lady gaga does naeem khan in new delhi

and she looks regal!

so nice to see her more “normal” clothes, something she’s been doing more frequently of late…

(photos courtesy google images)

pink is the navy blue of india

this month’s vogue india has a piece on an exhibition of the british photographer norman parkinson’s work that will travel around the country until next summer. the show has been curated (if that’s the right word) by the tasveer gallery and it focuses largely on the fashion photos mr. parkinson shot in various parts of india in 1956, which were eventually published in the british vogue of november that year.

the title of the show comes from what diana vreeland, the editor of harper’s bazaar at the time, said to the artist, “how clever of you, mr. parkinson also to know that pink is the navy blue of india.” – a remark on the ubiquity of the colour in our lives, that rings true even today.

here are some of my favorites from the exhibition, or what i’ve seen of it on facebook ;-)

the dream-like one above is my absolute favorite. just gorgeous.

lovely shots, no? unlike the really distasteful vogue india shoot that featured people living in poverty sporting burberry & fendi accessories (slumdog meets millionaire, far too literally), mr. parkinson’s pictures seem to focus on – and respect – the beauty of the buildings, landscapes and people which form the backdrop for the clothes and the models.

anyway, i just cannot wait to see these in person when they arrive in delhi in january!

you can check out many of the exhibited photos in tasveer’s facebook album here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.168042583256170.41541.144606098933152&type=3

and tasveer’s write-up on the exhibition here: http://www.tasveerarts.com/exhibitions/norman-parkinson-pink-is-the-navy-blue-of-india/

spike jonze and olympia le-tan make a skeleton fall in love

found this amazing video made by spike jonze and olympia le-tan on this website called nowness (see: http://www.nowness.com/day/2011/10/17/spike-jonze-mourir-aupres-de-toi).

it’s beautiful, romantic and raunchy (the latter is a key element in what an awesome video this is!) all at once.

 

 

also to be noted is that this little film is set in the famous parisian bookstore shakespeare & co. the setting where 2 of my favorite movie characters – jesse and celine – found each other in before sunset, 9 years after they met in before sunrise. before sunrise and sunset are 2 of the most genuinely romantic films i’ve ever seen. and unlike many films about love that one “loves” at 18, i still love them now, many many years after i first watched them. or let me say, i love them all the more now that i’ve grown up and have seen what love is like off-screen.

olympia le-tan btw, is a designer, who among other things, is famous for making “book clutches” that have been very popular with film stars like natalie portman over the past year or so…here are a few of my favourite such clutches from her blog. check out the rest at http://olympialetan.tumblr.com.

a visit to the dastkar nature bazaar

dastkar nature bazaar @ the crafts museum, bhairon marg, near pragati maidan

8 – 19 october 2011 from 10.30 am – 7.30 pm

getting there: get off at pragati maidan metro station on the blue line and take the mathura road exit. take an auto straight up mathura road and turn left onto bhairon marg. the crafts museum is the first building on your left and is at present festooned with many green and yellow dastkar banners. it’s very close to the metro so you should only pay around 20-25 rupees for the auto depending on your bargaining skills :-)

today i went to the dastkar nature bazaar and spent a good 3 hours there checking the place out before leaving exhausted and with a big bag of goodies i had bought (mostly) for myself.

dastkar is an ngo that works primarily with rural communities, focusing on their traditional arts and crafts, which could be anything from certain kinds of jewelry, embroidery, pottery, painting etc etc. they try to work in such a way that the traditional craft in question is preserved, that it reaches a market and that the artisans receive financial benefits which reflect the actual worth of their creations. you can check out a short feature on dastkar and its founder laila tyabji over here: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/article2519118.ece. (isn’t the part about the plastic aprons just awful? *shudder*)

the “nature bazaar” is a huge sale that happens twice a year in delhi, in the spring and before divali. there are hundreds of stalls, each manned by the artisans themselves, selling a vast array of very, very beautiful things. (i can honestly say i didn’t see even one thing i could call ugly or in bad taste at the bazaar today.)

the best way to tackle this labyrinthine sprawl is to go twice – once to get an idea of everything that’s available and how much they cost and the second time with enough cash in your wallet, a clear idea of what you want and perhaps even a list of upcoming birthdays.

anyway, on to the good stuff, i.e. what i bought. this time, that is! also going back next week ;-)

first up was the dastkar stall itself, where i bought this white cotton tunic with pink and purple threadwork. (guess what i’m wearing to work tomorrow!) this cost rs. 480.

it’s made under the dastkar ranthambhore label, which is a project involving villagers who were displaced when the tiger sanctuary was established in that area of rajasthan. one never really thinks that there are consequences of such policies for people too right? somehow, i hadn’t thought about this sort of thing in the longest time. anyway, here is a close up of the threadwork on the sleeve and yoke.

the tunic came in a cute little blue cotton bag with a print of the ranthambore project’s tiger logo. this is pictured here with the invite to the nature bazaar which my parents got in the mail only this evening! i’m thinking of using the bag to carry my lunch to work…

here are a few shots of the invite too.

next up was this stall run by what i think is the lakshya foundation, selling patchwork handbags, purses and backpacks. the guys there told me that this provides employment to street children who have been taken off the street, after they turn 18. i bought the handbag in pink and the wallet in blue, for rs.300 and rs. 150 respectively. cute no?

finally, i went to a stall run by umang, an ngo based in uttarakhand, selling all sorts of super soft knitted woollens and some delicious looking plum and apricot jams. for rs. 1275 i bought what they called a “cape”, though it reminds me of a cross between a snuggie and a shawl (umm, a shuggie?) this is what it looks like laid out. note the presence of just one sleeve:

how it works is that you put your right arm through that one sleeve and then wrap the rest of it around you, like a shawl. it makes for an interesting silhouette for sure.

next week: what shall i buy next – dhokra jewelry from orissa? tunics with floral block-prints? a tiny handbag made of pink silk and dark camel’s leather? not to forget that i have some birthday presents to buy too, including a long overdue one for my (rather fussy, hence the delay) mother. looking forward to it already!

umm, i am really looking forward to it…but, i’m just gonna say it, it is still so hard for me to process the fact that i’m doing this on my own and not with a certain young man. argh! must soldier on!

on cleavage and crimefighting

someone finally properly articulates what many of us always thought about the costumes of women superheroes. thanks aaron diaz!

i know it’s wrong and self-defeating, but i love it when guys make a feminist point. just that a girl making this point would be seen as shrill or navel-gazing, but a guy doing it makes it less threatening for other guys i suppose.

anyway, i found this on aaron’s tumblr http://dresdencodak.tumblr.com/. check it out; its a fun read for comic fans and includes many fashion makeovers for a variety of superheroes.

now if only someone would talk about why women superheroes can never make ponytails…

sarah jessica parker in prabal gurung

what an utterly cute prabal gurung dress sarah jessica parker is wearing!

however, it has to be said (and i mean no offence to mr gurung in any way) but any girl in delhi, including this one, knows that this is exactly the thing will be knocked off by a high street chain, export reject pieces of which will wind up in sarojini nagar market ;-)

though thank god for sarojini because i cant afford even a scarf in zara!

mr gurung is probably familiar with sarojini too – he studied in nift delhi. i did not know that, or the fact that he’s from nepal (borderline-silly subcontinental pride!) for the longest time. i only became familiar with his work as mrs. obama wore more and more of his pieces. don’t get me started on michelle obama…what’s not to love about her – harvard law school, amazing and very individual taste (as opposed to kate-play-it-safe-middleton) and she most certainly is not a trophy wife! this is her in a red dress by mr. gurung.

emma stone in roland mouret

knockout choice by emma stone at the deauville film fest. flawless makeup too. i usually love knuckle-duster clutches but i think they look better in silver, unlike the gold here…plus that orange stripe is iffy. but otherwise, amazing, amazing outfit. ms. stone looks ravishing!