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Shoe designers walking tall
By invitation only
PACESETTER: Ami Shroff
Bling it on
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Shoe designers walking tall A new generation of shoe designers in India is giving competition to established international brands The war is on. Veruschka, The Yellow Polka, Rohan Arora, Taramay, AKA Bespoke, Varoin Marwah, Turquoise and others vs Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo, Gucci, Miu Miu, Alexander McQueen, Louis Vuitton, Manolo Blahnik and others. Its desi vs phirang! These are all designer footwear brands. The foreign brands are internationally well established luxury brands ruling the fashion circuit for several years now and whose shoes are worn all over the world including Indian celebrities and all those who can afford to spend a six-figure sum on a pair of pumps. On the Indian scene, the country's designer shoe market is still in fledgling state. And no way can there be a comparison with the foreign top brands. But the scene is slowly changing. Gone are the days when India had only Batas, Carona and a few others. Since the turn of this century, few other brands like Liberty, Mochi, and Woodlands etc. have joined the race. But even these are mass produced. However, now the trend is of designer and customised footwear. Until a couple of years ago men and women of means thought of buying only designer clothes, jewellery and bags. Footwear was designated only to `match the attire' category, till world-famous shoe designer Christian Louboutin said, "A woman carries her clothes. But the shoe carries the woman! A shoe is not only a design, but it's a part of your body language, the way you walk."
A sentiment that Indian women started realising as markets opened up and they got exposed to international styles and trends. This was time when the hunt for stylish yet comfortable pumps, stilettos, wedges started. And sadly though our market had all these footwear, including Indian style chappals, what many lacked was utmost comfort. This lack of combination of style and comfort is the reason for emergence of new breed of shoe designers in India. "I started designing footwear as I was unable to find a stylish, elegant pair which also gave me the maximum comfort," is what the designers chorused when asked why they decided to go for shoe designing and not the overly popular clothes or jewellery designs.
The foreign brands may be the ultimate in style and comfy statements but come with a price: Rs 40,000 onwards. This is where we score. Nayantara Sood, a Delhi-based designer, returned home armed with a designing certificate from London College of Fashion and launched her own footwear brand, Taramay in 2009. She says, "We are a luxury accessory brand with a stress on design sensibilities. At price ranges from Rs 2,500 to Rs 7,000 we have several repeat customers." Well-known fashion designers like Ritu Kumar, Manish Malhotra, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Vikram Phadnis, etc. source suitable footwear for their fashion shows from these designers. Even participants to international beauty pageant, actors like Anushka Sharma, Kajol, Deepika Padukone to name a few and men and women from corporate families like Ambanis, Goenkas, Birlas et al are their regular clients. Kolkatta-based Rohan Arora of the eponymous label, says, "I love designing for women and as there are lots of apparel fashion designers I decided to go in to luxury footwear designing." A self-taught designer, Rohan learnt the art of footwear making from the street shoemakers of Kolkata. His street-smart attitude has helped him make footwear from not only ordinary calf leather but also leather from ostrich, chicken feet etc. His shoes are priced between Rs 2,500 to Rs 24,000 for women and Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000 for men. Rohan recently made a pair of slippers in gold using ruby as embellishment — the metal and precious stones provided by the family — for a bride which if sold in open market would have cost around Rs 35,00,000. That is another attraction of these designers. You order and they will make footwear made of any material, colour, embellishments and design of your choice. Besides real leather, fabric, canvass, faux leather, leatherette is the more popular material used in making footwear. "We sometimes get orders from our Jain clients who are against leather even touching their feet," says Shinam Seth, a practicing lawyer in the Supreme Court who took a sabbatical for a couple of years to pursue dreams of becoming a shoe designer and launched her footwear line called The Yellow Polka. Labelling her designs as quirky, colourful and, of course, stylishly comfortable in the price range of Rs 1,050 to Rs 3,000, Shinam who now alternates between her court duties and footwear designing, says, "There is a good potential in the designer footwear market. With increasing disposable income, people are willing to spend on quality products. If a designer can maintain the quality, is willing to customise and experiment with design, success comes easy." The interest in designer footwear can be gauged from apparel designer Varion Marwah's last show at a fashion week. Along with clothes, he decided to make models walk the ramp with his self-designed footwear. Thanks to the appreciation and enquiries about the shoes, he has launched a footwear line for men, Varion Marwah, which are priced between Rs 8,000 to Rs 25,000. This Dubai-based Indian-origin designer sources his raw material and designs from karigars based in and around Kolkata. Varion says, "We use only natural fabrics like jute and canvas as these are comfortable, breathable, lightweight and yet very fashionable. We do not use any animal skins such as leather or fur." These young designers, market and tech savvy, are determined to give you happy foot times!
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By invitation only The invitation card has come in for a dramatic makeover. From box invites to those shaped like scrolls or beach balls, each ‘card’ smacks of style and exclusivity
All that glitters There is nothing run-of-the-mill about inviting friends and family for a special event. For many well-heeled people, everything has to be stylish and out-of-the-ordinary. Time was when a card contained the basic information about the event — date, time, venue and, sometimes, the dress code. Though these facts are still there, what has come in for dramatic change is the packaging. And with the look has changed the cost of these exclusive invitations. However, many old-timers say that there is nothing new about the invitation that comes in a box. People have traditionally been giving a printed card, along with a box of sweets or in older times a card with a basket of home-made mithai. The modern fancy-looking cards are just a decked up — and very expensive — version of the old ones. From an invitation card costing around a few rupees a couple of decades ago, the price of these creative and extravagant wedding and other special occasion announcements has virtually gone through the roof. The reason for this is not far to seek. Take the box card, for example. It requires the creative inputs of both a designer and a graphic artist and also various combinations of card materials ranging from gold and silver threads to Swarovski and other blingy stuff like silk ribbons and special lettering. That some of these limited edition invitations can cost upwards of Rs 3,000 each is of little consequence to the high rollers who get them handmade for their very special guests. Creative designs Box invites are just one way of showing class and wealth. There is a virtual revolution happening in the rich circles. Be it for a wedding or a birthday, anniversary or even a cocktail party, the concept, design and presentation of cards have come in for a colourful, and sometimes an outlandish makeover. These are no longer confined to spiritual die-cuts of Lord Ganesha or motifs of flowers and hearts. Today these vary from the creative to the cerebral and from those that are overstated and exaggerated to the ones that are downright wacky and daft. Each of these cards reflects individual styles and sets the trend for the wedding. Many over-the-top invitations are intended as a statement of wealth, the creative ones show the sender’s artistic inclination and those that induce a smile are usually from people with a sense of fun. Smelling success, a number of companies have mushroomed that are specialising in high-end cards. In Delhi, for example, the hub is Chawri Bazar, which is swarming with small shops and big showrooms. Companies like Regal Cards, Variety Cards, Sumegha Cards, Wedding Cards for You and many more offer exclusive invitations, using techniques like digital laser printing, silk screen printing, foil printing on various materials like shimmer paper, silk, satin, tissue, velvet and brocade. Cards for every occasion
"People have started spending on cards the way they spend on trousseau," says Vinod Ranjan, whose Variety Cards gets clients from India as well as abroad. However, there are people who sound a discordant note when it comes to such extravagant cards. They say that such elaborate cards are out of sync in this age of e-vites. Whether it is a new way of displaying affluence or just a passing fad, the fact is that invitations are getting as trendy as the big fat Indian wedding. Metal & leather This attractive card meant for a Sikh wedding is a unique combination of metallic gold and soft padded artificial leather. The design has two inserts with matching envelope of the same quality. Available at www.myshadicards.com, the card provides the first elegant glimpse of the impending marriage.
Bottled-up Give the invitation a magical touch with this wine bottle. The bottle card doubles up as a one-of-a-kind gift that the receiver can treasure and display as a decoration piece. The ribbon and flare can be matched to the colour of the bottle. It comes with a hook to hang it on a wall or to be displayed on a shelf. Price: Rs 500 each Butterfly motifs
Price: Rs 500 per box Time for pool
Price: Rs 200 Ladybug effect Ideal for a little girl's birthday party, the Ladybug party invitation card in tri-fold style comes with coordinating envelopes. The eye-popping design will delight the receiver with its design and presentation. The red-coloured card is die-cut to precision and the polka dots make the ladybug effect very authentic. Price: Rs 350 for 25 Tea time
Price: Between Rs 200 and Rs 400 for a set of 10
Bride’s day out A favourite in many western weddings, the hand-cut bridal dress invitation card conveys the happy mood of a wedding. It comes with a coordinating envelope and information about the event is printed on the wedding dress. The card is finished with glitter and a fancy ribbon. Price: Rs 450 for a set of 10 Polka-dots pattern
Price: Rs 400 for a set of 10 Golden scroll
Price: Between Rs 300 and Rs 800 depending on the material Die-cut silhouette
Price: Between Rs 25 and Rs 50 each
This wedding card box has bling written all over it what with double ribbon, Swarovski crystal accents and rope trim and flowers. Just as the wedding dress isn’t ‘just’ a dress, this ornate card box isn’t ‘just’ a box. It is a great way of sending out the invitation and is guaranteed to wow friends and relatives. Price: Between Rs 750 and Rs 3,000 each depending on the material used Customised for you
Price: Between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500 each All for a theme
Price: Rs 400 onwards On a traditional note
Price: Starting onwards of Rs 500 for 25
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PACESETTER: Ami Shroff
Making a niche for herself within and outside the country is the young, Mumbai-based flair bartender, Ami Shroff who is stirring up a passion
Twentyeight-year-old svelte Ami Behram Shroff talks passionately about the inspiration behind her meticulously perfected award-winning entry 'Flavours of India' at the Indian leg of the Bacardí Legacy Cocktail Competition. "It is an organic recipe using the age-old spices of India, along with the staples of a cocktail and to top it all, you don't need the regular cocktail shaker to do the needful, a recycled glass jar will do the trick! Moreover there is the great Indian 'tea' to give it that extra edge." The championship that challenged the best contemporary bartenders and mixologists in the world, to create appealing and enduring drinks that will become part of the illustrious Bacardi Cocktail Legacy alongside classics and then go on to participate internationally. The 13 most promising bartenders or 'The Untameable 13', were selected after regional rounds held across the country - witnessing entries from various premium properties. India's avant garde female bartender and flair artist Ami who became the first female to win a position in the national flair championship in 2005, is not new to accolades and awards. This winner of the TV show — MTV Captain Shack — 2012, Shroff has under her belt many an award. Contracted as the UB group bar consultant in 2008, she stood first at the Bacardi flair challenge — west zone, and bagged the first position in Bacardi Martini Grand Prix flair competition in 2006. Shroff was also felicitated with an achievement award at the IBN7 Zindagi Live Awards last year. Talking about her off-beat career and life path Ami says, "I have always played any sport I encountered as a child and was pretty decent with my reflexes and goal kept the post at the state-level football and handball. I loved trying my hand at other juggling props as well. I first flipped a bottle in 1999, and a water bottle none the less and I prepared my first cocktail in 2003. Back then I was part of an awesome team with Delnaaz Irani for half a decade thereafter. We were the first two women flair bartenders of India, and it is still a rare niche." Ami considers herself much more than a freelance bartending artist who is currently doing a stint with the Flair Witch Project, Mumbai. Holding her own in a male-dominated world of bartending, she says: "I have always been juggling my time with flair bartending and a few other activities that interested me such as adventure sports. To me bartending is an art, something that has been passion with me for a long time. I was quite and still am quite a tomboy. When I decided to take up this as a full-time job, my parents were obviously not happy because of the many attendant stereotypes, but slowly they gave in after they understood that how serious I was!" As a freelance artist, she has performed at more than 20 destinations across India and beyond the border at over a 1,000 events. Ami says, "I am in love with the mountains and places away from the city; with more natural growth than man made development. To just trek, climb, camp or back pack, I yearn to travel and discover a few more sides to life." Ami says all is not hunky-dory when it comes to practising her passion of being a flair mixologist, "Of course there are issues especially when one considers the fact that female bartending is rare in India. One learns to tackle the attendant problems such as "over friendly" people at the bar, as the experience grows. At the end of the day one’s professional expertise surpasses everything else!" says the confident looker taking a sip of her award-winning entry. All we can say is cheers to many more.
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Bling it on
BESPOKE TRUNK FOR AN ICONIC CAR
POOL PARTY
FIT WORKDESK
SPACED OUT RING
WRISTY COMPUTER
WILD ESSENCE
ONE FOR THE RIVER
REVIVING AN ANCIENT ART FORM
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What
is it that distinguishes a stylish marriage from a run-of-the-mill one?
Though the list of answers can be long but the one that is trending the
most is the invitation card. Gone are the days when just a plain wedding
card would do. Today invites come in fanciful and myriad ways — from
meticulously attractive boxes decorated with gems or Swarovski crystals,
hand-painted by celebrity artists and packed either with exotic dry
fruits like hazelnuts, pecans, pitted prunes and dried cranberries or
tempting chocolates made by maîtres chocolatiers or even rare
sweetmeats like the Turkish baklava or the Jewish rugelach.
Mumbai-based
designer Payal Kothari of Veruschka brand returned to India in 2005 after
studying shoe designing at Fashion Institute of Technology, Manhattan New
York. She says, "Back then designer shoes were an alien concept for
Indian women. But once they tried on my footwear, they came back again for the
sheer comfort and style in an affordably priced shoes." Veruschka
produces about 100-150 pair of handcrafted footwear per month, priced between
Rs 2,000-Rs 10,000 a pair!
Apart
from the material, one can also see samples of cards that are embellished with
materials like gems, semi-precious stones and decorative gold and silver
brooches as also Swarovski crystals. Matching these colourful cards are a
variety of elegantly decorated boxes for sweets, chocolates and dry fruits.
Interestingly, these card showrooms also offer special cards for Hindu, Sikh,
Christian and Muslim weddings. There is also an array of cards for other
occasions like birthdays, anniversaries and cocktail parties. Not surprisingly,
a number of their orders come from Indians settled in countries like the UK,
the USA, Canada, South Africa, Malaysia, Singapore, Germany, Mauritius and
other Asian and Gulf countries.
Price:
Rs 225 per card
This beautiful wedding invitation box with die-cut butterfly motifs will set a refreshing and romantic tone to the wedding. The box can hold chocolates, sweet meats or dry fruits. A ribbon on top gives an enchanted affect. The box can be customised in different colours for butterfly patterns and ribbon.
The colourful play ball makes a very imaginative and innovative way to invite people for a fancy pool party or even a birthday party. The ‘card’ can also be used to invite people to a beach party. It conveys the spirit of fun and enjoyment usually attached to such fun-filled watery events.
The card in the shape of a pink teapot is an ideal invite for a tea party or a birthday. The die-cut flat card comes in two formats. Either as a standalone card with the text in front of the teapot or as a fold-out double card with the party information in the inside page. Both formats look attractive.
The simple yet elegant polka dot pattern invitation card is ideal for any event like a wedding anniversary or cocktail party. The card is available in a choice of 12 colours, including pistachio, amethyst, fuchsia, crimson, and violet. The hand-finished card is folded in shutter style with a satin ribbon.
This beautifully designed wedding card in a gold-coloured scroll not just looks elegant but also adds a majestic touch to the presentation. The crisp white paper has stylish calligraphic text which is rolled and tied with a golden string with tassels and slipped into the scroll to give the effect of a royal
firman.
Surprise and delight friends and family with this unique wedding or any other event card with a silhouette die-cut design depicting a man and the mahout atop an elephant moving towards what looks like the Taj Mahal. The design can be changed to any other die-cut silhouette depending on the buyer’s preference.
Four-tier silver box
This attractively creative custom card box can be made from one to three tiers. The price of the box changes based upon embellishments and number of tiers. It can be customised to suit individual needs and can include more options like multiple colours, Swarovski crystals and sumptuous fabrics and ribbons.
This party-themed invitation opens out into four panels. In the centre is a three-tier wedding paper cake, which is the focal point with beautiful inter-twined rings as the cake topper. The panels are adorned with party invitation wordings and one pane can have a picture of the bride and groom.
One of the most popular Indian wedding invitations, this card depicts a scene from a traditional marriage with the groom on horseback and the bride in a palanquin. Lord Ganesha is also given a special place on the card and there is depiction of other things associated with a wedding like mehndi and
jewellery.
If your choice of car is the Jaguar F-Type Convertible then you can’t be travelling with ordinary luggage. The iconic auto major has collaborated with bespoke French trunk maker Moynat to craft a custom-fitted travel case. The stunning suitcase was unveiled at the opening of the company’s flagship store in London recently. The custom-built trunk has been hand-constructed from eight layers of wood, covered with top-grain leather and embellished with fine metal fixtures and vegetable dye. It took an astounding 900 hours to make and is as precious as the car itself.
PHONE THAT CLICKS
Fitness experts say that sitting for long hours on the desk can be ruinous for health. In fact many doctors are now equating sitting to smoking. So what do you do if your job is to squat from morning to evening hunched in front of a computer? The solution is the Stir Kinetic Desk that switches from sitting to standing configurations on its own. In fact its computers sense your presence and record how long you stand versus the amount of time you sit. It even calculates how many extra calories you burn when standing instead of sitting. The desk also has built-in wi-fi and bluetooth connections for hook-up to wearable fitness devices and mobiles making it a very smart
workdesk.
With this ring, you can boldly go where no jewellery design has gone before. The snazzy Starship Enterprise Ring available on www.etsy.com is so precise and down to scale that it appears it has taken light years of travel through the galaxies to get the details right. Available in four kinds of metals and gem — gold with colour-enhanced blue diamonds; White gold with topaz and white diamond galaxy; Sterling silver with blue topaz and, finally, platinum with blue-coloured enhanced diamonds, it is truly a collector’s item. And if you are a lady in love, this is the ultimate engagement ring for the captain of your heart.
The era of the wearable technology is taking giant strides and the time is not far when we will be wearing a PC terminal on our wrist. The Motorola Moto 360 is a step in that direction. It features a high-resolution circular LCD screen and is the first smartwatch that actually looks like a conventional time piece. With just a twist of the wrist you
can see who is e-mailing or calling, what time your next meeting is or a friend’s latest social post. Motorola says it has re-imagined the wristwatch of the future — a computer that looks like a basic wristwatch that has endured for a century because
of its elegance and usefulness.
Many writers have attributed feline qualities to a woman. Even the chief perfumer Mathilde Laurent of the French luxury brand Cartier thinks so when he says that every woman has a feline aspect and every flower has a hidden animal essence. With that in mind, he has created the captivating La Panthère Eau De Parfum that is sensual and bold with central notes of gardenia and animalistic musk that reflect a liberated, passionate woman. The luxurious bottle in golden hue shows the stylised face of a wild panther, which gives the entire design a special feline-like elegance.
Stuck in a road mess? Take a turn towards the river and don’t stop. Lo and behold, your car doubles up as a boat! Online retail giant Hammacher Schlemmer is offering the world’s fastest amphibious car that can attain a speed of up to 75 kmph on water and capable of reaching 125 kmph on the road. Powered by a 300-hp Honda engine, it operates like a regular vehicle on land with four-speed manual transmission, four-wheel disc brakes and lights. When it's time to enter the water, a built-in hydraulic wheel retraction system raises the wheels above the bottom of the hull. The car's resilient body absorb bumps while coasting over waves or rough roads. Soon with the Flying Car also becoming a reality the world will have automobiles for land, water and air!
THE CUTTING-EDGE KNIFE SET
Two decades ago when it was set up, the company created a sensation by re-inventing the stunning Chinese fashions of the 1920s and 1930s by combining them with the modernity of the 21st century. Hong Kong-based company Shanghai Tang is once again taking the world by a storm by revitalising ancient oriental bone china designs. The attractive dragon and butterfly patterns applied to pretty teapots and mugs and saucers are breathing new life into an art which was almost dying and becoming a style statement of the high rollers.