Partying made easy with Remanika

A shopping jaunt this weekend acted as the perfect retail therapy that I was dying to endure. Apart from soothing my senses and satiating my shopaholic soul, it helped in upping my brand awareness. Among the places I shopped at, one of them was Remanika . I always find their stuff enticing – partly because of the unusual palette of mauves and greens and partly because of the jazzy look of their exclusive stores. And when I took a sneak peek at their campaign for the latest collection - Pink Martini, I couldn’t help but notice…partly bcoz of Remanika and party bcoz of my natural inclination towards anything Pink :)

Born out of the need to be a differentiator in apparel brands by creating experimental styles for youth at affordable prices, Remanika has graduated to a a well recognised youth clothing brand in metros. From a single store in south Bombay selling 'Go-sexy'-trendy youth wear and club wear for women in 90s, Remanika has come a long way.

Another draw for me to Remanika, though it might sound silly, is that it rhymes with my name…my real name, that is ! ;) But it is interesting to know that the brand was named 'Ramnika'-a Sanskrit word meaning a woman who is appealing to eyes but people called it Remanika so over the years it has been rechristened to its popular name.

Edgy style, sexy cuts, and lean fits have become Remanika’s signature style and blending in western cuts with traditional Indian embellishments lend a unique touch to their apparels. With target segment being young women between 18 to 35, there’s something for every young hip thing in town. New collections are introduced every season and their names are as interesting and vibrant as the collection itself : 'Lipstick Jungle' for the urban educated woman who has seen a sea of changes in her character and role ; 'Go Getter' for those fashion conscious who are on the move ; 'Plan it Earth' and 'Chemicals Between Us' eco-friendly collections ; ‘Open Road’ for youngsters facing varied choices and my favorite Pink Martini ! 

A dress from the Open Road Collection

They have a couple of new ventures under brand name 'Ruggiero' and 'Rachel' that are slated to become as popular as the flagship brand. Ruggiero is into bulk wear-cargo pants, trek wear, layered clothing- for go-getter women and Rachel is exclusively for Reliance Trendz fashion stores. I checked out Rachel clothing myself and am delighted to tell you that with Rachel, Remanika goes quite easy on the pocket without compromising too much on style.

Remanika is available through exclusive outlets and multi-brand outlets like Pantaloons, Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle, Central and Reliance Trends in 90 outlets across 27 cities. So next time when party wear worries play on your mind, don’t look further – Remanika is just a mall away! :)

Photo Credit : My good friend Shweta (alias Mili)
Shweta is an IT professional-turned-photographer, a style queen, a yummy mummy and an ardent follower of my blog who scores very high on the pink quotient !
For more of her fabulous work, do check out her photography website http://www.tclphotography.com/

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Carpe Diem,baby!

That translates to “seize the day” and I did just that yesterday while indulging in the unplanned mid-week break. Such a welcome change it was from the rut of my 9-to-5 weekday life. I curled up in bed with my remote for some serious channel surfing, a luxury I get to enjoy only on weekends. I chanced upon one of my all-time favorite flicks on a movie channel which I’ll never mind watching yet one more time. I savored Runaway Bride with the same appetite as I did the first time and this movie is indeed worthy of it!



Picture Courtesy: imdb.com

 I’m sure most of you would have watched it atleast once but for the uninitiated, Runaway Bride is a movie about an attractive young woman who had been through a series of unsuccessful relationships and the thought of marriage makes her so jittery that she leaves her fiancés at the altar on her wedding day!! She’d fall in “love” with anyone who fell in love with her, and life was great until the wedding day. Then she’d run and she had done that not once but thrice! This earns her infamous reputation and the nickname “Runaway Bride” played by the gorgeous Julia Roberts. The story revolves around her and a reporter (Richard Gere) who is attempting to do a factual report on her and her upcoming fourth wedding attempt that is under immense public speculation.




The movie lives up to the expectation of romantic comedy genre and it a treat to watch…for the witty dialogues, the comic timing, the mushy feelings it evokes , the slice of life moments like her choice of eggs – scrambled, poached, sunny-side up with every new relationship and for the sheer screen presence of those two drop-dead gorgeous stars. Every time Richard Gere smiles, his crowfeet make him all the more desirable...LOL: D And when these two of favorite peeps onscreen get hitched at the end, I’m ecstatic and crave for more when they ride away on horseback as credits roll.

Highly recommended…those who haven’t watched it yet, better watch it NOW and those who have, a second or third watch will act as chicken soup for your romantic soul ! So when the opportunity comes calling, Carpe Diem, baby! :)

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One Lovely Blog Award!

This morning started on a good note. Monday morning blues transformed into vibrant hues by looking at my inbox. Bhumika of New Love was has passed on the 'One Lovely Blog Award' to me (my very first!) and it feels great. Thanks a lot, Bhumika!

I understand that like all other awards, this too comes with some rules. The rules of this award are to accept it, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link, and then pass the award to 7 or more blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Leave a message on their blog, letting them know they are "One Lovely Blog"!

I haven't been discovering many new blogs recently but this gave me an opportunity to do some serious blog surfing to come up a list of 7 blogs that I regularly or occsasionally read but feel are worthy of this award.

Here's my pick (in no particular order) :

HighHeelConfidential
My Weekend Ramblings
Wiseshe
Vintage Obsession
All Womens Talk
For the love of fashion and other things
Peaches and Blush

XOXO

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Get trendy with Jeggings

I was very fond of my skinny jeans in my early college days. They were a big rage back then but as time progressed, the skinnies made way for the bootcuts and flares and while my wardrobe was being revamped with the flared and low-rise variety, my skinny jeans met its fate as a capri, then shorts and then hot pants and finally as wax strips before ending up in the dustbin laden with oodles of hot wax!!!

Fashion being cyclical, few years on, the flares lost their flair and a similar treatment was deliberated to them. Though they served well in ways more than one – compliment the tank tops better, hide the belly jelly and make definitely superior wax strips, in hindsight I shudder to think how on earth did I wore those embroidered nirvana jeans with flair (and flare ofcourse!) What goes around, comes around, they say and it holds true for fashion in equal measure. As a natural progression, the extra piece of clothing swaying at the bottom had to lose itself and transform into a leaner and trimmer cousin – the straight fit. Gradually, as size zero went on to become a obsession from a mere trend, it inspired the denims for a similar metamorphosis.

I am not a fashion victim but I do, consciously try to ‘follow’ fashion so grabbing a latest pair of skinny Levi’s Diva jeans was both a choice and a need. If you care for my opinion, I’d say it is worth every penny you put in – these are extremely comfortable, exceptionally stylish and uber-chic.



Photo : Inky Pinky

 Crystals and diamante adorning the fabric is clearly a glamorous option for buttons and rivets and the embellishment is done quite aesthetically to make it appear least garish. It’s designed to bring out the Diva in you and the silver sequined letter ‘D’ is your passport to flaunt it too!

As I sat basking in the glory of my newly acquired Diva status, the skinny jeans were apparently working overtime to transform themselves into their anorexic cousin this time around – the Jeggings. Touted as the next big thing in fashion, Jeggings are extremely skinny jeans that are styled to look like leggings. Jeggings are slated to become a fashion staple ‘cuz they are much more comfortable that the skinny jeans and offer a more modest and stylish alternative to wearing leggings as pants. However, jeggings is not a style for everyone as they they give wearers no room to hide :D

Jeggings are available at all Max stores and Lifestyle outlets across India. So while I chalk out my plan to burn that muffin top off my waist before embracing the jeggings, you go take a look at the collection in your nearest store and join me in the calorie burning endeavor. Let’s build a lean nation! ;)

P.S. For styling tips on leggings, click here

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High on Design

I could not say no and succumbed to the charm…Before your mind starts getting ideas, let me clear the air. The ‘item’ in question is my latest buy – a chic Hidesign bucket tote bag. A Hidesign bag has always occupied the top slots of my must-haves list and owning an iconic bag had moved my style quotient up by several notches. I have bought Warhol 02 – Hidesign’s ‘IT’ bag and a best seller ,as the makers put it!Over the years, Hidesign’s USP has been the sensuous naturalness of its high quality leathers and the smooth soft glow of its solid brass fittings and my proud possession exudes every bit of it.

I was intrigued to see Puducherry written on the tag (thanks to my growing inquisitiveness about brands and attention to detail ever since Pink Diaries took shape :)) and that was enough for my blogger alter ego to get kicking. A quick google search and a languid perusal of some glossy magazines threw up interesting facts about the brand and its success story which is the stuff legends are made up of!!

This luxury brand, indeed, has its roots in the sleepy town of Pondicherry. What started as a hobby of leather crafting in the workshops of Auroville, boasts of being an internationally acclaimed brand. It features leather handbags, garments, briefcases, travel bags, wallets and belts made of genuine leather. Three decades old and still going strong, the brand has its presence in 23 countries in over 2000 outlets collectively in India and abroad. The retailing, however, started with Britain and Australia in 70s and India developed into a potential market only in late 90s. The phenomenal change in consumer landscape in India in the past decade has contributed to the brand gaining immense recognition and ushering it in the ‘affordable luxury’ segment. Interestingly, it was primarily seen as a men’s briefcase brand, but gradually its elegant shoes and handbags for women have taken on the brand. With the modern Indian woman making smarter choices for herself, the dart has evidently hit the bulls eye!

I ponder what is that one thing that appeals me so much about Hidesign. Is it the contemporary styling or clean silhouettes or competitive pricing? I find it hard to put a finger on any one of these. An obvious choice for me would be all of the above. Like all other women-on-the-move, I too rarely have the time and patience to change my bags frequently so what I look for in a bag is functionality, style and durability. A Hidesign bag fits the bill completely and that too without burning a huge hole in my pocket: P

The makers have stayed focused on their strong heritage of fine hand craftsmanship and innovation in age-old practices of vegetable tanning with natural materials like seeds and barks and sand casting for their brass hardware. The ecological use of vegetable tanning creates fashionable leathers in multitude of hides & hues that age exceptionally well and sand-casted solid brass fittings provide a soft glow to the leather, giving it a distinct look. They strongly believe that the way to the best leather is still the natural way and this belief clearly gives them the competitive edge.

Coming back to the iconic range, the brand has an array of classic bags that remain the best sellers and exhibit the brand’s core attributes - being clean, sharp, practical, contemporary and elegant. The bags that have become signature pieces in the recent years are the Virgin, Logo and Warhol 02.

Pic Courtesy: www.hidesign.com

The Virgin Bag is the biggest rage currently. Its a petite purse-like carrier that comes in many colours and is embossed with elephant prints. A variant of the original Virgin bag, the Baby Virgin, is equally popular. The bold textured vegetable tanned leather and hand stitched craftsmanship makes this shoulder bag for day wear stand out from the rest.

Logo is the latest icon bag in vegetable tanned crocodile grain embossed leather with exclusive logo handle detail. It’s a medium sized tote bag for day occasions.

Warhol 02, the new ‘IT’ bag, is a bucket tote bag made in vegetable tanned faux crocodile leathers. This medium sized tote bag is also ideal for day wear.

As I sit mulling over what would be a better investment between Virgin and Logo after Warhol02, my attention is drawn to trendspotting segment in a fashion magazine that illustrates the new prospective icons on the block – Mughetto 02 ,Fiori 02 and Queen 01. Hmmm…tough call! Looks like my research on LV, Ferragamo & Bottega Veneta will have to wait. Ladies, keep watching this space for more …

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In search of the coveted glow...

How far would you go for that perfect skin that glows like a 1000 W bulb? I betcha a majority of the ladies just wouldn’t mind giving their eyes and teeth for that (what use that glowing skin would be sans eyes & teeth is beside the point :D) Jokes apart, it is that quintessential quality that every lady aspires for…some are born with it, some earn it with hard work and the rest keep striving till they achieve it…And then there are some lucky damsels who fall under all of these categories. If you have gone through your fair share of skin troubles in your younger days, you tend to realize its value even more, like I do!

Glowing skin is considered harbinger of health & happiness but there’s something quirky about watching that glow on someone else’s face…an eerie feeling that implores you to explore the closely guarded secret of her glowing skin even if it takes befriending your nemesis who has the privilege to her proximity and what follows is a wild goose chase starting with the same brand of beauty products to following the skincare regime and ending with making a beeline to the salon she frequents. If all that fails, you try to ascribe the possible reasons of her glow – hmmm must be love! or psst, is she expecting? or to top it all, blame it on her genes !!

In growing up years, my girl’s hostel was the perfect arsenal to combat the menace of skin troubles. With shoe-string budgets, there never was any spare money to dispense on beauty treatments. Going natural was rather a constraint than a choice. My skin savored a healthier diet than my tummy. A trip to the neighborhood grocery store was less for appeasing the taste buds and more for the elusive glow. The shopping list was as vivid as it was divergent - milk, curd, tomato, papaya, lemon et al. I wasn’t alone in this noble endeavor. A symbiotic relationship existed between the bevy of beauties vying to beat the competition. After all, there’s no greater joy than hearing your name resound when the classic poser pops up,”Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” :)

When an already fair & glowing roomie brought a sandalwood stick, the others followed suit to foil her bid to overtake others in terms of complexion. My room looked like an arena for flexing muscles developed by endless extraction of sandal wood paste. On the brighter side, we earned some extra brownie points from the hostel warden who thought we had suddenly turned religious as she likened the chandan smell to agarbatti :D. A multitude of colored faces filled the rooms of our hostel..thanks to the innumerable varieties of face packs – brown-multani mitti, orange-papaya, green –cucumber, yellow-besan and what not! Nobody mind gulping down utterly bitter Safi tonic when someone mentioned my cousin owes her great skin to Safi. Similar was the fate of karela which until now had always been subjected to step-motherly treatment. Every room had a corner dedicated to these sacrilegious rituals – one roomie massaging away to glory, another scrubbing a tomato and others rubbing their finger nails together as a yoga exercise presumed to bring that wonder glow: D

Picture Credit : Kaya

I have donned some of these roles off and on – the performer and the spectator. Several years have passed since then but so much yet so less has changed. The same quest continues to this day. With less time to spare and more money to dispense, natural products have made way for expensive cosmetics and salon treatments. This quest took me to Kaya Skin Clinic last week. I was intrigued by their ad of ‘beautiful skin that glows from within’ and went ahead for Kaya Everyday Radiance service. This Kaya experience was good, as it has always been, in terms of service and professionalism but am still waiting for the glow for the last 5 days! I check myself out in the mirror every morning for the glow but alas it eludes me even today…I am reminded of my trusted neutrogena facial cleanser lying in my vanity bag. As I reach out for my bag, I notice some brochures lying by my bedside table. One of them reads “Rejuvenate your Skin this summer as Kaya Skin Clinic introduces Aqua Radiance. ~A new service based on water, oxygen & air technology~”. I stole a cursory glance at myself in the mirror and to my surprise, I saw my skin and eyes both glowing in anticipation :)

P.S. What's your secret? Pink Diaries would love to have it jotted...

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Deconstructing the 2-minute noodles

If there’s one food with which I associate my most profound memories, it has to be Maggi! 25 years old and still going strong…this 2-Minute wonder has grown with me (rather most of us, I’m sure!) in its varied garbs - a childhood staple, an instant hunger-fix after playtime, a delight in school tiffin box, a saviour in college canteen, a survival kit in foreign lands, a comfort food for lazy days and a saving grace after a hard day at work!

With a brand new campaign and innovative marketing, things could only get better between ‘me & meri’ maggi. But someone was playing killjoy in this blissful union. Forward emails starting doing the rounds on the internet highlighting the potential health hazards of consuming Maggi. The key points mentioned in the email were that these instant noodles are coated with wax and by cooking it the traditional way; we consume the wax along with it. It also mentioned that the tastemaker contains MSG and when the ingredients in the tastemaker are boiled, the molecular structure of the MSG changes, causing it to be toxic. Therefore, the correct way of making Maggi is to prepare it like hakka noodles - draining water after boiling the supposedly wax-coated noodles and mixing the tastemaker after the noodles are done.

I was heart-broken, totally ! I felt as if a good friend had betrayed me. I tried to ignore, avoid and occasionally snub that old friend for being what it was made out to be. When I couldn’t resist much, I started following the tip mentioned in the email and ended up getting frustrated every time I cooked Maggi since this new process was quite tedious. It was like a love affair gone sour!

The same forward mail landed in my inbox yesterday and this time I decided to give the relationship a second chance. I immediately wrote to consumer services at Nestle about the email demanding an official take on it.I was pleasantly surprised to receive a prompt reply from them clearing the air on the email contents. It turned out that the stated facts were FALSE and our good ‘ol Maggi noodles are as rocking as ever. In public interest, I am appending their reply here...hear it from the horse’s mouth!

Some relationships are meant forever, they say, and I couldn’t agree more today! Maggi, here’s to you and friendship…

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The Luxe carries Hermes

Recently I stumbled on an article in a leading daily on Ms.Ambani's recent public appearance. More than the real issues being discussed in the meeting, it solely focussed on the handbag she carried to the meeting!! Apparently, she was carrying a Birkin as opposed to a Kelly that would have suited the occasion more, as the author presumed. More often than not, media construes too much out of unintentional actions and this to me appears to be one classic example! The author went to the extent of deciphering what must've been going on in her mind, considering the gravity of the occasion that made her choose a Birkin over other handbags as it gives out casual vibes. Much ado about nothing ,I'd say! For all you know, she might have chosen one because a white handbag went well with a pastel pink outfit that she donned :)

When I asked several people whom I consider to have more than a passing interest in fashion if they know the different between a Kelly & a Birkin, I received very different replies. Most of them seemed to be as clueless about this terminology as I was so I decided to take the lead in giving them a heads-up on the who’s who of the luxury bags segment.


Hermès is a brand of luxury goods that specializes in leather, ready-to-wear, lifestyle accessories, perfumery et al. Two of its iconic, limited edition hand-crafted purses are the Birkin bag & the Kelly bag. Each bag is carefully handmade from beginning to end by a single artisan and are distributed to Hermès boutiques on unpredictable schedules and limited quantities, creating scarcity and exclusivity. The waiting list for these bags run into a couple of years. These bags start at about $7,000 and can go well beyond $50,000 (OMG!) depending on hide and hue and are named after a duo of beautiful actresses – Jane Birkin & Grace Kelly respectively. For a celebrity, socialite or fashionista to be seen carrying a Birkin or Kelly is a testimony of her living a good life and that she has ‘arrived’!

But choosing a Kelly over Birkin or vice-versa had always been a subject of debate. May be it is because these handbags are seen more as personal statements rather than fashion accessories. The Kelly remains the classic choice for a formal do and is hugely popular with women who identify themselves with the bag’s muse, Grace Kelly who exuded royalty and refined manners and tastes. On the other hand, the Birkin, designed for the bohemian Jane Birkin, is the pick for the women on the move – casual yet understated.

The choice may be difficult for the yuppies in select social circles where owning a bag that can cost as much as a car is seen a status symbol but not for me, simply because I’ll have to rob a bank to fund even the least expensive one irrespective of what vibe it sends out. Nevertheless, it’s good to stay updated on the things that make a woman’s world go round. So girls, next time someone mentions Hermes, just brag on!!

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Monsoons,memories & me...

Happy days are here again!With the first sporadic monsoon showers wetting the spirit of the scorched city, my heart sings a poem of joy and my soul stirs with stanch-less excitement. As I sit with a piping hot cup of morning tea and vibrant supplements of sunday newspaper for company, the jingle of the rain drops makes me go tappy-toppy and takes me down the memory lane …I rummage through my closet and fish out my priceless possession since childhood – my diary which was the treasure chest of all my creative outpourings. The footnote against a diary (not a pink one back then : D) entry of an article I wrote for a teens’ mag on the same subject reads June, 1996. OMG, 14 years have passed!!! It feels just like yesterday. Sigh!

The last 14 years of my life just flashbacked infront of my eyes and I can’t help being amazed at how my life has changed in all these years. It’s a feeling of bitter-sweet emotions…So much yet so less has changed. From a fresher stepping out of school to a responsible adult, I’ve definitely come a long way:)

That leaves me wondering – did my life shape up the way I had dreamt? Well, the answer to that is partly yes, partly no. Do I have any regrets? Nah! I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs and won’t deny that the things which didn’t turn out my way left me in the dumps at times. But what the heck! Isn’t that what life is all about. If life was so predictable, it would have been like drawing a route on google maps! To me, life is all about the choices u make…some good,some bad. But u’ve got nothing to lose with the bad ones either.If they ain’t fulfilling, they are good learning instruments atleast :)

Life’s too short to brood over the mess…just make the most of each moment.Live life as there’s no tomorrow. Let your hair down. Dance till you drop dead. Croon at the top of your voice. Smile a little harder, cry a little less. Take out time to watch the sunset. Go for long drives. Hold hands with your partner. Get wet in the rain. In our busy lives, how often do we acknowledge the joy in such subtle yet so meaningful gestures. These rain drops come as a blessing from the realm above as a reminder for all that’s ‘pink’ in life. Time for me too to soak up its riches as Pink Diaries leave you with this food for thought…

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Oops,she did it again!

Some people have a knack of committing the same mistakes again and again and our Mrs. ARB is one of them..Tuning it to FM this morning on my way to work, I heard some caustic words of criticism being slapped on her for her appearance at Cannes this year. Curiosity got the better of me and the first thing I did on reaching office (friday being a lean day for a change!) was to google her image at Cannes 2010. It nearly broke my heart to see how a dash of extra effort to stand out can make u literally stand OUT! A buffon hairdo?Umm..I'm trying to sound polite..the guy on the airwaves was calling it a beehive!! I'm not too sure whether I like her look or not but with a face that can launch a thousand ships and a bod to die for, she could have done much better.

Poor lady has received flak from the designers and media for her bad dress sense on and off the red carpet. I guess it's the social pressure to look the most beautiful woman in the world eternally that are responsible for her choices ..some brilliant, some poor and some simply outlandlish!

But fret not,lady! U continue to be the reigning glam queen (and faux pas at the same time, too!)..Better luck next time at Cannes and hope u'll not make us break into the song "There she goes, there she goes again .." Teehee :D

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