Fashion Week in Pakistan

Headbands by Deepa Gurnani

This is a brand started by husband and wife (Jay Lakhani and Deepa Gurnani). They specialize in accessories such as belts, scarves, headbands and hand bags. With names like Bvlgari, Fendi, Emanuel Ungaro and Alexander Mcqueen under their “belts”, the couple is creating a stir in the accessory world.

These head bands fit right in with the Bohemian look which is very hot right now.

They experiment with intricate embroidery and beading (naturally inspired from the Indian culture) paired with the highest quality of craftsmanship.

Check them out below. I found these shopbop.com but they are also available on sites like intermixonline.com and netaporter.com.  These would make great gifts this holiday season for all your Fashionista friends! (hint hint)

Top 5 Funny Halloween Costumes for Guys!

So I was talking to my friend Rajeev and he mentioned he didn’t know what he should be for Halloween, so I went to work on my search for some cool guy costumes.

I found some cool ideas that I wanted to share with you all since I rarely write stuff for guys.

Guys are lucky since they can do all kinds of crazy and funny things without having to worry about if they look cute or not.

So here are my Top 5 Funny Halloween Costumes for Guys.

1. A Facebook Profile Page:

You can get a white poster board and be anyone’s profile including your own. Cut out a square for your profile photo so your own head can show through. Not only will people want to take photos with you but they will also want to write on your wall (so have a marker handy) See more details at: http://reface.me/humor/facebook-halloween-costumes/

2. The Kissing Booth

This is another funny idea for single guys. I am not guaranteeing it will work.. in fact some girls might even think it’s cheesy but it still gets a laugh and may start a conversation!

3. Kraft Single

One of my friends did this a few years back and told me about it, I thought it was really funny. Again this is a good one for the single guy.

It may take a while for some girls to get it, but once they do, they will definitely think its witty.

To make it, you need the following items:

To make it I used the following:

– 1 twin size mattress pad (the egg-crate kind)
– A big sheet of plastic (I used a mattress bag)
– A razor blade or utility knife
– A can of spray adhesive
– A can of orangy-yellow spray paint
– A big Kraft sticker

For more details check out http://lifehacker.com/photogallery/DIY-Halloween-Costumes/1000062234

4. God’s Gift to Women

You can only get away with being this conceited during Halloween. Regardless, it’s a really funny one and relatively easy to make.

You just need a gift wrapped box with a ribbon and a tag that can fit over you. Make a hole at the top and bottom of the box so you can wear the box.

On the tag you can simply write “To: Women From: God”

OR if you simply want to buy the costume you can go here: http://www.wackyplanet.com/cos-gods-gift-women-adult.html

5. One Night Stand

This one is classic! Put a lamp shade on your head and .. well I don’t know how to make a night stand, you may have to get the costume, unless you have amazing drawing or painting skills.

You could even print out a photo of a night stand from kinkos and glue it on a poster board!

That could turn out to be pretty ghetto if you don’t do it right so you may want to go here to buy the actual costume: http://www.wackyplanet.com/pe-300445.html

Baroque Off My Ass!

A look I created inspired by the Baroque Art of the 16th century, mixed with a touch of urban, grunge and sporty.

Baroque Off My Ass by thefashioneasta featuring Charlotte Russe rings

Model Diaries: Lakshmi Menon

I love the way she speaks. She has a lot of command and grace in her voice.

It’s great to know that she finished her education and waited till she was older to get back into modeling and still made it big in an industry where generally you are considered old when you hit 20.

Makes me feel great about myself

A day in the life of runway model Lakshmi Menon.

FashionEasta: Songs That Speak Fashion – Volume 2

As promised here is the second volume of my playlist of songs that speak fashion.

Check them out me know what you guys think…

Breathe Me (Four Tet Remix) by Sia

Marble House by The Knife

Silent Shout by The Knife

When I Grow Up by Fever Ray

Boom by Anjulie

Keep You Kimi by Hird

Get Your Money by Will I Am

The Correct Sequins!

The Correct Sequins! by thefashioneasta featuring Miu Miu accessories

Sequins are back this fall. Here is my continuation of black and gold from the previous look with the addition of sequins.

Black & Gold

Black & Gold by thefashioneasta featuring Bvlgari watches

Why Don’t More Indian and South Asian Models Book Top Jobs?

Do South Asian models have what it takes to make it big on the international fashion scene? Are the scouting agencies not looking hard enough in South Asian countries?

Or does our culture, traditions and/or religious values hold us back from pursuing this as a serious career ? Please comment and let me know what you think…

AND find out what Indian super model Lakshmi Menon thinks on New York Magazine

A Tribute to the Iconic Style of the King of Pop: Michael Jackson

Not only did he produce hits that were larger than life, but also influenced millions of young children and adults with his unique sense of style that truly made him an icon.

He in fact was the “Man in the Mirror”, because every child, woman and man saw or wanted to see Michael in them, when they looked in the mirror.

For me his style choices always communicated a sense of child-like courage, regalness, rebeliousness, responsibility and in some ways almost a bitter sense of being a show man to the world and suppressing his own desires.

Everything he did became a movement in itself. Below are some of his iconic looks that really made Michael Jackson a style icon and drove the masses crazy.

The Glove

The Red Jacket

The Hat

The Military Jacket

The Wife Beater

The Side-striped Pants with White Socks

RIP Michael…

NEONderthals!

ne-on-der-thal
n.

An human species or subspecies living during the summer of 2009 who accessorize their mundane clothing by splashing colors of neon.

So there you have it, the definition of what we call all the people this season wearing bold fluorescent colors to spice up their neutral or basic wardrobe.

Now you too… can be a NEONderthal and sport this trend on anything from a dress or top OR accessories such as sunglasses, jewelry, shoes and handbags.

And guys, don’t be afraid to show how confident you are by adding a burst of neon on ties, sneakers, shirts or sunglasses.

So take a strut down Electric Avenue this season and brighten up your days and nights with this trend.

Check out some of these items below!

Conflict of PRINTerest!

Umm one word. WHY?

Why would any store do this to themselves ? I can safely say this is the worst in store display on a mannequin I have ever seen.

At what point did the person who was styling the mannequin think to themselves…”Wow it would be great to pair these ugly plaid pajamas with a hideous pattern t-shirt, and let’s throw in the scarf that everyone is wearing these days. As long as the color is the same as the shirt, it should work. And to make it easy for our customers, let’s stick a price tag in every possible place we can think of.”

This is HORRIBLE.. ok im done now thanks. bye.

Thanks Nat for sharing this photo with me so I can rant about it!

It Makes Perfect Scents!

In my previous posts you have read that there are certain songs or sounds I hear that evoke visuals of fashion or just “speak” fashion. I am sure you guys thought I was a weirdo after reading that one but good news is, I am not the only one who thinks this way!

The idea of audio and visuals coming together is something that many musicians, event producers and entertainers have almost perfected. However mixing scents with music is something that has mostly been overlooked  and not explored much until now.

Famous fragrance designer, Christophe Laudamiel ( who has designed for Clinique, Estee Lauder, Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, etc.) has coined the idea of a “scent opera.” A performance which pairs music and scent in an interesting way that lets the audience experience various scents based on “perfume chords” accompanied by music. (To read more about how this works, follow the link at the end of this post.)

This might sound crazy but it is definitely a step forward into getting people to think about building new and interesting experiences while making use of our five senses.

Hearing about this was particularly interesting for me because I have always been intrigued by the condition called “Synesthesia” Let alone the fact that I have a slight form of this condition myself

I wonder how long it will be before we are able to smell things while browsing the internet and what this means for various venues that want to start using scents more to evoke certain emotions or to create a particular ambiance.

I know that my friend Dinah Daniel from Mosaic Aromatherapy will be thrilled to hear about this since she specializes in creating custom fragrances for various events and venues.

READ MORE ABOUT “SCENT OPERA” AT STYLE.COM

Morocca’n Roll!

Vogue Italy’s May cover and spread featured a model wearing outfits and jewelry inspired by the Middle Eastern and Moroccan culture.

Cover of Vogue Italy's May Issue

Below are some photos.

I think this sort of Arabic and Afghan inspired jewelry will be very in this coming summer and fall. I saw Bebe’s new catalog and it was filled with it as well.

For those of you in the Dallas,TX area, you can check out a store called Another Time and Place located in Plano (Shops at Legacy), McKinney and Dallas and find jewelry and other accessories like this.

Enjoy!

Photos courtesy of Vogue Italia

FashionEasta: Songs That Speak Fashion – Volume 1

Sometimes you can visualize music and in the same way you can hear fashion in certain songs.

Ok well I can at least

Here are my latest picks for songs that have a lot of style.

Heartbeats Live by The Knife

Pop the Glock by Uffie

Daniel by Bat for Lashes

Koop Island Blues by Koop

Move for Me by Kaskade

Black & Gold by Sam Sparro

Nothing to Worry About by Peter Bjorn

So add these to your ipod and stay tuned for my next set/volume!

Love,

The FashionEasta