The Season of Non-specifics – Shruti Sancheti

Shruti Sancheti’s collection

Tell us about en vogue summer trends…

This summer the focus is on non-season specifics, norm core, Bohemian-inspired, and retro looks. The look is minimalistic yet trendy, tribal yet au courant and 1970’s with a contemporary twist. Midis, jumpsuits, long skirts, spliced skirts, maxis, crop tops, throws and jackets in summer fabrics like linen, khadi, cotton, summer silk ,neoprene are popular. Detailing like zippers, pockets, fringes along with tribal embroidery, tie n dye, and ombre dyeing are extremely popular. Accessories like metallic sunglasses, interesting neckpieces, belts, and sneakers and brogues are trending this summer.

What fabrics, colour palette, prints and silhouettes in Indian couture will do the rounds this season?

Fabrics which allow you to breathe like linen, organic cotton, summer silkier silk and all natural fabrics will be popular to beat the sultry balmy weather. Colours from pretty pastels like blush, custard, peach, mint green, to warm hues like marsala, olive, indigo, and watermelon red all will be popular. Block print, tie n dye, screen print, and digital prints will be extremely popular too; lastly, silhouettes like wide-legged pants, spliced skirts, long flowy skirts, maxis, midis and jumpsuits will be trending high.

Shruti Sancheti’s collection

What went behind making of your latest collection?

My collection ‘Nomadistaan’ is about the global woman living out of suitcases but feels trapped in urban confines of the modern world. Her soul is nomadic but her outlook is totally global; she wants to flaunt a bit of her legacy and culture down her sleeves. The styling of the collection is contemporary but the look is Bohemian.

Tell us about a usual day in your life…

I start the day with going to the gym to undo the damages of the previous day. Then it is working till 2pm after which I have lunch and again at about 3.30 pm its work time till 6.30 pm. After that my evenings are devoted to my family and friends. However, I live out of suitcases so this stability is always a temporary phenomenon and when I travel, which is very often, routine takes a back seat.

Shruti Sancheti’s collection

What would Shruti Sancheti’s woman look like?

My woman is an old-school one trapped in this au courant world. She believes in the unsurpassed legacy of weaves, textiles and crafts and wears timeless clothes, which have understated luxury and restrained opulence. She is astute, ferociously proud of her heritage and yet expresses her femininity and elegance through her distinct yet restrained dressing.

What inspired you to make this collection?

My love for travel, love for rich crafts, love for colours and most of all love for Bohemian and tribal fashion…

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.”

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.

A child’s soul in a writer’s body

 

Tushar Upreti

While people his age love to get high on money and all things worldly, writer and blogger Tushar Upreti believes in getting high on life. His mission is to take small steps to a happy world, and in the process, he’s been working for the cause of children from the underprivileged backgrounds and helping them make the most of their ‘Days of Childhood’, which is also the title of his first self-published book, whose Hindi version ‘Chhutpan ke Din’ is the winner of India Media Festival’s Special Achievement Award in the category of bestseller in Children’s Literature.

Photo Credit: Flickr

“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.” This quote of Mike Murdock is the way of life for Tushar Upreti. A graduate from Hindu College, Delhi University, Tushar went on to pursue Mass Communication from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, and went on to do regular 9-5 jobs in top media houses (both print and electronic), only to realise soon that his real calling was somewhere else. Tushar always wanted to do something for the society, but the turning point came when he met a group of underprivileged children at a friend’s NGO, who got the wheels moving.

Photo Credit: Flickr

Tushar ran from pillar to post, did days of research, and met hundreds of street children to understand what ails them and what can be done to make them live the days of childhood, happily. A great writer, orator and story teller that he is, Tushar started spending quality moments with street children both in Mumbai and Delhi. A series of story-telling session and constructive activities went on to finally take shape of a project called ‘Chhutpan ke Din’, which later became the title of Tushar’s first story book for children. The book was translated in English soon as ‘The Days of Childhood’.

Photo Credit: Flickr

Talking about the book and the process of writing, the writer, who has also written scripts for a couple of commercial movies and serials, says, “Although I did venture into commercial writing, the writer in me was more content and happy writing books for children. So, I decided to write stories from the life of you, me and people around. The book turned out to be an edutainment book, comprising of series of five stories revolving around life of children, across all states, cultures, religions and countries. The names may change, but the issues related to a child’s life are same across the globe, and that’s what makes this book have a global appeal.”

The Days of Childhood

The five stories in the book are not fantasy stories; they address pertinent topics including, health & hygiene, man-animal conflict and issues related to childhood. The book was named ‘The Days of Childhood’ for a reason. Explains Tushar, “The days of childhood are the best days of life; we all want to relive them. And at the same time, as elders, we want that the childhood days of our children are nothing but the best. At a personal level, when I would see a child begging on streets, it would ache my heart. I wanted each and every child, irrespective of his social or financial background, to have a happy childhood. And thus I decided that my first book would be an ode to children; I wanted it to be a book of the children and for the children. And that’s why without focusing much on the visual appeal, I tried to bring out the best content that I could provide to each and every child – content comprising of stories that would make children, smile. I want this self-published book to reach out to as many children as possible, and would feel honored if it made a difference in the life of children.”

Book Review

Penned straight from the heart, this book will make an instant connect with anyone who wants to relive the childhood days. The experiences shared by the writer through each story cross barriers of language, culture and age, and take the reader to a world of sheer happiness! An easy read, the stories focus on passing on life skills and healthy habits to children through interesting characters that stay with you even after you have read the book!

Jeniffer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1’

Jeniffer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1

It’s quite fascinating to watch you as Katniss, she is complex & emotional; how much you approach her & how much do you feel you have taken propriety of her in the film?

Katniss kind of grew along with this character; it’s an interesting thing to play the same character throughout the year and that feeling is constantly growing and changing along with you. I mean we are very different, but I take it from the books, obviously.

Katniss reacts so spontaneously. How do you approach that?

Well Katniss never really wanted to be a hero, she never really wanted to be a Mockingjay, and in the beginning of this movie they tried to kind of create this symbol for people and try to make her into this manufactured leader. They find that she is much powerful when they just leave her alone and let her be herself because she is very complex and very heroic; she is not a fake.

We will now see Katniss in District 13, how does your character react? Did you have any challenges as an actor?

As an actor, the challenge was having Katniss wake up in a brand new environment, where she has to rebuild herself from nothing. Katniss has not only left behind her old life as a District 12 victor, she has entered a world unlike any other. She has to get used to a new way of life in District 13. Everything is deeply unfamiliar and it’s all underground, so she can’t even go outside or hunt.

Julianne Moore plays District 13’s steely leader as the enigmatic Alma Coin. How was it working with her?

When I heard Julianne was going to play Coin, it was the most exciting, unbelievable news in the world. I think Julianne is one of the greatest actresses of all time. She was even more impressive in person. She is such a sweet family woman and also hilarious. Working with her was a dream come true.

Jeniffer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1

Tell us the about the relationship between Katniss & Alma Coin in the movie…

Well, their relationship is complicated. They share similar ideals, but with all she’s been through, Katniss feels she cannot fully trust Coin. President Coin can see how important Katniss is to leading this rebellion, but she also doesn’t believe Katniss can actually do it. She’s still suffering from post-traumatic stress and President Coin is skeptical that using Katniss is something that she can actually control.

How is your equation with Gale now in the movie?

Katniss and Gale have such a rich history. There are so many complexities to it because before Katniss went into the Games, Gale was the only person who really understood her. Following the games, she and Peeta had this experience together that no one else, including Gale, could ever understand. She and Gale are in a very interesting place and it was nice to explore more of that.

Has there been an incredible bonding experience for all the actors especially for you, Liam and Josh?

Absolutely, I mean Josh, Liam are genuinely my best friends in the world and they are like my family. I wouldn’t have been able to go through this entire ordeal without them and I am sure they would feel the same for me.

So Francis Lawrence is back in this film. How was it working with him this time around?

Amazing, I feel self-conscious that I can’t actually say everything that is so amazing about Francis because I can’t really put it in words. He’s so unbelievably talented. He’s made these movies, it surpasses any sort of expectations anybody could have. He’s the absolute perfect person to make these movies. But he’s also the nicest, warmest man in this world. He’s calm and he creates an amazing atmosphere on set and he’s just absolutely wonderful.

Hidesign presents the Icon Exhibition

A rebel is born – Hidesign

Hidesign, India’s leading luxury leather brand celebrates 35 years of heritage and craftsmanship. To commemorate this occasion, Hidesign launches the ‘Icon Exhibition’ in partnership with Select City Walk in Delhi.

Beauty is natural – Hidesign

Hidesign attempts to create a window to the brand’s formative years through the ‘Icon Exhibition’ showcasing images of the company’s journey so far and key styles from its archives. With some of the best fashion and luxury brands being housed at Select City Walk, the exhibition will cater to its niche audience in the region. It is first of a kind exhibition in any mall.

Hidesign

Hidesign which was started as a two-man workshop in 1978 has turned into a company of 3000 spread all over the world today. The history of Hidesign has been defined by the rebellion against uniformity and synthetic flatness of the mass market. Hidesign has always stood out for the sensuous naturalness of its high quality leather and the smooth soft glow of its solid brass fitting in the leather good.

Sasha original 1983 – Hidesign

As a part of the celebrations, Hidesign launches its Icon Collection, which showcases some of the earliest bags. Dilip Kapur, President, Hidesign while talking about the bags says, “Hidesign’s earliest bags were a small range of our innovative bags that were a pure expression of our values and what we loved best- adventure, travel, clean design, wonderful materials that felt good, and a non-conformity that was stamped throughout the collection. As we have grown, with large collections and teams of marketing and design professionals, we still look back at our icon bags with great love as being the purest Hidesign bags. The Icon Collection re-launches the earliest bags, maintaining the same purity reflected in the original bags: vegetable-tanned leathers, solid brass, cotton and leather lining and designs that have stood the test of time for the last 35 years.”

The Boxy Big and Small – Hidesign

The collection boasts of eleven classic bags such as doctor bags, briefcases, satchels and duffel. The adventure and romance of travel is a great inspiration for Hidesign, and the same spirit is captured in the icon bags. The Hidesign lifestyle is full of travel, both for business and leisure. The passion for travel is still visible in the rugged leathers and solid brass buckles with which the brand originally started.

Creation of unique jewels by Bvlgari

High Jewellery necklace in white gold with emeralds (141,97 ct), sapphires (149,31 ct), rubies (95,42 ct), round brilliant cut diamonds (34,13 ct), baguette diamonds (4,78 ct) and pavé diamonds (14,99 ct).

The Bulgari High Jewellery Collection is a collection of exquisitely crafted jewels, created on the basis of drawings especially developed for gemstones of extraordinary quality. The essential element for a piece of high jewellery is the stone, or set of stones, around which it is composed. A profound knowledge of gems and cuts is therefore an indispensable skill for developing a collection of high jewellery, and in this area Bulgari boasts a tradition of excellence that goes back more than a century. Searching the world market for gems of the right cut and colour requires time and great expertise from Bulgari’s gemologists. And then there is the talent and taste required from Bulgari’s designers to compose these magnificent stones and finalise the design. At last, the master goldsmiths create perfectly crafted gold settings, links and clasps giving every Bulgari jewel their exceptional suppleness.

Serpenti bracelet in 18K Pink Gold 57,5 grs with 1 Rubellite and 221 Mounted Pave Setting 7,85 cts

Each type of gemstone has its geographical origins: the most prized emeralds, for example, come mostly from Colombia, though by now they are rare even there. The finest sapphires are found in Kashmir, while the main producer is Sri Lanka, source of the majority of the sapphires bought by Bulgari, which has become one of the world’s largest buyers in terms of overall carats. The best rubies come from Myanmar, and though Bulgari has never acquired them directly from that country but rather on the international market, it nonetheless requires that suppliers can guarantee the provenance of its rubies. As for diamonds, Bulgari purchases cut stones only and collaborate continually with selected suppliers in countries that comply with the Kimberly Process.

Necklace in yellow gold with 7 emeralds 129,48 cts, garnets 95,15 cts ,1 drop of emerald 3,90 cts, round brilliant cut diamonds 36,85 cts ,pear shaped diamonds 9,12 cts ,diamond baguettes 1,20 cts and round brilliant cut diamonds 1,45 cts

The signature feature of Bulgari style, immediately recognizable all over the world, lies in its use of coloured stones. Since the 1960s – the decade in which Bulgari definitively broke with the French school to establish its own style – Bulgari jewels have distinguished themselves for their surprising, unprecedented combinations of precious and semi-precious coloured stones.

High Jewellery Serpenti bracelet in pink gold with 2 pear brilliant cut diamonds (0.83 ct) and pavé diamonds (50.49 ct ).

The use of semi-precious stones like tourmaline, amethyst, citrine, coral, pearls and garnets, often juxtaposed with rubies, emeralds and sapphires, enabled Bulgari to draw from a much broader palette of colours than usual, including new and unexpected hues like purple, pink and orange and a whole range of deep reds, greens and yellows. The result is a practically infinite number of possible chromatic combinations, from the most vividly contrasting to the most delicately nuanced.