Style Is Eternal

Yes, YSL said it, and I believe in it heartily. I have just joined as Fashion Editor at Myntra.com (India's largest online fashion store), and what the createur of le smoking said has become a king of mantra. I keep telling my colleagues that style is in the mind, not in the pocket.

So what is this delicious pair of high fashion, strappy heels doing illustrating this post? That's exactly what it's doing. Illustrating the point I'm trying to make. On Myntra.com, this very pair of heels costs a mere Rs1,236/- (they're on sale now). But you'd never have guessed by looking at this picture now, would you?

Just like this image, so also in life, you can make anything look like a million bucks. You just need to know how to 'Style' things. For example, even if you're not in Paris and want to channel the au-courant '50s vibe, the kids at Myntra.com have simplified the process for you here. Take a look.

Meanwhile, keep your eyes open for ideas, and your mind open to implement them. Money may be a lot of things, but it's nothing without you.

While You Were Sleeping...

I got these deliciosities made by Mumbai-based shoe-makers "a.k.a. bespoke" for Karan Johar+Varun Bahl's Finale show at the Van Heusen India Men's Week (I help Varun out backstage now and then).

These are made in clear plastic that's very soft and flexible...and you can just IMAGINE the impact they had on the ramp. You can see our showstoppers Katrina Kaif and Imran Khan in better versions of these shoes here.

You can check out more of a.k.a. bespoke's stuff here.

And if you love them and want to order them, you can write to aka.bespoke@gmail.com and address your pleas to Aeiman, Karan, and/or Ateev (hence, a.k.a.).

Just went through the September issue (yes yes...meh) of Vogue US, and I have to say, I'm totally impressed as well as totally not. Wintour's Ed's letter appears on page 218 and the first editorial (about a 9/11 survivor...looking totally incongruous with the high fashion ads killing the flow of its layout) doesn't begin before the late 200s.

Impressed with the number of ads, and not with the cover (totally BLAH...I mean, really? Kate Moss in a garden?)...and definitely not with the content that I had to, literally, search for.

We have a magazine in India called FreeAds that's about just as thick and has thirty times more ads than this edition of Vogue (758 pages) because of its inferior paper quality.

My grouse is...where is Editorial Integrity? Where is Restraint? Or am I an old person from a bygone era trapped inside a young (ish) body? (Ok, that came out a leetle wrong...I sound like a person posessed, no?)

And the quality of the editorial reflects, in inverse proportion, the excitement with which this magazine (advertisement directory, rather) has bunged in all those ads.

Oh, and NOTHING will prepare you for the American-ness of this pull quote from the first fashion story (shot beautifully in China). It reads:

"China Has been confounding foreigners for centuries. Turns out they're not so 'Inscrutable' after all: Just like us, they long for$5,000 handbags covered in tiny logos."

Really? "Just like us"?

Only a writer from a country that hosts a World Cup for a sport played solely on its own soil can have a worldview so narrow and pathetic.

Sometimes, you get points for pretending even, you know?

Just sayin'...

Leena Singh and Manorama

Eye Spy

I have desired, and coveted, and indeed lusted after, many many watches in my lifetime. But till today, my vintage Seiko 5 has been the only one to adorn my wrist. I have never found it in my heart to give it up...it is precious to me.

But when my eyes fell on these...the latest collaboration between London-based photographer and director, Rankin, and Swatch watches...I could not resist them. One, or possibly two, now lie booked for me in the store, and I'm going to pick them up tonight.

The group shot of five watches shows the limited edition designs, while the group shot of three are the more mass-produced ones. The un-limited ones are priced at Rs.2,650/- (and yes, I'm buying the cheaper ones).

Truly, love at first sight.

Our Prayers Go Out To Mumbai

We are saddened and sick at heart about the three bomb blasts in Mumbai today. Please remember that the only way to counter hate is with healing, love and a deeper understanding. We are praying for everyone affected. Mumbai is a beloved, strong, resilient city and will overcome this. God Bless all of you, and all of us.

The Oufit Even A Birkin Could Not Save

There are so many things wrong with this outfit Kourtney Kardashian is wearing, we're just going to enumerate them so the blackhole of our emotions doesn't overwhelm us.

1. Jumpsuits are hard to pull off
2. Jumpsuits are especially hard to pull off for vertically challenged people
3. Kourtney K. is wearing flats. Not helping the jumpsuit cause.
4. The jumpsuit is yellow and floral. *Ugh*
5. The jumpsuit is not doing pretty things to the stomach, hips, booty or boobage
6. That belt is seriously misplaced
7. The visible black bra is a Sex and the City experiment gone bad
8. The bottom looks like - excuse our crassness - a giant wedgie
9. Is she pregnant again? It makes her look like she's babied. 
10. The Birkin is a fine touch, but even it could not save this mess