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

The Epicness Of This Picture Made Me Faint

My dear friend Mr Frowning Bough has always said I have a flair for the dramatic. Which is why he and I get along so well. He is the hissy (note: I didn't say hussy) to my fit. Another 'thing' he and I share in common is our love for the Royals. We were the first two to admit, on Twitter, no less, that we were unabashedly watching the whole RoyalWeddingPalooza on television. And we did. We didn't budge through the whole damn thing. That we both lust after Prince Harry is moot.

So Will-Kate, right? LOVE them. Adore the Duchess and everything she wears and everything she does as is evidenced here, here and here. And here. So when Prince Willy and Kate went all Hollywood and turned up celebrity-like at the BAFTA 'Brits to Watch' Awards in L.A we went banana split! And that Alexander McQueen dress and five-and-a-half inch Jimmy Choos, .... she bettah werk!

We digress. The epicness of this picture is not only about how awesome these two are. It's that they're in a picture with someone who has been werking it so it don't need to werk no more. It is about them meeting Jennifer Lopez. They met friggin' J.LO whose rib cage was polished to a high sheen and on display in a cut-out Emilio Pucci gown, because, it is magnifico. Both the ribcage and Pucci, which makes her look all slinky-like. Jennifer is all about the ... Wee-liam ... Katerina .... welcome to my town, hijos! I'm Jenny and this is my Block! And Will-Kate are all atwitter - especially Kate who's all like "Haaayyy J.Lo!" - because they Just.Can't.Handle.The.Caliente. Can we all get on the floooor now.

Karlie Kloss Is Hanging Out With WHO?

Oh Karlie Kloss, you 18-year-old gazelle, you. 6-foot tall supermodel. Also ballet dancer, as if the genetic pool hadn't been kind enough to her as well. Who hasn't Karlie walked or campaigned for? Oh, and just renewed her contract with Christian Dior for the third season in a row.

Do you see what we're leading to here? Karlie is the sort of model who is sprinkled with magic dust by fairies when birthed. She's lives and breathes in a rarefied atmosphere. So imagine our expressions when we saw KK hanging with... *drumroll* ... Joe Jonas. Put a lid on those hormones, kids. We don't care that Joe is a "Jonas". We don't care that they're the same age. They are DIFFERENT. They are meant to be separate, and never must the twain date. Karlie is meant to be dating an Icelandic-Swedish-Norwegian-Hungarian viscount who's an heir to a diamond fortune and who's mother was BFF with Zsa Zsa Gabor during their Euro-tripper days. They are not meant to be hanging out together at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet club. The only saving grace (but barely) is that they were watching Prince William play polo. We would've preferred Prince Harry ... but hey, as long as Karlie is in proximity of one prince, we're breathing sighs of relief. Step away from the supermodel, Joe Jonas.

We're also feeling kinda snippy. It happens to us on Monday nights. Every week, so we're already giving due warning. But you know what makes us laugh hysterically, even though we're in a blue funk? Watching Karlie dwarf the JoBro! *Cue Evil Laugh*

Haus Of Gaga Takes On The Antipodes

1. Raunchy Cop? Stripper Cop? Cop with personality disorder? Cop who wants to give you, you and you all her lovin'
2. Debutante rebelling against the system by going sheer-crazy and screaming "UNDERPANTS" while shoving her bra in your face?
3. Loony artisocrat who takes sartorial clues from Cruella De Vil? With a Mickey and Minnie Mouse fixation. And a love for holy-mother-of-SLEEVES!

These are the guesses we're hazarding while looking at Lady Gaga's outfits on her trip to Sydney where's she's performing at the Town Hall on July 13. For all of you assuming a concert is involved, we hate to break it to you, but there is, only you can't go. The only way fans can attend is through a Facebook contest where each individual must post an image that demonstrates "just how monster they are".

Whatevs, being a monster (pun, intended) of a plane ride away, we don't care. *sniff*

The Ghost Of Weekend Past

Saturday night, I met the epic Bryanboy in New Delhi. I picked him up from his hotel and we went to Cibo at the Janpath Hotel for a party, and danced around for a fair bit.

He's used to getting mobbed, and remembering that, I never told anyone whom I'm bringing with me. Turns out, it was a good thing to do. You don't get a world famous blogger's attention all to yourself for a whole evening by shouting about your date from the rooftops.

I found him a witty conversationalist, a snappy repartee-ist, and totally down-to-earth. Not to mention a fab drinking partner. Marc Jacobs named a bag after him in 2008, and a very pretty bag it is, too (called the Marc Jacobs BB bag). Have a look: Marc Jacobs BB bag 

His tour of India ended yesterday, and I can say I have made a friend in another magical part of the world, the Philippines (where I spent three amazing weeks eating Chicken Adobo and mangoes...about four years ago).

Here's a link to his Indian escapades, minus the one we had on Saturday night. That remains private, darlings. And precious few things in fashion do.

Bryanboy India Photo Diary

Monday Morning Tunage

I am depressed. Not clinically. But it is Monday and I feel blue. Logic dictates that it can't just be me and that I am but one of a faceless million. So to get us all through this, here's something off my playlist, that's an oldie but such a goodie. Not old like... The Beatles, guys. It has Christina Hendricks. Looking as hauntingly beautiful as the song which is sung by James Mercer - The Shins' lead vocalist and guitarist. You're in good hands.

Danger Mouse: Broken Bells.

Small Scale Scattery

Population boom be damned, fashion's progeny is becoming quite prolific these days.

When I categorically deny support to such fashion events as the Kolkata Couture Fashion Week, Jaipur International Fashion, Chennai Global Fashion Week, it follows naturally that the newly created Bhopal Fashion Week will not fare so well in my favour either.

Don't get me wrong; I'm all for small scale industry empowerment. But this self-ego-stroking setting up of fashion events with any city boasting of five decent export houses makes me wonder if we're a union or still a loose confederacy of princely states vying for foreign attention. Feh.

Here are a few links:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bhopal-Fashion-Week/153771571353435

http://www.bhopalfashionweek.com/

http://twitter.com/#!/BplFashionWeek

You'll Totally Thank Us When You're Traveling

Hotel Haiku. Revolutionizing the travel website. We could try to write this in haiku format just as the HH folks would, but we'd fail miserably. So we gladly leave it to the pro's and tip our hats in profound admiration.

Here's one of their reviews:
"Less holiday rental
More a design museum
An old school reborn" 


P.S In case you're wondering - larger reviews are a click away, so you get haiku's and so much more! 

We Consider This Our Duty To Share....

If you're like us and have been very willing partakers of The Brit Invasion, then this is the right post for you. Behold: 40 upcoming Brits you have just got to gawp at! Consider this as a gift and a gentle push to start looking above and beyond Robert Pattinson.

Sienna Miller And Her Doppelgangers!

We're not suggesting that you think of Sienna Miller all day. Her ex (or are they back together again?), Jude Law, yes. Do. It's a pleasant pastime. We tend to pore over pop culture phenomena rather closely at our grown up job at thefablife.com and certain random WTF's do occur every now and then. One of these just happened to be about Sienna Miller.

With all her fashion cred, we still think Ms. Miller is quite a milquetoast. But something about her seemed awfully familiar. Like, we had seen her before other than, y'know, her. And that's when it dawned upon us!

Nous présentons:
Upper left: Sienna Miller, Upper Right- Kelly Bensimon
Lower Left: Sienna Miller, Lower Right- Cat Deely

Do you see it? Doppelganger, much?

Neville Longbottom ... Is That YOU?

Please say hello to Matt Lewis. We must always be grateful for this sort of commitment to chiseleddom, because, let's face it, boyfriend is one blue steel away from Zoolander. Who is Matt Lewis, you ask? He is Neville Longbottom of previously bucktoothed-flappy eared-doofus brained fame. And then he emerged at the Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows Part II premiere in this dapper three-piece suit and made us drool rather unbecomingly. This is the sartorial version of F---k you Daniel Radcliffe-Rupert Grint-Tom Felton!  How and when his metamorphosis happened is beyond us, but Matt's totally saying, "You're welcome" in this picture.

P.S:We do love our scruffy men in suits.
P.P.S: "Longbottom" was tailor made for a dirty joke. By dirty joke we mean a dirty *censored*.

Sometimes ... A Cow Just Wants To Dress Up, Okay?

You've had a long day on the pasture. You're udderly frustrated. It's been a bad season for grazing. They say the grass is always greener....
But you'll always have Jimmy.