Bag Review - Gucci GG Marmont Leather Shoulder Bag

Oh boy, have I been dying to discuss this bag on the blog since I bought it a few weeks ago. From the second I saw it online, I knew it was something really special. However, I wasn't sure till I checked it out at the boutique. After which I had my bag fund ready for the purchase!

Featuring a saddle shape, the bag is light, effortless and easy to wear. Since having a baby, practicality has become my number one priority. Last month, I started using my Givenchy Antigona bag again whilst taking Rania out and it turned out to be more of a nuisance than anything else. Imagine trying to juggle a toddler, a pram, a baby bag and then a giant purse! The Gucci on the other hand is much more comfortable. I swapped it for the Givenchy and the Bulgari for the rest of my stay and even used it at the airport on my way back to Delhi.

Crafted from the most luxurious, soft and grained leather, the bag's charm lies in all the  detailing it comes with. My favourite part is the antique gold hardware. The oversized GG, the tiger head and the rings that hold the shoulder strap make a strong statement. Whereas the subtle top stitching exudes understated luxury. Space wise, I have successfully filled it with an ipad mini (for Rania to watch nursery rhymes on the flight!), wallet, keys, passport and a little bit of make up. On another occasion I managed to fit my sunglasses case too. So I would say it's good enough to hold your immediate essentials which is great. That way one doesn't feel the need to keep dumping extra nonsense (guilty as charged). It features a flap closure with a push-lock system so it's relatively easy to open and close. It comes with one internal zip pocket and two small phone pockets. The belt like shoulder strap is adjustable so you can wear it in various lengths. This model comes in three different colours: Black, brown and red. Whilst the former two colours are classic, the red is just stunning to look at and is the one I bought.

Speaking of buying, I did a lot of research as to where the bag was the cheapest. After making a bunch of international calls, turns out, the London Heathrow boutique has the best price. And I have to add, the staff there was so helpful. They reserved the bag for me a week before my friend was due to fly out. All I had to do was give them her contact information and flight time. Here is a list of prices to save you all the hassle!

India - INR 161,000
United States - USD 2,590 (brown colour is cheaper I think)
London - GBP 1510 (you can claim your VAT at the airport)
London Heathrow - GBP 1250
France - EUR 1980 (you can claim your tax refund)
Dubai - AED 9,100

Akaaro By Gaurav Jai Gupta AIFW AW16 Review

 

I had never heard of the Gaurav Jai Gupta until esteemed journalist Namrata Zakaria wrote about him in one of her articles back in 2013. Despite reading about him nearly three years ago, this happened to be my first show! And I was in for quite a treat. Little did I know that the fashion designer was also a textile designer (pardon my ignorance on that front). In fact, in an interview I read online at Border & Fall, he quotes 'for my graduation in college, I didn't make clothes, I made fabrics.' Most of the cloth used in his collections are hand-woven at his Delhi based studios. For his FW 13 collection, Gaurav teamed up with Swarovski to create fabrics with crystals woven into them which was something really unique. Not only that, the designer loves to experiment with unconventional materials and often uses stainless steel in his weaves.

For the coming fall, Gaurav stayed true to the India Modern theme. Whilst most of the looks were very contemporary, the techniques to create the textiles were as Indian as it could get through the use of traditional weaving techniques. Flatform shoes and the metallic sheen on the clothes exuded a very futuristic vibe. Comfort was key here as was seen through the various easy to wear dresses (especially the shirt-dresses) created from luxurious hand-woven silk. There was a sense of practicality too with the reversible outfits. Who wouldn't want to be able to wear those stainless steel merino wool pants two days in a row? Just turn them inside out and you're good to go! Jackets in tussar silk and some in merino wool were simple and on point with the season. More separates included capes, tunic tops and culottes. However, what stood out the most were the silk zaree sarees that were draped sculpturally and almost as if they were bandaged around the models.

As one can see from this and past collections, Gaurav Jai Gupta has a firm belief in understated luxury and practicality in dressing. Through the use of unconventional materials in textile design combined with age old Indian weaving techniques, his clothes are truly India Modern.

Varun Bahl AIFW AW 16 Review

Varun Bahl was as usual on point with the embroidery in his collection; detailed, intricate and impeccable. This designer returned to the ready to wear market after five years, so naturally, the silhouettes didn't include his elaborate bridal wear (minus the last few looks). The clothes were easy to wear and fuss free. What I loved most about the collection were his versions of the bomber jackets. Beautifully embroidered bombers that seemed really light made their way down the runway. Some paired with dresses, some paired with his signature net lehengas that were toned down to look like maxi skirts, these babies will be flying off the shelves come next winter. A blue jacket in particular, with sheer sleeves and appliqued  flowers is a piece I've got my eye on. Another favourite from the show was a ruffled sleeved black tunic top with lots of white appliqued flowers and a pretty blue owl.

There were dresses made from chiffon and tulle featuring sequins and embroidered animals which seemed slightly off season, but then not every part of India gets a harsh winter. Fur collar accents added a nice touch and as I mentioned above the embroidery was lovely. More than the minis, I liked the semi sheer, layered maxi numbers more. A knee length black dress with a ruffled peplum and a layered net overlay was just stunning.

Overall, it was a nice collection that will do commercially well. Varun is a veteran at the end of the day and knows exactly what will bring in the big bucks. And he delivered just that.

A Walk In The Park

As I mentioned before, I was going to do a series of casual looks focussing on accessorising to dress it up a bit. In my latest outfit post, I wore a simple tartan shirt over jeans. For the first time, I tucked my jeans into ankle boots. I always wanted to experiment with doing that, but for some reason I never got down to it. I thought gold coloured jewellery would go well against the dark tartan so I wore a playful necklace with big round circles on it and a delicate bracelet. The camel coloured bag matched perfectly with my boots and to jazz things up a bit I changed the bag's shoulder strap in the middle of the shoot and used both sides of the strap.

What did you think of my look?

Shirt & Jeans - Zara
Necklace - H&M
Boots - Aldo
Sunglasses - Dior
Bag, Shoulder Strap & Bracelet - Fendi

Bag Review - Fendi Dotcom Bag

The peeps over at Fendi seriously know what it takes to make IT bags and handbag accessories. Churning out hit after hit with their 2jours, Peek-a-Boos, By The Way, bag bugs, Karlito and bulb bag charms, the Dotcom is another one that is going to quickly attain the IT bag status.

I got to play around with it and shoot with it and it is absolutely beautiful. The second I pulled it out of the dust bag, I was in love. The shape is so modern and streamlined yet timeless, meaning you can wear it for a few years at least. The size is perfect for a day bag and it has two zipped compartments which is so clever as it makes it much easier to organise your belongings. Crafted out of thick leather, it's quite sturdy and structured which means the bag is slightly heavy but not too heavy that it hurts your shoulders. What makes this bag truly eye catching and unique is one small detail. A little hole that plays peek-a-boo with a detachable flat pouch in a contrasting colour featuring a gunmetal conical stud that holds the pouch into place. An added bonus...you can use the pouch as a clutch! The Dotcom comes in various colours but my absolutely favourite is the one in light blue with a dark blue pouch and the dove grey with red.

Although it comes with a detachable shoulder strap, I strongly recommend you buy one of their super cool interchangeable straps which come in various colour options to play dress up! Their "Strap You" straps are so fun and you can get so much use out of them as they can be attached to any other bag too. This bag is very high on my 2016 wish list and honestly, the price isn't all that bad either. With most bags costing over 2,000 dollars, the Dotcom is for 2,400 USD on Fendi.com which is pretty neat considering you'll be using it for a years. Check it out at the DLF Emporio boutique.

 

Sleeveless Jackets And Box Bags

This winter has been slightly bizarre. With the whole El Nino thing going on, Delhi was a high of 26 degrees during the first week of January!! Anyways, since it hasn't been that cold, most of my jackets have been hanging in my closet. But, luckily I can still wear sleeveless ones. Yaaay! Sleeveless coats have been quite a hit this season and I had been dying to shoot with one. I just love how chic they look. Furthermore, you can at least show off what you're wearing on the inside and can play around which you can't do when you're all bundled up. A fitted polo neck, a long sleeved blouse or even a t-shirt if it's not too cold are some of the options you can easily experiment with.

For my shoot, I chose this beautifully tailored camel coloured coat. It was really long so it made me feel tall and the panel detailing on it just made it even more fabulous. The lapels were slightly exaggerated and you could either fold them outwards to show your top underneath or just let them be as is. I wore my favourite combination of a white tee and blue jeans to keep it fuss free as usual. To add some colour, I used the Gucci Tian padlock bag because the print was so vibrant, it instantly brightened up my outfit as did the Dior scarf I wrapped around my wrist instead of wearing bracelets.

Jacket - 431-88 By Shweta Kapur
Scarf (on my wrist) - Dior
Bag - Gucci
Sandals - Balenciaga By Nicholas Ghesquiere
Sunglasses - Kenzo
T-shirt - HnM
Jeans - 7 For All Mankind
 

Top Denim Bags - The 90's Are Back!!

Remember the 90's? When denim overalls, denim jackets, and pretty much everything denim everything was so hot... Well, this spring is no different. Denim was one of the strongest trends seen on the SS16 runways. At McQueen there were embroidered jean jackets, at Saint Laurent it was patchwork, at Versus and Chanel, jeans and denim dresses were printed. It's like reliving the 90's all over again except the clothes are way cooler now! The best part is, it's not just limited to the ready to wear. Denim purses too are having a major moment. Classic designs like Stella McCartney's Falabella tote or Tom Ford's Natalia bag have been given some super cool updates to fit right in with this season's hottest trends. Here are my top 5 bags you need to get your hands on!

1. Tom Ford Natalia Medium Leather-Trimmed Denim Shoulder Bag - This has always been one of my favourite Tom Ford bags. The signature oversized lock which is usually gold comes in gunmetal for this denim version. and it's pretty hot. Love! Click here to purchase.

2. Roger Vivier Flower Embroidered Denim Clutch - How cute is this little one? These embroidered daisies just give off such a carefree and happy vibe. Makes me want to take the clutch dancing almost immediately. Click here to purchase.

3. Chanel Embroidered Denim Large Flap Bag - This purse is without a doubt the number one on my list. Chanel perfume bottles and perfume names like Allure and No.5 are embroidered on this denim bag and I've fallen hard. I've already inquired at the Dubai boutique about it's arrival (February). Here's the item code in case you want to check with them in Delhi. A91102 Y60445 2B313

4. Stella McCartney Falabella Mini Embroidered Denim Bag - Stella McCartney's classic Falabella gets a very feminine update with dainty yellow flowers on soft, powder blue denim. Very pretty don't you think? Click here to purchase.

5. Valentino My Rockstud Embellished Denim Shoulder Bag - Nothing says spring more than butterflies. The cheerful colours instantly lift my spirits on a foggy and nippy Delhi afternoon. I love the size of this bag because it's big enough for the day and not too big to take out to dinner. Click here to purchase.