Nelly in New Delhi

X17online.com

In today’s poll, US Weekly wants you to decide whether Nelly Furtado’s get-up (pictured right, in New Delhi) is fashion forward or “painfully retro.”

The Canadian songstress, who can trace her ancestry back to Goa, recently spent New Year’s Eve in Mumbai.

“I grew up hearing Indian artists like Lata Mangeshkar and though am not very fluent with the language I do know songs like ‘Yeh Samaa’ and ‘Kabhi Kabhi’,” said Furtado, who is still in India.

The singer plans to visit Agra this week. For more on Nelly Furtado, visit her online-home.

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?

The Mothership Has Landed

According to recent media reports – Indian Vogue will launch in Fall of 2007! The marriage of Indian fashion & Vogue- it’s enough to make a girl want to master her domain or at the very least master some portion of Daniel Craig’s anatomy. I digress. (But, seriously Daniel I am waiting by the mobile darling – do ring up)!

The most exciting part of the story is that Conde Nast will not license out the magazine (which is the norm)- a clear sign that the quality of Indian Vogue will not be compromised, as compared to other Western publications in India. Nicholas Coleridge, vice president of Condé Nast International, said: “India is not only one of the fastest-growing business markets in the world, but a subcontinent with a uniquely rich and fascinating culture.”

Indian Vogue will be the 17th edition of the famed publication worldwide – others include Australia, Brasil, Germany, Greece, Italy, Korea, Japan, France, Portugal, Russia, United Kingdom and the United States.

According to the grapevine, the search is on for the first cover girl and well I have a feeling we all know who will do the deed.

FYI – Indian Elle, Cosmopolitan, L’Officiel, and Marie Claire have already entered the market and Conde Nast will introduce Glamour, Travel + Leisure, and Vanity Fair very soon.

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?

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).

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.

Padma Lakshmi Talks About Her Curling Iron

Uh, in case you ever wanted to know how Padma uses a curling iron… here you go. (I don’t know why I found this so amusing but I did.) From New York Magazine’s Fashion Week Look Book.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee for Olympus Fashion Week

Designs from Mukherjee’s Fall 2006 collection at Lakme Fashion Week.

Love seeing Indian designers get buzz in the days leading up to the Olympus New York Fashion Week. One of these designers is Calcutta’s Sabyasachi Mukherjee who is showing in the tents for the first time this year. Known for his deconstructed style and habit of redefining traditional khadi, the designer has a fresh look on fashion. Love his uses of color and volume and enjoy that he has a great eye for proportion.

The Times article in today’s Thursday Styles introduces him with a short bio, also mentioning his recent win for costume design for the movie, Black. This year’s Fashion Week will also bring the likes of Ashish N Soni… watch for him as well.

Luella Bartley & M.I.A.

Luella + M.I.A. Photo: David Sims

Fashion Rocks, a supplement to Condé Nast publications this month, has paired fashion with musicians speaking to personal style and the intersection of the two art forms. One article focuses on fashion designers and their personal musical inspiration. UK designer Luella Bartley cites none other than this girl’s favorite, M.I.A. as her musical inspiration.

The two met in 2000 when M.I.A. and Bartley moved to Notting Hill with Justine Friedmann (of Elastica). At that time, Maya was making documentaries and also her own clothes, confections of “bright flourescent fishnet fabrics.” Of M.I.A. Luella says, “She had an unabashed in-your-face craziness that I loved, admired, and identified with.”

How much do I love that these two were once roommates? Watch Fashion Rocks on September 9 on CBS. Although I wish M.I.A. were performing that day, I think it’s a night mostly dominated by the likes of the Pussycat Dolls and Beyoncé.