Favourite Recent Looks from Kareena Kapoor

Kareena Kapoor is usually on trend and stylishly dressed. So I thought I would pick out some styles from the actress that are uber stylish and look so good!

This is from one of her recent appearances for an event in Calcutta (Kolkata). She is wearing a very stylish 2 piece outfit. The top is a tunic that also has a cape style top part and the bottoms are either a skirt of relaxed fitted pants.

The embroidery on the cape is very trademark of the designer - in golden zardosi on a black base fabric. Does the mommy to be not look stunning?

At another recent appearance, Kareena wore a very stylish long olive coloured Tunic. Why do I like this? because it is simple and she kept the look so stylish. She just added a necklace and a clutch to complete the look. I am not sure of the designer.

I am starting to appreciate maternity fashion a little more, and am thinking that it can be done very stylishly if one looks at the inspirations from Kareena. I can honestly say, rock on girl!

Favourite Looks from India Couture Week 2016

Every fashion week brings a plethora of new designs and trends that are sure to leave you spellbound.

Just like other incredible fashion weeks, the much-talked-about India Couture Week 2016 just got a wrap up and has charted out the course of fashion for the upcoming wedding season.  The five-day extravaganza laid some solid fashion trends in haute couture. The eclectic designs and mesmerising silhouettes marked the prominence and dominance of India’s fashion in global domain. Let’s have a sneak peek into the latest trends in Indian fashion.

Bardot blouse

Bardot tops or cold-shoulder tops are not restricted to western wear only as the Indian couturiers have beautifully weaved this ultimate fashion trend into contemporary Indian wear.  None other than the most celebrated designer Manish Malhotra introduced gorgeous bardot blouses along with the heavily embroidered lehengas. The ace designer showcased his collection named ‘The Persian Story’ that included some of the breathtakingly beautiful dresses.

The regal collection had the old-world charm and the effects of royal Persian architecture.  The combination of heavy embroidery, velvet fabric and bardot style silhouette of the blouses made the entire collection, a dream come true. Also Deepika Padukone being the showstopper enhanced the grace of collection with her never-ending charm. She wore a stunning red highly embellished lehenga with red off-shoulder blouse which romantically exposed her toned shoulders and carried it with all the poise. This indeed was one of our favourite looks from this year’s India Fashion Week.

Pop Hues

Anita Dongre is known for her out of the world designs. Everything from the choice of fabrics to colors and to embroidery makes a statement. This year too Anita presented her collection named ‘Epic Love’ which included some of the finest dresses for the forthcoming wedding season. Her signature ‘gotapati’ work when blended with bright pop hues, created a lethal combination. 

The lehengas in striking red, hot-pink, eye-catching orange, sunshine yellow and electric blue caught everyone’s eye.  Apart from this gorgeous trend, we witnessed a lot of dresses with fringes like fringe blouses, fringe-edged saris etc.  This really made the entire collection a perfect marriage of Indo-western.  Anita does know how to make an eye-ball popping collection and it was indeed on our list of favourites.

Serene in White

Today’s bride does not shy away from experimenting with her bridal attire. From colours to fabrics to silhouettes, they don’t mind trying new concepts. Keeping this in mind, designers too give wings to their imagination and bring out fresh and all new designs.  We witnessed gorgeous bridal wear in pristine whites, creams; ivory and beige rule the ramp at this year’s India Couture Week. With lot of detailing and white as the base colour, the collection truly stood out. If you are someone who likes to break the monotony and take the road less travelled, the bridal wear in ivory and gold is your go-to choice. Names like Rahul Mishra, Rimple and Harpreet Narula and Anamika Khanna presented a real ethereal muted hued collection and made everyone appreciate the understated yet crowd-pleaser ensembles.

Ruffles & Tassels 

The high-voltage five-day long fashion festivity had so much to offer that it became literally impossible to choose the best among the rest. Day 4 of India Couture Week unfolded some of the spectacular trends. Designer Gaurav Gupta and Varun Bahl presented their splendid collection that refined the contemporary fashion. The highlights of the day included use of sheer fabrics for blouses and saris. The pastel hued sheer fabrics were used to create some stunning blouses with floral motifs. Even the net saris with floral motifs looked divine. Also his progressive designs included unusual silhouettes with fluid drapes that let everyone talking.  

Another trend that caught our fancy was the extensive use of embellished headbands by the models. The bejewelled headbands in varied designs and styles added to the overall grace of the garment.  It added the much needed sparkle and gave a finishing edge. Also the trend of aesthetically using pearl tassels and fringes on saris and gowns caught our eye. The modern silhouette with vintage tassels made a perfect garment.   Last but certainly not the least, on the list of our favorite was the ruffle gowns.  Strapless ball gowns with romantic ruffle detailing looked chic and sophisticated.  The international trend of ruffles was given Indian tadka by adding it to the sari gowns.  The elaborate ruffled gowns looked dramatic as the models walked the ramp with panache.

Mirrorwork and Black Magic

Day 5 of the fashion week was a pure bliss for any bride-to-be because the vast display of majestic lehenags and other bridal wear was every bride’s dream.  Designers RohitBal and ManavGangwani brought forward their bridal collection which was high on aesthetics. The heavily embroidered, thoroughly embellished and intricately designed bridal wear was a delight to look at.  A lot of mirrorwork, Kashmiri kani work and zardozi work on heavy fabrics were to be seen. Deep-hues like maroon and black ruled the ramp. Showstopper Kangana Ranuat made heads turn wearing one of the best creations by Manav Gangwani from his Begum-e-Jannat collection which was a deep maroon lehenga with off-shoulder mirror-work blouse.

Talking about the celebrated designer Rohit’s collection named ‘Kehkashaan’, it was sheer opulence. The royalty of the entire collection was hypnotic and never-seen before as models sashayedregal things like tiaras, hand-carved walking canes, crowns, belts, sashes, capes, bejeweled footwear etc.And the way they carried the fierce expressions on their faces did complete justice with the royal collection. RohitBal like his every collection essayed a new colour palette for this season, black being the dominant colour. Models wore wonderful garments like lehenags with cape jackets, anarkalis with robes and bandhgalas with jodhpuris, all in black. Not to forget the touch of royalty came with the wide range of headgears.  All in all, calling it an awe-inspiring collection won’t be an exaggeration.

India Couture Week 2016 took us on a ride that portrayed influence of different cultures on fashion under one umbrella like Islamic influence, inspiration from Russia and Persia, heritage and legacy of Mughal era, the royalty of Rajasthan and much more and its effect was truly spell-binding. Many new things in the world of fashion made an effortless entry and old things got a revival make-over. Amidst all the glitz and glamour, the magic of fashion was at its peak!

Manish Malhotra’s Favourite Lehenga Looks

Manish Malhotra is an unconquered king of couture. Known for his bridal collection, wearing Manish’s creation is every bride’s dream. The designer has come up with the most extravagant and heavenly lehengas which are too good to be true. His forte lies in bringing the best of both worlds by blending rich Indian culture with contemporary silhouettes keeping in mind the needs of modern day bride. Here we have a list of Manish Malhotra’s all-time favourite lehengas.
The Ethnic Red Lehenga
For all those brides who want to embrace the traditional red lehenga on their D-day, the ace designer Manish’s this red lehenga is an answer to it. This gorgeous red velvet lehenga with Kashmiri Zari embroidery work is all that you need to look every bit like an Indian bride.

The short choli blouse with embellished full sleeves and scoop neck is the very essence of this pretty lehenga. The skirt has exquisite detailing and is paired with golden net dupatta. Nothing can beat this amazing Manish Malhotra’s bridal lehenga.

Anarkali Inspired Pink Lehenga
Apart from the usual short crop top and skirt silhouette, this anarkali inspired pink lehenga is like a whiff of fresh air.

With hues like pink, golden and orange, this lehenga is perfect for a bride with an edge. The long flared voluminous top made with the sheer fabric provides the utter grace to the entire ensemble. Also, the flared skirt and net dupatta makes it one of the finest Manish Malhotra’s creations.

A Lehenga with a Twist
If you are someone who likes to stand out and do things differently, this bridal lehenga is just made for you. Manish Malhotra once presented his Gloss collection at Lakme Fashion week. The theme had all the deep hues like purple, burgundy, grey, brown and wine. These unusual colours and Gothics inspired outfits caught our attention for good.

One of the lehengas worn by none other than very beautiful Kareena Kapoor made heads turn. The very subtle tie & dye silk lehenga with long anarkali top is what we call a lehenga with a twist. The top has all the sequins and blingy adornments to give it a formal look. Not to forget the wide-bordered dupatta with thread work that completes the lehenga. So, if you want something which is both classy and chic, you now know what to pick.

Emerald Lehenga
Since emerald green colour is considered auspicious for the Muslim brides, Manish Malhotra has come up with the perfect bridal wear here. This emerald green lehenga with the pink border and heavy embroidery work is one of the Manish’s best creations.

The lehenga has all the required elements to make it an ideal wear for a Muslim bride. Deep green colour, long anarkali top with sheer fabric, quarter sleeves and sequined net dupatta makes this lehenga drool worthy.

One for the Peachy Bride
Bridal wear is usually restricted to colours like red, maroon and pink which is quite cliched. To break the monotony, the talented couturier Manish Malhotra loves to play with colours. The designer brought forward a mirror work peach lehenga in his Gloss collection.

What makes this lehenga so special is its colour and understated sequin and mirror work. Its simple grey raw silk blouse and net dupatta added the required grace. This lehenga screams simplicity and sophistication at the same time.

Lehenga from the Streets of Lucknow
Lucknow is famous for its chikankari embroidery. Taking cue from this age-old traditional embroidery work, the designer created a gorgeous mint green chikankari lehenga with pink border. This particular lehenga is sheer elegance with olive green silk blouse and net dupatta. The entire lehenga is adorned with chikankari handwork to give it a feel and originality of Lucknow.

Creme and Pink makes a Deadly Combo
Manish Malhotra’s crème and pink lehenga with gold sequins all over and jaal style embroidery border is a treat to eyes. This nude shade lehenga with intricate embroidery is to die for. What makes it even more special is its neon pink contrast with gold which makes it class apart. The resham blouse and off white embroidered dupatta is the soul of this pretty lehenga.

Red Silk Jacket Lehenga
Red colour is quintessential for an Indian bride. Be it the complete red bridal attire or just a hint of red, it has to be present in a bride’s dress. Keeping this fact in mind, Manish Malhotra came out with another out of the world red lehenga.

This lehenga has signature Manish Malhotra feel to it. The skirt is off-white in colour with gota patti border. It is kept simple in order to gel it well with the heavy embroidered red raw silk long top. This high neck and 3/4th sleeve long jacket style top speaks volume about the beauty of this perfect ensemble.

Another Red from Manish Malhotra's Collection
There is no denying the fact that the way Manish Malhotra makes red look really hot, no one else can do. The best example to validate this statement is this red net lehenga with silver nakashi embroidery and Kashmiri tilla work.

The embroidery is done just at the hemline area and rest of the skirt is kept plain. Talking about the blouse, it has all over chikankari work along with the simple dupatta to make it look ravishing. This lehenga is perfect for a bride who thinks you need not be over the top to look beautiful on your wedding day.

Though Manish Malhotra’s every single garment is special in itself but above mentioned are our favourite from this talented designer’s kitty. Hope you agree with us and take inspiration from these gorgeous lehengas for your wedding day!

Image Sources: www.zuri.in, www.pinterest.com

The Top Lakme Fashion Week Designers for Summer-Resort 2015

The Lakme Summer/Resort fashion show 2015 was held from March 18th to March 21st, at the Palladium, Mumbai. The highlight of the show was that, the most of the attention grabbing shows from the seasoned Lakme Fashion week designers, were held off site from the venue. The success of any fashion show lies with the power designers’ showcase and the promise that the young talent displays. The Lakme fashion week designers put up an avant garde display at the event.

The young Lakme Fashion week designers gave a lot of fresh perspective. Among them there are few notable ones. Anushree Reddy who is already popular with the bride in her 20’s presented her bridal wear with pastels combined with vintage floral prints, chevrons and stripes with a hint of bling. Mandira Bedi commenced the last day of the Lakme fashion week with her saree collection. She used a lot of colours with trendy cholis using banaras art on cotton and silk sarees.

Neha Agarwal’s ‘From Russia, with Love’ collection showed Indo-Soviet outfits. The Russian prints and babushka doll imprint were seen on most of the skirts and tops. The showstopper Karisma Kapoor’s pink bodice with sheer embroidered cape and printed skirt was outstanding. Ken Ferns theme ‘the eternal sleep’ saw red poppy flowers sprinkled on all his black and white outfits. They even had a hint of blue and mostly were printed modern wear. Karleo also presented a very western line with skirts, modern sarees and gowns. The young Lakme Fashion week designers did garner attention amidst the veteran glitz. There will definitely be an increase in the new Lakme fashion week designers every year from this year’s 39 new designers.

Anushree Reddy design

Neha Agarwal design

Ken Ferns design

From the veteran Lakme fashion week designers; there was some amazing work to watch out for. Sabyasachi commenced the grand show at the Richardson & Cruddas rundown mill with 120 dazzling looks. It portrayed the 70’s with bling, stripes, floral prints, solids and monochromes. Manish Malhotra’s show ‘the Blue runway’ was presented in association with WEvolve. This opening night show was again off site at the old world ‘Great Eastern Home’. As per his theme his outfits were mostly bound by the colour blue and were traditional with contemporary approach. Suneet Varma presented ‘the decorative arts of India’ bringing forth the traditional techniques of different parts of India. He used a lot of mirror work and embroidery on shades and tints of reds and magentas. His mirror work shorts and pants stood out in the show, as did the gorgeous lehenga with crystals. 

Satya Paul by Gauri Khan saw contemporary sarees and flowy attires with tropical leaf motifs and modern prints. Tarun Taliani’s work was funky, blending in the cool and warm shades. The multicoloured prints used on kaftans, jackets and dhotis with turbans, made a lively presentation. The showstopper Chitrangada Singh said it all about Tahiliani’s show with her bohemian blue printed top with pink layered skirt. Wendell Rodericks’s ‘Popology’ took inspiration from pop art and used young bright colours in geometric patterns.

Manish Malhotra design

Tarun Tahiliani design

Satya Paul by Gauri Khan design

Of all the Lakme fashion week designers, Anamika Khanna’s show was a memorable one. She brought the curtains down with her ‘Sculpt’ line. The show was held at Bhau Daji Lad Museum using a grand staircase as the runway. Justifying the theme the collection showed sculpted outfits with modern cuts and Indian aesthetics. The show presented lot of gold, gunmetal and silver with ivory and black. Kareena Kapoor who is the face of Lakme did the final walk down the staircase in amazing silver and black attire.

Anamika Khanna design

The show ended on a grand note and the Lakme fashion week designers made the event happen with lot of originality, which will see us through this season.
 
Image Source: Lakme Fashion Week facebook page

Trends for Indian Bridal Make-up 2015

Those eyes kill me quietly. As your face, your devilish lips

Take my breath away; like it was sucked out of my soul.

It leaves me completely breathless,utterly speechless.

-Alexander Bentley

A ravishing, radiant bride is the focal point of any wedding. As mostly the Indian bridal attires are in bold colours with lot of gold and glitter, the Indian bridal make-up has to be at par, so that more than her dress, it is she who takes everyone’s breath away.

Let’s cover the trends of Indian bridal make-up for each specific feature that is highlighted:

Tress Talk:

This season the hair can be tied up using any hairstyle with accents of flowers or a jewel hair accessory. The South Indian bride displays an amazing braid hairdo with flowers and ornaments. For a modern look the bride can let the hair down with soft curls. Hair extensions and a hint of colour in hair with an emphatic mangtikka are also popular.

The flawless skin:

The base foundation for the face, which is like creating canvas for art, has to be perfect. It has to look flawless and natural at the same time. It is important to choose the tone as per your complexion, sometimes a shade darker does more justice than ending up like ghost bride. Brides are going in for airbrush foundations that are applied through misty spray and they let your skin breathe. One trend in Indian bridal make-up is using a bronzer instead of blush as it gives definition and contour on the face with a more natural look and this in turn results in amazing wedding day pictures!

The eyes say it all:

Smokey eyes are big now as they go well with this season’s more bejeweled and opulent classic wedding attires. This year rust and copper brown shadows are favourites, as is the addition of shimmer to the eyes. There is also a trend of adding a hint of the attire colour to the eyes like blues, teals, greens,etc. whatever the bride is wearing. This season for the Indian bridal make-up, the focus is on the eyes. The younger brides prefer a minimalistic look with no huge fake eye lashes.  Kajals will always be popular with Indian brides and full eyebrows are also very in for the Indian bridal make-up.  

Lips don’t lie:

Indian bridal make-up this season is all for natural berry stained lips or underplayed nude lips to match the brides’s smokey highlighted eyes. Instead of the sharp edge of the lip liners, the stains give a more natural look. Orange-browns and plums also go well with Indian complexion and most of the conventional Indian bridal-wear colours. Before choosing the lip colour the bride should consider her dress colour and skin tone too. The brides can go for bolder colours like reds or fuchsias with lightly done eyes.

Brides are also going in for permanent make-up these days. Permanent make-up helps you have well done eyebrows, eyeliners, lip colours and you can also add a beauty spot that will stay for a long time.

When we talk of an Indian bride we cannot ignore culture and tradition. So apart from the general elements of Indian bridal make-up, the Indian bride has some unique additions. The Bengali bride goes for a big red bindi and red and white motifs on her forehead accentuating the eyes. The red bindi is a common element for most of the Indian brides (except the Catholic or Islamic bride). The Maharashtrian bride sports a crescent moon shaped bindi.

The Bengali bride

The wedding pictures of Bollywood celebrities like Aishwarya Rai and Kareena Kapoor, shows them with lots of jewellery or regal dresses with subtle make-up, so I guess that sums up the make-up trend. You can go heavy on your attire but ‘au naturale’ is the Indian bridal make-up mantra for 2015.

Image Source: newtrendsinfashion.com, shaadisaga.com, stylecraze.com