Making Indian traditional design accessible to the masses is always a challenge for designers. How do you take a design style based on embellishment and bright color and make it accessible to a wide range of aesthetics? Striking the right balance without diluting centuries old tradition is an art – one that designer Seema Krish has mastered. After studying design at FIT and working for a range of top design companies, Krish went out on her own to establish her own textile company in India based on sustainable design. She founded Azure, a design and weave studio based in Bangalore dedicated to what Krish terms ‘modern traditional’ textile technique.

The collection is focused on blankets, pillows, and throws (as well as custom fabrics) that come in a variety of colors and patterns that combine contemporary, simple design with patterns that are unmistakably Indian. Krish explains the construction process on her site, which explains that local craftswomen in India work with dyes that have low impact on the environment and set with solar dryers for an environmentally friendly color setting process for the fabrics. The designs, which she calls “Bombay Bliss,” are inspired by her love for one of India’s most vibrant cities where she says some of her fondest memories took place and she honors in her collection.

Hi all! For all the digging Shital and I do around here on Bollyinstyle sourcing unique designers and Indian-inspired brands, do you ever wish there was a central place to find some of our favorite finds? We certainly do and now I’ve got an answer: Pink & Paisley. Launched in April, shop owner Jaya Mukherjee stocks this online boutique with some of the top names in Indian-Inspired fashion accessories and jewelry like Amrita Singh, Isharya, Robindira Unsworth, among others —Jaya’s selection of designers is really well-curated.

I’ve personally got some headbands from Deepa Gurnani, for example, and love the beautiful beadwork (which does a fantastically fashionable job of hiding some pretty bad hair days). Tejani makes sparkly costume jewelry in traditional Indian designs that are really fun. And Shashi is really popular right now: these grown-up versions of friendship bracelets use crystals and bold thread to weave some vibrant designs. And starting this fall, Pink & Paisley will be exclusively carrying many pretty patterned scarves from Bindya New York. Considering it’s already cold here on the east coast – where did our summer go? – here’s to hoping the selection is available soon!

Pink walls, grand forts, the Hawa Mahal: Jaipur has good reason to be a top tourist destination in India and a go-to backdrop for romantic Bollywood movies. I always visit the old city when I’m in Jaipur and make time to visit the palaces in the hills – but during my last trip to the famed pink city, I made sure to stop by the gardens of Narain Niwas, a charming palace turned hotel in the heart of Jaipur. I told those accompanying me that I wanted to visit the historical building, but readers, I had a hidden agenda: Hot Pink. A beautiful boutique located in the hotel’s shopping arcade, Hot Pink is one of the Jaipur’s first modern concept boutiques, which showcases India’s top fashion, accessories, and home decor designers in a contemporary space. (Another location has recently opened in Mumbai).

Hot Pink is set up like a chic Indian apartment: white-washed walls with pops of color showcasing clothes that are wearable in the U.S. but constructed with traditional Indian handicraft techniques. The store was founded by French jeweler Marie-Helene de Taillac, who first made her name creating modern, colorful precious jewelry crafted by master Jaipur jewelers who still utilize techniques used for Maharajas. Self-described as French by birth but Indian by adoption, Hot Pink’s selection of India’s top designers (and on-trend house line) highlights that Jaipur’s great shopping isn’t confined to traditional designs but also has an eye for the future, and it’s inspirational to see how beautiful simple, western silhouettes can be when made with colorful textiles. For those who can’t make it to all the way to Jaipur just yet, but find themselves halfway there in Paris, Marie-Helene de Taillac’s designs are available in France with an accessible collaboration with French retailer Bon Marche.

Hi all, it’s Richa again from Mala Handmade and I’m here today with a lesson from American history. Remember the chapter about the American frontier? Head west! Our culture has been long defined by seeking what’s new and undiscovered — and it’s no different for businesses. Customers crave innovation and the next product, which is why it’s always fun to check in on past designers Bollyinstyle has featured to see what new items keep us coming back for more. After a long career as a costume designer, Jeanette Farrier starting working with weavers in West Bengal to create kantha throws, which are quite literally quilted cotton rags, to produce colorful blankets and delicately embroidered heirlooms that are stunning.

The line has expended this month to feature pom-pomed scarves that are all the rage in a variety of luscious colors. Fabrics range from cotton and silk to Indian khadi, a locally produced natural cotton weave. Natural linen placemats and napkins come in pretty hand block prints that brighten up any table. And of course, the kantha throws anchor the collection with the colorful stitches visible on the vintage sari fabrics. So head west…and explore the new styles! It’s the Indian version of a great American tradition.