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Milan-ge!
Beyond the Page 3 dos, out of the closets of fashionistas, surpassing the designers priorities, their creations and silhouettes, fashion has matured to become sensible and responsible. It has, in its own small way, brought about globalistaion, helped the fashion fraternity earn a living and has even taken up the cause of the environment. "Doesn't all this prove how serious a business fashion is, quite literally? It's one of the reasons for trade across the globe. We, from the industry, prefer using only eco-friendly fabric and ensure that all material is optimally utilized," asserts Stefania Gulina, fashion designer, lecturer, choreographer and trend expert from Italy, who was in town on Friday to interact with the students and faculty of INIFD-8. Amidst counting the accomplishments of the fashion fraternity, like a true international industry representative, she also points out the shortcomings of the fashion world, "We should be careful in not letting the developed West exploit the rising fashion industries of the East in the wake of globalisation. Outsourced fashion could be forged as the creation of the West." She adds the solution to it lies in not compromising on the essence of the culture that is integral to any country "as that becomes the trademark and signature of any country's fashion fraternity that can't be copied." Even though it didn't take much effort for her to talk about these business matters, it's the trend forecast for the coming winter that came with so much ease. Her gospel word for the Fall/Winter season is that women's clothes will have a tinge of masculine designs and men's will have a touch of feminine styles. In detail that would be, "Clothes would resemble those of the 80s' era, wherein the bottoms of trousers were tight and folded and the centre was rather baggy. For men, acid colours are the preferred ones this season, beginning from bright green and blue and fading to indigo to gray. The look of the designs would primarily be English, clean and very basic, with shades of punk to make them chic. It will be a fusion of casual and sportswear." More experiments would be introduced in women's designs, she said, since there's more scope, "The colours would range from the very bright reds, browns to the not very pastel shades of pinks and yellows. The big or squared shoulder and huge volume tops to be teamed up with tight-bottomed jeans will be in vogue this season. If the upper is tight, then it should be worn with flaired long coats, wide at the bottom." The forecast holds true even for the Indian fashion market, with the inclusion of prints that, she said, would be flower motifs in watercolours. As for the fabric for the season, she said, those that are smooth but with rough will be used. Also wool would be extensively used on different designs. Besides the much-used inspirational designs from Northern Europe and South America, this year, even Russian designs would be adopted across the world, "Numerous leading brands and designers are opting for Russian designs as they are yet unexplored and by doing so they will woo the new-found Russian clientele. Military designs like stars and badges on the uniform of officers will be used to embellish clothes." Also, extreme collars would be used, either very small or large with round cuffs, which are so peculiar to Russian army uniform. United colours of India
Something to be really proud of! Button up
At the INIFD interactive session, he justifies his exceptionally simple collection, Button Masala, "Even if a designer makes a very intricately designed dress that too will be copied. Brands like Zara have been doing it. In fact, the same dress they will come up with will have a better quality fabric and will be available at a reasonable price." His solution to the problem is: design clothes that are easy to replicate but peculiar to a designer. "The concept has to be different yet simple ." Also present at the event were Kunal Savarkar and Aditya Nath Mubayi, directors of Quizcraft Events and Communications, who shared new concepts on interior design with the faculties. To ensure better management, Kiran Malhotra and Bhupendra Renjen delivered lectures on MBA Design Management. Akshay Tholia, an international trainer, in the field of textiles and apparels, shared his knowledge of the textile industry. Cycling for a cause: Anuj Sharma and (above) his design |
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Chop a bloc
At the city’s Swaran Dhaba, paneer and mushroom chops come with a unique taste Jigyasa Kapoor Chimra No spotless pathways, no swanky ambience to placate your aesthetic sense and definitely no well-dressed men to greet you in. Instead, here there are shouts for ordering food, a little boy to clean the rickety table and groups of people waiting to be served or get their khana packed. Yes, you guessed it right. This is a familiar scene at a well-known dhaba. And this week we feature the Swaran Dhaba, famous for their paneer and mushroom chop. Tucked in the square booths of Sector 30, near the Sector 29-30 traffic lights, this dhaba is some 47 years old and is run by a father-son team of Swarn Singh and Parvinder Singh, with the fifth generation joining in, as Parvinder's son Harjeet is more than keen to join the family business. Into the business for the past four generations, their forefathers started the food business in Sialkot, now in Pakistan. It was Parvinder's father Swaran Singh who started this offshoot in the city. "We came to the city after Partition, and my father started with a small shop in Bijwada in Sector-22. There we had a small booth, more of a tin shed till 1972. Later we were allotted this shop in Sector 30. And by God's grace we have never looked back, since," says the father. Well, that was history. Coming to the present, the dhaba is open not 24/7 but till the food lasts, and for your knowledge you can get your dinner maximum by 9.30 pm. The food lasts only till then. Ask Parvinder why they have not thought of increasing the time limit and he says, "Before any other thing, quality is on our mind. We prepare limited quantity so that every day the dishes are freshly prepared. Our customers also know our way of working, we wouldn't compromise on quality to increase our sales by a few plates." That's some logic. With a constant trickle of customers, the secret of their tasty food is recipes from their forefathers and cooking control in their hands. "Though we have helpers, we cook most dishes ourselves," says Parvinder. And when he says most dishes, it involves all aspects —- right from purchase of raw material to wielding the ladle and selling the fare. With post-graduate from Panjab University and a diploma in translation, we wonder what attracted Parvinder to join the business. "Before joining here, I was offered a job in Navbharat Times as a proofreader and then a lectureship, but those were the times of riots and my parents didn't let me go. So, I joined the business." He adds, "But mind you, I didn't join out of pressure, but I was always interested." Ask him did he take any special classes in cooking and he says, "No, I just learnt by observing." They are famous for their dry fruit and khoya-laced shahi paneer, chicken, mutton, dal makhni and mushroom chop. The masalas are ground in their own chakki for the right flavour. "We have separate menu for everyday. Like on Tuesday our specialty is mushroom chops. We don't cook mutton and chicken on Tuesdays and on Navratras and Shaheedi Gurpurbs. Other than that on daily basis we make one dal, sabzi and a chicken or mutton item," says Parvinder. Another point to be noted is that the dhaba is closed every last Sunday of the month. A thoughtful gesture towards the employees. Last we ask, with the skyrocketing prices of veggies and pulses are they planning to change the price list? "Everyone has to think about the cost of operation, but right now we are not changing any prices," comes the reply. Well, this must come as good news for so many foodies, as a meal for one cost pretty less here. Rs 25 for dal and three rotis, Rs 30 a sabzi and three rotis, Rs 50 for paneer and three rotis, and Rs 60 for half-plate meat and three rotis and for chicken lovers it's Rs 90. Last but the best thing here is quick service and a taste that's so much like home made. jigyasachimra@tribunemail.com
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The School of Hospitality and Resort Management (SHRM) recently hosted an event to welcome its head of food production from Singapore, Tan Ming Chau. During the week-long stay, he will be teaching students about the French and continental style of cooking. Chef Tan has over 20 years of experience. He was a training chef with Genting Highland Resort at Malaysia for eight years. He has trained over 300 chefs during his eight years with the Genting group, which has 7,000 staff, 10,000 rooms and theme parks at Genting Resorts in Malaysia. He is an expert on Continental cuisines where emphasis is on cooking techniques and preserving the freshness of the ingredients. At the age of 40, he is a veteran in the French Classical dishes and the Asian cuisines. His visit is for a complete week wherein he has been teaching his signature dishes along with many other cuisines like French Cordon Bleu, roast cold lamb poach samon with wine sauce and desserts like crepe suzzette - flambé, cream caramel, bread butter pudding and blue berry ice-cream. —TNS
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Cutting age
Sales of knives are increasingly plummeting in Britain, with more and more people using their hands to eat food like pizza. Department store giant Debenhams has revealed that people have forgotten to eat with a knife and fork. Debenhams bosses point out that even when people do arm themselves with cutlery, it is more often just a fork. They have reported this change in the use of cutlery among the English at a time when pizza firm Domino's has announced that it has bucked the credit crunch with a huge 25 per cent rise in profits. They have now launched a "civilised dining campaign" to help lure Brits back to the dining table and cutlery. "Using both a knife and a fork to eat has held this country in good stead for centuries - it's one of the mainstays of being British. It is all about maintaining standards," the Daily Star quoted spokesman Ed Watson as saying. "So we want to act now before the single fork habit becomes ingrained in the next generation," he added. According to Domino's, its sponsorship of Britain's Got Talent was behind profits rising by a quarter to 13.6million pounds in the past six months. The firm is also expanding and taking on staff despite the recession. — ANI
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Appetit Creative cocktails Kandla Nijhowne So, dear readers, let's talk alcohol, as promised, and swagger into the field of cocktails, the mixed drinks with a 'tadka'! I have a major grouse against these bewitching drinks. The trouble with them is that because they are sweet and delicious, I can guzzle them down so fast I don't realise what devastating after-effects they can have! They hit the blood stream at the speed of an Olympic sprinter and boy…that sure retards your speed as you navigate the tiny stretch between the sofa and the dining table, jittery on your two pins, like it were a tightrope walk! The Mixology Movement has revolutionised the drinks' trend and now, a straight whisky-soda or Bacardi-Coke is considered passé. The cocktail trend has really caught on like wild fire in the party circles in larger cities, so good ol' Chandi can't be far behind! Let's warm up to some cool cocktails, which can be prepared with the twist of the wrist and a blink of an eye! My research led me to cocktails with names like Pink Satin Panties or worse still, 'Dirty' Silk Panties! Shall we stick with the cleaner, more familiar named recipes? Mojito Pronounced Mo-yee-toh. My personal favourite. Very zingy. Very refreshing with nuances of mint. 2-3 oz light rum Juice of 1 lime 2 tsp sugar 2-4 mint sprigs Soda water Method Using a spoon, lightly muddle the mint and sugar with a splash of soda water in a mixing glass until the sugar dissolves and you smell the crushed mint. Squeeze the lime into the glass, add rum and shake with a little ice. Strain over some more cracked ice in a highball glass. Top with soda water, garnish with a mint sprig or a peeled spiral of lemon and serve. Pink Coral 2 oz vodka 3 oz pineapple juice 2 oz strawberry crush 1 tbsp grenadine syrup 1 dash angostura bitters Wedges of pineapple, lemon or strawberries for garnishing Method Shake all ingredients with ice and pour into a large goblet. Pop in a fancy bendable straw and garnish with tropical fruit slices attached to the rim. Sunset Boulevard 2 oz vodka 1 oz. peach schnapps 4-5 oz. orange juice Orange or other segments for garnishing Method Put the first three ingredients in a shaker with crushed ice and give it a vigorous mixing. Pour into a tall goblet and serve, garnished with slices of fruit hooked to the rim of the glass.
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The Indian market's influence to the international fashion scenario deserves a mention here too. Stefania feels, "In the Summer-2010 collection, the world will see use of a lot of bright yellow and orange picked from the Indian market. And how can we forget that the world's best cotton and silk comes from India as also embroidery, a decorative form that every international designer has used on his creations." 
Last season's collection, Knots For You, wasn't a very tangled one with just one knot used to stitch a dress. Even better, this Fall/winter collection at Lakme India Fashion Week wouldn't even require that as Anuj Sharma is planning to play with buttons. "The idea, be it with knots or buttons, remains the same: multifunctionality of a dress that can be worn in 20 different ways and can be stitched by anyone," he says. 