Diwali Delights from Louis Vuitton!

Happy Diwali everyone! Follow in Louis Vuitton's footsteps and celebrate the Festival of Lights in style this season. This year, the luxury brand created a magical re-editing of 40 pieces from its Spring/Summer 2010 and Fall/Winter 2010 collections using fabric from authentic vintage saris sourced from all over India. Louis Vuitton even went a step further by decorating its store windows with Diwali inspired decorations in collaboration with famous artist Rajeev Sethi. This unlikely pair showcases how traditional India can blend seamlessly with modern fashion rules. 

The pieces from the Luis Vuitton Diwali collection are sure to wow guests at any Diwali celebration! Boisterously colored silk wonders are featured alongside more muted pieces creating a great range of color and style choices. And how better to promote these beautiful creations than by having Bollywood's own starlet, Priyanka Chopra, donning a piece from the collection on the cover of Vogue India's November issue! I say buy the magazine AND a piece from the collection while you're at it.

Think about the bank later:

Manish Arora, the Indian Versace?

On a recent trip to India, I frequently ran into a designer name that I was not aware of up until then, Manish Arora. His name was in just about every Indian fashion magazine I happened to pick up, from Vogue India to Masala Magazine. I quickly came to realize that Manish Arora symbolizes to India what Versace symbolizes to Italy, a homegrown fashion icon whose designs reach out to an international audience. I decided to see for myself just how great this designer was and I was blown out of the water by what I found. He is one of the most playful and versatile designers to come out of the Indian subcontinent and his use of color placates even the most color hungry rainbow monger. His color choice definitely comes from his Indian upbringing as this country does not shy away from bright beautiful colors that manifest themselves in rich textiles, festival and house decorations, and even food. His designs are also a very interesting mix of Indian and Western and he incorporates them into his work subtly and effortlessly. Arora is at home with both the mostly Indian cast of Lakme Fashion Week in India as well as the cutthroat international catwalks of London and Paris Fashion Week.

For his Fall 2010 Ready-to-Wear collection, Arora delved into the whimsical with brightly colored wigs, bold and colorful patterns, and science fiction-like geometric designs. The Indian inspiration came in the form of peacock feather patterns on dresses and skirts, the almost blinding use of colors, and harem pants that have taken the fashion world by storm these days. Arora kept with the socks in heels trend that has recently been a hit in fashion circles and his heels are a sci-fi aficionado's dream. As a matter of fact, the whole collection screams 2100 instead of 2010. But Arora brings everything back to reality with 1920's inspired flapper dresses, one with a silver beaded top and peacock feather patterned bottom, a perfect mix of East and West. If you haven't already heard of Manish Arora, check him out: www.manisharora.ws/
Here are my favorites from the collection:

Dreaming of Bollywood Courtesans

Grace, Beauty, and Charm. 

Those are the three things that come to mind when I think about the quintessential Bollywood courtesan. Why do I like these courtesans so much? Because they are more than just courtesans to me. They have enriched the culture of India through dance, custom, and costume. After watching countless Bollywood films where women portray famous or infamous courtesans (called "Tawaif" in Hindi/Urdu), I have been addicted to their elegance, their stories of love and loss, and the men who fall recklessly in and out of love with them.

But most of all, THEIR DANCING! 

If I could turn back the clocks of time and transport myself to 16th century Lucknow, I would surely be a denizen of the brothel. Not to say I am a pervert, as sex was not even contractually assured. I wouldn't want anything else but to listen to the poetry flowing from their lips and to be intoxicated by the music and dance (mujra). 

The great Madhubala as Anarkali in the film Mughal-E-Azam

From Pakeezah, to Anarkali, to Umrao Jaan, to Chandramukhi, the image of the Tawaif has been immortalized in Indian culture through prose and through film and I only hope that future generations will appreciate their legend as well:  

Aishwarya Rai as Umrao Jaan

The legendary Rekha as Umrao Jaan

Pakeezah

My Favorite Bollywood actress: Madhuri Dixit as Chandramukhi