The Navy Blue of India is Indeed Hot Pink
August 24, 2010
Our guest blogger from Mala Handmade, Richa shares her favorite discoveries from her visit to THE prettiest showroom in Jaipur called Hot Pink!
P.S: Just a note that the Hot Pink house line is on sale Wednesday (that’s tomorrow!) on Exclusively.In.
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.
source: Hot Pink India
by ST in Accessories, Art, Bag, Beauty, Fashion, Gifts, Global, Home Decor, India, Inspiration, Jewelry, Lifestyle, Mala Handmade, Textiles
Facebook this 
Tweet this 
Email this- 0 Comments
-
0
Get Exclusive with Hard to Find, Indian Designers
August 10, 2010
Hi everyone, it’s Richa from Mala Handmade here today with thoughts about…hunting. Have you ever coveted an expensive dress only to find it on the rack at second markdown? Or dug through a unpromising pile of wares only to find a gem in your size? It’s always nice to score a designer steal, but bargain hunting often means sifting through disorganized piles – until now. A slew of websites have recreated the sample sale experience online, enticing buyers with deeply discounted designer goods accessible from your home computer (or secretly at your office desk)! Sites like Gilt, Haute Look, and Ideeli recreate the sample sale experience by hosting daily sales that feature a rotating cast of designers. Gilt, for example, may pair a high-end brand like Marni with a more contemporary brand (and lower price point) and accessories sale to lure a range of buyers and tastes. Ideedi offers spas treatments and trips to their selection of clothes and accessories.
Nearly every site requires free “membership,” which isn’t really exclusive but necessitates a log-in to view and purchase items. But there are policies worth noting. The very popular Gilt, for examples, hosts most of its clothing sales at noon daily and items you add to your “cart” are held for ten minutes – but returns are for store credit only, which is a nearly universal policy for these sites. Add the time crunch to the return policy and you could end up with less of a bargain on your credit statement. One good way to avoid a sour sale is to stick with familiar brands where you know your size and the quality.
However, it’s hard to put this in practice with my favorite new site, Excusively.In, which brings Indian designers stateside through the same auction format. I’m always on the lookout for modern Indian-inspired clothing and Exclusively.In features sought after labels direct from Mumbai and Delhi – without the plane ticket. I love the range of designers and goods, which includes pop art books about India and vintage Bollywood posters. Since you probably won’t know what size you are in an Anupamaa (http://anupamaa.com/) dress, it’s important to check the size description before you buy (though typical Indian silhouettes, like tunics, are relatively easy to have altered).
Happy hunting!
source: Exclusively.In
by ST in Accessories, Art, Beauty, Fashion, Gifts, Global, Home Decor, India, Jewelry, Textiles, Wedding Facebook this Tweet this Email this- 1 Comment
-
1
GiGi’s Online Vintage Boutique
August 3, 2010
Hi everyone, it’s Richa from MalaHandmade! Today’s post starts with fashion wisdom from Heidi Klum: one day you’re in, the next day you’re out. But I’ll add that what’s out is destined to be trendy again — like vintage clothing. I loved (and still do!) raiding my mom’s closet for anything she would let me get my hands on. While fashion is always recycling past trends, for me there’s no substitute for authentic pieces from the past. Not only have some methods of garment construction been rendered obsolete, but the colors, prints, and even wear-and-tear of real pieces from the past are irreplaceable.
That’s where Gurmeet Grewal comes in. Her online vintage clothing boutique, GiGi Vintage, launched this year and offers a variety of clothes, accessories, and shoes from the 1920′s to 1990′s. Every item is unique and handpicked during trips around the world. While I’m still in denial that the 90′s is considered vintage, Gigi Vintage is well-curated for current trends. If you love the broad shoulders that have trickled down from Balenciaga to Rihanna and now retail worldwide, many of her dresses hit the mark. And after seasons of denying the romper trend, the raindrops print playsuit is adorable. Grewal makes a good argument for vintage pieces as sustainable fashion: wearing and buying vintage often captures catwalk trends at a fraction of the cost – with the bonus of being the real thing.
Sign up for GiGi’s newsletter and get 15% off your first order!
source: GiGi Vintage
by ST in Accessories, Bag, Fashion, Global, Jewelry, London, Vintage Facebook this Tweet this Email this- 1 Comment
-
1
-
Build Shed says:
January 8, 2011 at 8:35 pm
I really enjoyed the resources shared on this blog. God bless.
-
Build Shed says:
Eastern Mystic Inspiration
July 29, 2010
Hi everyone! It’s Richa from Malahandmade and I’m back today with another international jewelry designer that Bollyinstyle labels as a designer on the rise: Sonal Talgeri-Bhaskaran, the London-based designer behind Eastern Mystic jewelry. Her line is just shy of its first anniverary but has already won the Treasure Competition with her handmade beaded creations. Her current collection (which is on sale!) is right on point with summer trends: for example, the triple strand Jalkari Tavashi stone necklaces in the Indali collection can dress up an easy summer dress for evening with bold color. Some bracelets come in multistrand creations that mix large and small stones for a fun, chunky look. It’s also nice to see that Bhaskaran’s collections have a lot of gold mixed in with natural stones (she uses fairtrade 24 karat gold vermeil). Sterling silver has been reigning supreme for some time now and the use of gold is not only a nice compliment to summer skin, but also invokes India which is where the designer finds inspiration. BollyInstyle’s favorites are pieces from the Indira and Malika collection.
I’m always drawn to designers who are self-taught, like Bhaskaran, and came to their design careers from a non-tradiional route. In this case, Bhaskaran came to jewelry after the rigors of a high-profile corporate job and her father’s death prompted her to pursue her passion for jewelry. She focused on what she knew and liked – her Indian heritage (each piece has a unique Indian name) – and found success pursuing what she truly loved to do. Her pieces might not just accessorize your outfit, but inspire you to stay creative!
source: Eastern Mystic
by ST in Accessories, Fashion, Global, Jewelry, London Facebook this Tweet this Email this- 1 Comment
-
1
-
Eastern Mystic says:
July 29, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Hi!! I just stumbled across this! Thank you soo much and I’m so glad you like my jewellery!
Sonal
xxx
-
Eastern Mystic says:
Eat, Pray, Love Fragrance and Candle Collection
July 13, 2010
Eat, Pray, Love ~ This book is a best-seller by Elizabeth Gilbert. The film, which premieres August 13th stars A-lister Julie Roberts. And now the inspired memoir has collaborated with a beauty brand, Fresh to create a candle and fragrance collection…huh? What do you think?
I think the message for Eat, Pray, Love is one that enlightens many. The story definitely works as a ‘page turner’ book and can also be movie-worthy due to Mrs. Roberts’ presence but not sure if the eau de parfum will have the same success. The journey takes one through Italy, India, and Indonesia. Hopefully the storyline continues to gain popularity with its fragrance and candle collection.
Eat, Pray, Love Fragrance and Candle Collection by Fresh will launch July 15th and will only be available in Fresh stores and Fresh.com. The collection includes three fragrances named Eat eau de parfum, Pray eau de parfum, Love eau de parfum.
source: Fresh
by ST in Accessories, Beauty, Fashion, Gifts Facebook this Tweet this Email this- 1 Comment
-
1
-
Anthony Dilg says:
July 15, 2010 at 7:22 am
Hey very nice blog!! Man .. Beautiful .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your blog and take the feeds also¡
-
Anthony Dilg says:
August 10, 2010 at 1:51 pm
This sounds like fun. thanks for sharing!!