Street Style Decoded

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

"A long string of images held together with grace"

The 12th of August 2012, was a sad day for artists and art connoisseurs alike, as Prabuddha Dasgupta took his last few breaths and bid adieu to the world he had once captured beautifully through his camera lens. To call him a mere fashion photographer would be robbing him of his true credentials, that as an endorser and enabler of the human condition, taking photographs "where people could be people" and not cardboard cutouts of popular notions of perfection. I was fortunate enough to be witness to an evening kept in his honour where people(family, friends and people whose lives he had touched) spoke about him and paid their last respect. It was only fitting that the memorial was kept at the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi as Prabuddha had spent a better part of his youth living here, as his father was a sculptor who resided in the Gallery premises. Along with riveting speeches by the likes of Mira Nair, the night ended with a montage of Prabuddha's iconic photographs whose impact was further heightened by Leonard Cohen's haunting music. The evening also saw Prabuddha's daughters singing a heartfelt rendition of John Lennon's "Imagine". Prabuddha wanted his photographs to be "a long string of images (that were) held together with grace", and seeing the legacy he leaves behind, I can safely say that he's more than achieved that. They say that the good, die young. I couldn't agree more. R.I.P.

Photographs courtesy: prabuddhadasgupta.com

Grey

Delving into the murky waters of confused gender identities can always be tricky. What started out as a fun project during summer school in Milan by way of a designing an exclusive menswear magazine that catered to men who took a special interest in how they dressed, has turned into a full blown analysis into why certain men act the way they do, and what it means to march to your own beat in the 21st century whilst holding your head up high and coming to terms with why you do what you do. Taking on the subject of "Schizophrenic Sexuality" for my final term project in menswear is proving to be an interesting challenge, one that is helping me in my own journey to self discovery.

La Dolce Vita

picture courtesy: Rhea Baweja

It's funny how a few days in an alien town can change your perspective on things. Being in Milan for a summer course, did just that, and so much more! Italy, ever since the days of the Renaissance, has been the hub of all things art and culture, with a special emphasis on design. The italians take great pride in their appearance, and I could easily see why their sartorial sense would be any street style photographer's wet dream. The Italians are un-apolegetic about their way of life, so much so that a large chunk of their population are more than comfortable conversing in only their mother tongue,not feelng the need to equip themselves with the unmatched benefits that the English language would avail them. In today's times of identity tussles, we could surely take a page out of their book and proudly wear our individuality on our sleeve and desperately hold onto any raw fleeting emotion that feels inherently 'real'!













On a side note, inspite of having been sporadically updating this blog for the past 2 years, i'm still quite not comfortable with the idea of posing for the purpose of displaying personal style by way of pictures and the certain douchey connotations I think it has. Now don't get me wrong, in no way am I hating on the personal style bloggers out there! Complete respect and kudos to those who can pull it off, but you've got to admit that posting pictures of oneself on a regular basis is a tad bit narcissistic! I wish there were a better way of letting people in on our style, taste, etc. and basically have them see what we're all about. Oh wait, there is, through pictures(not of ourselves, but of the stuff we own and the things we do), our writing (that can in many ways say so much more about a person than a photograph) and just the compilation of things that we absolutely adore! So before my statements get any further paradoxical, I shall shut up and see ya'll in my next post!

Half of my heart's got a grip on the situation, half of my heart takes time.

Lots more interesting posts coming up, as we gear up for something 'BIG', in the meantime follow us on twitter @SartorialDiary and @humahazarika









bomber jacket-Zara, white high waisted pants-Thrifted, black tube top-Promod, oversized clutch-local boutique, tan platforms-Aldo, bangles-assorted, necklace- vintage.

Feet don't fail me now, take me to the finish line.

To say that the past 6 months have been anything short of a crazy emotional roller coaster ride, would be an under-statement of epic proportions. The inability to update my blog more frequently has been the least of my worries. I started off the year with a much coveted internship with one of Indian fashion's pioneers, Ashish Soni(of Ashish N Soni). As luck would have it, I joint at a time, when he was neck deep in preparations for his twentieth year celebrations- a retrospective exhibit at the Aman hotel, New Delhi, that concluded in February. Along the way, I met lots of interesting and wonderful people and learnt a thing or two about life. March brought about the onset of a series of life altering events that left me without a parent and a whole lot wiser, stronger and well acquainted with the ways of the world. Life as I knew it came to a screeching halt, but in many ways also gave me the courage to step up to the plate and face things with a fresh perspective, one that has made me realise the importance of living in the "now". Along the way, birthdays, lazy sunday brunches and trips to sleepy little towns kept me distracted. Below, is a visual timeline of the same. Time and experience has made me realise that staying true to myself and what I stand for, is the only thing worth fighting for. It's funny how with time, you don't feel the need to match up to a certain ideal of perfection, and become more at ease with letting people in on the person that you actually are, flaws and all included. So from now on, that is exactly what I am going to strive to do by way of this blog, let you in on who I am as a person, post by post. For mine, might not be the 'best' blog, but it is most certainly an honest one.

A fun little cocktail workshop held by my friend, and author Gitanjali Chaturvedi, as a prelude to a book she's co-written. To learn more, go 'like' her facebook page.

I don't claim to be the most proficient when it comes to connecting with people through social media. But if you still wish to reach out to me on either of these platforms, you can do so here, and here.

Colour Me Happy

Going by the abundance of colours (on and off the runway), it is more than clear that rainbow hues are going to be 'big' this season.


Niharika's AW '12 collection

Effective Colour Blocking.

Hi 5 by Mrinalini's AW '12 collection. She was inspired by kindergarten geometry, which manifested itself in the form of lines and colours in her garments.

Perfect balance of androgyny and femininity.



Confetti at the end of Pankaj & Nidhi's AW '12 show.

My Village by Rimzim Dadu AW '12

Season after season, Rimzim Dadu seems to steer away from the organic Indi-chic image she'd built for her brand('my village' pretty much says it all), and has started veering towards a more sexy femme-fatale-esque interpretation of an Indian woman, something that Namrata Joshiapura has come to master over the years. But i'm far from complaining. Her show was a heady mix of dull sequins, pvc bandage dresses and interesting surface embellisment(something that Dadu has come to be known for). All in all a good show, however, a certain PYT's comparison of Rimzim's bandage dresses to Amit Aggarwal's work, should be a slight bit worrying. However, Rimzim's still quite young, and has more than enough time to grow into her own(as a designer that is, this was in no way a jab at her petite little frame)!