Balmain sequinned dress A/W 10-11 - rock chic or just clever marketing?

Balmain has perfected the rockstar + glam in their Fall 2010 collection. From Blake Lively to Rihanna, and even 90's goddess Cindy Crawford on the cover of Vogue India, everyone's rocking a Balmain. But, like everything else, sometimes too much of a good thing can turn bad. And going by the number of sightings of the Balmain collection in the last three months, something similar might be happening here.

Topshop Match : McQueen & Westwood

There’s something about Brit designers that you got to love. Whether it’s their flamboyance or sheer eccentricity, there’s something in their creations which is a perfect fit for the neo wildchild of the 21st century. And for me the best of the Brit Brat pack would be Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood. Of course owing a bit of both these designers would require the budgeting patience of a saint, unless of course you have been spared the egalitarian brush of the financial recession. Counting your pennies will take on a new dimension indeed unless, there is some collaboration with a high street fashion chain. And of course Topshop fits into this plan perfectly. Which begs this question to be asked: would Alexander McQueen, God rest his soul, ever have deigned to design a line for Topshop?

In my happy dream world, I would like to believe that this would have been a possibility. Imagine a skull clutch or a knuckle box clutch without having to shed more than 1,000 big ones? Or a military jacket with all its flamboyant trimmings? I can just imagine Vivienne Westwood’s punk eccentricities working on the Topshop brand. A full tulle skirt with a brocade jacket paired with a quirky pair of Mary Jane’s. Wonderful, wonderful! Will it ever come true? I think not. But one can still dream eh?



And to be fair, the 90’s shoddiness of Topshop is very much left behind. Just take a look at the Topshop Unique show in London Fashion Week. For me, the exaggerated sense of drama with the fake animal heads, the fuzzy eyebrow was almost like an illustration of Russian Peter and the wolf tale.

Get Carrie's Necklace

In the August edition of the Indian Grazia, there was an article about three ordinary women who have gone out of their way to own a piece of Carrie’s wardrobe. From the cult store Ina in New York to memorabilia stores in LA to SATC designer Patricia Field’s websites or auction sites like eBay, nothing is too small when it comes to Carrie’s closet. For fashionistas around the world, having a bit of Carrie’s closet is more than just picking up pieces of “fashion history”, it’s more a projection of a persona. For what is Carrie’s wardrobe if not a single girl’s armor for survival in this cruel cruel world?

And if you’re feeling a bit Carrieish today, a customized nametag necklace might just be the thing you are looking for.

Ostrich Aishwarya - an endangered species

Aishwarya Rai is doing her bit for wildlife conservation. Pic supposed to be from Shanker's magnum opus Robot.



Doing the Ostrich dance



Does my butt look big



I'm OK with wearing bird gear

Gisele Bündchen launches 100% natural skincare range

Gisele Bündchen is on a mission to work the word “natural”. Post her water birthing experience (baby Benjamin was born in her bathtub), she is now all set to give tough competition to existing naturopathy cosmetic lines launched by fellow models like Sundari (Christy Turlington), KORA (Miranda Kerr). On 15th March Bündchen launched her own natural skincare line: Sejaa Pure Skincare.

The supermodel talks about her business venture in the latest Vogue edition: "When you find something that makes you feel so good, share it. Sejaa is a part of something I'm concerned about, which is my skin and what I put on my skin. I have a voice and I feel I have to share this -- something that has been so beneficial for me in my life and has helped me be a more complete person".

In justification of the eco friendly tune, Bündchen and her team have put in quite a lot of work in making the line 100% natural - from non polluting manufacturing processes (Wind and Hydro energy), natural plant ingredients to recycled paper and soy based VOC free inks for packaging.

Currently the line offers a day cream, a night cream and a mud mask in 2 oz jars ranging from $ 56 to $ 70. However, the best buy would definitely be the skincare kit offered at a discounted rate of $ 120 or Rs. 5, 451 which includes:

• Sejaa Day Cream
• Sejaa Night Cream
• SEjaa Mud Mask
• Along with an exclusive embroidered spa towel made from sustainable bamboo fibres and a mud treatment applicator.

All Sejaa products can be bought online through www.sejaa.com

Lady Gaga & Jeremy Scott - creating Magic!

Every fashion designer seems to have coped up to one fact in 2009. Want your designs to be photographed or create a buzz about your label, then there's one person to go to: Lady Gaga. Love her hate her, but one thing you have to give, her fashion sense is unique. Eyebrow raising, bizarre or fantastic, whatever you want to label it, there is no doubt that she is the world's best mannequin right now. With the exception of Gwen Stefani, Gaga seems to be the one pop star of the naughties who has captured the imagination of the public. Her recent outings in Jeremy Scott has certainly increased his popularity among the Gaga fashion followers. But to be fair to both the designer and his muse, their sensibilities match and she does rock his clothes, both on and off stage.
Customised catsuit from Jeremy Scott Ready to Wear Mouse Trap collection complete with Mickey sunglasses for Gaga's chart topping single - Paparazzi.
From L to R:

1. Studded denim body suit worn on stage in Amsterdam tailored to perfection for Gaga by Jeremy Scott.
2. Jeremy Scott Spring 2001 Sea Shell Bathing dress.
3. Perfecto Jacket with matching leggings from Jeremy Scott's "Let them Eat Grass" collection.

Cartoons' ain't just for kids says Jeremy Scott

Cartoon characters are cute, no doubt about that. Looks great on fuzzy slippers and night slips for girlie night-ins. But not something you would like to venture out in if you are a 20+ adult getting ready for some crusin. But Jeremy Scott seems to think otherwise. And you know what...I agree:) His recent collection - Mouse Trap - took the iconic Mickey and Minnie characters to a different level. One peek at his Mickey Mouse inspired helmet and you'll know what I am talking about.

The cartoon-armour pairing is not the byword for originality, but makes for good runway stuff.And, it is his prints that caught my eye. And like everything else in fashion, the first one to sport it was Lady Gaga in her music video "Papparazzi". In fact Gaga and Jeremy Scott have quite a fashion bonding.

Cartoons and Jeremy Scott go back quite a while. His Flintstone collection as well as his Longchamp telephone print canvas bag are proof of this. His Mouse Trap ready to wear collection took his print based style up a notch. Models in quirky prints (check telephone receiver), bustiers and tuxedos in multicolored button trompe l'oeil mosaics, romper dresses in graphic Adidas sneakers trapaized the ramp. My personal favourite include:

Dolce & Gabanna Anthology - Not quite what it seems!

I don't know about you, but my pockets have been rendered terrifically light by the blight of New Year cheers. I was still optimistic about my budget, but was thrown horribly askance by my the presence of a duty free store in the Domestic airport of Delhi. I don't know about you, but the word "duty free" draws me like a lodestone. If truth be told, the only two perfume that I have adored in my adult life are Clinique Happy and Daisy by Marc Jacobs. But the sight of the spiffy duty free store in the Delhi Domestic turf made me so happy, that I couldn't stop myself from taking a dekko.

A dekko was what I was after I told myself sternly,but very soon, I was seriously cataloging the perfume stakes. No Marc Jacobs, reason being that it is still not officially launched in India. There was the standard Elizabeth Arden with the full range from Pretty to Green Tea.
Versace, Lacoste, Van Arpels, D&G, Burberry, Ralph Lauren, Lolita, Nina Ricci, CK was the line up. 15 mins of sniffing around and my olfactory glands cried for help. Coffee beans were offered in short order which restored the order of things.

Among all the eau de parfums, colognes, pour homme and what not, the one smell that caught my fancy was 18 La Lune from the the Anthology collection by Dolce & Gabbana.

The advertising brief goes something like five eternal personalities with resonating fragrances. So you have:
D&G Fragrance Anthology featuring Tyson Ballou as Le Bateleur 1 (Personality: The Seducer. Provocative and playful, Le Bateleur 1 is an accomplished Mediterranean seducer. Mills & Boon ahoy!)
D&G Fragrance Anthology featuring Naomi Campbell as LImperatrice 3 (Personality: The Star. Vibrant, magnetic, she exudes charisma and force of character...mix of reality TV start and spoilt brat)
D&G Fragrance Anthology featuring Noah Mills as L'Amoureux 6 (Personality: The charmer. incurable romantic, inherent nobility, dashing. Regency Romance anyone)
D&G Fragrance Anthology featuring Claudia Schiffer as La Lune 18 (Personality: The dreamer. fresh and sensual, dazzling, radiant and etheral beauty...very Greta Garbo)
D&G Fragrance Anthology featuring Eva Herzigova and Fernando Fernandes as La Roue de la Fortune 10 (Personality: The player. Adventorous and creative - the epitome of suprise....007ish I think!)

Frankly speaking, I have got no clue about top notes and base notes, indepth
knowledge I will leave to the perfumeofilles. The three things that I consider before buying a perfume are:
Do I like the scent? Can I wear it often without making the people around me gag? Whats the price tag and lastly is the bottle pretty? You may laugh at the last consideration, but packaging is a very important part of the whole garden in a bottle industry, and if I am to pay good money for 100 ml, then they better see to it that the said bottle looks pretty on a dressing table or cupboard ( poor me!)

Now the conflict raging in my mind resembled something like this:

The smell of D&G 18 La Lune I like. The price I did not like (Rs. 3,200 for 100 ml), and the bottle I did not like at all.
For reference see pic.

The marketing text for the packaging reads like this, and I quote:

" The scents that make p the D&G Fragrance Anthology are presented in sleek, impecably elegant falcons, at once strikingly simple yet sophisticated. Finished with a glossy jet pump and modern cap, the design takes it inspiration from a classic apothecary bottle."

In reality, the plastic "modern" cap with its horizontal lines resembled the Park Avenue bottle caps. And the bottle shared close similarities with the eau de colognes bottles of yesteryears.
I mean I could see this bottle on a dressing table with a bunch of lilies and a bottle of Anais Anais for company, but it will not sit pretty with a Marc Jacob Daisy or a Vera Wang Princess.
Finally after a bit of soul searching, I let it be and decided not to be a proud owner of No. 18 La Lune. I appeased my material soul by buying a BurBerry for Men as a new Year's gift for my father ( When in doubt, always stick to classics says the wise.)
But the entire flight home, I was wondering whether I did the right thing. I repeatedly sniffed my wrists to check the smell. But surprise surprise after two hours, the smell was almost gone. There was a lingering trace of sweetness reminiscent of Coty Vita powder, but that's all.
Miffed, I decide to do a bit of research on the Anthology collection. AND THIS IS WHAT I FOUND:

Apparently the D&G team did not have enough money to go ahead with their new fragrance line. A transparent base developed in the 80s and now regularly utilised by generic shampoos and body lotions was used. Every fragrance does have its essential bits of Patchouli, honey Vanilla and what not, but it is diluted at 1% to the base.
Tenacity on skin is weak (which means very generous squirts have to be applied) and diffussion power more so unless you step into a cloud of La Lune vapours. Now all this gyan is not by me but by another blogger who seems to be more in the know of things.

One look at the advertisement for the perfume would make you realise where the money had all gone...down the well shaped posteriors of Claudia Schiffer, Naomie Campbell, Eva Herzigova, Tyson Ballaou, Noah Mills and Fernando Fernandes, and of course Mario Testino.