My Pick of the Most Unusual Looks from Amazon India Fashion Week

Fashion weeks are always full of so many contrasts - on one hand are the beautiful and inspiring clothes, and then on the other are the mundane and the wtf clothes. This post is about the latter type of clothes.

Designers should express their creativity on the ramp through their clothes, but sometimes this takes a turn for the ultra unusual and these styles are in my opinion, very unusual. Unusual because of the strange cuts, colours or just the putting together of the outfit. Ramp pieces are not meant to be worn as they are, as they express the creativity, and subsequently the more commercial styles become available, but even for ramp pieces - these styles are unusual in my opinion.

I asked a friend of mine who is a non-fashion person and speaks hindi to put the captions. He translated for me and it sounded quite funny!

Mujhe topi aur kurta pehna diya zabardasti

Aise patloon to sirf jail mein pehente hai na?

Plastic ki Bag ke jaise dress pehene ki hamesh ichha thi meri

Baby ko frill pasand hai, lekin yeh to hadh ho gayi

Mummy, thoda gila kar diya, change kar loon?

Mere aas paas nahi aana

Charas? Ganja? Kuch to hoga?

Yeh shiny shiny material bahut chubhta hai

Rishte mein to hum tumhare baap lagte hai

Mukje black aur colours randomly join kar ke jacket bahut pasand hai. Daadi ko bhi

Mummy, aapko nahi samjhe ga, yeh fashion hai

Haan, maine kiya khoon. Is jacket mein.

Kahan dekhoon, kya karoon, itne colours aur lines ki dimaag hi nahi kaam karta hai

? = necklace ks shape. @ wala kahan gaya?

Pictures from strandofsilk.com

Grab Indian Earrings and Necklaces for the Upcoming Festive Season

As the festive season is fast approaching, I'm sure you are looking for the right accessories to match with your ensemble.

If you are nodding your head in a big yes, get detailed description of array of Indian earrings and necklaces to choose from and make this festive season a memorable one.

Chandbali
Chandbalis are the most popular style of Indian earrings. These gorgeous traditional pieces go well with ethnic as well as contemporary dresses. This style of earrings looks extremely graceful with Indian sarees.

They are circular or semi-circular in shape and are studded with stones or pearls. Also, commonly known as ‘balis’, these earrings are the first love of Indian women.

Jhumkas
Dangler earrings or ‘jhumka’ is another famous Indian earring that not only looks beautiful but is loved by one and all.  These hanging bell-shaped earrings are one of the most favourite pieces of accessory among the commoners and Bollywood celebrities alike. The length of a jhumka may vary from two centimetre to reaching the shoulder.

You can choose a good pair of jhumkas keeping in mind your garment and the occasion. Generally, long danglers are worn on formal occasions like wedding, mehendi ceremony or sangeet ceremony. Medium length jhumkas are perfect for formal evening or a dinner party.

The best part of having a pair of nice jhumas is that it suits all face shapes be it round, oval or a square jaw. So, without further ado, get yourself a pair of these Indian earrings and spread the festivity.

Stud earrings
Stud earrings or teardrop tops are worn on everyday basis. These earrings are small, simple and elegant and can be used on regular basis.

A stud earring is appropriate for work.  Stud earrings are usually a single stone earring in stone, pearls or even diamond that covers just the earlobe area. Single diamond earrings are known as solitaire earrings. Studs can be worn even by men as they look stylish and trendy.

Chandelier earrings
Chandelier earrings are more formal accessory. These are charming and elite and look fabulous with gowns and dresses.

The chandelier earrings come in variety of designs but diamond chandeliers are considered the best among the lot.

Ear cuff earrings
Last but not the least, our list of Indian earrings also includes ear cuff earrings.  This style of earrings is unique and doesn’t adorn earlobe rather stick to the helix of the ear. It is a curved band of metal pressed over the helix of the ear and has beautiful stones and pearls on it.

Indian Necklaces

Rani Haar
Rani Haar is one of the oldest and most flamboyant styles of Indian necklace. This type of necklace has a huge pendant attached to the long chain.

Usually it is made up of gold and is quite heavy in weight. It is long enough to sit around the bust area or even lower than that. Rani haar is never worn alone as it paired with a choker or collar style necklace for the utmost grace. This traditional style of necklace is well suited on tall ladies.

Pendant set
The Pendant set is another commonly used style of Indian necklace. A pendant set has huge piece of metal like gold or silver at the centre studded with semi-precious stones and is attached with a chain.

Such pendant sets usually comes with the matching earrings. Pendant sets look great on occasions like tea party or kitty parties.

Choker
Choker is another traditional style of necklace. Unlike a rani haar, a choker is a small necklace that is generally worn tightly around the neck.

There is a wide variety of chokers available to suit your attire. The polki, jadau, pearls; precious and semi-precious stone chokers are among the most preferred style of choker necklaces.

Diamond Necklines
Diamond necklaces or necklines are light-weight single layer necklace in diamond. These necklines are utterly graceful and elegant and look sophisticated.

Generally diamond necklines have precious stones like ruby and emerald along with diamonds to give it an elite look. Such type of necklaces are perfect for high-end business meetings or cocktail parties.

Elegant Diamond and Ruby Necklace

Collar Necklace
Collar necklace is that style of necklace which covers almost the entire chest area. These are quite big in size and sit at the base of the neck.

The perfect example of this type of necklace is the Jodha- Akbar style of collar necklace. These vintage necklaces are not often worn because of its huge size.

Now you know about the myriad styles of Indian earrings and necklaces, so make sure you choose the right pick and get going this festive season!

Images: www.indiangoldtrends.com, www.craftsvilla.com, www.okajewelry.loveitsomuch.com, www.beautytipsmart.com,  www.tradeindia.com, www.pinterest.com, www.strandofsilk.com   

The Important Types of Indian Jewellery

Jewellery has been an integral part of Indian culture. Owing to the rich heritage, there are different types of Indian jewellery to decorate each and every body part. There are hair ornaments, earrings, nose pins, necklaces, waistbands, armlets, bracelets, finger rings, anklets, toe rings and many more. Furthermore, due to India’s diverse culture each piece has a lot of variation in terms of craftsmanship and style. The following is a quick preview of the important types of Indian jewellery based on traditional craftsmanship.

• Meenakari Jewellery – These types of Indian jewellery use brightly coloured enamel pigments fused with gold or silver in intricate patterns derived from nature like flowers, vines or animal forms. Invented in Iran, the Mongols spread the craft to India and other countries. The craft is practised more in Jaipur, Udaipur, Delhi and Banaras.

Source: www.bhagwatijeweller.in

• Kundan Jewellery - In this type a gold foil is used to set gem stones on the base mounting piece of gold. This art originated in the royal courts of Rajasthan and Gujarat and was highly patronised during the Mughal era. Kundan is known for very elaborate and heavy necklace sets in gold. The royal appearance of Kundan makes it an important part of the types of Indian jewellery. The art is practised in Rajasthan.

Source: www.strandofsilk.com

• Jadau/ Jadtar Jewellery – This jewellery has uncut diamonds (polki), gems, crystals or beads embedded in gold which is first lightly melted. The embellishments on gold are attached without any adhesives or carvings. Jadau work has Mughal descent and is practised in Rajasthan and Gujarat since Mughal era.

Source: www.mumbaigloss.in

• Pachchikam Jewellery - This type of jewellery has a crude execution in which its beauty lies. It generally uses silver as the base metal and uncut semiprecious stones and glass work are pressed onto the metal. It originated in Rajasthan and Kutch region of India.

Source: www.utsavpedia.com

• Thewa Jewellery - Taking an important place in the types of Indian jewellery, this is an art where intricately designed gold sheets are embossed on molten glass. It originated in Rajasthan under the Mughal influence. The designer, Roopa Vohra, has popularised it through her work.

Source: www.jaipurblog.in

• Temple Jewellery - This jewellery was used to adorn the Hindu idols of gods and goddesses in temples. It was later worn by the temple dancers and then it found its way into the bridal trousseau. The stones used in the jewellery are called kemp stones. It originated in the South of India during the reign of Chola dynasty.

Source: www.onlinejewelryclass.biz

• Filigree jewellery - In this art silver is made into thin wires and then the thin wires are fused together and bent to create intricate patterns. It originated in Egypt and Mesopotamia and the Indian filigree work is Greek inspired. In India fine filigree work can be seen in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.

Source: www.polyvore.com

Looking at the types of Indian jewellery, from the time of the Maharajahs till today the Indian adornment has undergone a lot of transformation. Taking inspiration from the crafts of India the contemporary fashion jewellery has branched out.

Contemporary fashion jewellery

Indians love gold but due to heavy nature of the metal, the modern girl looks for something more contemporary that suits her lifestyle. Today’s designers have answered her quest by marrying ancient crafts with modern materials. The results are lightweight, uniquely designed amazing pieces to go with contemporary attire. Contemporary fashion jewellery takes an important place in the types of Indian jewellery and the creations of some renowned designers can be found on Strand of Silk, the website for contemporary designer wear. 

Meenakari drop bead earrings by Sannam Chopra

Antique finish kundan earrings by Shillpa Purii

Gold jadau cuff by Diagold

Temple inspired jewellery by Roopa Vohra

Roopa Vohra’s blue peacock thewa inspired cuff on lacquer

Filigree earrings by Roopa Vohra

Orange filigree clutch by Meera Mahadevia

The other types of Indian jewellery are the flamboyant bridal jewellery using gold and gem stones, and the new age subtle jewellery using other metals like platinum and sterling silver, with diamonds. One important member of the types of Indian jewellery is antique jewellery which is generally passed on as heirloom through families and has a dull, old world charm to it. So if you are looking to buy Indian jewellery, you will have trouble shopping, as sky is the limit!