Padma Honours for Sridevi & Sharmila Tagore

IFP gets you a glimpse into the latest event wherein Bollywood got the top Padma Honours – actress Sharmila Tagore was awarded with Padma Bhushan & Sridevi was awarded with Padma Shri for their respective contribution to Indian Cinema. They were conferred this honour by President of India – Pranab Mukherjee. Actor Rajesh Khanna will receive Padma Bhushan posthumously.

Photo Courtesy : NDTV.com

When it comes to style, these beautiful ladies never disappoint us………..Both Sharmila & Sridevi opted for silk sarees for this occasion. Classic, Graceful and so beautiful.

Marrakech Film Festival 2012

Marrackech Film Festival which was held in Morocco paid tribute to Indian cinema where numerous Bollywood celebrites graced the red carpet. Here is a look at the red carpet of this event.

Priyanka Chopra & Ileana D’Cruz made it on the red carpet of Marrakech Film Festival where their movie ‘Barfi’ was showcased. I did happen to see Ileana at the Mumbai International airport on her way to the festival dressed in her casual bests. Even on the red carpet Ileana gets my vote in this Tarun Tahiliani outfit over Priyanka’s choice in ‘Manish Malhotra’ lehenga. I felt that Priyanka’s hair killed the entire look but her outfit was beautiful. Style wise Ileana looked amazing with her updo and the saree-gown outfit.

 

Glad Priyanka opted for black saree from Ritu Kumar’s recent collection. The lace sleeve blouse & the straight hair made Priyanka look uber sexy……..I am all for this alluring look. 

Hrithik Roshan along with wife Sussane made a dashing red carpet appearance after a long time. Hrithik was dressed in tuxedo while Sussane wore a Abu Jani – Sandeep Khosla design.

Hrithik also looked good in white tuxedo on Day 2 at the film festival while Sussane kept it simple in a black gown. Wish Sussane would add in more colour to her choices than always play safe when it comes to dressing up for the red carpet.

Arjun & Mehr Rampal were present at this event, wherein Arjun’s latest movie ‘Chakravyuh’ was screened. Mehr stayed true to her favorite designer ‘Tarun Tahiliani’ though I wish she would have taken a dupatta with this outfit………..basic black bandhgala for Arjun & complimenting him in a black & golden anarkali, This couple do rock the red carpet with an ease. 🙂

Malaika Arora Khan went the traditional route in this ‘Manish Malhotra’ lehenga though the outfit is simple but Malaika made it work with beautiful accessories. 🙂

Kalki Koechlin & Anurag Basu also made an appearance on the red carpet……..Kalki’s choice was ‘Sabyasachi’ outfit & a hairband matching it while Anurag was the surprise in a bandhgala. The couple did look good and do get IFP’s thumbs up for co-ordinating their looks so well. 🙂 🙂

As much as I am a fan of Amitabh Bachchan, the shiny jackets that he wears always make me cringe the moment I look at them. Sirji please opt for colors which soothe the eye not make them wanna shut due to it’s shine. 😦

Sharmila Tagore is always a beautiful sight on or off the red carpet. She spells elegance & class in every look of hers. At this film festival Sharmilaji wore a pink as well as a blue saree. I loved the way she co-ordinated her saree with a rich embroidered, velvet jacket.

Sridevi who never stops to amaze me also opted for a ‘Manish Malhotra’ outfit in red & blue. Though I am not a fan of floor length anarkali but Sridevi looked fabulous in this one.

Socialite & Dior Ambassador in India Kalyani Chawla went the Anamika Khanna way in this beautiful golden beige lehenga. Though I do wish she would have used more eye-catching jewelry with this outfit. Nonetheless she did make her mini Dior blend well with her look.

Photo Courtesy : Zimbio.com

Designer and their Muse

The word ‘Muse’ has been often used by fashion writers and magazine, but as any other person I used to wonder what it meant?? Over time I have understood that ‘Muse’ means a source of inspiration for artists………..our designers are definitely no less than one. Centuries ago Mona Lisa inspired the greatest word of Leonardo Da’Vinci, in todays world every designer has an ‘inspiration’ behind their collection. I just wanted to list down some of the best ‘Designer-Muse’ pairing so far in India………the muse have not just worn the designer’s creations, but the designer in turn has given their image a glamorous look everytime they needed to stand out of the crowd. Some have been like ‘Fairy Godmother’ to the celebrities, while some designer took loads of inspiration from the celebrity’s style to feed their creativity. Their amazing combination has changed the face of couture in India….here is a write-up of what I have thought to be the best ‘Designer-Muse’ union till date.

Tarun Tahiliani & Shilpa Shetty

Both the ‘Designer’ Tarun Tahiliani and the ‘Muse’ Shilpa Shetty never needed any introduction before they started off working together. Tarun was well-known for his brilliance in designing and Boutique ‘Ensemble’, while had been charming the audience for more than a decade. But once they did get together for the styling part, it was fireworks and tons of it. This has to be the best union in terms of fashion as designer Tarun Tahiliani gave a new lease of life to the Shilpa Shetty’s style. And we were head over heels in love with Shilpa again. The magic of Tarun Tahiliani’s outfits and Shilpa’s grace worked wonders on the red carpet and at fashion weeks. Tarun turned Shilpa in to an Egyptian Queen, a blushing Bride and a beautiful Gypsy as a show-stopper during fashion weeks, each one left an alluring impression on our minds. Tarun even designed Shilpa’s Bridal Trousseau for her high profile wedding. All I can say that we are yet to have our fill of this ‘Designer-Muse’ association.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee & Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan was known as the beautiful & talented actress who had a very girl-next-door sort of an image, but sadly she was never among the stylish ones. She was humiliated and criticized for her disastrous fashion sense and literally written off by many fashionistas. But a chance encounter of Vidya Balan with designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee on the set of ‘Paa’ turned the things around forever. It was Vidya on the magazine cover, on the red carpet, on the billboard………everywhere you went, you were ought to notice the ‘brand’ new Vidya Balan. Sabyasachi understood Vidya looks which spelt ‘old world charm’ and styled her likewise. He never took out the element of ‘Innocence’ & ‘simplicity’ from her looks yet added in a bit of ‘sensuality’. Whenever I see Vidya dressed up in a Sabyasachi outfit, I think vintage, 1950s,  classic, elegant….something that can never be forgotten. The sarees, the kurtis, the dresses…..I love her in any Sabyasachi design as she looks splendid and different from her peers. Today fashionistas line up just to catch a glimpse of Vidya’s red carpet look while Vidya makes it a point to always be in the front row during fashion weeks to cheer for designer Sabyasachi.

Manish Malhotra and Kareena Kapoor

Designer Manish Malhotra gave a make-over to Kareena’s elder sister Karisma during ‘Raja Hindustani’……..so he had to be the one designer Kareena could go to whenever she needed help in the style department. Manish found another beautiful ‘Muse’ while Kareena got listed among ‘India’s Best Dressed’. He has designed for Kareena not just off-screen but also on-screen while keeping in mind the different characters she enacted in the movies. We saw her as the glamorous ‘Poo’ in Kabhi Khushi, Kabhi Gham, the bold woman in ‘Chameli’ the vivacious ‘Geet’ in ‘Jab We Met’ or the sweet girl in recent ‘Bodyguard’………Manish created magic while designing a new look for Kareena and of course the masses followed the trends after watching these movies. I always see a reflection of the ‘Kareena’ in every new collection of Manish….the outfits are sexy, beautiful and chic just like his ‘Muse’. I do hope this fashionable  ‘Designer-Muse’ pair keep giving us alluring looks for years to come.

Gauri-Nainika & Bipasha Basu

All three are young, attractive and brainy women………..that’s a lot to start with the best ‘Designer-Muse’ combination. I think it was just a matter of timing that these three had to come together for creating the best looks till date on the red carpet. Bipasha Basu is someoen who I feel looks her best in a western attire, Gauri & Nainika just dressed her in the best of gowns and dresses. The element of ‘Sexiness’ was intact in their minds whenever they had to dress Bipasha. They gave her a very fashion forward look while making her stand out of the crowd. The designer duo definitely designs the best gowns in India that reflect style in every drape…..designing for Bipasha was perhaps the best thing that ever happened to them. Each one of Bipasha’s best red carpet looks are designed by Gauri & Nainika. The trio have given us one of the most sophisticated looks on the red carpet which I do wish continues for years to come.

Ritu Kumar & Sharmila Tagore

Ritu Kumar’s designs have spelt ‘Royalty’ over the years while Sharmila Tagore is a bonafide royal…….the coming together of both simply meant ‘Magic’. Sharmila & Ritu hve been friends for many decades and still continue to compliment each other like a ‘Designer-Muse’ pair. Ritu Kumar might have dressed a number of well known women, but I feel Sharmila has to be the best amongst all. Shramila has poise, grace & majestic look, the same attributes are present in a Ritu Kumar creation. So it never came as a surprise to me when I saw Sharmila Tagore and her daughter Soha Ali Khan walk the runway in Mughal inspired designs at Ritu Kumar’s ‘Falaknuma’ showcasing……..Sharmila looked every bit like a Queen.

Photo courtesy: www.yahoo.co.in

Synergy One Delhi Couture Week 2011 – Day 3

The collections are getting brighter and more amazing as the days are passing by at Delhi Couture Week……..Day 3 was equally eventful with designers like Ashima-Leena, Shantanu-Nikhil and Manish Malhotra. Here is your sneak peek…….the entire collection will be soon uploaded on IFP.

Manish Malhotra

Sonam Kapoor was a show-stopper for Manish Malhotra…………..thankfully she did not take the limelight away from the outfits and blended with sheer ease as one of the models. She is not just a pretty actress but can double up as a model also given her tall height and alluring features. I think that is what was perfect to Manish Malhotra’s new bridal creations which was showcased…………it did have the signature ‘MM’ look with loads of layers, gotta and detail works……perfect for the upcoming festive season. As for me the clothes were kind of ‘I have seen this before’ moment for me. I desired more drama in the outfits instead of styling…………….nonetheless the clothes were beautiful.

Photo Courtesy : Prokerala.com &Vogue India

Ashima Leena

The Royalty will definitely love Ashima Leena’s amazing new collection which spelt ‘Classic’ as well as ‘Traditional’………..no wonder they had a ‘Royal’ walking as a show-stopper for them. Sharmila Tagore wore a Kurti combined with Lehenga in subtle shades………..the collection was thankfully not ‘over the top’ and amazed by the simplicity of the creations……..I feel that it will suit women of all ages. Simply loved the pleasant colours which the designer duo had incorporated in their creations…………purple,peach, rani pink, beige, green…..one word for their collection ‘Fabulous’.

Shantanu & Nikhil

Shantanu & Nikhil created a fusion of Western with India which they do with such ease……….the layers of fabric molded to form lehengas, skirts, gowns……..the colour palette were more of dreamy shades like sky blues, whites, yellows………and of course the highlight had to be actress Sonakshi Sinha walking in a white ensemble which consisted of a fitted jacket with a layered Lehenga…………she reminded me of a bride walking down the aisle…….sigh. I think she has never looked better on the ramp before this appearance. To the designer duo, kudos for making Sonakshi look glamorous, while the rest of creation very alluring………….browny point for wearability.
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Anju Modi

 

I had liked Anju’s earlier collection displayed in WLIFW,  this seemed like an extension of her earlier work only it was much better. The fit,the cut, the use of drapes and layers was beautiful. The outfits were elegant yet sensuous………..I am sure they would make any woman feel like a ‘Queen’. The net lehengas, velvet jackets, chiffon sarees, satin corsets……..sheer elegance. I love the detail work in silver which Anju has used in certain outfits……………I have not seen much of detail work of that sort this season. Shraddha Kapoor was the show stopper for Anju Modi…………..she looked magnificient in a golden corset combined with net lehenga.

IIFA Awards 2011 – Green Carpet

The Final day at IIFA Award 2011 arrived with so much of craziness all around. The entire Bollywood is have a ball at Toronto and making it’s presence felt in the far west. We have gotta see what the star looked like on the Green Carpet at this event………….even Hollywood celebrities turned up for the event………now that’s what I call Glam……

Shahrukh Khan

King Khan we know that you loooooooovvvvveeee black whenever you are on the red carpet, in this case the green carpet…………..but please give us a surprise once in a blue moon. He arrived in a basic black suit with a black shirt and to top it all a black tie………….he does look dapper, but I need a change from the routine………..seriously.

Bipasha Basu

Bipasha Basu looked every bit Glam in her Ramona Narang outfit in beige with golden accessories and coral nail paint. Though I feel the dress was just too short for the event but I am glad to know that she did change into a black gown afterwards before appearing on stage. Nonetheless she does justice to this outfit and looks great. Only she could have carried this outfit off with such an ease……..

Anil Kapoor and Hilary Swank

 

Handsome man with a beautiful woman as an arm candy are always a ‘Hit’ on the green carpet………….and Anil kept both these elements in his mind. Thank god he opted for a black suit with a golden beige tie looking every bit like a gentleman…….seems like he did take tips from beti Sonam…..:-) As for Hilary Swank, perfect is the only word for her.

Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra wore a ‘Manish Malhotra’ Summer collection for IIFA………….a white lucknowi detail work lehenga with silver gotta and a velvet blouse to add the much desired pop of colour. Love the outfit but it falls flat due to the styling part….. I wish she could have gathered the ‘pallu’ and left it on her left instead of drapping it across. But Priyanka does look pretty when it comes to her make-up and hair.

Malaika Arora Khan

Malaika Arora Khan came in to shock me with her choice of outfit…………a one shoulder lace number with a cut out waist pattern spoiled the look for this beautiful lady. Plus the heavy earrings did no good either. The hair, the accessories, the dress, sadly looked disastrous on Malaika. Let’s just say that it was not her day at the IIFA Awards.

Anushka Sharma

Anushka Sharma also came in as a surprise to me when she dressed up in a ‘Sabyasachi’ saree for the event. I had expected her to go in for a demure gown or a short dress…………..sadly this ensemble did not excite. Seen this before on other actress as well but Anushka looks pretty as ever. She even took home the trophy home………maybe Sabyasachi is lucky for the leading ladies of bollywood???

Sonakshi Sinha

Flawless, flawless, flawless is my review of this pretty young star…………….the all shimmer dress in black, a Bottega Veneta clutch and a pink flowers in her updo was what I am looking out for a red carpet look. Sonakshi just delivered that look effortlessly looking like a million bucks. Love the dress, the styling and the make-up. She gets two thumbs up for getting it right with her 1950s look on the red carpet……..

Sridevi 

Woooooooooooohhhhhhhhhoooooooo, Sridevi is such a Diva in this red gown which reminds me of aValentino due to the drape of the gown. The pulled back hair updo look, the diamond accessories, I am all eyes for her, even at this age she looks better than ever………….young ladies entering the filmi duniya, go take some lessons from her on how to be a star at any age.

Shilpa Shetty

Shilpa Shetty in an off shoulder black gown is a good idea but add in a chucky necklace and a bright large purple clutch with lace shoes…………….then you have the recipe for red carpet disaster. But this time around hubby Raj Kundra looked good in this understated look…………Shilpa should have ideally ditched the clutch, opted for a ruby & diamond neck piece and wore a Jimmy Choos for this event………….I am sure she would have looked heavenly.

Sharmila Tagore

The gracious Sharmila Tagore was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award which made me think that she is way too young to get this award. I mean look at this pic above and you will realize that she still looks amazingly beautiful more than the actress these days. The saree, the jadau necklace, the simple hair & make-up…………….one word for this Diva – ‘Classic’. She is the Audrey Hepburn of Bollywood for sure.

Genelia D’souza

Genelia D’souza came all dressed in a Gaurav Gupta gown for the event, though I am not that impressed by the detail work on the one shoulder pattern plus the layered trail on the side……….I must say that Genelia still looked pretty in this outfit. The beige-golden colour and the hair were appropriate for such events, just the clutch somehow seemed out of place. I do expect Genelia to give us better red carpet look next time around.

Photo credits : http://www.daylife.com, http://www.ndtv.com

Ritu Kumar’s ‘Falaknuma’ Collection

Ritu Kumar who has dressed so many woman across the world in her Bridal creation, has yet again captured several hearts with her recent ‘Falaknuma’ Bridal collection. The event was held in Mumbai while the same creations were showcased on the ramp in Delhi where mother-daughter duo Sharmila Tagore & Soha Ali Khan graced the runway as show-stoppers. In Mumbai Actress/Activist Shabana Azmi and Actress Dia Mirza walked the runway for Ritu.

I like the fact that Ritu selected her show-stoppers very smartly…………….these women were either belonged to Royal families or were connected to royalty in some way. Like Sharmila & Soha belong to the Royal Family of Pataudi, while Dia Mirza is from the Royal city of ‘Hyderabad’ and Shabana Azmi belongs to the family of  Poets whom I consider essence of Mughal Era.  All of them have been influenced by regal forms in their lifetime and the same was beautifully reflected when they walked down the ramp dressed in Ritu’s creations.

Dia Mirza looking like a Queen in this attire which is inspired by our Mughal Heritage.

Shabana Azmi showing her regal side to the world in this splendid Ritu Kumar outfit

Sharmila Tagore and Soha Ali Khan walk hand in hand with Designer Ritu Kumar on her showcasing of ‘Falaknuma’ collection held in New Delhi last year.

 

Photo courtesy : http://www.masala.com

Here is your sneak peek at what the Collection has to offer to the women all around craving for a piece of Indian Royal Heritage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

India International Jewellery Week 2010 – Day 3

Oh My god!!! Just when I thought the glamour factor was over at the IIJW 2010…………..In walks the most talented lot of Bollywood. I am happy that these ladies even though were wearing the most exquisite jewellery still had their charm intact…………….Ladies I am talking about are Sharmila Tagore and Konkona Sen Sharma. Nonetheless there were many other also walking down the ramp…………….take a look at them too.

Sonal Chauhan was the show-stopper for Choksi Vachhraj Makanji & Co. dressed in all black ensemble with gold jewellery…………….The shimmery body suit topped with a black skirt was sheer disaster, the hairstyle was over the board, the broad black leather waist belt added more fuel to the horrendous fashion fire…………………that’s alot to take the focus off the beautiful jewellery. Honestly I would have preferred Sonal wearing a lehenga with all that jewellery……….a beautiful lady like her should look classy and this is a sure example of trashy.

Sharmila Tagore looked awesome wearing a black shimmery saree and diamond in white gold jewellery from Sawansukha Jewellers…………..the saree despite being blingy was perfect background for the jewellery………I cannot and would not even dare to find any mistake in her attire be it the hair, the outfit or the make-up……………Sharmila is perfection personified…………….Elegant as ever.

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Konkona Sen Sharma is the celebrity whom I always wanted to see on the runway wearing the beautiful Indian creations………my wish came true but only in context to the jewellery. I always used to wonder why aren’t the designers inviting Konkona to be the show-stopper for their creations…………. with that charming face walking the ramp for top-notch designers like Muzzafer Ali, JJ Valaya or Sabyasachi Mukherjee, any outfit will look worth a million dollars. Coming back to IIJW 2010, Konkona sashyed the ramp for ‘Amrapali’ wearing a kundan Rani Haar, earrings with a ruby plus kundan choker……………I wish she would have given a miss to the choker and gone for a similar kundan choker matching the Rani Haar……………still Konkona was able to carry it off effortlessly.

The pieces were set on a perfect backdrop of a beige & golden saree………the jewellery is exquisite indeed with the Rani Haar & the matha tikka giving a sense of old-time charm. Kudos to Amrapali for alluring jewellery and keeping it classic for today’s women.

The Amrapali Choker in rubies and kundan which Konkona adorns is shown above. You can check the rest of Amrapali collection in our Contemporary Jewels post.

Sagarika Ghatge also made her presence felt on the runway when she wore the jewellery created by Manubhai Zaveri Jewellers. Sagarika wore a black lace saree with a net blouse with heavy indian jewellery…………….the jewllery did get the desired emphasis in this outfit but the saree could have been replaced by a bright colour lehenga with minimal  matt golden embroidery work so that the audience’s focus remains on the jewels. The Rani Haar is covering the matching necklace which I would have loved to see……………….facae up Sagarika looks very pretty………………..the outfit part is what needed some attention. The jewels as seen on other models and Sagarika are striking and very in ‘vogue’. The gold is kept basically in matt with a lot of work with precious stones. Love the cuff plus bangle combination which Sagarika is wearing.

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Sandip Soparkkar and wife Jesse Randhawa were the show-stoppers for Rhea Nasta’s jewellery collection which was further divided into 3 categories – Villandi, Cocktail & Sparkler. Sandip Soparkkar had choreographed an on stage ‘drama’ with Jesse which had a very ‘Cinderella’ theme attached to it……….the shoe was of course the centre of the drama……………studded with 1,200 diamonds in white gold, the rare piece was the priced creation of designer Rhea Nasta.

You can view the entire collection of these jewellery designers at www.nowrunning.com

 Photo Courtesy : www.nowrunning.com, www.daylife.com

How to dress in your 60s and beyond!!

In a party where there are plenty of women in their 20s and 30s looking gorgeous in their designer outfits, only one woman wearing an elegant beige colour sequin embroidered Saree with minimal make-up on her face, a strand of white pearls combined with a beige colour shoe manages to gather admiration from me as well as the crowd…………..that is the power of a wise woman in her 60s………..she can still give the young pretty ladies a run for their money when it comes to style.

Somehow after doing a ‘Google’ search on Indian celebrities in their 50s and 60s I could hardly find a handful of celebrities of this age……………..are we biased only preferring the young pretty ladies, forgetting the women who was also a style icon in the earlier years………………. honestly I am yet to find a Meryl Streep or Barbra Streisand of India………….but I do admire few celebrities as seen in the picture gallery below,  since they have stood through decades with their timeless style.

Comfort is essential part for a woman in her 60s, hence many prefer wearing Salwar Kameez, Saree and Trousers with small heel or flats. Draping a stole around your neck or on the shoulder is another style I adore so have loads of them in your wardrobe………….colour choices can vary from neutrals to earthy tones to any colour that suits your skin tone. Baby pinks, beige and off-white colour are my favourite for woman of this age group. Diamonds might be a woman’s best friend but pearls work best for a woman in her 60s. I also like the style of Maharani Padmini Devi of Jaipur and Sharmila Tagore for wearing kundan jewellery with Sarees……………sheer grace when I look at them. At this age the simpler a woman dresses, the better are the results. Now by being simple I do not mean to go with out any glitter…………….add the shimmer factor but make sure it is not all over your outfit or jewellery. Salwar Kameez can be worn in any shades since this outfit is the easiest to carry off plus we Indians are lover of bright shades.

Go by your gut feeling when you want to buy an outfit for yourself…………no stylist is needed here. Have a bag for day wear, a clutch for night time  and a potli bag with your saree. Shoes can be mules, kitten heels, flats or our very own kolhapuri chappal………….designer or not, it does not matter but avoid too high heels. My personal favourtie are Charles & Keith’s collection for daywear/nightwear plus their shoes are so comfortable. The biggest advantage of being in your 60s is that whatever you wear you have been the trendsetter for ages. So go ahead and just be yourself lady.