Wednesday, March 31, 2010

An Indian Summer!

Super exciting news: This summer I'm going to India! Lately it has been super rainy, cold, and dreary here, so I've decided to make a little collage (you could even call it an inspiration board!) of all the things that remind me of hot Indian Summers :)
*mangoes, lychees, and jaam fruits
*my grandmother's shiuli flowers
*old havelis
*lattice screen windows
*monsoon rainstorms
*silk sarees
*the cheery interiors of my grandma's house


Click on the collage to see it bigger.

*Note: not all of these photos are mine! 

Saturday, March 27, 2010

April Showers...


Rain Rain go away...
Originally uploaded by ~ladanseuse
...will hopefully bring May flowers soon! All of this rain is getting a bit depressing.
Sorry about the slacking on updating - I'm swamped with exams and will update as soon as I find some time :)

~ UndercoverDiva

ps - to see more of my (amateur) photography, visit my Flickr page!

Monday, March 22, 2010

The Infernal Devices: The Clockwork Angel

Last Thursday, Cassandra Clare (writer of the Mortal Instruments Series) revealed the cover of the first novel in the Infernal Devices series, The Clockwork Angel. The cover features Will, one of the main characters of the series. I'm a big fan of the Mortal Instruments series, and I cannot wait until Clockwork Angel is released on August 31, 2010 (only five more months!!).

Here is the synopsis of Clockwork Angel (from amazon.com):

Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.
When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.
Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.
Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length . . . everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world. . . . and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all. 

Here is the cover (from amazon.com):

SO EXCITING!!!

LFW 2010: Priya Kataria Puri

Pria Kataria Puri showcased her Summer/Resort 2010 collection at LFW at the beginning of March. The collection was full of bright colors, as is Ms. Kataria Puri's custom. I loved the prints that looked like jewels from far away, and the way that the clothes flowed (perfect for summer!).

 
Among my favorites: the very simple and elegant black and white sari with a cool printed blouse;
   The white dress with its its summery print that reminded me of Morocco; and the flowing kaftans in bright colors.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Recipe: Broiled Citrus

So, during the great blizzard of 2010, I found myself extremely hungry and craving something sweet. I found a simple recipe for broiled fruits in the Washington Post that day, but didn't have exactly the right ingredients at hand. But no worries, the improv gods were at hand to give me inspiration, and what I came up with turned out pretty delicious :)

Here is my (modified) recipe:
Ingredients:  (for 2 mini pie pans)
- Sectioned tangerines, oranges, or clementines. I used about one fruit per mini pie pan.
- 1 sliced banana
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup white or brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

Directions:
-I split all the ingredients in half, and put one half in each mini pie pan. I layered the fruits - bananas first, then the citrus, and lastly the dried cranberries, and added sugar and a sprinkle cinnamon powder between each layer. I also sprinkled sugar on top of the dried cranberries. 
-Next, I broiled the fruits for about 5-7 minutes, or until the sugar had begun to caramelize. Brown sugar caramelizes better than white sugar, but since I did not have any brown sugar in the house during the snowstorm I did with white sugar. 
-Cool the mini-pie pans and enjoy the broiled fruit while its still warm! You can even top it with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream for a simple, delicious dessert :)

*Note: you can try this recipe with more seasonal fruits like strawberries, mangoes, and peaches. I'm going to give it a shot come summer. 
                                    

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is the original recipe from the Washington post, which uses ginger, nutmeg, brown sugar, grapefruits, oranges, and blueberries. One of these days when I actually have all the ingredients, I will try out the original recipe.

                                        
(Image from the Washington Post)
  


Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Alexander McQueen Fall 2010 RTW

During Paris Fashion Week the late Alexander McQueen's Fall 2010 RTW Collection was shown to an intimate gathering in Paris. Although the collection was not finished before McQueen's untimely passing, it was still breathtaking. The collection reminded me of a modern day princess. The pieces featured rich colors like scarlet and deep gold, as well as exquisite embroidery, weaving, and a great attention to the tiniest of details. It is definitely a very regal collection, and it makes me really sad that its one of the last collections that showcases McQueen's genius. 
Here are my favorite pieces:


Fashionista.com has posted a video of this collection. The video captures all of the little details that make McQueen's clothes so amazing!
See it below:
 

Thursday, March 11, 2010

The Wake Trilogy

I just recently read about a series called the DreamcatcherTrilogy, by Lisa McMann. The series includes three books - Wake, Fade, and Gone. At first I didn't really pay any attention to the series, but then I read a tiny synopsis and I was hooked! My goal to read the trilogy during my spring break - I cannot wait to get my hands on the books! I've read the excerpts online and I am super super super excited to read the actual books :)

Here is the amazon.com synonpsis of the first novel in the series, Wake:
 Not all dreams are sweet.
For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie's seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.
She can't tell anybody about what she does -- they'd never believe her, or worse, they'd think she's a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn't want and can't control.
Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche. She is a participant.... 

Visit Lisa McMann's website for more information. 



(Images from www.lisamcmann.com)

An Aside

I just wanted to address something about this blog. I know that I've been posting mostly about fashion and things that people may consider a bit frivolous. I don't want anyone to think that I am simply an air-headed fashionista! I'm definitely a fashionista, and fashion is one of my hobbies. I've been posting about fashion mostly due to the fact its Fashion Week in various countries and very exciting to see new collections from my favorite designers! I promise that this blog is not just a fashion blog, and I will be posting about other cool things once all this fashion week hype dulls down a bit.

Cheers,
 ~ UnderCover Diva :)

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

LFW 2010: Malini Ramani

I've never really paid attention to designer Malini Ramani's collections in the past (mostly because I was too busy lusting after everything Sabyasachi!!), but I definitely noticed this year at LFW, thanks to one of my favorite blogs, High Heel Confidential.
Malini Ramani's Summer/Resort 2010 collection was fantastic - chic, breezy, exotics, summery, hip, and more! The pieces and colors were perfectly summery, and made me wish that it was warmer here right now! The collection featured five different segments with summery themes - Mexican Martini, Code d'Azure Crush, Indian Summer, Zanzibar Temptation, and Bombabe.
I wont bore you with more of my words, but for me Malini Ramani has definitely become a designer to look up to :) Here are a few of my favorites:

(Images from www.bharatstudent.com)

Check out the video from the LFW Channel on Youtube!

LFW 2010: Nikisha Tawadey

Nikisha Tawadey had a very appropriate summer collection, with a palette of creams, tangerines, and lemons. The collection featured lehengas, saris, and some interesting pants/dhotis that I really liked. The whole collection had a very boho-chic, laid-back look that is perfect for spending fashionable days at the beach or anywhere else :)
(All images from bharatstudent.com)

Read the High Heel Confidential Blog here for front row coverage of LFW!



Monday, March 8, 2010

LFW - Videos :)

I'm posting some videos from the official LFW channel on Youtube. I haven't found very many pictures of the runways yet, but will post them when I find them...So enjoy the videos for now!




Malini Ramani @ LFW 2010 







 Sabysachi @ LFW 2010

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Lakme Fashion Week!!

Lakme Fashion Week has begun!! It actually began on Friday, March 5, but since I'm in school I'm only just looking at all the collections :)
I will post all my favorites, reviews, and pictures when I come back!!

:)

So excited!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

The Five Lives of Raghava KK

Recently, my dad sent me this really amazing video about Raghava KK, an artist of Indian descent. I had never encountered his work until saw this video, but I fell in love instantly! The video is honest, hilarious, and goes through the five "avatars" of Raghava's life. Enjoy!


See the video on the TED website.
Visit Raghava's website: http://www.raghavakk.com
Ps - does anyone know how to make the size of the video smaller? I decreased the width and height in the html, but its not doing anything! 

Versace goes futuristic!

Versace showed an amazing collection at Milan Fashion Week! The collection features bright primary colors - reds, blues, and yellows, color blocks, and lots of drama (cutouts, risque slits and much more!). I especially loved the metallic details that propelled the collection straight into the future, and added a tough armour (for lack of a better word!) to all the dresses and evening gowns that otherwise would have been floaty and feminine. And, this collection made my love for all things asymmetric even stronger - check out the slitted yellow evening gowns! Definitely a very different approach to fall! :)
I couldn't pick a few favorite pieces because I loved almost all of them - so here are all the ones that I want to own!!
All images courtesy of New York Magazine
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