Manav Gangwani red

Manav Gangwani, one of the most creative, innovative and promising indian designer.

D'damas

Bollywood actress Neha Dhupia displays a creation by D'damas during the Fashion Extravaganza event as part of the 2009 International Indian Film Academy Awards at the Venetian Macao-Hotel-Resort on June 12, 2009 in Macau. (Photo by Victor Fraile/Getty Images)

9 colours - Purple

The Goddess of ninth day during Saran Navratri is dressed in Purple coloured saree. Ninth Day of Durga Navaratri, 2009 – Mahanavami Puja – Suhasini Puja – Ayudha Puja – Kanya Puja or Kumari Puja – september 27, sunday.

9 colours - Peacock Green

The Goddess of seventh day during Saran Navratri is dressed in Peacock Green coloured saree. Seventh Day of Durga Saran Navaratri, 2009 – Maha Saptami – september 25, friday.

9 colours - Yellow

The Goddess of sixth day during Saran Navratri is dressed in Yellow coloured saree. Sixth Day of Durga Saran Navaratri, Maha Sashti – september 24, thursday.

9 colours - Blue

The Goddess of fifth day during Saran Navratri is dressed in Blue coloured saree. Fifth Day of Durga Saran Navaratri, 2009 – Upang Lalitha Gauri Vrata – septemeber 23, wednesday.

9 colours - Red

The Goddess of fourth day during Saran Navratri is dressed in Red coloured saree. Fourth day of Durga Saran Navaratri, 2009 – september 22, tuesday.

9 colours of Navratri

Goddess Shakti is worshipped during 9 days of Navratri. Durga Navratri 2009 begins on September 19 and ends on September 28.The tradition of 9 colours is very common in Gujarat, Maharashtra and some other North Indian states during Durga Navaratri puja.

The Goddess of first day during Saran Navratri is dressed in Dark Green coloured saree.

Mai Mumbai fashion

"Mai Mumbai"("I am Mumbai") will bring together international and Indian fashion designers to showcase their creations on one runway adorned with India's best models, bollywood stars, athletes and prominent social and business leaders who together will wear bedazzled gowns and T-shirts and show their love for Mumbai & India. All the donated garments will be auctioned with proceeds donated to the victims of 26/11.

Sarees from Aavaranaa

Aavaranaa is an exclusive saree boutique specializing in a variety such as silks, tussars, georgettes, crepes and chiffons.I liked some of them: pure kancheepuram sarees.

The colour of spring

31 Jan - it's a date of the popular Hindu festival - Vasant Panchami dedicated to Saraswati, the goddess of learning and the arts. Basant or Vasant means spring and Panchami is the fifth day after Amavasi in Magh month when it is celebrated Saraswathi Pooja is performed in North and Eastern parts of India on the day. The colourful celebrations include religious services, music, singing and dancing.


The event also marks the start of spring and yellow is a dominant colour worn by many of the participants, as it symbolises both spirituality and the colour of the ripening crops. Great prominence is given to yellow color on Basant Panchami as it signifies the ripening of fruits and crops. The mustard fields in North India blooms during this season giving a yellow coat to nature.

To welcome the pristine nature after a harsh winter, deities in temples and houses are decorated with yellow colored clothes. Similarly, yellow colored food, sweets and fruits are distributed to friends, neighbors and relatives. Yellow sweet rice is cooked and distributed on the day.


On this day, prayers are offered to Goddess Saraswathi (Goddess of Knowledge), Lord Surya (Sun God), Mother Ganga (Ganges) and Bhu Devi (Mother Earth). The worship of elements in nature is acknowledging the various forms of nature, which sustains human beings, plants and animals.

Colour of Sun

Yellow is the colour of the sun, of gold, and of fields of grain in the autumn just prior to harvest. Hence it is associated with richness, abundance, and fecundity. The sun is probably the most important thing in India and features in the mythologies of all the various sub-cultures. It is also a potent symbol.
The sun is the key to everything. Just enough and the plants grow and ripen, but too much and plants, animals and people start to die. The sun has many names in India - Surya, Vairocana, Prabhakara, Aditya, Mitra, Savitri, etc. Gold is a precious substance where ever it is found. Gold does not tarnish. It is both ductile and malleable and can be made into any shape, or beaten so thin that light passes through it, picking up a greenish tinge on the way.

White for Dhanteras

Diwali is the festival, which means celebration one after another, each day with a new philosophy. Many interesting rituals and traditions have attached themselves to Diwali and one can find a little regional variation in them in different parts of India.

The first day of the festival of diwali begins with Dhan-teras. The day is marked by certain customs and rituals that are peculiar to the festivities of Dhanteras. White holds a great importance in these rituals. On the Dhanteras day the prasadam offered to the deities is in white color, the Dhanteras gifts in shiny white color are preferred and even the prayers are offered to the white idol of the deity. If we probe into the significance of the color, white in Hinduism, the image of Goddess Saraswati strikes in our mind. She is depicted as wearing a white sari, which further signifies the enlightenment of mind. Being a benefactor of knowledge and education, her white attire encourages us to adopt the traits of cleanliness, purity and peace. Enrich your celebrations of Dhanteras with the goodness of white!)

Paithani tale

The Paithani is more than just a silk saree. It speaks of art, of culture. It is a legacy, an heirloom!
The Paithani saree tell a tale. A tale that is laid deep in history. A tale of silk, of zari. A tale of beauty, elegance and grandeur. A tale of tradition.

Beautifully crafted, with an exquisite zari border, this saree is truly a poem in silk. The Paithani saree is chosen by brides to wear on their special day, especially in Gujarati and Maharashtrian families.

So what is it about the Paithani that is so enticing? Is it the silk, the colours, the designs, the zari? Perhaps its just the sheer richness of it as a whole. Its fabric is woven entirely on handlooms. It is a confluence of gorgeous colours and intricate designs. A simple tabby weave brings together two different coloured threads to achieve a dhoop-chhav effect. The otherwise plain Paithani is given its grandeur by its ornamental zari border and pallav.



From the traditional plain saree with a heavy zari border today's Paithani's are embellished with ethnic motifs like tota-maina (parrot), bangdi-mor (peacock with a round design), asavali (flower and vine), narli (coconut), keri (mango) - all these making the Paithani a perfect blend of the aesthetic and the symbolic.

Red for Goddess

Navaratri is the hindu festival of worship of the Goddess Shakti.  Ritual of offering a saree for the Goddess is called as oti bharane. Sri Durgadevi prefers the red. Saree itself it's a magic and red on a holiday it's a simply perfection!

And tamil saree ads - GORGEOUS!

ll Om Sree Durgadevayey Namah ll

La Vie Est Belle

India Couture Week saw designer Pallavi Jaikishan showcase her designs. The wide range, titled La Vie Est Belle (Life is Beautiful) took inspiration right from the sophisticated cities of Europe to the fiery desert of Rajasthan. Gorgeous!






Photographs: Uttam Ghosh