CULTURE

GLITZ&GLAMOUR
Christmas goodies for foodies: Bakeries at their best
Smriti Kak

Rows of tempting puddings, cakes and pastries alongside inviting pies and cookies…It’s a dream come true for the foodies. Christmas confectionery peeping from under the glass counters is irresistible.

And outdoing each other in attempts to titillate the taste buds are eateries, restaurants and hotels, baking and decorating to the best of their ability. While the favourites like a plum cake are on everyone’s agenda… it is worth the moolah to experiment with the exotic… take for instance the Austrian Guglehuph, a lemon and raisin cake with chocolate coating.

While the timid may stick to the Black Forest and the Pineapple, for the brave hearts a slice of German stollen with marzipan filling is not a tall order.

Baking skills are sure being put to test, but the decorating part is certainly no easy job. Cakes in innovative shapes (size notwithstanding) are a bait that sure work. The Christmas Log, Santa with his goodies, a Christmas tree are the most popular shapes this season. 

The understated chic look

Vijaylakshmi Dogra’s collection for the chilly winters is an attempt to cheer and add colour. Titled Winter Rainbow the range is aimed at matching the festive spirit. The collection was launched at the Navy Nite, Varuna.

Winter Rainbow offers multicoloured ankle length coats, short skirts in fake leather, long crinkled skirts, kurtis with patiala salwars and saris.

Designer Rosy Suri got a chance to showcase her clothes at the Le Pashmina’s show held in the Capital recently. The designer had nothing exclusively lined up for the show, but put forth her clothes with the “understated chic look”.

Said Rosy, who sells under the name Rozelle, “Style is all about giving options to the wearer. Working on the motto of no frills and fancies, my designs are simplicity personalised”.

Funky range from Be:

Be: has added three new designers to its fold, including a funky range of accessories and is “unraveling a unique series of fun ‘n fashion dos, Exhibit Be:” to reach out to its consumers.

Essentially an extension of Autumn Winter 2003, the Be: AW03 Club Collection exhibits a strong sense of individualism that internationally spells the fashion dictates of this season. The season, it was pointed out, is all “about experimentation and innovation”.

For the season Be: is unraveling a unique series of fun ‘n fashion dos, called Exhibit Be: which will be hosted in select cities across the country. The Exhibit will showcase the designs of select Be: designers and will include some of the their exclusive creations, which otherwise are not available at Be:.

The first Exhibit Be: was hosted in the Capital’s Senso. Three new designers, who have found a shelf in Be:, are Sujit Mukherjee who specializes in men’s wear. The latter’s shirt collection is characterized by classic cuts and textures in cotton and linen silks.

Calcutta-based designer Anamika Khanna, a fusion specialist, and Shalini Gupta, who brings along her accessories collection, ‘Pink,’ offers colorful and diverse range of handmade bags, belts and footwear in the most unique shapes and styles.

The Be: AW03 Club Collection offers diverse wares from Utilitarian to Oriental; Indian kitsch to underground rock cultures; space age to hip-hop sporty; modern classics to sophisticatedly feminine; practical abstracts to all time basics, claims Be: 

Khosla ka Ghosla

Here is to man’s ingenuity. To shun publicity formulae, go public about it. This is precisely what Tandav films have done. The company, which is busy wrapping up Khosla ka Ghosla that boasts of an “unusual story idea” besides a bankable star cast is likely to hit the screens in March next year.

The company, meanwhile, insists that it is preparing for a “completely new way of promotion, the like of which has been rarely seen in India. It is believed to have shunned the usual publicity formulae completely, banking instead on an unusual story idea and the performances that have been described by those who have seen the rushes as world class”.

The story has been written by Jaideep Sahni (who also wrote Company) and is being directed by Dibankar Banerjee. And if you must know what Tandav films is all about, in their own words, the company is, ‘‘an assembly of professionals who have always stayed close to people and are sensitive to their aspirations, creative urges and sense of well-being”.

Walking tall in Italian heels

Rocia, the international range of footwear, is the latest from the house of Regal Shoes. The footwear, we were told, walks high on Italian heels and takes care of versatility, comfort and fashion.

High metal stilettos and platforms and bottoms in rich and inviting colours are part of the collection. The creative director of Regal Shoes, Imran Virji, had this to offer, “This collection is sassy, delicate, funky and yet classy. It offers a whole new array of international styles and patterns for the discriminating and elevated taste of the new woman”.

And while we are at it… Class Apart is another line of footwear being offered. The designer range includes footwear for weddings and formal occasions.