DESIGNER MODE: MORA by Ritika

I've mentioned before my love for quirky, boho and out-of-the-ordinary garments, so I thought I'd post another designer who has caught my eye. MORA by Ritika Mittal ('Mora' meaning 'mine') is a company which designs beautiful saris, skirts, shawls and even home furnishing and similar drapes, using home-grown Indian fabrics and textiles, and drawing on the techniques of weavers in small towns and villages.

I love the fact that the MORA looks at different dialects, customs and traditions of India, and bounds them together in their rich printed and embroidered designs:

"Mora designs are an eclectic collage of influences from various regions of India: a handful of Ahomiya jungle mist, the tickling laughter of Kutchi women, the spicy wet earth of Kerala and the booming railroad whirring of Punjab’s song and dance."

Focussing on North East Indian weaves, the fabrics used are beautiful, natural products which aren't heavily embellished, looking comfortable, traditional and beautiful. I love the fact that the women who model these clothes are beautiful too, but not in an air-brushed, model sort of way - these look like real women in India, women of all shapes, ages and sizes, which makes the brand even more likeable and worth supporting because of their ethic. It's easy to forget the small tailors and weavers trying to support their small business amongst all of the huge labels and designer brands in the clothes industry, and it's nice to see something different out there too.

MORA saris and drapes are available to buy here (or you can message the designers via Facebook) and you can also check out the Ritika's blog here.

 

All images belong to MORA

DESIGNER MODE: Beautiful Gypsy Skirts by Nomad

I love clothes which are slightly boho, out-of-the-ordinary, playful and colourful, and Nomad is a company which seems to be all of these - in their own words, "Nomad is the modern expression of rural fashion", which I think sums them up amazingly.

Nomad designs and creates beautiful and colourful gypsy (or 'banjaran') style skirts, layering in colour, floral prints and using all sorts of fabrics which reminds me of various Rajasthani and tribal clothes in India - and indeed this is the look they're aiming for.

I love how feminine and beautiful these skirts look - they're simple, striking, and look easy to pair with an Asian wardrobe or with everyday Western wear. I can especially imagine these being worn to a mehndi ceremony, or even to a summer wedding, and I think they would definitely look different to the styles I'm used to!

Nomad skirts are available to buy here, otherwise you can email/call them for enquiries. I particularly love this design, but I'm not sure whether I would shell out £75 for a skirt!

What do you think of these - would these be something you'd like to wear?

 All images belong to Nomad

BOLLYWOOD ISHTYLE: Ram Leela's Rajasthani Influence

I've been seeing previews and sneak peeks of Deepika's latest movie, Ram Leela, which has some promising costumes (Deepika's costumes were designed by Anju Modi, apparently, and Ranveer's were by designer Maxima Basu).

I love the luxury of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's films, and his latest venture should be just as stunning, the outfits look amazing and so do the sets.

Here's a few sneak peeks at the outfits worn by Deepika for this film, I can see a range of styles here which remind me of the costumes in Saawariya and also slightly some from Devdas. I love the look going on here though, Deepika's make-up and hair is pretty much left as a simple style, and her outfits are not overloaded with too much work, although I do love the detail on some of them (like the sleeves on her cholis, or her beautiful star-shaped ring, or her hair pieces!).

I'm looking forward to seeing more costumes from this film - what do you think of them?

 

Images taken from Ram Leela trailer and do not belong to me

Happy Diwali from Sukhman Grewal Photography...

...to all of you who are celebrating tonight,

A good friend of mine is an astonishing photographer, she's always managed to capture something which I will always fall in love with, my favourite of her series of photographs is her trip to India (although she has travelled to other countries and has beautiful images to show for it).

Soni of Sukhman Grewal Photography, along with her twin sister Noorie, has put together a beautiful depiction of a Mughal-era Queen, as part of a re-imagining of Bandi Chorr Divas, (which is also celebrated on the same day as Diwali by Sikhs), remembering the release of 52 Kings from imprisonment by the Mughal Emperor, Jahangir on the day of Diwali.

My absolutely favourite image of the series is this depiction of the Queen waiting for her husband with a diya in her hand - photographed by Noorie and modelled by Soni, the picture's captured the essence of the times perfectly. My sister managed to sum it up well, the reason it looks so good is because of the amount of realistic detail which has gone into it, not to mention the fact that it echoes an era which our mothers belonged to, short kameezes, long plaits and vintage jewellery! It's enough to make me want to raid my mum's cupboard and buy myself a few borla tikkas and vintage-style bangles!

Be sure to look through the rest of Soni's images, they are a real treat and each show a beautiful journey.

Have a beautiful evening, everyone x

Image belongs to Sukhman Grewal Photography

BOLLYWOOD ISHTYLE: Karishma Kapoor's Rajasthani Style in 'Dangerous Ishhq'

Karishma Kapoor has been busy promoting her comeback to Bollywood films, notably the upcoming 'Dangerous Ishhq', which promises to be interesting (and in 3D!). It's looking to be an interesting watch, I don't know much about the storyline but it seems to involve some kind of horror-slash-reincarnation story, although the costumes themselves seem tobe something to look out for, definitely.

There seems to be a strong Rajasthani theme running in the outfits and film sets of the film, which is kept pretty simple with the focus of pretty jewellery and rich colours, rather than over-heavy outfits. I've always loved this strand of traditional Indian style, and from an initial perspective, seems to be quite well done in this film so far.

First one to catch my eye was this bright blue and pink combination, which seems to have a fitted gold bodice or jacket on it as well. The richness of this outfit is certainly in it's small details, such as the pretty jewellery, the gold hem of the dupatta, and the well-put-together colours.

I also love how a lot of Karishma's outfits in this film appear to be a dress style with a nice swishy skirt, yet also very, very modest. A lot of these outfits also show how a traditional woman in the older eras in India would have kept her head covered and wore modest clothes, with the emphasis on rich colours and fabrics, and while these outfits may not look entirely authentic, it's a good mix of current trends and the Rajasthani style which the designers for this film tried to stick to.

Another colour combination which I liked was, surprisingly, this yellow and orange combination. Apart from the fact that it would make a lovely mehndi outfit for someone, it's a very flattering colour combination on Asian skin and again, relies on the cut of the dress and the colours to make a pretty statement. The jewellery here is also very pretty, not too overstated to crowd the face and compliments the outfit well.

Another outfit which I noticed was this turquoise and orange mix, which is a colour combination that I've seen quite a few times (such as bridal outfits) and which looks quite pretty together. These two colours are rich, yet 'rusty' colours which compliment each other and the skin tone, and again, it's not difficult to see how the print of the dress and the panels make the dress what it is. Although I wouldn't personally go for these colours, I've seen some very nice examples of these two colours together, and here, it seems to work.

Even more traditional looking than the above outfits are these dresses, which uses traditional looking jewellery such as the 'borla tikka' and the thick metal bangles. I've seen similar styles to this pink one that Karishma is wearing, and again, it seems to try to stick to the Rajasthani theme quite well. I think I'd like to see a fuller picture of this outfit, but I imagine it's a lengha which uses the duppata to drape across the front as well for modesty. Although I prefer Karishma with her hair looking looser for a more softer look, the look here has a lot more details to look at and uses dull colours with the pink fairly well.

Also in a similar style is this navy embroidered outfit below, which uses a similar type of jewellery style but with a very different colour effect. I think the jewellery in this case fits the intended style very well, although the look slightly ages Karishma a little.

All images taken from scenes of Dangerous Ishhq and belong to respective directors/producers

I think there's a good mix of bright colours and variations here, and the costumes of this movie promise to be something interesting to see. I like the fact that Karishma is trying an under-used style here, especially as the Rajasthani look was something that was often seen in Bollywood in the 90s but it not so much the same in today's films, and I also like the fact that a lot of these outfits are wearable - modest, pretty and feminine. I'm pretty sure these styles would be very easy to find and probably not very expensive as they're not heavily embellished either. If anyone does see something like this in today's shops or catwalk, do point them out to me!