Every girl loves bling - The rings are here

Without further ado, the Swarovski is here! Check out our collection of SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS rings designed for the Urban Pari, you. Browse through the album, SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS RINGS, on our Facebook page to understand the pieces. If anything interests you and you have more questions, write to us at team@urbanpari.com.

THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE

THE SUNFLOWER - WHITE

PINK ROSE

THE SUNFLOWER - PINK 

BLACK ROSE 

WHITE BOUQUET 

PINK BOUQUET 

THE THREE-LAYER BAND 

BUYING AND SHIPPING

Purchasing information will be available in the product description along with the product image. Prices will be listed on the e-commerce page. You can buy from our Facebook store by clicking on the SHOP NOW tab or by visiting http://www.exprestore.in/urbanpari. Other purchasing options, if any, will be listed along with the product description. Shipping within India is FREE. For jewelry, we offer 2-day, tamper-proof delivery via DTDC. International shipping is also available with 3-day delivery service via DHL at approximately Rs.1000 (will vary slightly from country to country).

SIZES

Your ring size is easy to determine. Just take your ring that fits you and bring a scale out. Measure the inner diameter of the ring in millimeters and compare it with the size information provided by us. If you have other size requirements, write to team@urbanpari.com. We will get you your size subject to availability.

All the rings are designed and hand-made with the finest quality materials. Look for the SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS tag in your box. It serves as the certificate of authenticity.

Every girl loves bling!

It's true when we say, 'every girl loves bling'. Ofcourse, there are some who prefer less glitter. But, secretly, she'll admire it (on someone else) and think, 'Can I wear that?'. At Urban Pari, we love bling and jewelry is a natural addition to our product line. Enter Swarovski. Would you agree that there's no other brand best known for its pure and fashionable crystal? We've partnered with a designer who creates stunning jewelry pieces using Swarovski Elements. And with that, we make our entry into designer jewelry.

A little bit about Swarovski...
Swarovski is an Austrian brand created by a man, Daniel Swartz, who learned all about glass cutting from his father. Since then, the company has patented many techniques in the art of cutting crystals and refracting light perfectly to create the radiance similar to that of a diamond and other gem stones. They are now a billion dollar company. Swarovski Elements is the brand for high quality crystal elements by Swarovski. Designers from all over the world embellish their products with Swarovski Elements. The 'Made With Swarovski Elements' label on the product serves as a sign of authenticity and the highest standards of crystal design. The distinctive trapezoid-shaped tag assures consumers that the designer pieces are made from genuine Swarovski Elements.

Who wore Swarovski
Even men love Swarovski. Michael Jackson wore Swarovski-studded socks, shoes, jackets and belts. He performed on them and the crystals only illuminated him even more as it reflected the light from the stage and the camera flash of a thousand people. His music, his persona and his style still shine bright.

Anne Hathway is a brilliant actress and she wore gowns and shoes blazing with Swarovski for the Golden Globes, Oscars, etc. Look at those pumps!

Angelina Jolie has a face you don't forget and her Swarovski dresses are unforgettable too.

Even the royals such as Catherine, Duchess of Cornwall, are fitted in gowns engineered with Swarovski and they glitter just as well as the Diamonds.

The list is endless. Our very own, Frieda Pinto, always manages to be internationally glamorous and knows just what to wear. She's studded in Swarovski too.

So, you get the point?

Coming soon...

Our first collection of Swarovski Elements jewelry will include a limited set of rings for the woman who loves to show off her delicate fingers. Fingers are a beautiful part of a woman's body. We run our fingers through our hair when we are shy and expectant. We use them to cup the beautiful faces of our children. We bite them when we are deep in thought. We twirl strands of hair with them as we absent-mindedly gaze into nothing. And, there are many more poetic ways to describe what we do with our fingers. For the woman who thinks less is more, a finger is the best place to add jewelry.

So, watch our Facebook page for more updates on fashionable, pure jewelry. How are we going to stand out among all the jewelry retailers? We're partnering with a unique designer and bringing fresh designs to our customers at prices that beat even the international market. We have pieces that are unique and only offer elements that are pure, finely cut and set.

It is worthy of being called jewelry. 
It is not an imitation of anything.

Tattoo Transformation

"The tattoo makes me 
Something that I am or
Something that I am not or
Something at all"

These are words quoted by no famous person but the bearer of a tattoo who recently got one :)

The Scorpion on Harsha

D for Divya

The makers of Urban Pari got INKED! Yes, Harsha and I (Divya) got tattooed because its been our dream for a long time. A transformation of a kind that is beautiful, personal and oddly, powerful. Harsha bears a deadly, black Scorpion on his forearm and I couldn't resist getting two for my first time. A "D" on my forearm and a Celtic Dolphin at the base of my neck, behind. Why Scorpion? Harsha loves reptiles and the scorpion. It holds a special meaning. His wife (Gayathri), a Scorpio, stings like one. :) They'll probably be more such impressions on him since tattooing can be quite addictive. And why not, it looks sexy, right? Why "D" and the Dolphin? I loved the "D" tattoo that Shah Rukh Khan got in "Don 2" and decided that I would get one, right then and there. I personalized it with the simple art work around the D. As for the Dolphin, I am a Piscean who is very much one.

The Falcon on Manasa

Tattoo bearers are considered rebellious but we just wanted to fulfill a long-time dream. It is cool and it sets us apart. We are not afraid to experiment or bear a little pain for something beautiful. Why didn't we get it earlier? It is only when you come of a certain age, that you cross certain barriers that you have put for yourself. So, we finally crossed one.

D, Dolphin, Divya

This is how we really ended up getting a tattoo. And this is how you should get one too. Quickly!


A few Fridays ago, one of Urban Pari's models, Manasa, called me up and said,
"I'm back from Mumbai and I got inked!"
I said, "Oh my god, what? I want to get one too". I admired the falcon that she had got and my energy levels kept rising while I talked to her. After that, I posted on Facebook (you have to, right?) and declared, "I want to get a tattoo. Who wants to get one with me?" I knew who'd be the first caller and Harsha did call. We made plans.
I said, "This weekend, I am busy on Saturday. The tattoo parlor is closed on Sunday."
Harsha said, "I am busy the whole of next week. So, it'll have to be next Saturday"
I said, "O.K. Saturday sounds fine. Let's not tell anyone. We'll keep it a secret". Harsha said, "O.K."


But, if we had left it at that, next Saturday would have been no different from any other Saturday. My wall post on Facebook (made our intentions no secret) started rolling quickly with comments from a few hard-working friends. They gave us ideas on what the tattoos should be. And we egged them to join us and get marked too. One of our friends flunked an online test she was taking at her workplace because the conversation was more fun. Obviously! One of them was not paying any attention to work but his fingers furiously worked the keyboards. The comments came faster than we could respond to one another. Harsha's co-workers stared at him while he joyfully typed into the computer. And in the middle of this conversation, the girl who flunked the test said, "Don't wait. Let's go today". That was all the push that I needed. I called up Russell, the tattoo artist and booked an appointment two-hours away. Harsha setup meetings for Monday, informed his VP and flew out of the office. One got stuck in a meeting and couldn't make it to the parlor with us. Wuss, we called him :) The girl who flunked the test, slipped out of her house, leaving her unsuspecting husband behind. Another friend, said he'll join us and be a part of our transformation. I cancelled a doctor's appointment, abandoned my computer and left my husband without telling him what I was upto. He would find out about this from my Facebook wall, right? Two hours later, we were at the parlor. Russell, a skillful artist, created these beautiful symbols and creatures on our bodies and we had burned a small hole in our wallets.

This day was great! We love the tattoos! You should get one if you want it. No pain. No gain.

Apple Crumble

For a change, let's talk about food. And, I have a feeling that I'm going to over-do it :)
I love food and so do many of you. But, for the sake of health and (more importantly) figure consciousness, I have to show some restraint. It's tough!
I'm not a great cook, let-alone a cook! But, if something is easy to mix up in the kitchen, I might just give it a twist. Here's a recipe that I learnt from my mom. It's easy-breazy, Apple Crumble. If a chef's reading this and you go, "Hey, that's not Apple Crumble!", go easy on me, will you? This is my Apple Crumble.










What you need

• Apples
• Strawberries
• Banana
• Milk Maid
• Sweet Bread
• Milk
• Almond
• Raisins
• Cardamom

Try with 4 apples and 1 can of Milk Maid. Add other ingredients as you wish.

How to make this

• In a heated pan, add two spoons of butter. 
• Add crushed almonds, raisins, cardamom and stir it till they brown a little. 
• Make piece of bread and add them to the pan. Let it brown a little.
• Add the apples and strawberries which must have been washed and cut. I like to take the peal off the apple. Toss it around and put the lid on it for a minute or two. 
• Add the banana slices and mix around. 
• Open the delicious can of Milk Maid and pour it in. I usually stop when the can is half empty. You can do less or more depending on how many calories you want to accumulate. 
• Add a little boiled milk to bring the mixture to a consistency that suits you. 
• Keep stirring it and mix it all together. 
• After a few more minutes, turn the heat off.

Serving it hot is appreciated more. Save it in the fridge for one more day and microwave it. Children will love it and many easy-to-please adults will love it too. I add no sugar to this because Milk Maid and the fruits have enough of that.
If you've tried it, leave a comment here on the blog or on Facebook and tell us if it was a disaster or a clean sweep. :)

An interview with the Beauty department

"What is beauty? What do we consider beautiful (in a woman)?" That was the question on the minds and lips of two gentlemen who interviewed me a few days ago. The gentlemen were scientists from the R&D department of a leading Indian brand. They wanted to understand why women wanted to look beautiful and what, in their definition, is beauty. Is it a fair skin? Is it shiny, long hair? Is it a clear complexion? And how far would you go to look beautiful? My answer was beauty is not defined only by a beautiful, symmetrical face or a slender, curvaceous body. It could be a gentle voice, a kind heart, generosity, hospitality or strength that a woman possesses and that is displayed, even for a fleeting moment. Yet, women do long to look beautiful, on the outside. We, admire other women even more than men admire them. An attractive woman who passes by is scanned from head to toe, not only by male eyes but by other females, as well. Women scrutinize her hair, her eyes, her makeup, her outfit, shoes and accessories. "Is she perfect? Is there a flaw there somewhere? Can I look like that?"

They asked me several questions and I answered as honestly as I could, digging into my psyche to find out what I really thought about each question. Did I think much about fair skin? No, I like a clear complexion better. But, yes, I do want my daughter to be fair rather than dark. And yes, I hate it when my skin fades a few tones darker after exposure to the sun. I run to my mirror and wistfully say, "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, I'm surely not the fairest of them all!".

Did I think creams and lotions can alter me? Yes, for a few hours. No, the natural elements like the sun and the wind cannot be forced to ignore you if you expose yourself to it often. No, consuming good food and water should have a lasting effect than rubbing promising creams on my skin. They do feel nice though. No, you cannot prevent aging and as you see yourself growing older, gradually, acceptance will come easily.

Can I be prompted to change my daily skin-care regime by a revolutionary product, an interesting ad and a captivating celebrity? Not really. I can't suppress my mother's voice that always tells me to apply the home-made face-pack, drink water, eat fruits and vegetables and do some exercise. And all this, without spending extra money.
Somewhere, during this interview, I started to feel like one of the women in the old Dove soap advertisement. I was talking about keeping my skin clean, clear and oil-free. It's in all of us, to want to look beautiful and to turn a few heads while we also know that beauty is not only skin-deep. Physical beauty must always be accompanied by a sound mind and gentle heart for completeness. These are a little difficult to achieve and hold on to. So, while we try to be better ourselves on the inside, why not start looking better from the outside, right?

Post Processing!

One of the most dreaded tasks in our job description as Proprietor-Designer-Employee at Urban Pari is post-processing our brilliant photographs and for a novice like me, it's a bit of a headache. Suddenly, I am required to know all about Photoshop and I need to pay for it! But, I like Open Source and GIMP does what I need just as well as Photoshop. I am a software engineer (till recently) who has never worked on GUI or anything visual on the job. At the most, I've drawn flow charts and diagrams to illustrate how it is 'supposed' to work and the rest is all hidden behind code. Learning is seldom fun when you don't know where to start. But, it turns out I like the visual aspect of this task and I can put some of my programming skills to use when the tasks are repeatable.

You know what keeps me going while I spend long, late hours on the photographs?

• The beauty of the model in the photograph. She is usually our friend. She is way too kind to us. She looks lovely in person but the camera sees more.
• The magnificence of the saree which has a life of its own. Sometimes, it looks like the soft breeze, the ebbing of water, etc.
• The magic created by both of them, model and saree.
• The music that plays in the background, on my headphone.

Hope you like our photographs and we hope that we are continuously improving in the quality of our  product representation. We have a brilliant photographer, by the way. :) He meets our expectation and goes beyond it.

Never judge a person ...

It's true what they say, "Never judge a person by their looks". You think you don't judge people that way, until you meet someone who totally surprises you.


A few days ago, me and my friends (business women who inspired me to become an entrepreneur) set out to meet a guy, Mark, from a company that specializes in Social Marketing. Mark had contacted me about an application that could enable e-commerce for Urban Pari and I decided to give this a hearing. I was looking forward to the meeting and I was also going to make a day out of it with my two friends. Business mixed with some pleasure.


Mark gave us directions to his office, which took us here and there, before we finally landed outside a three-story building facing a huge dump site. There was no elevator to take us to the second floor and we din't know what his company was called. But, aided by Mark's voice on the phone, we took the stairs to the second floor. We were met by Mark at the stair case.


Mark was a young guy dressed casually in a shirt and trouser. He looked like most IT employees I'd met. He was friendly and led us quickly to a conference room, one more floor up. This office was full of unoccupied cubicles and looked liked a start-up that hadn't started up. My friends looked at me and I grinned and shrugged as if to say, "I don't know what's going to happen. I just got you to meet someone who said he had a great application that could make you a millionaire." We settled down at the conference room and let him start talking about himself and his company.


He said, "I am the CEO of the company and I'll be walking you through what our company is about".
I said, "What?".
He said, "I am the CEO".
I said, "CEO?".
He said, "Yes, mam."


I smirked (inwardly) at that and decided to listen to him. He spoke with confidence and wasted no time in telling us about his company and what they did. After a while, my friend asked him, "What else do you do?" and he said, "I'm a college drop-out and this is what I do." She didn't really mean to ask him what else he did on his spare time. But, only meant to ask him what else his company did. But, that was his quick and secure response. Anyway, we were pleasantly surprised because we had listened to him for only a few minutes and he sounded confident, experienced and nothing at all like a hustler or a drop-out. I asked him, "How old are you? You look young." He said, "I'm 20 years old". I said, "Congratulations to you". And I meant it.

Mark is not his real name but I'm calling him that because he may be another Mark Zuckerberg (Founder & CEO of Facebook) who started young but made it big with his ideas. We were enraptured while Mark spoke about his company's accomplishments and what they were capable of doing for businesses like us. He is the first under-age CEO I have met and I am delighted to have met him. All of us are.


So, I'm writing this blog to share this meeting with you and to remind myself to 'never judge a book by its cover'.


Mark & Mark, way to go!

The Team - Part II

Well, Divya wants me to write about Urban Pari and its inception. My flow of thoughts on these topics are never easy, so I am trying to pen it as readable as possible and banking on Divya’s editing skills.

Prelude

I am a Scorpio (who by definition are very intense, focused and possess corporate qualities). Contrary to that, I seem to be known as a day-dreamer, always lost in some world and never in the present. So, my friends know me as a weird, dreamy person who does not do any work at all. They always reach out to Harsha, my husband, for everything.

So, one of the dreams I have, is a cute little Boutique shoppe adorned with beautiful,  elegant, earthy sarees, tiny handicrafts made  from NGO’s and a café serving aromatic  coffee and cookies and nostalgic books to make the experience heavenly. If this could also expand to being nestled in snow capped mountains (experienced after a trip to Leh, India), I guess that would be an achievement!

The  Making of Urban Pari

Did I say “Beautiful Sarees”? So, here is the link to Urban Pari. Sriya, is a common friend, the jewelery designer and the inspiration for us to pursue this. I happened to share this dream with her a long time ago and once Divya started following her designer instincts (she has done amazing sarees for  someone who did not wear them at all), Sriya reminded me if this can be a step to make the Dream a reality. This is how it got seeded with Divya’s vision. Divya soon took it higher with her undeterred focus and thanks to the Internet, there is no stopping us now.

Well, I would like to mention about Divya’s “GURU” and my Harsha's role, (who are childhood friends themselves) in the making of Urban Pari. Guru’s invaluable experiences, actually helped us understand the dynamics of business and how just a passion can become a successful venture. And without Harsha’s help, support, motivation and  confidence, this would be one of the dreams never seeing the light of day!

There are many people who have been very supportive and still continue to be.

- Our friend Shyam‘s photography skills got us the visibility on the Internet

- Our models are such sweet-hearts. You would change the word "artificiality" associated with models to "gorgeous, pleasant and humble" after being around them

- Our family and our friends who started the first sales for us  

Future

I'm hoping that someday soon, all you paris will come to experience one of our Urban Pari boutiques.

Looks like I did not have any hickup at all in writing this and to avoid you from dozing off (if not already) and this becoming an Award speech, I am going to stop!

Disclaimer: The pictures are borrowed from the Internet and does not exactly depict our vision.

The Team - Part I

In this blog, we want to share something about ourselves. You may want to know who we are and what we are like. Even we want to know what we have to say about each other and especially, about Urban Pari. So, this blog will be in two parts. One part will be written by Gayathri and the other part by Divya. We will not post photographs of ourselves just yet as we are camera-shy. When we do share a photograph, we'll pick one where we look splendid! :)

From Divya
I started to design sarees, around Diwali season in 2011 after being inspired by several entrepreneurs around me. It went really like this. I was sitting in the living room, turning over (in my mind) what I had already been thinking about. Then, suddenly, I messaged my friend (who's a jewelry designer) and said, "Hey, I'll design sarees and we can do some shows together!". It started there and within a month, Gayathri joined me after she shyly said, "I would like to join you". I was very happy to have a partner and agreed immediately. After she and Harsha (Gayathri's husband) joined the force, Urban Pari really took off. After all, a few heads are definitely better than one. I named our brand "Urban Princess" first. I did think of alternatives but I really couldn't get past it. But we discovered that "Urban Princess" was already trademarked in another part of the world. So, Gayathri knocked off "Princess" and turned it into "Pari". I think we couldn't have come up with a better name. I identify with it. Many of you are Urban Pari too.



I was born in the month of March. I am Pisces. The dreamers, right? I don't know if my assessment about myself is right. But, here's what (I think) I am like. I follow the principle, "Live and Let Live" and it's my slogan ever since I was a kid in school. I float through life without delving into details about history, politics, economics and the news. It may make me dull but I really don't have much interest in it. I am introspective, quiet and can break out into a banter every once in a while. I love spending time on western music and movies and snuggling with a thrilling English novel. I love watching Romantic Comedies but not if they turn into soppy love stories. I also blog about movies at http://im-a-movie-buff.blogspot.com. I am a Computer Science post-graduate and till some time back, I was a Network Software Engineer. I loved my job which was interesting and challenging. I do miss working in that space now.


Now, I am passionate about Urban Pari. I have discovered capabilities in me, that I did not know existed and it gives me plenty of opportunity to tap my creative side. I always wanted to write. I never dreamed that I would design sarees and was not even remotely interested in them but now swear by them. I truly believe (not because its business) in its beauty. Five-and-half meters of cloth can have endless possibilities. I love shopping. And now, I can shop for other ladies. I just found an outlet for my shopaholism! :)

That's enough about me!

Gayathri and Harsha are my good friends and partners in Urban Pari. I quote that without them Urban Pari would not be possible. People often say that business partnerships break friendship and I want to be very careful to not let that happen. Harsha is an extremely helpful person and gets the ball moving when we nudge it. :) Gayathri is a very sweet woman who sometimes scolds me (when I irritate her) and she has her own dreams for Urban Pari. My goal is to take Urban Pari global and reach out to people through the Internet. Gayathri will tell you more about what she wants to do in her blog.

My husband, Guruprasad, is a very interesting person. He, unlike me, loves all the things that I don't. He is a master in History and other subjects and can tell long tales when the subject comes up. ;) We consult with him whenever anything needs to be done, without moving a muscle. ;) He is our marketing Guru and gives us plenty of advise. I have to say that Urban Pari has brought me closer to Guru because I value his advise and his support. Sometimes, I don't listen to him. :)

Ok, I think that really is enough about me. I hope this was even remotely interesting.

Welcome!

Urban Pari is a recent venture into the world of fashion. It was unexpected, but definitely a welcome addition to our lives. How our lives will change, we don't know. But, we'd like to find out. This first blog is to welcome all of you and to make you aware about this new initiative from Urban Pari. Our blogs may be written by any of our designers, our consultants and our staff. If anyone has anything to say, they can say it here. Our objective in writing these blogs is to share something about ourselves and about Urban Pari with our fans, our customers and our well-wishers.
So, welcome! We hope that you'll enjoy reading our content.