Pranayama and peeptoe booties

I always associated yoga with the old and the ageing and wondered how twisting your body into pretzel like forms could actually equal a real workout. Not that petite, five point nothing me is into heavy weights, my personal pair of dumbells weigh just 1.5 kg:D and they work fine for me. But cardio and weight training (even light weights) is reasonably exhausting and when a part of your body hurts in a certain way post workout you know you must be doing something right.
This was all until I discovered shilpa yoga. That’s not what it’s called generically but I think you can safely call it that because Shilpa shetty has done a most amazing job of glamorising this ancient fitness routine and making it sound like the coolest thing to be doing. Now when a woman with an enviable figure like that says yoga is good you cannot possibly argue and priced at a very very affordable Rs 150 the cd is bound to make anyone say, why not?
A compilation of the most basic of asanas, the cd that runs an hour long has Ms Shetty demoing the asanas against the beautiful backdrop of a picturesque Kerala beach. One and a half months into practice, I now find myself converted. I definitely believe in yoga. I am still working on the breathe control aspect and it’s too early to comment on the subject of weight loss. But the toning benefits are almost immediate.
Feeling rejuvenated from my new practice I stepped out yesterday wearing purple black and yellow all at the same time and I think it wasn’t a bad fashion experiment at all. I was at the launch of a new label ‘Design’, by the 4 month old store Language located on 4th street, Rutland gate(Nungambakkam). While the newly launched line was wearable, I did spot some fabulous Miss Sixty footwear while browsing the store. So the next time you feel like a little foot flattering, this might be a place you would want to check out.

Shut up and eat your vegetables:)

The number of people who have told me over the years that I am definitely missing something in life by being vegetarian, big. The number of people who have found it difficult to believe that I am a vegetarian by choice, even bigger. I guess a vegetarian andhraite is especially hard to imagine after all we are supposed to be the chaapaala pulusu, kodi veppudu people aren’t we? I have often heard friends and acquaintances quip, “So what dooooo you eat?”, “Yuck! A burger is not a burger if it’s vegetarian”. Excuse me! Eight years and still going strong I think vegetarianism is a great lifestyle choice. Well those of you who equate biryani to bliss, stop reading, because I am not wasting my time on you. If you actually enjoy meat giving it up is going to require tremendous will power and you are better of being the way you are than being a pseudo vegetarian who argues fish and prawn are vegetarian.
Apart from the favour you do fauna, there are other benefits too. It’s so much easier to drop sizes while you’re nibbling on veggies, it does wonders to your skin and yes keeps your heart healthy.
If you’re worried about lack of variety you might want to stop at these exclusively vegetarian restaurants that have very interesting menus

• Flower drum(veggie Chinese)-Egmore
• Little Italy(veggie Italian)-Nungambakkam
• Mahamudra(veggie South Indian)-Mylapore

Men, madras checks and thirukkural tees

image:madras checks
Fashion is not a woman’s prerogative. It probably never was. We women were just living our little fantasy till they managed to figure things out. One key rule that holds good for men’s fashion is that stylish always works better than fashionable. Hot pink shirts might be the ‘in’ thing, but we will always cast our votes for the men who can make a crisp white shirt and a basic blue jean look fabulous.

image:houndstooth
Speaking of classic trends, houndstooth to madras, checks are super super hot for men right now. And while we are at ‘what’s hot’ and ‘what’s not’, word has it that ‘thirukkural’ tees are selling like hot cakes in Europe. Apparently Europeans find the tamil script very interesting as a design motif and are amazed by the fact that such deep and complex philosophies could be conveyed in two line couplets. Bulk orders of these tees are being exported from Tirupur to an Italian brand that retails in Europe. So what’s stopping us? I am for sure going to flaunt some tamil cool.

Brand ‘you’

These days I have developed this compulsive habit of picking up issues of coffee table magazines every time I stop at a café. Today I picked up two different ones (Chennai based) when I walked out of mocha. One of the lifestyle magazines had the most brilliantly shot portfolio pics of a popular designer. I am no expert but whatever (little)knowledge I possess leads me to believe that a portfolio (be it a celeb or a regular person) is meant to capture the various facets of the subject’s personality. And this has to be done just as much through wardrobe choices and other decorative elements as by camera angles and lighting. The pics were brilliant because every element used (carefully chosen sneakers, hat, jacket) seemed to so beautifully lend to the subject’s personality, in the end making him less of a person and more of a brand. If you think that’s a bad thing please read ‘Marketting brand you’
Coming back to portfolios, what’s disappointing is that a lot of people believe you should make do with what they have (This works only when you already have carefully cultivated image or a great wardrobe. Even then it always helps to jazz it up a little). Worse, there are (some) instances when people don’t understand why I pick up an Ed Hardy tee at Rs 590 as opposed to something from an export surplus store. I have nothing against street shopping or shopping out of nondescript places, been there done that. But this only works in rare occasions when the stuff is inexpensive but looks expensive. On a couple of occasions I have ruffled feathers by going a little over budget while shopping for portfolios. But on both occasions I had them coming back to me to tell me the clothes I had shopped for were real investments. One of them told me that while the film fraternity had not really taken much notice, a very popular Chennai designer had found the portfolio particularly interesting because of the clothes and styling. At that moment I visualized imaginary zeros added to my pay cheque:).

Fergie wears peacock

Three things I love about FIFA 2010
1)K’Naan’s waving flag (love waking up to it)
2)Shakira’s Waka waka (constantly on loop in my head) and most importantly
3)the fact that Fergie wore a Shane and Falguni Peacock creation for her performance at the opening.
What about the sport? Well I am no diehard fanatic but am very supportive of people who are. Also the sheer extravagance of the event, be it FIFA Cup, World cup or IPL is difficult to escape.

Not that the futuristic black fishnet body suit is something I would fancy wearing on the streets of Chennai but to think that from being considered a manufacturing destination we have gone to styling an international performer at an event of this scale truly thrills me. Apparently Fergie’s stylist happened to be present at one of Shane and Falghuni’s shows in LA where they were showcasing their Fall Winter collection for the London Fashion Week. She liked their designs and hinted that they could do something for Fergie for the FIFA Cup. A phone call from her saying that Fergie liked their designs sealed the deal.

The look:
Something futuristic, bearing elements of Africa was what they were looking for

What next?
Word has it that Lady Gaga is next on their client list.

Dear diary

An annoyingly long power cut led to a most interesting experiment, writing without Google or Microsoft word after ages. I shamelessly admit that I google for inspiration and MS word takes care of the fact that I am selectively dyslexic (only when it comes to punctuation. hehe). As a rule I do not post much about myself because I totally believe like Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan says in the opening lines of ‘You are here’ that nobody has the right to tell a story unless they actually have one. But on rare occasions when a person(people sometimes), place or conversation inspire me to voice or vent it’s a little difficult to resist.
This post is dedicated to all and sundry who have asked me what I do for work. Well, I write columns (fashion and lifestyle for), i style, I design (fashion (graphic occasionally and sometimes do nothing at all. Why? Simply because i like it that way. I prefer the ‘Road not taken’. Have I gotten there yet? Definitely not. But I am trying and when I have, I will let everyone know. During the times that I am not working I read, attend related workshops (I am into fashion and lifestyle writing for those of you who have no clue) and courses, surf the net, blog and hopefully will be traveling more from now on. I try to stay visible at all times through my blog posts and facebook status updates . Yes, this is what I need to be doing because long term, 5 years from now, what I really want to be is an opinion leader in the world of fashion and lifestyle not a doctor or a successful software professional. No offence to those of you holding 9-5 jobs, I am always in awe of people who can be that organized and time bound, but all I say is ‘To each his own.’

Fashion surrender

Today I flicked a watch from my brother’s cupboard before stepping out. Well, all of a sudden camo is supercool and there was not enough time to shop for a tee or shoes. Also, I am not exactly sure if I can pull off GI Jane just like that, so, a watch had to do for starters. This trend that kicked off as an attempt by celebs to pay tribute to brave servicemen translated into a fashion phenomenon when fashion houses saw money in the creation and sale of the military inspired clothing. While camouflage has been around as an urban street wear trend for a while, the noise is about it making quite a splash in the high fashion scene this season.

Theory has it that it can be viewed as the logical extension of the trend of animal prints or even as a derivative of the recent military obsession. Prowl the urban jungle in the authentic military version (read rugged), or as a stylised interpretation

Muse:
Think Rihanna

Whats NOW?
• The look is fierce not subtle
• With sequins
• Harem pants in camo print
• Best paired with leather and metallic accents