Festival Season | Nostalgia

The time is fast approaching...it's getting cooler and rainier by the day. Durga Puja, Diwali, Navaratri -- all coming up soon! There is a definitely sense of excitement in the air in my Indian community for these upcoming festivities. I grew up in India for almost half of my life, so I really miss especially this season. When I used to live in India, my whole family used to gather in one city to celebrate Durga Puja and Diwali -- it was a very fun and exciting time for me. Here, I celebrate Durga Puja and Diwali with my second family of aunties, uncles, mashis, kakus, and awesome friends :) I can't wait to start preparing for the season -- I'm already trying to figure out new ways to decorate our house for Diwali!

I love the festival season -- new clothes, bright colors, fresh flowers, the smell of incense on the altar, hot luchis (an Indian flatbread), garlands of flowers, diyas (oil lamps), and more. I found some photos that sum up the festival season perfectly :)

Bright lamps!

Delectable Indian sweets - barfis and laddoos! Last year, my mom and I spent a whole weekend cooking up batches of delicious Indian desserts - it was so much fun!

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 I love round lamps -- these red ones are so cute!

 

Priests doing Diwali puja by the Ganges river.  

 

Marigolds - always signifies auspicious occasions. It cheers up anything -- I love the bright orange/yellow hues of the flowers.  

Lamps and Rangoli :) Rangoli is a form of decoration where colored powders are used to make intricate patterns on a flat surface, usually the floor.

 

 A temple decked out in marigold garlands - so festive!

 Dhunuchi Naach during Durga Puja - one of the most fun parts about the puja!

 
I will do a big post on Durga Puja and Diwali soon, so watch out!

What are you doing this festival season?

{Note: none of these photos belong to me}

Stormy Skies

bhige bhige din
Originally uploaded by ~ladanseuse

I'm sitting at my desk, studying for my exam. A light breeze, bringing along the scent of wet earth and rain, drifts in through my window. It instantly transports me to India -- where my memories of monsoon lie :)

Lakme Fashion Week 2010 | Manish Malhotra

I am not too fond of Bollywood celebs overdoing Manish Malhotra, but I do love his clothes. They may seem a bit OTT sometimes, but they are perfect for the bridal season -- whether you're getting married, or attending a wedding. MM's collection this year featured lots of the traditional reds and maroons, intricate embroidery, tasteful sheers, flowing skirts, and dashes of black and purple. I loved this collection! I really liked how the clothes were the focus and there was no jewelry to speak of! If only Bollywood celebs could learn a lesson or two from this show - less is more! Always!

Loved the full skirts in this collection - they are so fun to twirl around in and perfectly dramatic for a wedding. Not too sure about that sheer midriff, but I love the dark red anarkali nevertheless :)

 

Woot! More lehengas! I liked the bustier/full skirt idea -- something to try out. And the purple is divine!

 

Sarees! This is how sheer should be done - with a proper blouse, not with a sparkly bra, thank you very much. Loving the red blouse, and blue-violet is one of my favorite combinations. 

 

I quite liked the these three kurtas - rich colors and sharp silhouettes over jodhpurs/dhoti pants. Awesome!

 

I loved how the models played with clothes and twirled in them. Makes the collection come alive and look oh-so-dramatic. Yes!

My favorite shot of the whole show :)

Overall, a very regal collection. I have a new appreciation for Manish Malhotra!

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Lakme Fashion Week 2010 | Satya Paul

Satya Paul, eternally famous for his unique saris, presented at Lakme Fashion Week, Day 3. A collection of many different designs -- saris, dresses, lehenga, fusion-y clothes. Some worked, some didn't, and some were pretty darn interesting. Here are the ones that caught my eye!

  

I really liked the color combination of this lehenga -- it would translate really well to bridal wear without being garish or tacky. 

Fiery colors!

Understated elegance.

Loving this cream-gold-black combination!

Red and black - my favorite combination of all time :) Also love the cutout blouse! Sexy without being tacky.

Prints ranging from earthy to fiery! I really liked the colors of the last sari, but not the shiny material.

Fusion sari-esque outfit. I kind of like the sari/corset/dhoti pants combo. Probably no one but a tall, statuesque model can pull it off without looking stupid, but I like it nevertheless!

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Scenes From a Wedding

Small glimpses of my cousin's grand wedding this July, in Kolkata India. This was the first full, traditional Bengali wedding I attended in over ten year! So, of course, I took nearly 2,000 photos! The bride looked gorgeous, the groom was practically bursting with happiness, and the whole thing was so darn traditional that I loved it!
Here are a few glimpses of that wedding -- more to come later :)
Enjoy!

 

Boron dala, or a blessing tray, for the turmeric ceremony (gayey holud)

 

Sindoor daan, or the bride getting vermilion on her forehead. This marks her as a married woman.

 

Bridal henna!

The groom holding the container with the sindoor, or vermilion on it.

 

Henna on the bride's feet! 

 

The bride getting ready to do the seven circles around the groom.

Lakme Fashion Week 2010 | Masaba

Masaba just showed her collection at LFW. I loved her purple-white-yellow and yellow-teal combos! The clothes were brightly colored and had some awesome kitschy details on them.

 

Really liked the aubergine churidaars with the simple white kurta. I think the style of kurta is called anghara (with an asymmetrical tie), but not totally sure. You can wear either the churidaar or the kurta with different bottoms and tops, which I love. 

My favorite outfit! Love the way the colors work together. 

 

Hard to go wrong with white+orange/golden yellow. I like! 

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Lakme Fashion Week 2010 | Anita Dongre

Anita Dongre at Lakme Fashion Week! The clothes were cool, especially the ethnic ones, but the jewelry by Amrapali was what really caught my eye! LOVE!

 

All that glitters in this case, is silver! I love silver ethnic jewelry -- especially statement pieces! Have I mentioned how much I heart Amrapali!

 

The jewelry! OMG!

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Lakme Fashion Week 2010 | Soumitra Mondal

It's that time of the year again -- Lakme Fashion Week! This season is Winter/Festive, and includes a lot of flair for the upcoming bridal season. Soumitra Mondal, a designer that I am just getting to know, showed his collection at LFW on Day 1. He had a very bridal color palette of rich reds and maroons, and tons of texture that was reminiscent of Sabyasachi.
Check it out!

 

Different textures in Soumitra's collection.

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