The Nerd in Vogue - courtesy American Swan

Recently I was introduced to the world of American Swan, India’s latest entry to premium global online fashion and lifestyle genre offering an exhaustive array of products that spans across categories such as apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty and home products. The brand combines classic, iconic American style with quintessential European fashion that is delivered to those who seek international standards beside up-to-the-minute fashion. Launched in January 2013, the brand  also retails other leading portals like Flipkart, Jabong, Pepperfry and Myntra. It has been getting overwhelming response from all quarters and has emerged as one the most inspirational yet affordable home grown brand in India.

As a token of love, they sent across something from their SS'13 collection. What caught my eyes were the basic yet sophisticated apparels, which promote the western fashion culture in the right light.

So, I thought of doing a little experiment on my sister, Anushri, and came up with this theme :

The Nerd in Vogue

Because now, *looking* nerd is also a la mode!

The shirt is available here

The bag is available here

The look : A nerd is the one who does not worry about his/her hair, so a messy bun makes the overall look young and playful. Play with solid basic colors  team them up with simple heels, and a nude makeup to pump up the nerd look..

The shirt : Virginia V-Neck shirt is summer friendly, light cotton fabric, with a comfortable cut.

The bag :  Newport Tote Bag is my personal favorite. I always carry huge bags to carry along my daily outing products, but the idea of a huge bag in SUMMERS is depressing. While this bag (I mostly use it without the sling) is super cool, crisp and does not become shapeless if stuffed, is easy to access and looks super stylish AND compact to carry around.

Get the American (Swan) experience yourself :

www.americanswan.com

MODART International hosted their Annual Fashion Show " A La Mode"

When you get invited to experience a fashion show organized by a fashion school, your gear automatically shifts to neutral. Well at least THAT is what I follow before attending any such fashion shows. The reason being, that some of them turn out to be fabulous, while some turn out to be disastrous  Not naming anyone here, but I had the same *neutral* thoughts for this one. Although it was being organized by French Fashion School called "Modart", but I was still balancing the bewilderment.

But to my surprise, THIS one turned out to be nothing less than a *professional statement*. From the venue, Florian - MGF Mall Saket, to the budding designers and the organizers, everything seemed like a well rehearsed and worked up composition.

While some of the collections were worth a huge applause, others were too quantitatively inspired and worth a watch. Take a look at some of the interesting designs I came across, in this fashion show.

Press Release : Himanshu and Shruti Singhal of Mod’Art International, The school of Fashion Design & Management hosted their Annual Fashion Show, “A La Mode” at Florian , MGF Mall Saket. The exquisite evening will showcase the creative talents of seven first year students. These budding designers have put in immense hard work and dedication to put together this stylish soiree full of glamour and fashion.

The show presents an amalgamation of seven mesmerizing themes REVELATION, AQUATIC MYSTIQUE, HEPHAESTUS, TREASURED MYTHOS, MELLANOID, AMOUR, JENNY- THE ZIPPER giving these students a platform to put forward their creative energies and a glimpse of the real fashion world.                          

Kick starting with REVELATION, the theme explores nature and takes inspiration from the colored patterns of different elements of nature. The show further graduates to AQUATIC MYSTIQUE which as the name suggests depicts the different moods of the sea. The third theme for the evening is HEPHAESTUS where in the designs portray the goddess of fire, transcending into TREASURED MYTHOS which is a depiction of the culture of Orissa. The next sequence MELLANOID is inspired by the color “Black” moving into AMOUR which is the greek synonym for love and beauty. The evening culminates with JENNY- THE ZIPPER, a fun and colorful sequence that plays around with metallic elements.

Patrice de Place, the director of Mod’Art International says “Mod’Art International with its strong network in the Luxury Industry and its understanding of the ever-changing needs of the trade adapts its programs to prepare students for careers in all the Luxury Companies of the future all over the world.”

Earth Day Celebrations with The Body Shop India

A couple of days back I was invited by The Body Shop, India, to celebrate Earth Day. Being an intensely dedicated team, they make their events very special and well defined. After experiencing an amazing Christmas Call with them last year, I was thrilled to witness some more pampering by The Body Shop India.

 

The motive behind the meet was to spread a word about their generous campaign called "Wood Positive". The best part about this campaign is that they have already contributed to the world's resources by protecting and planting over 55,000 trees in the Ecuadorian Andes and the highly endangered Atlantic Rainforest.

As I stepped inside their Select Citywalk, Saket store, I saw a lot of TBS lovers chit chatting, getting pampered and learning about the products. Personally, I loved the hand massage (with lot's of knowledge about the products they used), the Olive Oil hamper pack (Drool worthy), the earth friendly decor and yummilicious snacks!

Take a look at my experience through my photographs....

Press Release : 

The Body Shop celebrated the first anniversary of the "Wood Positive" campaign on Earth Day. The campaign was officially launched in association with The World Land Trust on April 22, 2012, in a bid to help restore fragile habitats and regenerate land back to its true form, protecting the environment for the long-term.

Monochromatic Affair with Calvin Klein Jeans India

Fashion industry is one place where you make rules to be not to be followed. A while back winters were all about warm, mundane and dark shades of black/grey/mustard and so on; while summers on the other hand was all about matching the sunlight. Bright colors, pastels, icecream shades, floral patterns, loose silhouettes and so on.

But now it seems as if the industry has had a flip side. Now *Winter 2012* for instance, was all about pastels, neons, bright colors, large pattern blocks, oversized cardigans and wool taking inspiration from summer trends. On the other hand, Summer/Spring 2013 has turned out to be a serious amalgamation of Black and White.

While some high street brands are swearing by the but-obvious summer trends, Calvin Klein Jeans has another haute story to tell....

Apart from the overdose of Neons, CKJ has revived the evergreen trend of Blacks & Whites. Check out a wide variety of casuals to some serious suiting up range from Calvin Klein's Summer/Spring Collection 2013.

When in doubt, wear black (and white).

This combination not only makes you look slim, but if you pick up the right print and  cut, you just might look taller, sexier and hotter.

                  

If layering, don't forget to keep a balance between solids, prints, shimmers and matte. Calvin Klein Jeans has a lot to play around with. Let this experimental monochrome collection  B&W which defines your personality.

Check out the mini video showcasing the MONOCHROME AFFAIR

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXcIlaRVw3U&feature=youtu.be&a

I personally loved the collection as currently Neons and Ombre have taken the fashion industry by storm. This collection proved to be refreshing, reviving and ravishing!

Check out the Calvin Klein Jeans Connection

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Website

Store :

Shop No 38, G F Select City Walk, 

Plot No A-3, P-1b District Centre, Saket, 

Saket, New Delhi, DL 110017

Swarovski Elements Design Contest

A few days back I was invited to be *bling-struck* by the Swarovski team. Showcasing a very compulsive collection of mixed brainstorming by various artists and jewellery labels, Swarovski organized a competition nation wide called Swarovski Elements Design Contest in association with FDCI and EPCH. 

The challenge was to create jewellery with Swarovski elements in the most innovative manner. The choice of jewellery and elements was completely left wide open for the participants. The top shortlisted creations were displayed at Swarovski office in Gurgaon. The celebrated jury consists of Tarun Tahiliani, Sunil Sethi and Gaurav Gupta, who will be declaring the results in the next few weeks.

Check out some of the creations I personally loved from the displayed collection.

 A lot has been derived from these Swarovski elements, beyond the traditionalism which Indian clients look out for, a dynamic brainstorming and not even one creation had similarities with any other.

As per me the tribal style head/ear gear should win the competition OR the cosmo-inspired bangle set. Let's see who wins.