Day: September 23, 2016

Textile looks that ruled the ramp at india runway week winter festive 2016..!!

We have been hearing a lot about make in india under PM Modi and even Smriti Irani promoting weavers of India and Indian textile lately and so did the textile and make in India ruled the ramp of lately held IFFD’s India Runway Week Season7.

The opening show on DAY1 was completely dedicated to Indian textiles where Bibi Russel’s “Rajasthali” showcased varied khadi looks. Daniel Siyem showcased north eastern textiles under his collection “Breathe Easy”. We saw colors, Pret collections nicely done and easy to wear.

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DAY1 later in the evening witnessed Ishithaa Design House by Deepika Sana Reddy showcased south Indian textiles. The winter festive bridal wear neatly done for any south indian bride is a must see for everyone south Indian. Stuido AV by Gaurav and Nitesh showcased textile Bridal wear. For anyone who thinks that textiles can be just plain piece of cloth is completely wrong. The drama, art textures colors all were seen in his collection.

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The Day 2 also witnessed textile designers such as Manika Sureka, Mithi Kalra and Disha Doshi Gandhi. “Euphoria” by Disha Doshi Gandhi, Captivating Ikat patterns have been used, whose colors reflect local heritage and are bright and contrasting, as per the theme of the collection. Geometry plays a considerate part within the whole collection. Since winter/festive collection, they used jackets, overcoats and scarves to complete the look. Designer has used Vionnet draping techniques implying the digital, futuristic structure that a person distingerates into.

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THE FLUTE ENCHANTER by Manika Surekha is the inspiration of the collection comes from the magnificent life of lord Krishna. Use of hand painted motifs with a fusion of fabrics forms the center of my collection. While keeping my inspiration as my focus in all my creations, the garments are very fresh and modern. The exaggerated flow in the garments is perfect for all body types. People long for the enchantments and gaieties of the rich lifestyle of lord Krishna and that is exactly what my collection lends. Enchanting flowers, peacocks, cows are symbolic of my collection which is in hues of the color blue. The use of many fabrics in one garment is my USP and that has been used extensively in this collection.

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” THE INDIAN DISNEY STORY”, by designer Mithi Kalra, speaks for itself. Dresses, gowns suited for a Princess, based on the traditional art of Madhubani, hand embroidered on pure silks and organza. The collection wonderfully and imaginatively combines the grace of a bygone era, with the modern day fashion. Madhubani painting is practiced in the Mithila state of Nepal and in the Bihar state of India. Painting is done with fingers, twigs, brushes, nib-pens, and matchsticks, using natural dyes and pigments, and is characterized by eye-catching geometrical patterns. There is ritual content for particular occasions, such as birth or marriage, and festivals, such as Holi, Surya Shasti,Kali Puja, Upanayanam, Durga Puja.

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Last but not lease Day 3 witnessed maximum textile designers such as Shilpa Chaurasia, Gauri Couture, Amru by Chandak Jena, Kanchankuntala Das, D n A by Deblina and Atul. BRIDALSUTRA by designer Shilpa Chourasia is the cerebral modern bride splurges on her trousseau as smartly as she plans her big crazy wedding.

Taking ques from her convertible lifestyle, designer Shilpa Chaurasia have crafted a genius Lehenga, which wraps and unwraps into two distinct styles. In time of instant gratification, the bridal designs are updated with easy quirky style solution for such immediate fashion transformation.

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THEME-Talk of the blocks presented by KanchanKuntala Das is made of blocks of fabric with balanced yet discontinued use of embroidery. The material used is handloom cotton and the multicolor hand embroidery shapes up the story of the collection. This collection is about the outrageous and lavish use of colors in single silhouettes. This is just to make people understand how dramatic and glamorous handloom can be if used in a different way.

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Amru by Chhandak Jana presents Padm’e The enchanting, elaborate and mystical Lotus motifs used in the wall paintings of Ajanta caves serve as the central theme for this collection. The lotus rooted in the mud blooms and blossoms into a beautiful flower, it detaches itself from the mud, grows through purifying water and reaches for sunlight- each of the garment in the collection uses lotus as a metaphor and points towards an individuals’ desire and aspiration for enlightenment.

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“Riwayat -ethereal rendition of Phulkari” collection by “Gauri couture” was an attempt to revive traditional art of handmade Phulkari by creating avenues of employment and social empowerment for rural women of Punjab. The collection was an ode to phulkari artisans. Bringing the models in vibrant colors of phulkari and bling of gotta work Gauri couture designers Nikheil, Rivendra and Twinkle shows ensembles that move in perfect harmony in style, silhouette and form. The collection offers women wear and menswear featuring silhouettes ranging from lehngas, robes, jackets, jodhpur pants, pakistani salwar, saree and kurtas. Collection is global in nature with mix of elegance, purism, exquisite craftsmanship i.e. handmade “Phulkari” with Style ranging from Avant-garde to classic.

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For the first time ever in the history of Indian Fashion weeks some designer has showcased knit wear made in Indian wool. Deblina and Atul premiered their collection –ARABESQUE which is entirely made up of Eco and skin- friendly Bamboo yarns knitted together to create magic spelling interesting ensembles. ARABESQUE the theme was indeed true to the amalgamation of contemporary and classical silhouettes and motifs. The range envisaged contemporary stylised drapes and fits, twisted in interesting colours to harmonise and knitted together in bamboo to form larger than life grandeur silhouettes . Shrugs and capes with the contemplating enlarged sleeves and spiral falls in knits stylized the models.

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Book Review: When Arya Fell Through The Fault

This is a book by Reenita Malhotra Hora who is an award winning broadcast journalist,Ayurveda clinician and author of books on Ayurveda and Finance.
Operation Mom:How I Got my Mother a Life and Man her debut fiction novel has been widely acclaimed and recognized as a must-read young adult book written by an Indian author.

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When Arya Fell Through The Fault is her second release in this genre.Reenita anchors a popular morning programme on Hongkong’s RTHK Radio 3.Her weekend storytelling show,Asian Threads won her a Gold Trophy at the New York festivals International Radio Programmes Awards.

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A native of Mumbai,she currently lives in Hongkong with her family.
The book essentially is the growing up tale of a twelve year old Arya a “Brownie” from San Francisco who is continuously ridiculed by his schoolmates be it for his color to his ethnic traditional food.
The boy has been brought up at home on traditional,fascinating and magical mythological stories by his ever cheerful Mom more precisely the Ramayan.
It is a tale of a typical child who is ridiculed by one and all and his endeavor by any means to get rid of the Brownie image by any means
His frustrations and trials and turbulations are aptly described.
In the eagerness to be accepted by others he takes to the path of evil despite his mothers stern warnings.
It so happens that he becomes the cause of a severe accident which leaves his mother in a state of coma.
The one thing Arya holds on to dearly is his mothers copy of the Ramayana.
From hereon the author very cleverly juxtaposes the young Aryas fight against evil through the characters of the Ramayana.
Does good prevail over evil,Is Arya able to save her Mom while fighting his own demons makes for a very interesting read.
Grab a copy and get ready to be transported to the glorious era of Ramayana.
Fascinating Read.
Highly recommended.


Available on Amazon


Price: Rs 125/-


Rating: 4/5 stars

Hugo Barra, Vice President, Xiaomi Launches MI Air Purifier 2 – A smart way to clean air !

Well well Xiaomi one of the leading technology giants who entered India in 2014 with their wide range of smartphones have now launched their first Smart Home Product the MI Air Purifier 2 in India and that too at a very very affordable price of INR 9,999 only.

It is a very intelligent product with really smart features that help you make the air you breathe cleaner and healthier without any fuss.

Bring home a Xiaomi Air Purifier 2, download the MI Home App and turn your smartphone into a remote to control for your MI Air Purifier. Put the Air Purifier on Auto Mode and it will automatically adjust itself to the air around using the inbuilt sensors so don’t have to keep checking time n again. It will also give you a reminder when the filter needs a change. The filter when need to be changed is easily available online.

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With the launch of Mi Air Purifier 2 in India, Xiaomi is poised to play a part in increasing awareness about air pollution in India and how technology can be applied to better people’s lives.

Hugo Barra, Vice President, Xiaomi, who was present for the launch, said: “Air pollution is becoming an alarming public health concern in India. It is heartening to see more conversation around the situation, but there is still a big gap when it comes to consumer awareness. We believe that we are able to play a role in increasing awareness about air pollution by including AQI data into our MIUI Weather app, and by introducing Mi Air Purifier 2 to India. At this game-changing price, Mi Air Purifier 2 is set to disrupt the air purifier category in India, enabling us to bring these technological innovations to everyone.”

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According to the World Health Organization, 22 of the world’s 50 most polluted cities are in India, contributed significantly by industrial and vehicular exhaust. Particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) — air pollutants with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less — are small enough to enter even the smallest airways and could result in respiratory and cardiovascular illness.

To increase awareness about air pollution, Xiaomi has now become the first smartphone brand in India to integrate Air Quality Index (AQI) data — which also reflects the measurement of PM2.5 particles in the air — into its MIUI 8 Weather app.

We all present at the launch were absorbing this useful information with great interest, as Mr Hugo Barra, went on to share these details with us.

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Mi Air Purifier 2 quickly removes PM2.5 particles, dust, indoor plant pollen, pet fur and more. With its high 310m3/h CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate), Mi Air Purifier 2 takes just 10 minutes to circulate purified air in a 21m2 room. Even so, the motor is extremely energy efficient with a low power consumption of 4.8W, while advanced aerodynamics reduce noise and wind resistance, resulting in a noise level as low as 30dB in Night mode.

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The 360° cylindrical filter on Mi Air Purifier 2 takes in air more efficiently from every direction compared to conventional air purifiers. Its triple-layer design removes particles larger than 0.3 microns with a high-density EPA filter, while an activated carbon filter removes formaldehyde, bad odour and other harmful substances.

Mi Air Purifier 2 will be available on Mi.com starting 26th September at 12 PM. It will also be available on Flipkart (exclusive partner) from 2nd October.


Here are some key features of Mi Air Purifier 2:

  • Real-time AQI monitoring, Wi-Fi connectivity
  • Mi Home app smart controls (Android and iOS)
  • Aerodynamic air vortex, up to 37m2 (400 sq. ft.) coverage
  • 310m3/h Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR)
  • 360° triple-layer filter, removes harmful PM2.5 articles
  • 4.8W energy saving, ultra-quiet 30dB noise level
  • Compact form factor: 520mm tall and base area smaller than an A4 sheet of paper
  • Replacement filter available online at INR 2,499

I had a terrific time understanding this information first hand from Mr. Hugo Barra at a recently held media event.

I am definitely gonna try this product and I am sure all of you will also do so, as cleaner air is not luxury but a necessity!