Seen a couple of hours ago: Freida and Dev in London

Hot of the press:

On screen and off screen couple Freida Pinto and Dev Patel are in London today for the screening of their movie Slumdog Millionaire at Film4 Summer Screen. Here are the pictures taken a couple of hours earlier.

I like Dev but I am not sure I like his white shirt with the black edging. Also the pant and blazer colors do not seem to match. Was he wearing a make shift suit or just 3 disjointed pieces put together? Don't know and don't like.

Freida as usual looks great, love her hair and make up. Like the dress, love the embroidered multi-colored clutch and the big chunky bracelet. The only think I would have loved to see on her would have been a different pair of shoes. These are too boring, something a bit more edgy would have been nice.

Do you agree? Let me know your thoughts.

Source: justjared

Sanjay Kapoor's Housewarming Party

So Sanjay Kapoor and his wife Maheep had their Housewarming Party this week. Obviously their closest friends the Khan's had to be there. Gauri and Shahrukh arrived in their white convertible BMW along with cronies Chunky and Bhavana Pandey.

I love Gauri's Jean Paul Gaultier dress. Love the bright yellow color and the leather neckline. Do not have a full length picture so don't know what she teamed the dress with - hope it was a cute pair of booties.

Finally, a pair of nude colored pumps. I was wondering when they were going to show up in Bollywood. Nude pumps have been the rage in Hollywood since last year. They look best teamed with a dress and elongate your legs and give a taller appearance. So Anna Singh was the first one to take the plunge, I just wish she had worn them with a dress.

Just FYI - Anna was one of the first stylist/designers in Bollywood and started her career styling Jackie Shroff.

Grown up men should not be dressing like this. Let's start from L to R. Manish's tee looks like he is wearing a white sleeved t-shirt under a black halter shirt. What is that??? Now KJo, that is a very insipid shirt he has on, those colors do nothing for our Indian skin tone. Gosh, I just thought he would know better. And finally the host Sanjay Kapoor - grown up men should not be wearing white belts with a Superman logo. Especially not with a shirt that has a white collar and cuffs. Try not to wear a "baba" suit next time, Sanjay.

Source: Viral Bhayani; filmicafe

Spot On

Inspite of having been one of the top models in India and being one of the most popular Bollywood actresses, Deepika Padukone has never been in the Best Dressed list. Her choice of clothes have ranged from teeny bopper choices to extremely bizarre.

But there seems to be hope. At a showing of her new movie "Love Aaj Kal" with Saif, she was spot on with all the latest trends and wore this outfit well.

Her denim shirt dress teamed with metallic gladiator sandals, chunky gold bangles and a side slung messenger bag encompass all the trends of summer. Keep it up Deepika.

Source: Viral Bhayani; filmicafe

Same ol' same ol

Kareena has worn some amazing outfits in Kambakth Ishq, so seeing her in this very insipid saree soon after was very disappointing.

I bet this is a Manish Malhotra saree and we all know that both he and her can do a lot better. The same ol' shaded chiffon saree with border and zari work and halter/spaghetti strap blouse and blingy chandelier earrings - sooooo boring. How about some change in the saree department Kareena?

Source: filmicafe

Wear what suits your body type

Every fashion magazine at some point has mentioned that always wear what suits your body. It does not matter what is in fashion or what looks good on some one else.

This holds true for everyone - including Priyanka Chopra. She has one of the best bodies in business in Bollywood today - but this dress was just not right for her.

Either she forgot to wear her Spanx that night or suck the belly in when the photographers were hovering. Tsk Tsk

Source: filmicafe

Dress like Freida

Its been a while. After the overload of Freida Pinto pictures, there was a lull. Now here she is again. Freida was recently spotted in New York, going out for dinner.

I really like the butterfly print dress, very cute and summer appropriate. I am not quite sure why she was wearing her aviator sunglasses at night though. Trying to avoid the press maybe? I personally don't like her red shoes, the color is too in your face and style and size both appear to be wrong. If she had worn a stappy black pair instead, it would have been perfect.

If you would like a dress similar to Freida's take a look at this

This dress is available for $49.99 at www.modcloth.com

Source: imnotobsessed

Shruti Hassan's style

Kamal Hassan and Sarika's daughter Shruti is making her debut with Imraan Khan in Luck. You can tell from Shruti's dressing that she is in on the trends and her style is edgy. But she is just starting out and has room for improvement. Here is a look at some of her latest outfits.

She has the trend nailed with the plaid dress, and the color definitely works for her. Also, I like the studded cuff on her wrist. What I would have done differently for her? Gotten rid of the bee hive on her head for some poker straight rocker locks and changed the pumps for some killer peep toe booties.

Shruti by Desi-diva featuring Roberto Cavalli accessories

This was Shruti's outfit for the screening of Luck in Bangalore. I like the black skinny jeans, black top, the slouchy brown bag, and the leather and gold chain link necklace. But she should not have worn two pink items - too matchy matchy. It should have been either just pink shoes minus the pink jacket or the pink jacket but teamed with black shoes.

But there is definitely hope for her.

Source: santabanta; filmicafe

Saree Draping 101

Wow, what happened to these women?? Did they forget how to drape a saree? This definitely cannot be a new trend.

A very decent saree, but what happened to the pleats, half straight down and half being edged to the side??? This is not expected from a well known designer like Maheka Mirpuri.

Take a look at Laila in a saree (Laila is Fardeen Khan's older sister and her escort here is Farhan Furniturewala, Pooja Bedi's ex-husband). Where is her pallu? This does not look cool or trendy.

Source: Viral Bhayani; filmicafe

Let's Party

Last week we saw Priyanka and Priety attend different events in their formal party wear. Let's take a look at what they wore.

I have never been too impressed with what Ms. Chopra wears. She is dressed in her usual attire - a fitted short dress. It is boring, she really needs to change her choice of party wear. Granted she carries off a mini dress better than anyone in Bollywood, but a change would be nice. Here, this color does nothing for her and I do not like her choice of shoes at all - so many shoes at her disposal, why did she pick this one?

Looks like Priety is getting her groove back. She used to be one of my favorite dressers but somewhere along the way she seemed to have lost her interest in fashion ( I think it was the period of time when things started to get rocky and then fall part with Ness Wadia). Now she seems more in control. I really like her BGBG dress, like how she has dressed it and how it looks on her. Keep it up Priety.

Source: Viral Bhayani; filmicafe;nowrunning

Fashion Faux Pas Galore

So Vikram Phadnis had a fashion showing. The most interesting part of the show was that it was a crowd full of faux pas. It is a great opportunity for us to learn how not to wear our clothes. Lets take a look.

Take a look at her - pretty top, the red shoes actually look good with the top - why did she go and ruin the look by wearing red sparkle splattered jeans???????Why not just a pair of regular jeans?

So disproportionate. Please don't ever, ever pair a long shirt with short pants. We are not aiming for a Rajesh Khanna look. And slouchy belt straps.....please.

Where do I start? Ok - individually I like all the pieces she has on - great basics for every wardrobe. Would I wear them all together - NEVER. Loose pants with loose vest? No, you cannot wear two loose pieces together. One of them has to be fitted.

Also I don't get this cardigan over vest over t-shirt look. You can add all the Chanel necklaces you want to that honey, it still ain't lookin good.

And last but not the least please don't dress for every event, formal and informal, like you are going to attend a wedding . Can you believe all these people were at the same event?

Source: Viral Bhayani; filmicafe

The current favorite designer of Bollywood stars

Two years ago we saw many Bollywood actresses, star wives and socialites dressed in Roberto Cavalli's Just Cavalli dresses, tops etc. Last year almost every one of them owned a Herve Ledger bandage dress (or versions/copies of the same from other designers). This year they seem to be leaning towards DvF (Diane Von Furstenberg). Take a look:

Sources: mirchibabes,oneindia, indiaglitz, nowrunning

Wow - Unbelievable

Take a look at this picture of Deepika Padukone. She wore this to the launch of the newest edition of Vogue India featuring her on the cover. No really, I am not joking.






Yes, she looks cute and her hair looks real nice. What happened to her outfit? Layered tanks that are too tight (with her bra shape showing through), tattered capri jeans and sneakers??? I would definitely wear this to the ball park but to a Vogue release party - never.


Share your thoughts on this outfit.

Source: Viral Bhayani; filmicafe

Sonakshi wears Sabya

Shatrughan Sinha's daughter Sonakshi (seen here with her twin brothers Luv and Kush) is wearing a Sabyasachi outfit. You like?

I love Sabyasachi's clothes but am on the fence about this one. I wonder if it is the way Sonakshi has worn the outfit. I dislike the shoes, the severe hair and the extra long bindi. I feel this dress can be worn differently to take it from drab to fab. My suggestion would be to team it with killer strappy heel, hair left loose but curled at the end and some kick ass earrings.

Let me know your views on the same.

Source: Viral Bhayani, filmicafe

Casual Dinner Out

I got asked another question yesterday.

What should I wear to a casual dinner out? We go to local restaurants with kids or with close friends and I really don't want to wear more than jeans and flats but I still want to look good.

Here is what I think would work. Pair your fav jean with a white tank, add a sleeveless black vest and an oxidized silver necklace. Wear it with one of those cute edgy black flats and you will look so with it.

Check out the look below

Casual Dinner Out by Desi-diva featuring Chinese Laundry shoes

Spice Up your LBD

Almost all of us own a LBD (Little Black Dress). What kind of shoes do we pair it with? Usually, black sandals or pumps. If we are dressing it up we may even pair it will either a silver or a gold pair. Now some of us who consider ourselves real adventurous have even paired it with a pair of red shoes. Wow...........

But our Bollywood fashionista's have really spiced up their LBD's and I am absolutely loving the look. Check these out:

I really like how Twinkle has dressed up her black dress with a metallic necklace and clutch and teamed it with a pair of blue pumps. Very elegant and classy.

In Kambakht Ishq Kareena has paired her black dress with a hot pink pair of shoes. Note - she has let the shoes be the focus and has not worn any other accessories or jewelry. Absolutely love her look.

Now at the Kambakht Ishq Success Party, Priety Zinta took the look even further, she teamed her black dress with a to die for pair of bright orange Jimmy Choos.

You can only fleetingly see the shoes in this picture. Here is a closeup version

My only complaint with Priety's look - she should have ditched the velvet jacket and eased up on the Botox.

Source: Indiaglitz, santabanta

Kambakkht Ishq Success Party

Is Kambakkt Ishq really a success? The critics have panned the movie but looks the producer seems to be dancing all the way to the bank and hence the success party. Take a look at the fashions at the party.

First the stars:

Twinkle looks remarkable, she rarely disappoints. Love the style, fit and color of her Badgley Mishka dress. Also like it being paired with diamond and emerald earrings and nude shoes and clutch. Akki too never disappoints - he is always bad. Wearing a v-neck sequenced shirt and matching grey shoes????? Has his wife stopped looking in his direction?

Kareena is ok - nice shirt, neat pair of jeans, nude shoes ( you get it - they are in). But bows on your shoes - please no - they should stop at age 5. Kareena's side-kick Amrita is bearable here than in the previous post. She has again donned a Sky dress but toned down the accessories - thank goodness. Don't care much for her shoes either.

Can't tell if Katrina's green number is a maxi or a gown. It falls in the in between zone. She has done the no-accessories look which is ok but she could have at least gotten the dress sized to her length.

Sridevi her has the Match Much look going. Purple shirt with a purple Dior bag. Too much purple - either wear the shirt and add a neutral bag or wear a white/black shirt and carry the purple bag. I sincerely hope she was not wearing purple shoes as well.

Now for the Socialites:

I like Anu Dewan's Moschino dress and neutral pumps. I love her Bottega Veneta clutch. This clutch in any color is delicious.

I find Kaykashan's animal print dress teamed with a classic black Chanel look too safe. She can do better.

Source: Viral Bhayani, Filmicafe

Update on: How (NOT) to dress for a BBQ

Just yesterday, I made suggestions on how to dress for a pool party or a BBQ. Take a look at Amrita Arora's picture below - she seems to have followed my advice to a T - but with disastrous consequences. This is a great opportunity to show you how you can mess up style ideas.

My suggestions were:

Wear a maxi (in a solid color or in a light print) - She has maxi on alright but with an embellished neckline and a spectrum of color - What went wrong here - either have an embellished neckline OR a slew of colors - NOT BOTH.

Pile on kadas - sure she has done that, but she has used a kada as an arm band and some on her wrist. Either do an arm band or wear kadas, YOU CANNOT DO BOTH.

Wear metallic gladiator/sandals - two strap sandals are so 2005 - no matter which designer you wear. Ditch them please.

Additionally - she has done the following:

Maxi is too long - if you are going to team maxi with flats, have the dress end at your ankles.

Too much blush - very tarty

Red sunglasses - perched on red cheeks with a multi-colored maxi. Blinding effect. A solid black or tortoise shell pair would have been great.

Hair band/hair piece - too much going on. Keep it casual with a maxi - don't confuse your maxi for a gown.

Source: Mastione

Doing Casual Right

It is my pet peeve. Why do we seldom get casual right? We do just fine for weddings and formal events but come casual it is a mess. Even our stars with all the stylists and designers at their disposal seem to have a tough time with that.

Check out the following pics. Let's take a look at what works and what needs work ( I am starting from who I think needs the most help)

Katrina looks like she fell out of bed, picked up and put on what was on the floor and walked out the door. From her rumpled, un-cuffed shirt to the greenish white sneakers, she is a disaster. If you have to wear a black shirt blue jeans combo. I would:

Roll up the shirt sleeves to near the elbows

Pile on some chunky metallic kadas

And add metallic gladiator sandals.

Now how difficult is that? This would have defi taken her from drab to fab.

Kareena has most of her look down fine. White ruffled tshirt - check, shaded sunglasses - check. But silver sneakers - I think she was influenced by her Kambakht Ishq costar Akshay's silver shoes (see an earlier post). Girl, metallic - yes, sneakers - no. A pair of silver gladiators would have nailed this look.

Looks like both women wanted to wear flats - then something like this pair from Cole Haan would have worked for both Katrina and Kareena.

And then there is Bipasha. She has it right ( my only worry is that I could not find a full Length picture and could not see her shoes).

She has all the right trends in place. White sleeveless shirt, jeans, armful of bracelets and a messenger bag ( so in right now). The more fringe you have on your bag, the better.

Sources: nordstroms, nowrunning, filmicafe, bollywoodhungama

What to wear to a BBQ

Yes, I know July 4th has passed but summer has not. There will still be a slew of pool parties and BBQs. So the same fashion fundas will apply.

Since the maxi is so huge this summer, I would definitely suggest going with a bright colored or floral print maxi. Team them with, the also very in, flat sandals and tons of chunky kadas. Kareena Kapoor is very into the maxi trend. Take a look at her pictures from various events for ideas.

Source: mahiram.com, chicbollywood.com

Hello again

I have been away from the blog for the last 3 months as my life just kicked into high gear and got super busy. I have had several requests to restart it and while I was weighing my options, I got hit with tons of fashion questions on how to dress and what to wear for several occasions.

I got a ton of questions last week on "what should I wear for a July 4th BBQ". So this gave me the impetuous to restart with a little variation in format. I will post the fashion do's and dont's and faux pas, but if you have any fashion questions please email those to me at:

desidiva.fashion@gmail.com



I will post the answers on the blog for every ones benefit.

Here is to new beginnings.

Desi Diva

Lakhme Fashion Week - Manish Malhotra

I am a huge fan of Manish Malhotra's designs - love the colors he uses and his color pairing is unparalleled. I expected something more from Manish than his current showing, and I am sure these ladies did too.


From L to R : Sophie Chaudhry, Asin, Sridevi, Manish, Anushka and Deepika

Take a look at these pictures and I will explain why I am so disappointed with the collection.

These clothes are nice - but they are not Manish Malhotra nice - do you know what I mean? Where is the drama, where is the wow factor? You could buy this stuff at any Indian store. And what is with the cutouts in the peach chudidar - nasty man. And to top it all off he used Genelia and Tussar ( or whatever his current name is) as show stoppers, why? Why do this to yourself?

Source: Viral Bhayani; filmicafe