The New Scent of Crime

Delhi police (Tribune India)

Police in Gujarat have been issued new uniforms that smell like rose petals and citrus fruits. “Most policemen look hassled, drenched in sweat after coming from any scene of crime,” says Somesh Singh, of Ahmedabad’s National Institute of Design. “They are surely not the best person one would like to meet, but if they smell good and fresh one might as well approach them.”

Made of cotton that has been treated with fragrance, the uniforms will retain their scent even after multiple washes.

“We think that by end of the year you will notice a new, fresh look when you are intercepted by one of our men,” says J. Mahpatra, a police commissioner of Ahmedabad.

The garments are being issued to 300,000 policemen in the state.

Cute Kids Tees, Kanchipuram Style

Mallika Malhotra and sons (Kid-Guru.com)

Mallika Malhotra stumbled upon hidden treasure collecting dust in her mother’s closet—a box of 1960s sari silks given as wedding gifts to her mother. Gathering the vintage textiles, the young mother with a passion for style started plannning her at-home business and launched Kid-Guru, an appliquéd t-shirt collection, in 2004.

Handcrafted in Denver, Colorado, with traditional fabrics brought back from Malhotra’s trips to India, the tees feature an assortment of charming designs—sailboats, spiders and pirate skulls, in addition to butterflies, hearts and snowflakes. You won’t find Kid-Guru at Baby Gap. Sold online and in boutiques and trunk shows, the cotton shirts are made from prints of limited quantity.

More:
Kid-Guru’s formalwear line
Kanchipuram saris

Haute Couture Meets Hijab, East Meets West

Khan’s Spring 2007 Collection (NYMagazine.Com)

Rising star Naeem Khan recently created a stir with his Spring, 2007 collection of flirty, vibrant cocktail dresses. Last week, Khan and other designers joined forces at New York Fashion Week to raise awareness and funds for Darfur.

Participants in “Designers for Darfur” included Luca Luca, BCBG Max Azria, and Rabia Yalcin, a conservative Muslim designer interested in marrying high fashion with Islamic sensibilities.“In private, clothing should reflect a woman’s sensuality,” says the Istanbul-based Yalcin. In public, she wants to help “show the beauty of the flower while covering the flower.”

All profits generated through the fundraiser go directly to the Save Darfur Coalition.

Khan and Yalcin join the growing cadre of eastern designers, showcasing their work in New York (remember Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s collection from Olympus Fashion Week earlier this year?).

Women Weigh In On Diwali Barbie

Did Mattel get the Diwali Barbie right? Earlier this month, PRI’s The World interviewed Sepia Mutiny’s Anna John, fellow sagehen (chirp!) and blogger Nina Jacinto, novelist/poet Chitra Divakaruni and Professor Inderpal Grewal about one of Mattel’s newest additions to its Barbie line.

You can still listen to the report online at The World’s web site.

I agree with John’s assessment of the doll’s outfit—it looks like a lehnga outfit more than a sari. I also thought Divakaruni summarized the significance of the doll well as “a small step in the right direction” but “not a giant leap for mankind or dollkind or womankind.”

What do you think?

Ash Rana: Growing Up Royal Is Hard

Mili sent me a link to New York magazine’s Look Book featuring Nepalese fashion designer Ash Rana. I don’t know much about his work (and the article doesn’t really get into it), but we’ll certainly look into it for a future story. But here’s what was most interesting about the article:

“My mother was adopted by the prince of Nepal, so I grew up in the palace, but I don’t have the royal blood. It did come with its own perks, but when I moved to the U.S., it was almost like a handicap because I didn’t know how to do anything for myself, like laundry and things like that.”

I wonder what the royal palace of Nepal is like? Forget his designs; I want to know the details of growing up as a semi-prince. Apparently Gawker has picked up on the story, as well (albeit with a cheekier take).

Also, according to Rana, “Men are more fashionable than the women because they have more freedom” in Nepal. Is that true? What does he mean by that? Can Nepalase readers shed some light?

I See No Stranger: Early Sikh Art and Devotion

Some of you may already know of this exhibition (it opened in September), but for those of you who don’t—check it out! The Rubin Museum of Art in New York City is exhibiting I See No Stranger: Early Sikh Art and Devotion until January 29, 2007. The collection features 100 works of art, in various mediums, highlighting Sikh cultural contributions from the 16th to the 19th century.

(Thanks, Tara, for the tip!)

The Little Black Dress That Helps India

Natalie Portman in the famous frock.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s is one my favorite movies of all-time. Total chic, fantastic parties, a little romance, mayhem involving five-and-dimes, getting the weather report at Sing Sing and the pleasure of watching Audrey Hepburn as Holly GoLightly. The little Givenchy black dress she wore while enjoying her croissant and coffee and peering into the windows of the Tiffany & Co. flagship will go on sale at Christie’s in London on December 5th. The dress is expected to go for around $130,000 and the proceeds from the sale will go to the City of Joy Aid charity to benefit the under-privileged in India.

Audrey Hepburn dedicated her life after her final film role to helping impoverished children in countries like Somalia, Venezuela, Bangladesh and Vietnam. Known for her dedication and involvement with UNICEF, Hepburn helped raise awareness of poverty in far-reaching areas of the world.

To continue Hepburn’s work, Hubert de Givenchy has raised money since her death in 1993 by auctioning various pieces from his collection to help benefit underprivileged children around the world. Three identical copies of the iconic black dress were made for the filming of Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Givenchy. One is on display in the Museum of Costume in Madrid, one other is in Givenchy’s archive. According to Harper’s Bazaar, it was a recent meeting with the director of City of Joy Aid that made Givenchy decide to do this auction of the last black dress.

So fitting. Such a fantastic cause.

The Turban Twist

Turbans are symbolic headdress, worn throughout history to convey difference in levels of purity, religiosity, social-status, by men of various racial and socioeconomic persuasion throughout the Middle East and South Asia.

But as Suzy Menkes of IHT so succinctly surmised, “Miuccia Prada has seen the woman of the future—and she is wearing a slipper satin surgical tunic and (an) Indian turban.”

Prada was not alone in bringing the turban trend to fashionistas for spring 2007; check out Moschino and Derek Lam. It would be easy to assume that Western designers are engaging in political commentary, but the turban has graced the heads of models in years past at Valentino, Donna Karan, Giorgio Armani, etc.

If I run into you next season sporting the Prada turban, I may remark that your attempts at signifying feminist appropriation are simply marvelous darling! But silently I’ll be judging your desperate need to affirm your social status (mostly because Miuccia refuses to send me any freebees).

Treehugger’s Simran Sethi on Martha Stewart

Simran Sethi of TreehuggerTV, appeared on Martha Stewart’s show on October 4th, offering tips on design products which are sustainable and eco-friendly. Martha was duly impressed by the knowledgeable Sethi, who completed an MBA focused on sustainable management from Presidio.

I especially loved the furniture from Q Collection. Sustainable style is tres chic!

Related: In Living Green

The Coolest Way to Wear a Sari? Around Your Neck.

Nepalese Sari Yarn (Lacis Products)

Ever since my grandma taught me how to knit a few years ago, I’ve been addicted. After a long day calculating and analyzing and bs-ing at work, there is nothing more therapeutic than turning my mind off for a few minutes and letting my hands do the work on some gorgeous, soft yarn. And now that knitting is enjoying a resurgence among the cool, artsy folk, there is no need to hide my passion in Nana’s closet any longer. In fact, I recently came across some funky Nepalese Sari Yarn in a knitting store in my downtown neighbourhood.

This fair-trade yarn is recycled from remnants of Indian silk saris and spun into yarn by economically disadvantaged women in Nepal. The women hand mix silk thrums (the fringe of threads left on the loom once the cloth has been cut off) and then spin it into yarn. The different colours and textures make it perfect for chunky scarves, sweaters, even socks.

Christmas present dilemma? Solved.