Fashionista

I read all articles here and have always wanted to write one myself. But I have to warn you all, I don’t have any credentials to support me here. I have never considered myself to be a normal girl. None of the things that normally appeal to girls has ever caught my attention. I don’t enjoy shopping, I am not so much of a gossip queen and salons and spas give me a headache. I am also not someone who you will remember for my sense of dressing or “style” so to say. You will all agree that this is a fair warning. Don’t read any further if all you want is some take-away on “fashion”.  

I write this article (of-course, I am using this term very loosely here) because of two things that have been on my mind in the last few days. The initial trigger to all this is a discussion that I had with a cousin recently regarding Victoria Beckham’s dressing sense. We were talking about how sometimes she wears things that we normally wouldn't give a second look to, but still manages to look stunning. The discussion ended with just a few comments we exchanged, but it kept lingering at the back of my mind.

Followed shortly was the realization that I start my day everyday with looking at images of our Bollywood beauties in their designer dresses on the online edition of “The Times of India”. Although I had always done it, it was only after this discussion that I started paying attention to the fact. If you think that it is with appreciation, let me correct you. What interests me more is how uncomfortable most of them looked in some of those outfits, but they do it anyways to stand out and get noticed.

It begs to question, what is fashion? Is it looking good and getting noticed at the cost of being uncomfortable, or feeling comfortable and confident in anything that you choose to wear? Does a dress make a person or does a person define a dress? If it isn't obvious, I am a believer in the latter. And I like to think that Victoria Beckham feels the same way…. She looks good in anything that she wears because it is always “her” that is making a dress look good.

I have come to realize that all of us have our own definition of style, of what is good and bad. We are all also designers with ability to create things that we think suit us best. If we give up on trying to be someone else, copying someone else’s style and instead choose to follow our instincts of what is best for us and what we will be comfortable in, we will all always look good. All you need is the courage to bring out the Fashionista in you.

Cheers!

Behind the scenes of the Spring-Valentine photo shoot

This job at Urban Pari is a fascinating one because we get to wear many hats. Designer. Content Writer. Stylist. Marketer. Blogger. Etc. And all these hats are beautiful (except Accountant).

Today, I want to share with you what happened and who is involved behind the photographs that you'll soon see. We were able to capture only a few visuals because it was a hectic day that needed a lot of planning before and a lot of resting afterwards. It's the photo shoot for the Spring-Valentine collection!

So, we said, we'll start the shoot at 9:00 AM. We ended up clicking the first pictures at 12:15 AM. What happened in-between? I managed to roll out of bed at 7:30 AM and leave the house without making breakfast. On the way, I dropped off my daughter at her grandparent's and borrowed a camera lens, at the very last minute. I reached the shoot destination, a beautiful house in south Bangalore, at 9:00 AM. My model, Priyanka Arora, a Delhi beauty and an earnest professional rode in on her scooter at about 10:15 AM. My assistant, Susheela, arrived successfully at 10:30 AM after getting lost and frantic somewhere near the venue. My friend and stylist, Parul Tongaria from The Wedding Company, walked in a little after that, flushed after her experience with the Auto ride. My new photographer, Mac Jamatia, swung out of bed sometime during this gathering and came in last. But, I was not upset. In fact, I welcomed this delay to allow my heart to slow down. Photo shoots always make me nervous as the preparations are so last minute and I'm always forgetting things. It also allowed me to catch up with everyone. (Hey guys! Don't be late, next time. :).

Once we started, I let everyone to do their work, confident that each would give me their best and bring something new to the product presentation. I must have been so cool during the shoot that Priyanka reminded me several times to check the photographs after they were shot. Priyanka is a great model. Her movements are fluid and she can pose without looking contrived. I liked Mac and his cap even more. He was very focussed on his work and listened to my "requirements" very patiently. That always earns brownie points from me. Parul! What can I say about her. She's a friend you must have. Self-taught makeup artist. Now, she's a full-time wedding-stylist at The Wedding Company and excellent at styling and makeup. She made sure I sent her pictures of the sarees before the shoot, so that she could plan the makeup and accessories for each of them. That's dedication!

At every shoot, we plan on shooting a specific number of sarees. So, that means we're on a clock. We started slow (the time between changes is about 30 minutes and we joked all the while) and experimented with where we should shoot and where the lighting is good. We also had a few makeup changes to match a set of sarees where Parul kicked in and did her magic. But, after the lunch break, our pace picked up (Priyanka was chasing us to get a move on it) and we did the impossible (the time between changes might have come down to 5 minutes). Hurray! We were done by 5:10 PM. Everyone was visibly relieved. I am not done till the sarees and everything else is neatly back in its place (ask my partners about my obsession).

Thank you, Priyanka, Mac, Parul (she also shot the "behind the scene" photographs) and Susheela for your kind contribution. We are grateful for your presence and effort. Last but not the least, Harsha's always in the background lending quiet support whenever we require it.

Whenever new sarees are released to you, we keep our fingers crossed that you not only like the product but also its presentation. We spend a lot of time and the money that we can afford, to make sure that we do justice to what Urban Pari represents. We design sarees because we believe in its timeless beauty. It's pure passion (I know this is overused but it really is true) that drives us. We are the "Aam Aadmi" (this does not state our preference for any political party what-so-ever :) of the Fashion world but no less talented, I hope. So, please write on our Facebook wall or email us at team@urbanpari.com or me at divya@urbanpari.com and tell us what you think of our sarees. Can't wait to hear from you!