22 NRI PULSE November 2009...InVogue ...

Vibrant Rajasthani AttireThe culturally

rich state ofRajasthan conjures upimages of picturesquesand dunes, beautifulpalaces and men andwomen in vibrantclothing. The essenceof this cultural richnessis captured inRajasthani fashion thathas transcended thestate’s borders intointernational hautecouture.

Rajasthani fashion is the new rage- be itparties, everyday wear, evening wear or bridalparties. The bride herself can be dressed in colorfulRajasthani lehngas and saris for the mehndi party,the pujas and the various other ceremonies leadingup to her wedding.

A fine possibility for a wedding relatedceremonies or just about any party is a fine bandhnisolid color sari on gajji silk with the focus on lightsequence embroidery.

The bride herself can be dolled up in this(see picture) fine crushed silklehnga on kathan fabric with abeautiful 4-inch border and anet dupatta. The ensemble isin two complimentary colorswith an antique finish.

Then there’s Rajasthanicouture with the moderntwist. Youngsters have thechoice of dolling up inanarkali churidars or in a long,straight-cut shirt paired withshort pants.

Fine bandhni outfits areusually worn with kundan orantique jewelry. Pair withmatching silk purse andembroidered shoes. In fact,these days, the lehnga is worna few inches shorter to showoff the wearer’s anklets andembroidered jhootis.

Kundan finger ringsstudded with large stones isthe latest fashion accessorythese days.

BY RANI SHARMA

Keep the makeup bright, to be in synchwith your colorful clothes.

For men, the latest trend is to pair a V-neck inbrocade or jamdhani. kurta (with beautiful embroideryon the neckline) with patiala salwar. A loop on thesleeve at the elbow in a contrast color completes theeffect. The inside of the collar has the same color asthe loop.

Rajasthan has a rich tradition of handprinted fabrics. The gujari art is one of them.Although the fabric is today mass produced,the authentic Gujari skirts, lehngas and kurtisare found only in fine emporiums in India.

The bagru print isthe art of block printingon cotton. The art comesfrom the Bagru village nearJaipur where it has thrivedfor several centuries. Themotifs are very distinctive- rich natural colors likeblack, maroon, or mustardgreen on beige cottonfabric.

Today, gujari andbagru have caught on theimagination of the urbanfashion conscious. Thesetrendy cottons areaccessorized with antiquesilver jewelry.

For more info callme at 404-633-4966.

Sari Over Jeans, Belt Over Sari- New Fashion Fads In India

BY RADHIKA BHIRANIIndia’s traditional six-yard wonder is igniting

imaginations anew. The sari, say fashion design-ers, can be worn over a pair of jeans or jazzed upwith a sexy slim belt for a trendy look.

Designers like Tarun Tahiliani and NidaMahmood showcased the sari in new avatars atthe recently concluded WillsLifestyle India FashionWeek (WIFW) here. What’smore, young girls are all forthese innovative styles.

Kanika Rastogi, 19,says she was resisting theidea of wearing a sari for hersister’s wedding for the fearof looking older until she sawmodels flaunting Tahiliani’ssaris with a belt.

“I would never havethought of wearing a sari formy sister’s wedding. I didn’twant to look old. But whenI saw models wearing sariswith belts, I thought it wouldmake me look really cool. Sothat’s just what I am goingto do now - save money bynot buying an expensivelehenga and wear a sari styl-ishly instead,” Rastogi toldIANS.

When asked about hisinnovative accessorising ofthe traditional outfit,Tahiliani said: “Belts can beused over saris by slim andtall people. It accentuates thewaist, looks sexy and addsstyle as well as youthfulnessto the outfit.”

The designer, who ismaking Bollywood actressShilpa Shetty’s weddingtrousseau, says adding a silver or gold belt - amodern alternative to the good old ‘kamarbandh’ -over a sari also gives a Greek look to the attire.

“The Indian and Greek styles of dressing are

all about draping - and very similar. They usually wearwaist bands over gowns so these belts work to add thatextra bit of Indo-Western look to a sari,” he said.

Young designer Nida Mahmood says it’s thecoolest thing to wear saris over jeans - a fashionstatement she herself made at WIFW.

“The idea of wearing saris over jeans is my inter-pretation of wearing a sari in a trendy manner. This is a

trend that youngsters can fol-low for any casual party. Itlooks very good, especially ifyou are carrying the outfit withthe right accessories and look,”Mahmood said.

Others like Jai-Parvesh and Hemant-Nandita also have sugges-tions to make. Both designerduos swear by pre-pleatedand lehenga saris, which areeasy to wear and carry atthe same time.

While pre-pleated sa-ris are like skirts with pleatsstitched on to them, lehengasaris have a flowing silhou-ette (kali) below, and has aheavy pallu replacing awell-draped dupatta on theleft shoulder.

Said Jai: “Young girlslook for easy attires thesedays. With something like apre-pleated sari or a lehengasari, one doesn’t need to bebothered about pleating asari. You just have to slip inor tuck it at one place. That’swhat is attracting a lot ofgirls these days.”

Twenty six-year-oldSonakshi Sharma secondedthe idea.

She said, “Who hasthe time and patience to visit a parlour each timebefore going to a wedding just to get a sari draped?So these sort of attires work well. Just wear it as ifyou are wearing a skirt - and you look decked upwithout much ado!”

A model flaunts an easy to wear lehengasari by designer Parvesh-Jai. Suchtrends are catching up among younggirls who wish to look trendy and cooleven while wearing a sari.

Designer Wear Replica Beckons In Delhi’s BylanesIf a sari by Sabyasachi Mukherjee or a lehenga

by Manish Malhotra seems out of reach, try vis-iting the crowded lanes of Chandni Chowk inDelhi’s old quarter. The replicas there promise tojazz up every woman’s bridal wardrobe even asthey give nightmares to designers.

Anarkali Bazar, squeezed between an arrayof shops offering colorful bridal wear in Delhi’sold quarter of Chandni Chowk, is one such outlet.The mannequins on display proudly flaunt de-signer labels.

Go inside and ask the owner, Ashok Arora,whether the lehengas are actually designed by thesetop-notch designers, and he candidly shakes his head.

“They are copies. We copy the original designsand offer them to our customers at much cheaper prices.Not everyone can afford these expensive designers, sowe are the solution,” Arora told IANS.

“You can get any design from the net and my in-house designer team will give you an exact replica of thesame design. It would be so close to the original designthat it would be difficult for you to differentiate be-tween the copy and the original,” he added.

Asked if he was not afraid of copyright violation,Arora said: “I am not the only one. The most importantthing is that the designs they create are out of the com-mon man’s reach. A middle class woman also dreams ofwearing a designer lehenga but it is so expensive that shecan’t afford it.” “This is how the idea came. To makethe dreams of bride-to-be to come true. We have our in-house designers and even if you get your own picture,I will copy that perfectly in a dress - that is the level ofperfection we have,” he added.

The cost of these lehengas ranges fromRs.40,000-Rs.100,000 - half or even one-third ofthe price of the original creations.