men’s formal wear and then there’s Urbana — meticulously tailored, distinctively styled and thoughtfully innovated

WHEN CRAFTSMANSHIP MEETS INNOVATION

There’s men’s formal wear and then there’s Urbana — meticulously tailored, distinctively styled and thoughtfully innovated. At one time, only master tailors would be trusted to produce masterpieces. Then, they became extinct. Most people came to accept upmarket brands as the most practical option. Now, Urbana has bridged the gap between customtailored and machinemade clothes and has created a whole new paradigm of precision and craftsmanship that is unmatched.

    SHIRTS CRAFTED WITH FINE DETAILS Fabric: Long staple cotton and premium linens used.  

Trine Placket: The trine placket makes a statement of style. It’s exactly 30 mm wide and chain-stitched into three 10 mm vertical lanes. The central lane ensures that the buttons are in a perfect straight line.  

Gutermann Thread: Only Gutermann thread from Germany is used for strong yet fine stitches.  

MOP Buttons: Mother-of-pearl buttons set it a class apart.  

Thermofusible Thread: Buttons are sewn with thermofusible threads because of which they do not come off easily and there’s no tangle of threads.  

Taped Shirt: These shirts have fusible tapes within the seams of the shirt, which keeps the seams pucker-free, even after several washes.  

Edge Control Tape: The tape in the trouser gives the waist band firmness and prevents it from folding. 

    INNOVATIVE FINISHES LIKE NONE OTHER Anti-spill Shirts: A special treatment at the fibre level makes these shirts spill-proof.  

Durawhite Shirts: Shirts that stay dazzling white, wash after wash  

Active Black Shirts: These shirts deliver that power-black look and refuse to fade with age.  

Odour-Resistant Shirts: The Actifresh treatment locks up odour in tiny molecules and releases them only during laundry. So, you feel fresh throughout the day.
    Zero Crush Shirts: These shirts are wrinkle free at the fibre level and not just on the surface. The LAMC (Liquid Ammonia Moisture Control) treatment swells up the cotton molecules. So, the shirt stays wrinkle-free naturally and gets a soft silky feel as well.
Easy Iron Shirts: As the name suggests, these shirts are extra easy to     iron.
    The Wellness Shirt: The Renew technology permanently infuses Vitamin E, Aloe Vera and Jojoba into the fibres. And this gets released every time you wear the shirt.
n9 Anti-Microbial: The n9 anti-microbial treatment in the trousers keeps microbes out.
Supercrease Trousers: The perfect crease is yours with this range of trousers.

Festive shirts

Linen shirts

Formal white shirts

Traveller shirts

Striped shirts

Durawhite shirts

X-Shield jackets

Urbana trousers

Raj-era jewellery sparkles globally

Raj-era jewellery sparkles globally

From Selena Gomez to Heidi Klum to the ramps in Paris — baubles from the era of Maharajas are a huge hit. Nona Walia traces the reach of the trend

    THIS season, as the gold rate takes a dip, Indian jewellery is making a style statement with dramatic designs. Hollywood divas Heidi Klum, Halle Berry and Megan Fox have been spotted in Indian bling with western wear. Popstar Selena Gomez wore a bindi, Indian necklace and bangles while performing at the MTV Movie Awards.
    From hasli necklaces to nose rings, armlets and turban jewels — Manish Arora’s show at Paris Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2013 had models flaunting them all. Says Arora, “Traditional designs were used with bold coloured stones, cuffs and necklaces had detailed enamel work. We didn’t stick to the usual bangles, but reinvented turban jewels, nose rings and large hoop earrings.”
India-inspired bling Connecticut-based jewellery designer Alexis Gopal’s 3-inch wide, adjustable ‘India Cuff Bracelet,’ made from recycled silk sari fabric, was part of a collaborative swag bag of green gifts prepared by The Artisan Group for some of Hollywood’s most eco-conscious celebrities. Says Gopal, “The beauty and ethnicity of the recycled sari fabric was the inspiration for this bracelet, and the Hollywood folks loved it.”
    Manhattan-based jewellery designer Amrita Singh’s Indian jewels have been worn by Princess Mary of Denmark, Anne Hathway, Blake Lively and Christina Hendricks. “There is a rise in Polki jewellery which has a vintage Maharaja appeal. My India inspiration comes from history, bazaars and Bollywood. There’s a huge demand for delicate and rich Mughal-inspired style with a modern deco flair.” She uses a lot of yellow gold with vibrant stones such as rubies, amethyst and topaz. Jade Jagger’s jewellery has also been India-inspired. “My designs tiptoe between earthy and modern, with necklaces, rings and bracelets set in gold, emeralds and diamonds. One collection features the rudraksha prayer beads on a variety of necklaces.”
Mecca for designs Says London-based couture jewellery designer Pippa Small, “India is my second home. Jaipur is the mecca for my designs.” Says New York-based jeweller Rosena Sammi, “I try to give my jewellery a modern aesthetic with historical opulence, like with the necklace modelled on poet Rabindranath Tagore. I’m also inspired by the Mughal era and Rajasthani craft, and use Sanskrit text.’’
Unparalleled inspiration Adeline Roussel offers to Paris the jewellery she herself fabricates in India. Her work is a mixture of the East and the West. She says, “I work with 22-carat gold and rosequartz, cornelian, chalcedony, garnet, ruby tourmaline. The inspiration I get at my workshop in Jaipur is unparalleled.” Says Londonbased jeweller Emma Chapman, “The colours of India are visible in the stones I use. My design style is inspired by Indian craftsmen.”

A model with hasli necklaces at Manish Arora’s show at the A/W 2013 Paris Fashion Week

Selena Gomez at the 2013 MTV Movie Awards

CAVIAR NAIL ART

CAVIAR NAIL ART

    THE ever-changing nail art scene has something wacky in store — colourful caviar nail art. This luxe-textured nail art, originally made its way into the fashion frontier when models donned black beaded nails at the Cushnie et Ochs Fall 2011 fashion show.
What is caviar manicure? Resembling caviar and birthday cake decoration, it comprises multicoloured microbeads of glass held in place with a few coats of nail varnish. It resembles a high-end salon manicure, but it’s inexpensive.
How to get it You need a nail paint of your choice, a bottle of plastic or glass microbeads of contrasting colours (available at children’s art stores) and a transparent nail varnish.
    Apply a base coat of the nail paint. Before it dries out, pour the beads over your nail. Make sure that each nail is fully covered. Lightly pat the beads into the wet polish and remove any that fall outside the nail outline.
    After beading all the nails, let it dry for 10 minutes. Then, apply a coat of transparent nail varnish to seal the beads in. Experiment with different colour combinations.

REVERSE GEAR — A CODED MESSAGE!

REVERSE GEAR — A CODED MESSAGE!

Friends & Foes

Sabah Khalid, a regular reader of Kids’ Corner asks, “Do you think all insects are harmful?” Then without waiting for a reply she answers, “Some insects are very helpful.” Sabah has created the following activity for us. Break the code and read the paragraph below to find how some insects are indeed our friends! Seilf, seilfrettub, selteeb and many others visit srewolf to collect ratcen and nellop to eat. In the process they carry nellop from rewolf to rewolf. This is called noitanillop and is needed so that the rewolf can form sdees or stiurf. Sredips are very helpful as they hctac lots of tcesni stsep, like seilf in their sbew. Seeb make yenoh, teews and packed with ygrene.
(Code: Some words in the paragraph above spell backwards.)

DRESSING UP FOR SUMMERS JUST GOT MORE STYLISH AND HIP

DRESSING UP FOR SUMMERS JUST GOT MORE STYLISH AND HIP

    It’s time to shed those starched shirts and stitched trousers and opt for smarter casuals this summer. Think light linens, fluid khakis and breezy cotton shirts, all trendy choices for the sweltering summer days. Summers are no longer an excuse to dress sloppy. Dress up every day in brighter toned casual clothes and waistcoats and wear softer and lighter fabrics like linen. These were showcased at the Blackberrys collection showcased at the Sharp Nights — Jamup edition at Mehboob Studios. The launch saw four personalities — Arjun Rampal, Ayushmann Khurrana, Karsh Kale and Anushka Manchanda walk the ramp in an all-new dressed up sharp avatar.
For more details, visit www.facebook.com/blackberrysmensfashion.com and www.blackberrys.com 

Arjun Rampal walks the ramp at Blackberrys Sharp Nights

The khakis and shirts in colours of red, rust, blue and pistachio, are sure to add zing to your summer wardrobe. The ‘Fluid Cotton’ technology, which is a lightweight stretch fabric, feels great

Dressing up for a summer red carpet affair could be fun too. These separates are sure to add to your style quotient — khakis and a waistcoat enhance your look, be it for a formal event, or for a casual date

Pair up your coloured pants with a smart pair of brogues, waistcoat and a slim belt for a hip party look

Ayushmann Khurrana walks the ramp at the event. He sported a linen suit styled with a hint of mint green through the tie and a pocket square. Linen shirts and jackets are a part of the brand’s Spring/ Summer collection and are available in colours like aqua, pollen yellow, leaf green and red, teal and indigo

Esmeralda – Cesare Pungi

Esmeralda – Cesare Pungi, Godrej Dance Theatre, NCPA, May 10 and 11, 6:30 pm; Poet Gringoire, sentenced to be hanged, is saved in extremis by beautiful Esmeralda who agrees to marry him. Archdeacon Frollo, torn between his love for God and his obsession for the gypsy girl, sends his henchman Quasimodo to capture her. Esmeraldais rescued by Phoebus, the captain of the guard, who gives her his scarf as a souvenir. Later, alone, Esmeralda, starts dreaming about the handsome captain. Starring: Maria Alexandrova (Esmeralda), Ruslan Skvortsov (Phoebus), Ekaterina Krysanova (Fleur de Lys), Denis Savin (Gringoire) and others.

RAZA, HUSAIN GO ONLINE

RAZA, HUSAIN GO ONLINE

    The site AstaGuru.com, an online auction house, is holding its summer auction of modern Indian masters next week. On the block are rare works by MF Husain, a vintage figurative Ram Kumar from the 50s, early works by SH Raza along with artworks by Akbar Padamsee, Tyeb Mehta, HA Gade, FN Souza and others.
    While talking about the auction, Vickram Sethi, chairman of AstaGuru.com, observed that the art market is stable now and said that prices are very attractive at this point of time.
    At this auction, besides the progressives, the Bengal School is well represented by the likes of Jamini Roy, Ganesh Pyne, Bikash Bhattacharjee, Paritosh Sen, Anjolie Ela Menon, Sakti Burman and Jogen Chowdhury. Sabavala’s Munger Skies and an untitled work of Bendre are outstanding examples of Indian landscape painters. Husain’s Civilization is the pièce de résistance along with Ram Kumar’s Dreamers. The auction has four works from Ram Kumar, two abstract landscapes, a rare banaras and a very early figurative work. The Raza works are from the 1970s and 1990s ranging from his abstracts to his geometrics. The auction consists of 60 lots and starts on May 14 at 11am. It will conclude on May 15 at 7.30pm IST. Closing time for specific lots are mentioned on the site. A private viewing for the same will be held at Institute of Contemporary Indian Art Kalaghoda.
Contact: Anthony Diniz (022-22048138). Add: ICIA House, 22/26, K Dubhash Marg, Kala Ghoda, Next to MC Ghia Hall, Mumbai. www.theartstrust.com 

A work by MF Husain

Vickram Sethi

TREND CHATTER

TREND CHATTER

A MOVING
TRASHCAN? Technology has come to the rescue of lazy folks, with a guy having invented a trashcan that moves to catch the garbage! The inventor, a Japanese guy simply named FRP, has come up with the idea by attaching a circuit board to the bottom of the trash bin, a camera to monitor the room and a special program to allow the camera to track garbage that comes its way. It will undoubtedly find takers with those who are plumb-lazy or who just have a terrible aim.

DUCK’S EGGS, NEW HEALTHY ALTERNATIVE Folks are ‘quacking’ about this one, alright! After hen and chicken eggs, duck’s eggs are gaining favour as a healthier option. Chefs are dishing them out sunnyside up, with roasted meats, spicy potatoes and more. Food experts claim the eggs have a certain richness to them and a different flavour. Some also feel they stay moist more when baking and work better when making a custard preparation.

READY TO WEAR CAT TIGHTS? Love cats? You can now wear your furry friends too, for the latest fashion rage in Japan is to wear ‘cat tights’. The tights have cute looking cat faces on them and tails at the back. Women are said to be snapping them up over the net. Try them on with high boots and it will look like a kitten is peeping out over the top of them.

ARE YOU ADDICTED TO MAKEUP?

ARE YOU ADDICTED TO MAKEUP?

Constantly buying makeup, obsession with wanting to look different and being unable to wear your natural face qualify you as a ‘cosmoholic’. Watch out, say experts...

    You’ve heard of shoe fetishes and other obsessions that people have. But did you know there is a makeup addiction, too? Do you end up buying lip colours that ‘look similar’ to ones you already have? Does your bathroom look like a storehouse of cosmetics? Watch out, you might be a makeup addict or a cosmoholic. Someone who may go to any lengths to buy makeup, cost and quantity no bar. Plus, like other addicts, these women will also not admit at the onset that they have a problem. A recent study has raised the alarm on the issue, saying an addiction to makeup has become like a ‘crutch’ for women. 

WHAT THE STUDY SHOWED A few research studies might startle you. In one study, out of 1,292 women who were surveyed, 44% felt negative about themselves when not wearing makeup. While about 16% felt they were “unattractive”, 14% felt they were “naked” without it. Another study showed how ladies who ‘donned greasepaint’ were regarded as more ‘competent’ than those who didn’t wear any. This linked makeup with success, which is wrong. 

EXPERTS HAVE THEIR SAY So, what’s with the constant obsession of looking perfect all the time? Explains psychologist Dr Seema Hingorrany, “People who have an intense desire to please others also have an intense need to look good. Often, these women have a whole drawer of unused lipsticks, shadows etc and still can’t resist the urge to buy more. This makeup addiction is like an obsessive-compulsive disorder. People like to hoard things and are unable to discard old, unused items. It makes them anxious to think about it.”
    Makeup artiste Marvie Beck elaborates, “For many women, putting on their makeup is an important part of the daily ritual. They see cosmetics not as a splurge, but as essential buys. They dislike the thought of people seeing them without a well made-up face and harbour the notion that it makes their appearance more accepted. In a sense it boosts self-respect, too. While I agree one should wear makeup, it’s also important to ‘dress the face’; it’s about confidence really.”

5 SIGNS YOU KNOW YOU’RE ADDICTED WHEN

A STUDY HAS SHOWN THAT ONE IN THREE WOMEN REFUSE TO GO OUT IN PUBLIC WITHOUT WEARING MAKEUP!

You buy at least 20 eye shadows that are more or less the same colour. More than washroom breaks, you take concealer touch-up breaks. In supermarkets, you always find yourself in the makeup aisle. You have a monthly budget for your makeup (but never stick to it). The suitcase you pack on a weekend getaway has more makeup than clothes.  

 

SHELF-LIFE HOW LONG TO KEEP? 6 MONTHS — Cleansers and moisturisers 3 MONTHS — Mascaras 8 MONTHS — Lipsticks 12 MONTHS — Foundation 24 MONTHS — Lip liner 12 MONTHS — Nail polish

Oz company offering men's lingerie with a frilly twist

Oz company offering men's lingerie with a frilly twist

    One Brisbane-based company is offering male lingerie with a frilly twist. It is taking the world by storm with its boutique range of bras, camisoles, stockings and G-strings, for the fashion-forward man who likes to get in touch with his feminine side.
    Owner and chief designer Brent Krause said he started the store after finding decent lingerie for discerning men was hard to come by. “If you search for men’s lingerie on the web, normally the only stuff that comes up is novelty items and that sort of rubbish,” he said.
    Since then, the online store has seen massive growth and the range is now being sold in stores across the US and distributed around the world, though Krause said they were in “a bit of a grey area” for retail. Krause said he believed his customer base was “90% straight males”, who bought it because they liked the fabric or the look, or to “spice things up in the bedroom”. ANI

Flash those zips, fashionistas

Flash those zips, fashionistas

    This season is all about flashing that metal. No, nothing too loud or over-the-top, instead it is all about stylishly flaunting that zipper. Women, irrespective of their age, can show off those zippers this season. Some of the high-street brands are already out with collections that are suited to this trend. International runways, too, have seen this trend being showcased. With the call of the season being retro. it is no surprise that this trend has resurfaced. Showing off those styles and statements could mean something different, depending on one’s sensibilities. We try and get you a few handy tips to stay in vogue, while keeping your fashion sens i b i l i t y intact.  

 

THE PARTY ANI-MAL: You like your clothes to be the centre of attraction as much as yourself. Go for some bold patterns, where you have upturned zippers stitched in the front of your dress. These can remain the conversation among your friends long after you’ve hopped to another party. 

THE UPPITY SOCIALITE: You like to follow trends, but you don’t want to be led by them. You’d want to underplay the trend, while still toeing that line of being in sync with the latest on the runways. The best option for you would be to choose interesting shrugs and jackets that have zippers on the outside, but don’t cry out loud when you’re entering an art exhibition or a lunch soirée. 

THE CONFUSED FASHIONISTA: You’re the easiest one of the lot to embrace the trend. Yet, while you have these outfits in your wardrobe, you don’t know how to sport them or are unsure if you are able to carry off the trend. The best way for a person like you would be to always try and experiment, for you’ve the best of all worlds in your wardrobe. Try and make the best of this trend with a complete retro ensemble — a floral print dress, a cotton or linen jacket with zips and wedges — to be that complete 70s flower power child. 

THE ASPIRING DIVA: You want to be trendy, but do not want to show it yet. For a person like you, something simple, like a shirt with zips on the outside, would work best. It will give you that smart edge. 

THE WORKAHOLIC: You’re that person who knows all styles, keeps in sync with the trends, but is too busy buried in work to follow any. A person like you are best suited to opt for something like harems or linen pants with funky zip patterns if you’re in a casual workplace. In case you’re at a formal do, try and make up for it by following it through funky accessories like a bag with upturned zips maybe.

Fashionable pregnancy

Fashionable pregnancy

Kate Middleton recently topped a list of Best Dressed pregnant stars compiled by a US magazine. Here’s a look at which to-be-mum celebrities gave her competition...

KATE MIDDLETON The Duchess of Cambridge hasn’t changed her formal yet fashionable style despite pregnancy

PEACHES GELDOF Bob Geldof’s daughter kept her pregnancy look chic and simple

Kim doesn’t make the cut KIM KARDASHIAN Despite being one of the most photographed women in the US, Kim did not make it to the best dressed list, and fashion critics say the reality star is yet to find her pregnancy style

LARA STONE The model grabbed eyeballs with this red dress at an awards show

PENELOPE CRUZ Even a pregnant woman can rock a bikini, shows the Spanish beauty

HALLE BERRY Her early pregnancy days let her be the hot Hollywood star we all know her to be

HILARIA THOMAS Casual has been the yoga teacher’s style, other than on red carpets, of course