Today on Linkedin I created a new group called Indian fashion writers and bloggers.
Because, I would love to get to know the Indian fashion literati.
So anybody who knows an Indian fashion writer/blogger, please forward this to them and do ask them to check out the group on Linkedin.
This group is meant to be an informal platform for Indian (based in India) fashion writers and bloggers to get to know each other and exchange news, views and information.
They need not be focused on any one aspect of the fashion business (like just design) or on the Indian fashion industry only, in fact the more diverse their interests or topics of blogging , the better.
For instance, I am trying to focus only on "style classics" in my blog.
So people who write about models, retailers (fashion) , designers, fabrics , production aspects, or International trends etc, all would valuable as members.
With time, as more people join (hopefully) we could change the charter of the group and make it more formal and active.
In India, a land that is home to many of the most gorgeous women the world has seen, one name stands above all when it comes to grace , charm and beauty and that is “Rajmata Gayatri Devi”.
Born in 1919 as princess Gayatri Devi , in a royal family in Cooch Behar,West Bengal, she was known as Ayesha to her family .Her mother was a beautiful princess from the royal family of Baroda and a well known socialite.
Gayatri Devi studied at Shantiniketan and later at Lausanne, Switzerland and the London School of Secretaries. She was a skilled equestrienne and a lover of the sport of Polo.
In fact she met her future husband – Maharaja Man Singh of Jaipur , when she was just 12, and had come to Calcutta to play Polo, and fell in love with the dapper young prince.
After marriage , as the queen of Jaipur, she played the parts of a just queen and a gracious royal hostess with equal aplomb, both her distinguished guests and the masses loved her for her easy charm and generous nature .
When India got its Independence, she pushed the traditional boundaries of a Maharani's role, and entered modern politics by winning the biggest landslide victory ever recorded ( Apparently mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records).Thereafter, she was elected several times and was devoted to furthering the lot of her people, especially women.
With her noble bearing, style, intelligence and classic good looks, she was considered one of the most beautiful women alive and indeed in 1960 Vogue mentioned her in its list of ten most beautiful women in the world, describing her as a “dream in saree and jewels”.
In her graceful chiffon sarees, impeccably coiffured hair and elegant pearls, she could mingle with the most distinguished visitors from across the globe and look every inch like the stunning Indian Queen she was.
She became an inspiration and a style icon for the entire nation.
She epitomized what a true princess should be like.
Age only seemed to add more charm to her personality, and as news of her demise ( in July 2009) at the age of 90 years, spread across the country, people felt a genuine sense of loss, and mourned for an era gone by.
Even today, her name is mentioned regularly by some of the most stylish Indian women, as a style icon and an inspiration they look up to.
It is not everyday such women are born.
Read more here-
http://www.flipkart.com/princess-remembers-gayatri-devi-memoirs/8171673074-xv23f9g849
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/tale-of-two-of-indias-most-beautiful-women/98221-3.html
http://india.suite101.com/article.cfm/late_queen_mother_gayatri_devi
If there is one piece of outerwear that stylish people love, without reserve, it is the trench coat.
A classic, flawlessly tailored trench coat can save you from your worst fashion moments whether you are in London, Paris, Milan,New York or just about anywhere on Earth. Once you have it on (with a good pair of shoes, of course) it will hardly matter what you are wearing underneath ! Such is the magic of this coat.
This unisex military inspired garment has withstood the test of time and has proved beyond doubt, that a practical design that works hard , while still managing to make the wearer look effortlessly stylish , is the key to a permanent place in the world's most fashionable wardrobes.
A definite character and an interesting history, can only help.
Now that it has become such a fashion staple, it might be difficult to imagine that the trench coat was originally developed as an alternative to the heavy greatcoats worn by the British and French soldiers in the first World War . It became an optional item of dress, available on purchase for officers. Other ranks were not allowed to wear them.
During the Second World war the officers of the UK continued to wear them and other nations like France, Germany, Poland , US and Soviet Union also developed coats of similar style for their military officers.
And though shorter and more practical designs soon came into being and replaced it in the military , the trench coat became the most recognized symbol of a military officer from the World War times.
A typical trench coat has raglan sleeves and ten buttons, it is usually double breasted , has cuff straps, a capelet (or gun flap) and a waist belt ,there is a vent (slit) at the back and sometimes shoulder epaulets.
It is used as a wind breaker or a rain-coat , and is best for transitional weather like spring and autumn , it does not really protect against snowy or bitter cold conditions.
Although both Burberry and Aquascutum both claim to have invented this iconic piece of clothing,today, the luxury brand Burberry, the house that invented the Gabardine fabric, is synonymous with the trench coat and truly makes some of the most fabulous ones.
To know more , check these links-
http://www.oldmagazinearticles.com/articles.php?cid=80
http://artofthetrench.com/
http://theselvedgeyard.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/the-trench-coat-mafia-iconic-outerwear-thats-always-in-style/
http://la-mignonette.blogspot.com/2010/01/anatomy-of-classic-trench-coat.html
http://www.sofeminine.co.uk/mag/luxury/d3054/x17905.html
http://www.styleforum.net/archive/index.php/t-44746.html
The sleek shape with it's deeply indented crown , pinched front and narrow brim was an instant hit. Sometimes the brim is sharply upturned at the back.
A Fedora could be considered an American Trilby, with a slightly wider brim.
The Trilby became really big in the 1920s as a casual , men's sporting hat to be worn outdoors to the races, later it replaced the more formal bowlers and homburgs as a hat to be worn with suits. Women still wore them but not as much as the men !
It remained one of the most popular hats till the 1960s , when hats stopped being considered a staple in a man's wardrobe. This Hat has also been associated with Jews, British Police Inspectors and Jazz musicians.
Trilbys were usually made of rabbit hair felt and later wool or tweed, but these days both the trilby and the fedora are available in a wide range of colors and materials that make them suitable for both summer and winter wear. My personal favorite would be a Grey or Beige felt Trilby, with maybe, just a self colored narrow ribbon and a smallish bow! So Chic .
Not as popular as before , even today the Trilby makes its presence felt, as movie stars and celebrities from Micheal Jackson to Agenyss Deyn, Victoria Beckham and Justin Timberlake, and many others, have all worn it to make a statement in starry charisma .
Whatever the history, the fact is that the Trilby is now considered unisex ,undeniably stylish and a little bit romantic. Above all, its a true classic.
Get a Trilby and add that dash of panache to your everyday outfits, that little bit of zaniness that sets apart a truly stylish dresser.
Want to know more? Check these links out-
http://www.borsalino.com/
http://www.poeticandchic.com/home/2007/7/26/fedora-versus-trilby.html
http://prettygoodthings.blogspot.com/2009/05/hat-glossary-trilby-vs-fedora.html
http://www.urbanexcess.com/c-1042-womens-trilby-hats.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trilby_(novel)
http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/clothes%20articles/etiquette_for_hats_and_caps.htm
