Category: FASHION & LIFESTYLE

This section brings you the latest stories on fashion and beauty trends, movies and entertainment along with reviews of the innovative apps to use. Stay up-to-date with the posts on latest runway fashion and entertainment trends from Trendspotters. This go-to destination offers the hottest trends in the world of entertainment, fashion and beauty.

The Truth about online shopping!

Online shopping offers comfort, convenience, choices and great discounts especially when you’re planning festival shopping like Christmas. Every person who shops online in India has a preferred set of websites from the popular online shopping sites. Contrary to common perception online shopping also functions the way normal walk-in stores do. It comes with its target segments and customers. Here’s a list of digital marketplace offerings you must know before you finish your Christmas shopping.

#1 Marketplace shopping

If you have ever shopped from any popular online shopping sites in India like Flipkart, Amazon, Snapdeal or ShopClues, you’ve shopped at a comprehensive marketplace. Websites like these have a seller-based model where sellers put their products for sale online. So if you get a faulty product, your product goes back to the seller and not the web entity itself.

#2 Brand-based shops

Online shops like Myntra, Jabong and Koovs work on a brand based model wherein they sell products from various brands through a single portal. These portals offer a great blend of domestic as well as international brands that fit every consumer’s preference and pockets.

#3 Flash sale websites

Flash sale websites offer the excitement of a bulk sale at your fingertip. Websites like FashionAndYou, 99Labels and Styletag offer these sales where you can buy products at competitive pricing.

#4 E-commerce labels

Labels born out of E-commerce are gaining immense popularity. These are in-house brands that offer products exclusively only through their own web portal. Bhane, Stalk Buy Love and Candidly Couture are some such examples.

#5 Deal shopping

These are websites that only offer deals. The most popular example of such a portal is Groupon.

#6 Niche online shopping

Niche online stores offer specialty products that are hard to find on other portals. Products like customised eyewear, furniture, upholstery and customised gifts are some such examples. Web shopping places like FabFurnish, Lenskart, Pepperfry and PrintVenue offer speciality products.

#7 Luxury online shopping

If luxury gives you the adrenaline rush then this online shopping type is designed for you. Elitify, PerniasPopUpShop, Exclusively.in offer luxury clothing, accessories, footwear, bags and more such products.

Image Source: Screenshots from the respective websites.

November 17, 2014
Ogaan celebrates 25 years of its fashionable journey!

The pioneer of multi-designer stores in India, ‘Ogaan’, celebrated its 25th anniversary this week and the event brought the best of Indian fashion together. The extravaganza kicked off with a brunch organised by Elle magazine on the 9th of November followed by an exhibition of exclusive collections created by 25 select designers especially for the silver jubilee. Here’s a sneak peek into the elite affair.

The pioneer of multi-designer stores in India ‘Ogaan’ marked its 25th anniversary this week. For this occasion, celebrated designers like Abraham and Thakore, Gaurav Jai Gupta and Aneeth Arora amongst many others created specific collections themed around ‘reflections’.

The event also included a panel discussion on the key moments in the history of fashion in India by honoured members of the Indian fashion industry Mayank Mansingh Kaul, Bandana Tiwari, David Abraham, Ruchika Sachdeva and Thukral & Tagra.

Here’s what designer Kavita Bhartia, the owner of Ogaan had to say at this proud moment.

Kavita Bhartia: It’s been a very exciting journey, Ogaan was the second store in Delhi and the first store in India to open its door and it’s been wonderful that we have had this opportunity to kind of pioneer this fashion movement in India. Fashion is so organised now with the fashion weeks and businesses have been growing from strength to strength and it actually is only 25 years old, the fashion industry in India. I really feel happy that it all started.

Designer Kavita Bhartia

November 14, 2014
App of the week: Count your drinks

Lousy drinkers finally have a saviour. If you struggle to keep a tab of your drinks in your head then get ‘Count Your Drinks’ app on your smart phone and let it work it’s charm. Here’s how.

‘Count Your Drink’ app lets you keep count of how much you’re drinking in one session with your friends.

It also keeps a tab of how much your friends drink. Not just that, you may add the cost of your drinks to divide your bills easily.

Voila! Your life just got easier.

Image source: www.mtv.in.com

November 11, 2014
Urvashi Kaur’s SS’15 collection ‘Ziran’ at Neel Sutra by Deepika Govind

Designer Urvashi Kaur, known for redefining prêt wear in India through her bohemian interpretation, recently launched her new collection titled ‘Ziran’. This Spring Summer 2015 line had an exclusive launch at the Neel Sutra store at The Oberoi, Gurgaon. Here’s what Deepika and Urvashi had to say about the collection.

Deepika: I met Urvashi a year ago and from the day I met her I always knew we would do this one day so it was just a matter of time and I think this is the first time Neel Sutra has done that given a whole space to a solo designer, it’s usually a muti-designer store.

Urvashi: I think there’s such a natural synergy between what Neel Sutra stands for and what Deepika herself stands for and I think my label and my aesthetic is just the same language, it’s the same emotion and that translates into everything from the space.

L-R: Designers Deepika Govind and Uravshi Kaur

Urvashi Kaur’s Spring Summer 2015 collection titled ‘Ziran’ stands for everything modern and contemporary while keeping its base in the cultural roots of India.

Urvashi: For me what was really fantastic is this great amalgamation of what India in my terms what we stand for and how we want to take this forward in fashion. The new collection, it’s called Ziran and Ziran means to exist in its natural state without intent, without any intention.

Pieces from Urvashi Kaur’s SS’15 collection titled Ziran

Strutting through the event donning outfits from Urvashi’s latest collection was actress Tisca Chopra and models Sonalika Sahay and Lakshmi Rana. The models were styled with accessories from Urvashi’s collections that were especially handcrafted by Risa.

Urvashi: That’s Sonalika and of course she is beautiful in everything she wears but I think this outfit is tremendously beautiful. I’ve tried to translate everything I do in clothes on to accessories everything from shoes to clutches and they’re super comfortable so the idea is to go modern, chic and use the India techniques.

L-R: Lakshmi Rana, Tisca Chopra, Sonalika Sahay

November 7, 2014
App of the week: 7 minute workout “Seven”

If you’re also too lazy to invest in a gym membership and then also actually use it, here’s a solution for you!Sitting in your phone’s app store is the app “Seven” that promises a power workout without any equipment. What’s more? It offers rest intervals between exercises and you can do it right inside your room. All you need is 7 minutes!

If you struggle to find time to include a workout in your routine, then “Seven” is the app for you. This app has your daily fitness covered in seven minutes complete with a high intensity challenge workout. With visual and spoken cues, the free version of this app helps you perform 12 exercises of 30 seconds each with 10-second rests in between.

If you get the paid version, you can choose the types of workouts you want to purchase, ranging from exercises that target upper body strength, core training, and fat loss workouts to explosive workouts.The Added advantage?! The app is available across both leading mobile platforms Android and Apple.

You can download the apps here;

Apple devices: https://itunes.apple.com/in/app/7-minute-workout-seven-high/id650276551?mt=8
Android devices: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.minhphan.android.seven&hl=en

Image Source: www.perigee.se

November 4, 2014
From the runway to your doorstep only with www.exclusively.in

Meet Sanjay Guleria and Mohini Boparai who together run the online portal www.exclusively.in. Bringing the best of Indian fashion together, the portal delivers products from over a 100 designers not just in India but to places the world over. The dynamic duo also encourages designers to launch their own website and manage their web operations.

Sanjay and Mohini: Hi I am Sanjay Guleria and I am Mohini Boparai and together we run a website called exclusively in.

Exclusively.in curates collections from over a 100 designers providing the best of Indian fashion and luxury to the world. That’s not it, they also manage online and ecommerce operations for some of the top Indian designers.

Sanjay: Exclusively.in is an online fashion portal bringing Indian fashion to the world we ship in over a hundred countries including India, the US and all over the world. We’ve actually helped Rohit Bal E-commerce enable his website, so he can now sell his products directly from his own website.

Mohini: So we’ve launched Tarun Tahiliani, Manish Malhotra, Manish Arora, AMPM and now Rohit Bal.

Bridging the gap between runway and reality, quite literally, their own website www.exclusively.in launched most of the collections from the recently held Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring Summer 2015 within 24 hours of their respective runway shows at the event.

Mohini: So we launched (yesterday) Kavita Bhartia, Samant Chauhan, Urvashi Kaur, Dev R Nil, Malini Ramani, Payal Singhal a whole bunch of them. So the designers I just mentioned will be straight off the runway. The show happens today, and within 24 hours you can shop it off our website.

Sanjay: It’s exciting because thanks to E-commerce the whole world can shop Indian fashion so together with social media and our E-commerce website there’s a lot of exposure and awareness that these platforms can create that really makes it easy for people to buy.

October 30, 2014
Celebrities spotted at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week S/S’15

The recently-concluded Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2015 witnessed an assemblage of known faces from across the country. Trendspotters TV presents to you the highlights of the ‘not-to-be-missed’ celebrities who graced the 5-day extravaganza with their presence, setting trends in their own right.

The Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week S/S’15 witnessed a number of known faces apart from just those associated with the Fashion industry. Here’s a list of celebrities who graced the occasion with their presence.

The first celebrity face spotted at the runway was the famous tennis player Sania Mirza as the show stopper for designer Ritu Pande. Talking about Show stoppers, actress Aditi Rao Hydari looked gorgeous in designer Payal Singhal’s outfit stealing the show on the day 3 of the event.

Day 5 of the fashion week also witnessed actress Monica Dogra walking the runway for Kanika Saluja’s label ‘Anaikka’ and the very dapper Arjun Rampal making heads turn at Rohit Bal’s grand finale.

The event got an instant shot in the arm with a surprise visit by actor Rahul Bose looking every inch dapper at Rajesh Pratap Singh’s show. Likewise, actress Huma Qureshi upped the glam quotient looking stunning in designer Masaba Gupta’s outfit from her new collection. Qureshi marked her presence at Masaba’s show along with the designer’s mother, Neena Gupta.

Just like last season, actress Neha Dhupia was the Twitter face of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. She was also a part of the Wills Fashion Academy along with Anchor-VJ Gaurav Kapur. The dazzling duo together helped people with their fashion IQ in fun and quirky ways!

October 28, 2014
Street Style spotted at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week SS’15

Our team of fashion lovers at Trendspotters TV takes you through the best of street wear flaunted by fashionistas at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion week Spring/Summer’15. Here’s a quick recap of what people wore at the event that simply couldn’t go un-noticed! Take a look.

Fashion weeks are no longer just about the designers showcasing their upcoming collections. There are numerous other elements that contribute to the ‘glam-factor’ when it comes to making the event charismatic and worth remembering.And street–style fashion is one of those extremely important aspects in this list that can never go unnoticed. Here’sour pick of the best of street style we spotted at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week SS’15.

Headgears, hair accessories and impeccable hair-dos were the favourite as spotted at the Fashion week. From simple straight-untied hair to chunky hair accessories, the fashionistas from across the country certainly put a lot of attention into dressing up their manes.

Contemporary Ethnic Wear certainly retained its charm as the stylish attendees carried it off with oodles of panache. Some went ahead and gave their earthy attire a twist to give an experimental edge and a whole new look to Indian clothing.

That’s not it; a blend of traditional and western paired with just the perfect accessories stole the limelight making heads turn.

October 25, 2014
Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week’s love affair with hair styling!

A well-fitted garment is not the only aspect of putting a collection together. Hair and make-up that complete the look also play a pivotal role in making the line cohesive. We get you a lowdown of all the hair styling trends as spotted at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week SS’15

Designer Aneeth Arora started the fashion week with bands made out of flowers as head gears whereas Hemant and Nandita added visor caps to enhance the sporty look of their collection. Other designers who used noticeable headgears for their collections were Nida Mahmood, Alpana and Neeraj and Siddhartha Tytler.

L-R (Collections): Aneeth Arora, Hemant & Nandita, Nida Mahmood, Alpana Neeraj and Siddartha Tytler

Buns made quite the appearance on the runway with designers opting for slicked hair with buns tied neatly like Rajesh Pratap Singh’s show. Designer Wendell Rodricks’ line took the classic bun a step further with models walking down the runway in multiple-buns updo. Braids got a graphic twist with Paras and Shalini and Kanika Saluja’s models going for multi-strand braids with a unique spin.

L-R (Collections): Rajeash Pratap Singh, Wendell Rodricks, Geisha Designs by Paras & Shalini, Annaika by Kanika Saluja

The runway is a big fan of low ponytails and the same was witnessed. Designers like Atsu and Mrinalini’s shows rocked the ponytail look.

L-R (Collections): Atsu and Mrinalini

Hair accessories took to the runway with designers Masaba Gupta using firecrackers, Nida Mahmood using cups and saucers and Anupama Dayal styling her models with scarves as turbans.

L-R (Collections): Masaba Gupta, Nida Mahmood, Anupama Dayal

Designers Pallavi Mohan, Shivan and Narresh and Nachiket Barve opted for minimal hair styling with hair slicked down and tucked behind ears.

L-R (Collections): Not So Serious by Pallavi Mohan, Shivan & Narresh, Nachiket Barve

Hair styling just like beauty and fashion also took inspiration from culture with designer Poonam Dubey adding ‘Maatha Pattis’ and Alpana Neeraj opting for Japan-inspired pleated paper head gears.

L-R (Collections): Poonam Dubey, Alpana Neeraj

October 22, 2014
7 trends from the runway that we hope make a mark next spring!

No fashion week is complete without trend predictions for the upcoming season. Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring Summer 2015 was a riot of colours, designs, silhouettes with a whiff of spring. Here are the top 7 trends from the runway that are sure to make your spring wardrobe more colourful.

Designers Hemant and Nandita brought retro and Aztec back and blended them flawlessly. The duo also borrowed a page from their Indian roots and presented garments with ikat weaves. Their looks were completed with sky high wedges, round vintage sunglasses and handbags. Designer duo Shivan and Narresh’s resort wear consisted of cut-out monokinis and trikinis with sharp lines breaking away from the usual spring pastels. Their line inspired by Calder’s work used shades of brown, white and black complete with strappy heels. Designer Rajesh Pratap Singh’s line titled blue-blood displayed organic denims made out of woven khadi for men and women. The collection celebrated the versatility of denims complete with prints, metals, stripes, checks and polka dots. The label ‘Ashish N Soni’ by Ashish Soni displayed a line inspired by feathers. Crisp white rompers, dresses and separates for women made quite the statement for spring. Suits, jackets and pants with feather print made the cut for menswear.

Festivities took to the runway when designer Masaba Gupta’s models walked the catwalk donning firecrackers and jasmine flowers in place of a parandi. The line had a piece for every woman saris, dresses and suits with firecracker and zodiac prints along with statement neck pieces and sparkly embellishments. The queen of kitsch, Nida Mahmood’s collection ‘Good Luck Irani Cafe’ was fashionable, entertaining and comprehensive. The designer displayed dresses, shorts, saris in quirky summer prints paired with headgears made from flowers, ribbons, scarves and ballerinas made out of socks. Sporty chic got a metallic makeover with designer Shweta Kapur’s label 431-88. LBDs, crop tops, skirts and maxi dresses with black sequined panel detailing teamed with sport shoes and slippers made for the perfect evening statement.

October 17, 2014
Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week’s Top 7 ‘oomph’ model moments

The five-day extravaganza at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion week SS’15 witnessed an assemblage of unique designs and daring silhouettes. Here’s a list of the Top 7 oomph model moments from various designers spotted at the runway!

The Wills lifestyle India Fashion Week SS’15 held in October this year saw an array of exquisite collections from multi-talented designers. But what caught our attention were the models who dared to walk with chutzpah making the outfits seem even more desirable. Take a look at the top 7 oomph model moments at the runway.

Strutting designer duo Shivan and Narresh’s collection was model Diva Dhawan who looked absolutely spectacular in this cut-out swimsuit baring it all on the runway. Next in line was this beauty from Hemant and Nandita’s show. The amazing sporty-chic look donned by the models stood out in terms of silhouettes, prints and patterns. Sitting pretty at number 3 was the actress Monica Dogra donning this ensemble from the label Annaikka by Kanika Saluja. The lehenga and the accessories complemented each other in all ways possible. Model Rikee Chaterjee stole our hearts with this outfit and the perfect attitude while she walked for designer Nida Mahmood.

This breath-taking combination from 431-88 by Shweta Kapur looked fabulous on model Alesia Raut. The crop-jacket made for a stunning ensemble with the pants. At number 6 is model Kanistha Dhankar donning this outfit by designer Malini Ramani. The gorgeous maxi with a tribal pattern made its way as one of the hottest outfits this season. Last but not the least was the eye candy straight from the football fields. That’s right, footballer Prathamesh Maulingkar looked every inch dapper with those dhoti pants while making a debut on the runway with Wendell Rodricks’s collection.

October 16, 2014
Last Moment Diwali Gift Ideas that Can Save You a Lot of Hassle

It’s almost Diwali and the pressure is on. You have a week to buy Diwali gifts for your friends, family, co-workers, boss and a list of other people. Not only are gifts heavy on your pocket, but looking for the Diwali gifting ideas is a great exercise for your brain too. Figuring out the perfect gift to please everyone is a task that comes with a lot of questions.

Diwali Gift ideas

Here’s a list of inspiring Diwali gifting ideas for almost everyone.

Diwali Gifts for your Friends

Getting a gift for your friends can be very tricky. Here’s a small hack. Buy them something that is of utility for them and yet makes for a good present like a hair styler, a portable mobile charger/ power bank or a gift voucher of their favourite brand.

Hair styler, power banks, gift vouchers for clothes.

Diwali Gift for your Parents

Parents are a very tough audience to crack when it’s about presents. Gift them things that they have had their eyes on for a while like an iPad, or a tablet, an air fryer, holiday tickets or and LED TV.

Diwali Gifting Idea for your Siblings

Siblings always want new things. Even if they already have a watch, another one in a different colour only adds to their list of collectibles. Diwali gift ideas like watches, Xbox 1, makeup/cosmetic hampers or Bluetooth speakers are what you should be looking at.

Gifts your Partner

Buying a gift for your partner is very personal. If you are also one of those people who can’t take a hint, you’ll never go wrong with these; jewellery, the newest mobile phone in the market, couple spa vouchers or a laptop.

Gifts for your Boss

When you are buying a Diwali gift for your boss you have to be very careful and also politically correct. Think practical and get your hands on to a tablet, a phone, an elaborate poker set (if they play cards), wallets/bags, cufflinks or go for a fancy hip flask.

Gifts for Co-workers

Easy-peasy Diwali gift ideas for your co-workers; a bottle of wine, mobile accessories, a coffee-maker or fashion accessories.

Gifts ideas on this Diwali for your Relatives

The safest option while preparing a gift-list for your relatives is kitchenware. You might want to add some gold/silver coins esents to add a touch of festive flavour.

Lastly, do not forget to include a box of your favourite sweets with your presents. Go for a box of chocolates, butter cookies, donuts, cupcakes or just plain ‘mithai’.

October 16, 2014
Designers Arjun Saluja and Ragini Ahuja present a preview of their latest collection at Ensemble

Multi-designer store Ensemble located in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, recently showcased collections by two very talented designers Ragini Ahuja and Arjun Saluja. Take a look at what these designers have to say about the preview!

India’s iconic multi-designer store Ensemble unveiled its two new additions with designer labels ‘Ikai’ by Ragini Ahuja and ‘Rishta’ by Arjun Saluja. Located in DLF Emporio Mall, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi; the store houses collections by multiple veterans from the fashion industry including names like Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna, Malini Ramani, Pankaj and Nidhi, Manish Malhotra and many more.

Designer Arjun Saluja from the label ‘Rishta’ showcased his new collection called ‘Essentials’ that offers stylized renditions of silhouettes such as dhoti pants, salwars, pathani tunics, saris, bush shirts and more.

Arjun Saluja: The collection is an extension of the Autumn/Winter line. There are two parts to it, one is the essentials line which is basically the derivative line of Rishtaa which is the simpler line and the other is more avant-garde line which is the fall winter line from the season.

Also delivering an edgy line of geometrical patterns is designer Ragini Ahuja with her brand ‘Ikai’. With her collection named ‘Metal’, the designer has beautifully mastered an amalgamation of prints with leather, styled with a touch of androgyny.

Ragini Ahuja: Ensemble is one store that has supported me through the beginning like right from the start so I’ve always been very excited forEnsemble previews and this is my first one in Ensemble Delhi and I’m very very excited.

Ragini Ahuja: So this is my Autumn/Winter ’14 collection, actually it’s a mix of my Summer’14 and my Autumn’14. Autumn ’14 is called ‘Metal’ and I’ve done a lot of reverse applique marble shibori and a lot of leather again.

Visit Ensemble in New Delhi to pick your favorite pieces from their collections and many other biggies from the fashion industry

October 15, 2014
Things we loved about the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week SS’15 Day 5

The final day of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week was big on metallics, mirror work and exotic prints. Take a look at the highlights of the final day.

Designer Niharika Pandey started the final day of Wifw with separates, crop tops, dresses and skirts in conversational prints while designer Niket Mishra displayed flowy garments in shades of black and orange with delicate embroidery. Designer Rahul Singh opted for metallics in mostly silver and gold.

Designer Kanika Saluja employed metals in a warrior-inspired collection. What made heads turn was actress Monica Dogra walking the ramp as the collection’s showstopper. Designer Joy Mitra displayed a beautiful collection of floor-length anarkalis, saris, lehengas and embellished capes. Designer Neeta Bhargava’s garments were inspired by global warming and pollution with models walking the ramp holding their own miniature outfits in a cage.

The label Rehane exhibited a unique pairing of Gujarati mirror work and ginghams in modern silhouettes. Nida Mahmood lived up to her classic quirkiness with her designs presented in bright shades, prints and headgears in a collection named Good luck Irani cafe. Melbourne based Indian designer Roopa Pemmaraju’s eponymous brand showcased a line blending exotic Australian bird prints with Indian weaves.

October 13, 2014
Minimal Make-up, elaborate hair styles and head gears ruled the runway on Day 5 of WIFW

Day 5 of the WIFW witnessed a variety of hair styles from sleek low pony tails to graphically woven princess braids. Take a look;

Pigtails rolled into tight buns accessorized with jhumkas, tightly twisted knots and multi-strand braids made for the hair styling highlights of the final day of the event.

Designer Nida Mahmood’s collection was styled to perfection with models donning big glasses, ribbons, cups and saucers, flowers and scarves as headgear with nude makeup and a pop of red on the lips.

October 13, 2014