Something to remember you by

Give me something ...to remember you by
Like a knife ..or a blue steel key
Give me something to remember you by..
Like a rose, like a storm at sea





Lyrics from Gary Brooker track, Images by Spardha

Tea.. not for me!

Yesterday, I went to a Life and Space Photography exhibition, put up by some veteran indian photographers. The exhibition was amazing! I'd taken my camera along to capture the day and felt rather foolish clicking in front of the masters...

The day turned out even better than I'd expected.. Besides a few good shots (which I intend on sharing in the days to come), I found Delhi's most beautiful l'il 'Chelmsford Club' which finds it existence way back to the days of British raj.. It was a beautiful experience to get served by butlers (not waiters!) while sitting under high domes and crystal chandeliers eating out of the finest china and silverware in the Tea Lounge. Such a gorgeous place located at the heart of the city, stone's throw away from the presidential residence... Its bound to make you feel like royalty yourself! (Sadly, its Members only!)

The irony.. I ordered fresh lime soda and french fries (at the Tea Lounge) while the pretty ladies were having earl grey with tiny sandwiches...!

Much Love!

Words by Spardha, Illustration by pomegranates

happy birthday MJ!

Hey, Its MJ's Birthday.. the king of pop, as he was known.. scandalous as he may have been, what remains today is the memory of him.. dressed in black, donning white gloves, a tilted hat ...effortlessly moon walking his way into the hearts of 3 generations of pop fans !! His massive contribution to music and dance industry is invaluable, but the Rocking fashion trends that he has left behind are also part of his legacy.

The fashion Industry paid a tribute to him in their own unique way... Balmain, Moschino, Rag & Bone all came out with their version of the military jacket made famous by MJ. The numerous highstreet brands have taken out their version of MJ T-shirts.. Also, Harper's Bazaar attempts a tribute to his immaculate style by dedicating an editorial to him. Who better to model for such a shoot but the fashion's bad-ass chick, Agyness Deyn.

Today's style inspirations have to be MJ's sequin glove, military jacket, cropped trouser, red bow-tie and all that's black or white ;)

MJ you will be thoroughly missed! :(

For more on copying MJ's look check out complex.com

Much love,

Words By Spardha, Images courtesy soulbounce.com

Happy Chaos!

When you have tonnes going through your mind, its almost impossible to 'Think' about what to write for your day's post. Most people find themselves totally jaded at the end of the day... Not me! I love chaos.. in a way, i love when lots is going on around me.. you know when everybody is too busy to see you smile a l'il extra, to lose track of conversations others are having with you only to completely lose yourself to ur own realm of thoughts. Its a great feeling.. a l'il claustrophobic on a tense day but completely in tune with your enthusiasm on a happy one.

I spent most of the last night's sleepless moments listening to Bruce Springstien and Floyd.. and planning my trip to bombay. All this, with lights turned off, music on an acceptable volume, lying half asleep, with eyes wide open, conscious, subconscious ... all working together to come up with ideas for a perfect vacation (which is still 2 weeks away!) Strangely, my ideas are interrupted by a phone call. Its Ms. Daredevil on the line.. my partner in crime, once again.. we travel to bombay together.. and live like the wild teenagers once again (if only for a week!)

I've made small notes in the corner of my mind... all scribbled on mental post-its:

• Must drink tonnes of wine and old monk! (at Toto's, Hard Rock and Leopold's)
• Must pay homage to good old colaba flea market
• Must catchup with ALL my friends (extra time to dorky and porky!)
• Must spend half the time dressed like a hipppie (and do hippie things too ;))
• Have a brunch at Red-box!!
• Make up for the biggest fashion faux-pas at Lakme fashion week by dressing up more sensibly this time (If Ms. pretty in pink gets the pass arranged!)
• Ferry ride at the gateway
• Add more things to the list over next 2 weeks...

Any suggestions anybody?? lol

Much love ;)

Words by Spardha Image by Shannkat

I hope its Infectious..

There are days.. very few days every once in a very long while when nothing can go wrong.. You think that you've gotten up late.. but somehow find time to dress up just perfect after managing to shampoo, condition and style your hair and yet find yourself in your car in perfect (record-breaking) time! Magical, ain't it? you drive along thinking 'oh my god, all this dressing up for an exhausting drive to work'... but the universe conspires to give you a Green Light Day.

This is one of the rarest and most auspicious day in the life of a perpetually late urban gal! When the traffic magically parts ways to give you a clear path.. when your car touches 80 on an otherwise snail speed traffic zone! when the sun shines just perfectly as bright as your smile and everybody loves your new hair-do... oh why cant all days be just as smooth as this one. you check your mail, an invitation to the class reunioun and a excuse to plan a trip to bombay for a week filled with fun. (in my head... 'i got a feeling.. that tonight's gonna be a good night..yeah yeah' is playing on a loop)

Its all so surreal.. even my footsteps are catching on a rhythm, i'm loving the work.. my boss is on a day off.. Oh, its a good good day... I hope the cheer spreads to all who read this today!

On a day like today

The whole world could change

The suns gonna shine

Shine thru the rain

On a day like today

Ya never wanna see the sun go down

Ya never wanna see the sun go down

- Bryan Adams

Tons of Love ;)

Words By Spardha, Images by Gabi

This is what dreams are made of..

Today's post lacks motivation.. I know it, don't mention it.

The only thing that comes to my mind is that my friend, Pretty-in-pink's big announcement.. the arrival of her first actual designer piece... Her very own Louis Vuitton bag! It is a very very important moment in her (materialistic) life! Seriously, she'll be one of those snobs now, strutting down the high street with head held high and a luscious bag nicely resting on her arm... I sound jealous, do I? Well, to be honest, I'm not! I'm genuinely happy for her. The years we spent dreaming of wardrobes filled with LV, Choos and Chanels. The six seasons of Sex and the City, the devil wears Prada, the vogue all watched with dreams in our hearts... to finally see the day when you possess your very own LV bag.

This got me thinking of my own wish list.. what would qualify as a real designer article that will give me that ear to ear grin every time I'll lay my eyes on it!! (and I'm not talking about lame things like wallets, sun-glasses or perfumes... they don't count!) So, on with my day dreaming again..

What would I not do for a Bottega Weave bag, A Chanel Little Black Dress and Louboutin Snake skin heels...??? They have to be the classics that last generations and pile on vintage value with every passing decade.

With my present income, they seem like a very very distant dream but a dream, nevertheless.

Much Love ;)

Words by Spardha

Broken heART

the new age mantra?

While the upcoming art frat is revelling in its speedy recovery from the world-wide recession, it seems they have quite lost the magic. When you enter a gallery, you expect to be intrigued by pieces that force your mind to think beyond the obvious.. to look for a deeper meaning, to search the soul of the creator or atleast be captivated by the sheer brilliance of the effort put in by the artist. The art summit was something out of the ordinary. I chatted up a couple of notable senior artists and it was very evident in their eyes that the new-age art, the digital media and the heavily photo shopped images were nothing more than an eyesore.. the commercialization has found its way in the reserved walls of Art… Such a shame.

Not that experimenting with new age media or digital techniques is anything wrong, only that its India Art Summit!! It was like appetizers served instead of a four course meal! Its like prêt wear featured at a couture show.. oh its just heart-wrecking.

The Modern Art has found its soul in materialism, I over heard an artist saying. The youth, I’m quite certain, must relate to this form of art. The rise of 'Direct' art… the art that has shed the veil of mystery. Its as easy as reading a comic strip or an SMS.

Anyway, a theme that seemed to inspire many artworks was pop art.. with mix media, bright colors, merging of text and images it was quite an interesting spread!

All in all, it was art with a new flavour, it may not be my favourite flavour… but who knows it just might take a little getting used to (or better still it might just be a short lived fad … I so hope!) Anyway enjoy following things that stood out (for better or for worse)…

Do click on the images to enlarge them!!

The dilemma

Silhouette of art?

Corny Cute

Mick Jagger inspires art in 21st century?

Cine art!

Puzzle or pixels

Princess Pea, the toon headed girl is a new age art character!!

wearing art on his sleeve, literally!




Unwrapped



Grace and style...




Hope of color





Salvador Dali's Guitar.... oh what a thrill to play it..



The Big picture..





Connect




Art Imitating Fashion Or the other way round? - the camouflage..





Breaking the Mould!

Much Love ;)

words and images by spardha

ARTOPIA...

....Thats the place, the ever-elusive place, where the two things that I love so much 'art and fashion', come together in perfect tandem, where mind, body and space... all stay stimulated! Don't ask me for its address because its just a mental space that i've created for myself.

I called up my dear friend Pretty-in-Pink and asked her what does she think of fashion and art. the conversation got very interesting with our mixed opinions.

She thinks .. they are both mediums of expression and reflect the state of mind of the creator.

I think... Both of them have turned into a business these days.

She thinks... Both of them also get inspired by the world around them and are influenced by cultural, political and social beliefs and crises too.

I think.... Art is naked truth.. it stands there with all the dirt, grime and finer details, while fashion is a dream.. glamour, style and charisma.

She thinks... 'Art' is fashion for space and 'Fashion' has always been the art for body.

(a lot of other, rather strange tangents that we touched.. that I wouldn't find fit to share with you!)

We both finally come to the conclusion..... 'when the two come together the effect is (to say the least) quite magical'! So lets not draw the divide between two but bridge the gap that exists. We could all use some inspiration from one another, right? So welcome to Artopia..

I'm so full of love of art because today is the day I visit The India Art Summit 09!
The second edition which will also be featured on my blog.

While I go have a date with the arts finest, i leave you here with some images of a shoot done by Nordstrom that brings together artist Robin Toledo who painted 20 by 30 foot walls that form background to the models donning the gowns styled by the fashion masters - Dior, Cavalli etc...

For complete story, visit Trend Hunter

Much Love ;)

Words by Spardha

I SAW FUTURE....

This is bound to be the stuff the sci-fi novels and movies are made of! I went forward in time ...9 yrs to be precise..!! You don't believe me? Oh, then you better read further and find out for yourself.

I saw this awesomely, accomplished, hot, beautiful, woman - so totally content with herself that she didn't need a ring around her finger, but obviously she did have an awesome boyfriend in tow! Also she was soo damn hot that an 18yr old was totally hitting on her. I dont blame him.
Well i'm sure if you do know anything bout me you would have guessed that this woman was indeed ME at 31. Wow, I grew up to be almost like Carrie Bradshaw... so fabulous and accomplished. Okay, so I did turn out quite well.

Now, down to the REAL story... this 18yr old found my blog sometime back and kinda added me onto his friendlist. I added him confusing him with another friend with the same name. We started talking when I came online today, only to find out that he wasn't who I thought and somehow the conversation continue. He assumed I was and older woman... (and I didn't exactly correct him.. actually I pointed him in the other direction).. So I played on for cheap thrills (Oh c'mon now, don't judge me... It was a really boring day.. I didn't even feel inspired enough to write my blog entry today)

So, instead of getting discouraged with all my 'oh you're just a kid' remarks this guy starts proving me wrong. I had a really interesting conversation laced with a tinge of flirtation... was left really amused.

I really hope there are more 18yr olds around the world, like this guy, who really act mature and know their way around words while talking to a LADY! And I also hope that I turn out just the way I saw (or pretended to be) myself today.... Happy, Successful and Independent (and Hot).

Can you also believe the co-incidence.. I ended up watching '17 again'... not that this movie is anything worth writing home about but what I learnt today is that life doesn't give you any second chances ... so you better make the most of today and have no regrets when you look back.
Now that I'm traveling back a decade.. I better be prepared to be everything that I can be to meet my 31 yr old again.. and find her exactly the way I saw her today!

And thank you Mr. 18-yr old ADULT... and my sincere apologies for messing with you!





Much Love ;)

Words by Spardha and Images By Stefano Libertini Protopapa

Track of the Week - Supermassive Black Hole by Muse

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This track plays barely for a few seconds in the movie 'Twilight', which they didn't even bother releasing in India.. how unfair! Anyway, so I found a dvd at a store in agra, imagine my delight. The movie is as commercial as the vampire concept can ever get but is sure to find an amazing audience in the teens. My sister, for one, is in love with the whole 'forbidden love' concept.. ahh these kids. Anyway, what i love about the movie is the feel which is echoed by the Fall winter collections around the globe... The Dark Magic is really gonna keep us through another fall season!

For now enjoy the track 'Supermassive Black hole' by Muse. They are a talented lot that have been my faves for quite a while (also check out - Time is running out - Muse)

The Lanvin F/W' 10 campaign goes so beautifully with this track.. Enjoy the (dark) Magic!

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Oh baby dont you know I suffer?

Oh baby can you hear me moan?

You caught me under false pretenses

How long before you let me go?

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I thought I was a fool for no-one

Oh baby I'm a fool for you

You're the queen of the superficial

And how long before you tell the truth

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Glaciers melting in the dead of night

And the superstars sucked into the 'supermassive'

Supermassive black hole

Supermassive black hole

Supermassive black hole...

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Much Love ;)

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The Others....

Yes, well, its true that I don't understand men. But before you start thinking that there's something brewing on my 'Singleton' status, let me assure you that there isn't!! My boss accidentally sent me a mail regarding the development of a new menswear line for the S/S-10 season. I simply laughed it off and sent an immediate reply pointing out his mistake. He called me to his office.

I was unsure as to why was he smiling when I entered. He asked me to take a seat and showed me piece of paper with some guitar notes scribbled all over it. He said that he had gone for a concert the week before and hence was driven to dust off his old college Guitar to put his strumming abilities to test, once again after so many years. I was quite surprised that a he could even find time to practice guitar.

He hadnt been much of a guitarist back in day, so starting now wasn't exactly a great idea according to me. But he told me that while I was travelling around agra for three days, he was sitting with his guitar and the notations, practicing with full commitment to finally nail the track, which he did!! Woah, I was totally impressed.. well no wonder he's where he is and i'm just a lazy bum!

then he finally got to the point. he said that while its good to know your strengths and weaknesses, its actually very bad for a creative person to get stuck in a comfort zone. I totally revolted, pleaded and finally agreed on giving it a shot (only on trial basis)! I was so sure that i'm gonna mess it all up and will finally prove my point that I'm not comfortable with such a drastic change. I left for home and forgot all about it. Today, in the morning when I picked up the newspaper, I saw this really cute ad. It was about this local salon changing its interiors, layout and servives. Right in the middle of the ad it read in bold letters 'If nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies!'

I just smiled and got ready to take up a new challenge. But the problem still remains... I dont understand men!


Much Love! :)