Happy Feet Upside Down

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Giles Deacon, being a British fashion designer, is best known for his playful designs. He was…

Giles Deacon, being a British fashion designer, is best known for his playful designs. He was employed by the fashion houses Bottega Veneta and Gucci, before founding his own label, GILES. So when the news travelled around about his collaboration with Koovs, everyone in love with fashion went crazy! His range is a mix of bold patterns, versatile silhouettes and luxe textures. Take a look at the…

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5 Reasons to Wear Wool in Summers Summers have always been about cottons and linens, right? So why is it that so many designers are now looking forward to incorporate Wool into their spring/summer collection?

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It was a random visit to the Rajasthan Emporium located in Connaught Place that turned out to be…

Source: indusladies.com

It was a random visit to the Rajasthan Emporium located in Connaught Place that turned out to be yet another chance to know something I always wanted to know – the Lac work! Yes, I’ve seen the work before, but didn’t know what to call it, until that day.

Lac jewellery or Lacquer jewellery was developed by the tribal people of Rajasthan. It comes from the princely city of…

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Two Communities, One Music

Source: rajfolkseries.com

The Manganiyar and Langa are both exclusively hereditary communities who make their livings as musical performers for higher-caste patrons. They have lived for centuries in the Thar Desert region of western Rajasthan; in the districts of Barmer, Jaisalmer and the villages along the border of Pakistan. Both groups are Muslim, but the Langa’s patrons are Muslim Sindhi…

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Gotipua - A Lyrical Beauty

The living tradition of Gotipua originated in one of the most popular pilgrimage centres of India, Puri, in the Indian state of Orissa. The Gotipua dance emerged in the early 16th century and what makes it unique is that its performers are pre-puberty boys (age 3 to 12), dressed in female attires. Young boys put on saris and ornaments and paint their faces to appear like girls. They dance and…

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Suzani - When Flowers Talk

Source: uzhandicrafts.com

It’s funny how you don’t remember when and where you came across something, you just remember the thing – nothing else. This is what happened here with me. In my notes I found ‘Suzani’ mentioned in one of the points and wondered what it was, until Google showed me something so ethereal.

Suzani is from the Persian ‘Suzan’ which means ‘needle’. It is synonymous with the…

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Go Bohemian with Ikat

Source: kirstinhanssen.wordpress.com

So, my mother recently bought a dress with Ikat print all over it. She came up to me saying “I found this print really beautiful, just a bit expensive, you know, for a printed fabric”. That’s when I decided to help her know, and in fact all of you out there, about the kind of work put into this technique to make it ‘this’ expensive. For me, Ikat radiates a…

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Shibori - For the Love of Indigo!

Source: folkfibers.com

Indigo and Cloth – two words that completely describe the art of Shibori. Ever seen a Shibori fabric?  While the patterns of Shibori look fresh and modern, it’s actually an ancient Japanese dyeing technique that typically involves folding, twisting or bunching cloth and binding it, then dyeing it in indigo. Whatever is used to bind the fabric will resist the dye (i.e. the…

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  Lots and lots of oxidised jewellery, colours vibrant enough to challenge the rainbow and…

Source: metromela.com

  Lots and lots of oxidised jewellery, colours vibrant enough to challenge the rainbow and people with style so vintage – this is the image my mind creates every time I think of Bandhani work. For someone who is deeply in love with Rajasthan, Bandhani work is a craft about colours, patterns and most importantly, the kind of hard work put into making every piece of perfection.

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Marble Magic: Part 2

What do you do when you’re asked to make a coffee table book on anything you wish to share with the world? Another college assignment required me and my group to go places, visit people and spend night after night without a single blink! Like I mentioned about Inlay work in my last post, it was the same time where I came across another heavenly art form done on marble called Enamelling or…

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Marble Magic: Part 1

Being in the world of Fashion and Lifestyle, one very often comes across innumerable crafts and techniques of places known and unknown. Have you ever visited Taj Mahal in Agra? (If not, this post will make you buy a ticket!) If yes, how precisely have you noticed the details? Ever noticed how it is made entirely of white marble and how each design and pattern over the marble is an unbelievable…

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