Tinsel town divas nail the saree look

This Navratri and Diwali, the glam brigade of tinsel town espoused the good ol’ saree look and how. From newbies to A-listers, many made heads turn in six yards. I have combed the Net and presented some.

Sushmita Sen

Image courtesy: @instantbollywood (Insta).

Sushmita picked a beige silver-bordered beauty from her wardrobe and looked stunning. It was one of those rare occurrences when a top actress repeats her outfit. As a top Bollywood photographer pointed out, Sush had last worn the saree in an episode of Koffee with Karan way back in 2005. While she wore a sleeveless blouse back then, this time she teamed the saree with a long-sleeved shimmery matching blouse and statement jewellery. Her daughter Renee went for a trendier look draping herself in a frilly bordered grey saree accented with stripes. Mom and daughter looked lovely indeed! Their silken manes completed the look. Girls, the next time you party how about pulling an old beauty from your wardrobe and deck up the Sushmita way!

Teen Deviyan (aka Three Goddesses)

Image courtesy: @suhasinihasan (Insta)

Southern stars Revathi, Radhika and Suhasini paint a pretty picture in glittering sarees. Tell me whose look do you like best? I would give my brownie points to the lady in the centre. Her potli purse matches the golden motifs on her saree just like her elegant choker perfects matches her saree-blouse ensemble. And her hairstyle is sleek and stylish.

Madhuri Dixit

Image courtesy: @madhuridixitnene (Insta)

Madhuri oozes old-world charm in a sea green Maharashtra Paithani silk saree with golden borders.Her choice of jewellery is also eye catching. Madhuri’s exquisite smile completes her look.

Kajol

Image courtesy: @Kajol (Insta)

This Saptami, the lovely actress decided to infuse a Rajasthani flavour in her look by picking up a fuchsia pink Punit Balana saree with delicate golden thread and bead embroidery. Don’t miss the tassels on her pallu. The demure choli with tieback neck adds to the charm.

Kriti Sanon

Image courtesy: @kritisanon (Insta)

The lanky Bollywood diva looked electrifying in a blue Manish Malhotra sequined body-kissing saree which she teamed with a bold halter-neck sequined blouse. She wore minimal jewellery. The absence of jewellery is hardly felt because of the sequin-laden blouse and saree ensemble. Her hairdo and make-up went perfectly with the outfit. What say you?

Celebs celebrate Diwali in style with their kids

A cross-section of celebs celebrated the festival of lights with their kids and in the process made cute style statements with their little ones. Have a look at these endearing pictures:

Riteish Deshmukh

Image courtesy: riteish_deshmukh (Instagram)

Riteish and his sons Riaan and Rahyl colour co-ordinated each other by wearing similar kurtas and salwars. The kurtas were made from one of Riteish’s mother’s sarees.

Image courtesy: riteish_deshmukh (Instagram)

How cute can that be! Don’t they look so adorable?

Karan Johar

Image courtesy: @karanjohar (Instagram)

Image courtesy: @karanjohar (Instagram)

Karan Johar went beige this Diwali with his kids Yash and Roohi. The trio looked awesome in their ornate beige ethnic suits enlivened with golden embroidery. I guess the outfits were designed by Manish Malhotra.

Mandira Bedi

Image courtesy: Mandira Bedi (Instagram)

While Mandira dazzled in a multi-hued saree, her children Vir and Tara painted a very colourful picture in matching multi-hued outfits by designer Kanupriya Tibrewala.

The Warner sisters

Image courtesy: @thewarnersisters (Instagram)

While their father David Warner lit up the cricket field with fireworks, his three adorable daughters Ivy-Mae, Indi-Rae and Isla Rose dressed up in ethnic ensembles this Diwali. How sweet!

Shilpa Shetty

Image courtesy: theshilpashetty (Instagram)

The gorgeous actress stunned in a lovely saree while her husband Raj Kundra and kids Viaan and Samisha colour-co-ordinated in white.

Bare midriff – the new trend on the Bollywood party scene

Bare midriffs and plunging necklines have taken the Bollywood party scene by storm. Tinsel town divas have embraced this look with aplomb. As for the papparazi, they are going crazy snapping the divas. But the bare midriff look is not for everyone. You got to have that chiselled figure complete with washboard abs. If you don’t have these, don’t even try it out. Also, this is not casual wear. This look should only be reserved for big bashes. Have a look at some of the Bollywood beauties flaunting their assets in this new bold look.

Shraddha Kapoor

Shilpa Shetty Diwali bash

Pic courtesy: bollywoodlife.com

Shraddha charms in shades of blue in an outfit that has a disco light effect. She has accessorised the ensemble with a demure dupatta that she has thrown over the choli in style. The sequinned blouse and striped skirt vie for attention with each other. I love that choker! Her makeup looks flawless and the neat hairdo accentuates her pretty face and vibrant smile.

Tamannah Bhatia

Shilpa Shetty Diwali bash

Picture courtesy: @tamannaahspeaks (Instagram)

Tamannah let’s her hair down in this purple richly embroidered number with a plunging neckline. The mirror work and sequins bring in lots of dazzle. She has restricted the jewellery to a maang ka tikka that matches with all the adornments on the outfit.

Janhvi Kapoor

Bollywood fashion do

Picture courtesy: @janhvikapoor (Instagram)

Janhvi oozes glam in a shimmering gold-hued Manish Malhotra number accessorised by a beige dupatta. The golden box clutch looks perfect for the occassion. Janhvi’s hairdo adds to the elegance.

Tejasswi Prakash

Picture courtesy: @tejasswiprakash (Instagram)

Picture courtesy: @tejasswiprakash (Instagram)

The former Big Boss winner has gone for a bolder than bold look. She has teamed the black lehenga with an itsy-bitsy multi-hued beaded top and accessorised the ensemble with a black dupatta. Her hairstyle looks good with the hair falling over her shoulders in romantic curls. For her face, she has used oily make-up.

Sara Ali Khan

Launch of Jio World Plaza

Picture courtesy: @saraalikhan95 and @abujanisandeepkhosla (Instagram)

Sara Ali Khan made a dazzling entry at the launch of Jio World Plaza in this sparkling Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla outfit. The ultra-bold long-sleeved choli stands out and the hairdo is cool.

The crochet queen

Chanjeev in one of her exquisite creations. Her range of cholis is a big draw at the crafts’ fairs. (Picture courtesy: Chanjeev Kaur)

Charismatic Chanjeev Kaur wears many hats. A trained optometrist and ocularist, when she is not working on prosthetic eyes, she is weaving delightful garments with the crochet hook. She has been crocheting since the age of eight and is largely self-trained. She drew her inspiration from Ondori craft books.

Extremely industrious, she is always on the go. At her office-cum-studio at Whitefield, Chanjeev heads a team of crochet makers. She is the chief designer responsible for visualising, conceptualising and creating the innumerable creations that come out from her studio and are sold under the brand name ‘Crochet & Colours’. Her range of cholis is her USP. It takes Chanjeev and her team of helpers around 15 days to finish a choli. For all her works, Chanjeev uses the Anchor brand of threads. “Trust comes from good products, good threads and good fittings,” says the perfectionist in her.

A nature lover, she often uses elements of nature in her pieces. Among her creations are handloom apparels embellished with crochet patchwork. There was a pretty one with flamingoes. “Flamingoes come to Mumbai every March which is when I visualised the idea of the flamingo motifs”, says the comely lady, her face radiating happiness.

Chanjeev has a strict daily schedule. She starts her day as early as 5.30am and has an exercise regimen in place. She crochets from 9.30am to 6pm with a lunch break in the afternoon. “Posture is very important when we work,” says she. Chanjeev takes great care that all her team members are seated comfortably during the course of an assignment.

Picture courtesy: Chanjeev Kaur

Picture courtesy: Chanjeev Kaur

How does she manage two diverse careers? Making prosthetic eyes is her family business, the family that she is married into and run by her husband. “It helped that I was trained in optometry and also that I studied fine arts,” says Chanjeev with a large smile. Chanjeev graduated in oculoplasty from Arvind Hospital in Madurai. And she did a course in optometry in Bangalore.

For the uninitiated, prosthetic eyes are made from acrylic for people who have lost vision in one or both eyes due to an accident or an illness. A great deal of skill and practice goes into the making of these eyes. No two prosthetic eyes are the same. Prosthetic eyes are customised for each person.

Picture courtesy: Chanjeev Kaur

Chanjeev is a familiar face at popular handicraft fairs like Dastkar, Hundred Hands and at various flea markets and has many regular clients. She is also associated with the Crafts Council of India and its fairs. The next time you are at Dastkar or any of the other fairs, look out for Chanjeev’s stall. Her works are a visual treat and you can consider introducing something new in your wardrobe. Her collection of snug cholis would be a welcome addition to any lady’s winter wear.

Picture courtesy: Chanjeev Kaur

Source:

Chanjeev Kaur

Bangalore

Mob. 9980040520

E-mail: chanjeevkaur@gmail.com

A luncheon to remember

We often fight and then patch up. I and my friend Roshni were totally out of touch with each other for almost 7 months after a WhatsApp fight. “I will never ping her again,” I said to myself after a quarrel.

Roshni has been one of my most helpful friends who has stood by me through thick and thin. She is also an ex-colleague. I was so happy to see her message a month back which read, “Suj, are you still angry with me?” I wasted no time in replying , “No Roshni, not at all,” My joy knew no bounds.

Roshni came down to Bangalore in early November and treated me to a sumptuous meal ar our old “adda” Ballal Residency.

After a terrible auto ride because of which I got late, it was a revelation meeting Roshni. She was looking fresh as a daisy and gleaming with happiness. Her mood was as sunny as the pretty blue kurta that she was wearing. She was looking good. I loved the top and the botanical prints on it..

“Come! Let’s not waste time. We are already late. Let’s go eat!” she said as we walked towards next door Ballal Residency. Ballal has a very inviting ambience. With its lovely interiors, Ballal is a great place for a meet-up.

We reached the hotel in a few minutes. It was crowded for a week day. There are a lot. of companies around and some residential apartments too. That may be the reason the hotel was so crowded..

The dining space at Ballal is aesthetically designed. The red-cushioned sofas and chairs are very comfortable. The white Formeca-topped tables present a pretty picture. The walls are adorned by pictures. The mirror-adorned pillars stand out.

We decided to have a South Indian thali meal. The meal served here is wholesome and tasty. If you are very hungry, you could consider going to Ballal.

For the South Indian meal, Ballal offers a choice of chapathi or puri. While Roshni, the fitness enthusiast that she is, opted for chapathi, I chose to go for puri.

The food arrived early with rice and papad in separate plates. As accompaniments we had sambar, rasam, beans’ poriyal, dal, curds, pudina chutney, pickle and sagu. There was enough on the plate to satiate our hunger.

We left content and with our tummies full.

I would rate my dining experience at Ballal as 4.5/5

We decided to extend our dining experience with a cup of coffee at a nearby Cafe Coffee Day outlet.

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Cafe Coffee Day outlets as everyone knows are a great place to chat. We thus ended our rendezvous with a cheerful banter. Hope I get to meet my dear friend more often.

Fashion Bytes – X

Pretty in pink

Image courtesy: Kajol’s official Instagram page

I just love Kajol’s lovely fuchsia pink saree and her pose. The Manish Malhotra creation perfectly complements her bubbly personality. To add to that, the sequinned frilly edges are an absolute delight and accentuate Kajol’s girlish charm and effervescent personality.

Kajol’s make-up is flawless and the shade of lipstick adds to the look.

Image courtesy: Kajol’s official Instagram page

A closer look reveals the bling on the frills.

Image courtesy: Kajol’s official Instagram page.

Not much can be seen of the choli. Clearly, the saree has stolen the thunder. The minakari neckpiece with three stone-studded chains brings in more glitter. The absence of earrings are hardly felt. Kajol’s pulled back hairdo completes the look.