Best (and Worst) Dressed- July

Ok so I usually love how Brit it girl and model extraordinaire Agyness Deyn dresses, but she goes terribly wrong with this Anna Sui ensemble.I mean as standalone pieces the clothes and accessories are great, but together they make her look like a royal mess.




The ever so gorgeous Blake Lively looks exactly that-gorgeous in this summer dress by Chanel at the Chanel Haute Couture F/W 2011 runway show.Though this dress is a complete 180 from what Chanel usually does(read:overdose of black and white, tweed, bows, ruffles, et al),it still manages to make Blake look like a million bucks and bring some of her cool California girl charm to the Parisian runways.




Ok next we have Whitney Port from 'The City'.She looks stunning in a cutout Matthew Williamson.It's good to see her endorsing the pretty wave that has swept over young Hollywood.Whatever will the Kristen Stewarts of the world and other goth-zillas do now.



Even though I adore what Leighton Meester is wearing here(courtesy Chanel), I am somehow not loving it on her.Maybe it's because I've gotten so accustomed to Blair Waldorf's preppy style.But even then not loving it on Leighton, who almost always never fails to impress.



Whoaaaa.Is that the same Ugly Betty we all know and love.She looks vava voom in this Alice+Olivia LBD.Is it just me or could America Ferrera give the Giselles of the world a run for their money.

The new 'It' girl

Ok so I was flipping through 'Grazia' when I happened to stumble across my latest style obsession Charlotte Kemp Muhl.For those of you who are not yet familiar with this future fashion prodigy, Muhl is a model/musician and happens to be dating music legend John Lennon's son Sean.She has been wowing critics with her offbeat fashion choices(much like that other sartorial ingenue Gaga),teaming fedoras with kimonos(and blue lipstick-genius I tell you) and wearing strange Indian(the red variety) hats gifted by boyfriend dearest.She is fast gaining 'it'-girl status bringing her to power with contemporaries Daisy Lowe and Zoe Kravitz.And while we're on the subject of Grazia(undoubtedly my 3rd favourite Indian fashion magazine), you will be sad to learn that Nandini Bhalla(editor extraordinaire) has left Grazia to take over the post of editor at Cosmopolitan(ughh-now why would she do that).Actually on second thought, maybe some good might come from this move of her's, because seeing what a wonderful job she did at Grazia, she might just be able to pull out Cosmo from the dump it is in currently and give it a much needed face lift.And at this point, like always, I am tempted to mention the fact that Nandini Bhalla and I happen to be from the same alma mater(so maybe great things are destined for me too?).Peace out, until next time.

Aisha=Clueless?

Is it just me or does the Sonam Kapoor starrer 'Aisha' look an awful lot like the 1995 teen parody 'Clueless'.Ok so i haven't seen the movie yet, and both the movies are adaptations of Jane Austen's Emma, but c'mon people Rajshri Ojha could have been more creative in adapting the story to an Indian setting, and not try and pose South Delhi as the upper east side.That said, I would like to commend their efforts because even to copy, you need good taste(ask Gauri and Nainika, they would agree).Many a Indian designers have gone terribly wrong when they've tried to imitate their western counterparts and hence 'Aisha' comes as a breath of fresh air, because the clothes in this movie are not overtly sexy(read:Kareena Kapoor in 'Tashan', 'Kambakht Ishq' or just about every other movie of hers) and neither are they so aspirational that you cannot imagine real people wearing them(think all Karan Johar movies where the heroine is dressed immaculately even in the most trying of times).Therefore,'Aisha' might just end up becoming India's answer to 'The Devil Wears Prada', where the clothes were as much a draw as Meryl Streep's acting chops.The movie has everything going for it, from the publicity stills(an homage to everything retro it seems) to the soulful background score by Amit Trivedi,and i really hope it does'nt end up becoming a giant turkey(in terms of content i mean) much like Ms. Kapoor's other movie(i hate bad storys).And at this point i am tempted to give a shoutout to my friend Ranjunee Chakhma who was a part of Pernia Qureshi's fab team of stylists and is responsible for this sartorially ingenious film.

Sex and Abu Dhabi

Ok so I just got around to watching 'Sex and the City 2' and I have to agree with my fellow critics when they called the movie over the top and cheesy and I personally thought that the sequel to the 2008 blockbuster was unnecessary.Now I'll leave the critiquing to the experts, and will concentrate on what I know best-the fashion angle.So Patricia Field(stylist extraordinaire) has done a stellar job yet again(no surprise there), but i really could have done without my favourite foursome looking like they just walked out from a fashion editorial.Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha look like airbrushed versions of themselves.I mean could you ever imagine the cynical and ever so practical Miranda Hobbes as being the craziest of the bunch, when it comes to sartorial choices that is(the unthinkable does happen in a scene in Abu Dhabi;actually Morocco posing as Abu Dhabi).And what's with the overdose of 80's fashion?I mean I love power shoulders as much as the next Balmain loving regular joe, but Samantha's outfits could have easily given Joan Collins a complex.The excessive use of Halston on Carrie made me feel like I was back in studio 54(Mrs. Broderick trying mighty hard to promote a brand she now has a major stake in).I get that 'Sex and the City' is an aspirational franchise and hence the decadent, over the top outfits, but they could have atleast stayed true to the characters.I mean isn't that what worked for the show in the first place, that the characters were relatable.Throughout the 6 seasons of the show, we all loved Carrie Bradshaw as much for her street smart as her sartorial genius,but in this movie, Carrie has been reduced to a brand wearing bumbling idiot who forgets her passport in a middle eastern souk when she sees an old flame.Also the soundtrack and art direction in this one just didn't work for me(where is a soulful Jennifer Hudson when you need her?).Unlike the 2008 outing of the franchise, this one just seemed pointless and didn't seem to take the story forward.So it would be advisable for the ladies to hang their Manolos while they still can(with respect and dignity intact that is) and pass on the mantle to the Emma Roberts of the world , who can take forward the legacy of Carrie Bradshaw in 'The Carrie Diaries'(again wishful thinking on my part).