection together is a lament and celebration of a life.

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.