Fashion Blends

Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for your support. I have received many emails from you asking me why I had stopped writing and encouraging me to restart and to continue. That really means a lot to me.

I wanted to let you know that because of your encouragement, I have restarted - but with a different format.

Please check out my new blog at:

http://fashionblends.blogspot.com

I hope you like and support this blog as much as Desi Diva.

Once again a heartfelt THANKS :)

Cross Body Bags

Gone are the days of small purses, wallets or backpacks. Gone also are the days of the messenger bag - meet their in demand new avatar, the cross body bag.

The only differences that I see between the messenger bags and the cross body bags are that the cross body bag are larger and roomier and are not as casual as their older counterparts. Now even Hermes and Chanel have their versions.

The young un's in Bollywood have caught on to the trend - of course they would, the cross body bags are practical, fun, look dressy and now also come in designer brands (I lust after Kareena's Hermes one!!!)

Kareena's Diet

Kareena Kapoor probably has the most enviable figure in B'Town (baring a certain Ms. Shetty, who has been "helped" to achieve hers).

You wonder how she maintains this, considering the irregular hours and the amount of travel involved in her line of work. Does she not get tempted to indulge and party? I am sure she does, but she also gets paid big bucks to look the way she does.

Apparently, she has a different diet for when she is in India, for when she is flying to a shooting location and then one for the new locale. As she is a self-confessed foodie - she likes to try the local cuisine - her dietician Rujuta Divekar, plans her menu to incorporate the local cuisine but still maintain the required caloric count.(The pic of Kareena above was taken at the launch of Rujuta' s new fitness book)

Recently, Kareena was in Las Vegas to shoot her new movie "Short Term Shaadi" - there she indulged in everything pasta, pizza, risotto etc (FYI - she is now a vegetarian) but in moderation and sticking to her portion sizes. Her yoga instructor who travels with her too ascertains that she sticks to her exercise routine at all the various locales. Kareena's eats 5-7 small meals per day and snacks on chana, sing and makhane (roasted chickpeas, peanuts and lotus seeds) through out the day. She also drinks a lot of water. It was reported that when she went clubbing with her friends in Vegas, she carried a bottle of milk with her - so that she could drink and be full at the same time and would not need to indulge in any more food after her cut off time.

Keep these tips in mind - to help get her enviable bod.

Hair - Apparent

Why is that most of us limit are hair styling to just leaving our hair down? The most I see, is the younger women using an iron, maybe, to tame their frizzy coarse hair.

You mention styling and they immediately think of updos, which is good, but what is bad is our idea of updos has stopped at the over curled, over sprayed bouffants of the 70's. Why can't we get past this???

The younger lot of actresess have actually gotten past this hurdle and have modernized/simplified hair styling. Take a look at the pictures above, Sonam Kapoor has fun styling her hair, she has been spotted sporting a low side ponytail, a high slicked back ponytail etc. Kareena and Malaika too have been spotted sporting messy buns and high ponytails with dressy outfits.

If you have to wear your hair down, at least trying some braiding to add some edge to the same plain old. If your hair is too short to sport any of these styles, it would be fun to layer your hair like Bipasha's and style them to look trendy.

This is the beginning of the new year - break away from the rut and try something new!!!

Bag Snob

I love bags - both day and evening and I worship the classics and follow the trends. Having a fair amount of exposure to the Page 3 crowd in India - here is what I have gathered are the top 3 day bags and top 3 evening clutches:

Day Bags:

The most coveted bag in India (and world wide) has got to be the Hermes Birkin. These bags start at approximately $10,000 a pop. The exotic versions costing almost twice as much. I would love to get my hands on this bag in it's classic orange Hermes color. Apparently in the US, there is a wait time of approx. 1 year to get this bag (from the time you order it)

The most classic bag of all times has to be Chanel. The Chanel bag is iconic and ageless!!! It never goes out of style and looks good no matter what the age of the person carrying it is. This is one bag that is worth spending the big bucks on cause it will last for generations to come.

And the "IT" bag currently is the Balenciaga. Since last year, the demand for this bag has escalated and it seems to be the flavor of the season. Also the most reasonable bag of the group - it starts at around $1200.

Evening:

The top evening clutch from time in memorial is the Judith Leiber. Most of the Maharani's of the era's gone by boasted of their large Leiber collections. Of the current lot, Shilpa Shetty can claim to have the same.

The other very popular clutch is the BV Knot. It comes in a delish array of colors and many of our divas boast huge collection.

A recent entrant on the scene has been the Alexander McQueen clutch. This clutch and it's sister, the Knuckle Box Clutch, are seen carried by the younger edgier crowd.

So now you have it - your cheat sheet on the bags of the moment!!!!

M.A.C + Mickey Contractor

I had been reading, since November of last year, that Mickey Contractor was going to launch his own makeup collection for MAC. It was going to be a limited edition collection to be launched on January 6, 2011 and to be sold only in the US.

I read all the previews, saw all the colors and decided on the shades and products I wanted to buy. On the morning of Jan 6, logged on to the computer, saw that the collection had been launched and decided to go to the local MAC store, check out the colors for myself and buy them. I got to the store around 11am and spoke to the store manager - she said SORRY - the collection is being sold only at the top 20 MAC stores in the country and unfortunately our store is not one of them. WHAT???????? She further informed me that my only option was to buy them online. And she added - going by the phone calls I have been receiving since the last several weeks I would not wait too long to do so.

Ok, so how many people would actually be aware of the launch, let only be set to buy the products on the first day, let alone first couple of hours????? Or so I mistakenly thought. I was back at my computer at around 2pm and decided to buy the make up - GUESS WHAT??? THEY WERE SOLD OUT OF BOTH THE LIPSTICKS AND BLUSHES I WANTED - ON THE FIRST DAY!!!!!IN THE FIRST COUPLE OF HOURS!!!!!!!!!! SOB SOB SOB :(

This could not be happening - I had been obsessing about this collection for months. I should have bought them when I logged on in the morning.............

If any of you have been lucky enough to get your hands on the lipsticks and blushes please let me know what you think of the colors ( more salt on my wounds). I would love to hear from you.

Darling - 7 Khoon Maaf

Hi in 2011.

My first posting of the year. Yea.....I wanted to make it a fun musical one. So, here it is:

You have to hear the song - "Darlinggggggggggg - Ankhon se Ankhen Char Kar Le" -it is from the upcoming Priyanka Chopra movie - 7 Khoon Maaf.

It is a Vishal Bharadwaj movie and is based on Ruskin Bond's short story "Sussana's Seven Husbands". It is a movie about this girl who woos, marries and kills seven men.

I don't think the music has been released officially but the promo is out on TV and on You Tube. You should really check it out.

Mirrors replaced

I saw this Marc by Marc Jacob's bag and felt a strange affinity towards it. I now know why.

It reminds me of a Rajasthani or Gujarati batua. Here the abhla or mirrors have been replaced by grommets and studs and ofcourse it is not a cloth batua.

I really like this bag, imagine how cute it would look with jeans and a white tank during the day and with any solid colored dress in the evening. It defi makes a statement.

Spring is in the Air

This is my trend list for spring:

Pretty pastel dresses

Nude heels ( or for the more daring CLOGs)

Clutches with studs and chains

Armor rings

Putty colored polish

Snake skin/print handbags

Fergie is spot on with the trend. Check out how cute she looks in the pale grey cotton dress with studded wedge shoes, studded handbag and a big chunky ring.




Look at those nude pumps Anna Lynne has on and she has added an edginess to her outfit by layering those necklaces on.

Tip - pair a pretty pastel dress with nude heels, add on some big edgy rings and a clutch or bag that has metal - this will save you from looking Barbie doll-ish in a pastel dress.



Source: Just Jared

It's been a while

I have been going back and forth on this blog. Fashion is something I need on a daily basis along with air and water ( I can skimp on the food). But there never seem to be enough hours in the day to do everything I want to do.

This is another attempt to restart this blog and to commit and stick with it this time around.

Cheers.

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