Madhoo Shah, Queenie Dhody, Mana Shetty at Shantanu Nikhil showcases their latest collection in Samsara on 20th Nov 2009.

A TALE OF TWO CULTURES- A special gala dinner was held on the opening night of Jakarta Fashion Week 09/10 to recognize the longstanding history between two very intricately woven cultures, that of Indonesia and India. As the world’s second and fourth most populous nations respectively, India and Indonesia find common ground in the struggle to not only highlight cultural treasures of the past but also to demonstrate their creative capacity and especially their level of modernity on the global stage. Two designers were selected from each country to visit the other in search of traditional fabrics to be re-interpreted into enthralling sartorial creations.

Indonesia’s Sebastian Gunawan and Priyo Oktaviano delivered memorable masterpieces that stayed true to their signature look. Seba’s basic black was accented with lush floral embroideries and beading in rich shades of red and gold, resulting in an ultra-glamorous yet modern collection. Priyo Oktaviano who was once a pattern drafter at the house of Balenciaga Paris, went all out with 18 looks inspired by The Fall of Man. Shades of nude and black symbolize innocence and sin respectively but embellished unexpected elements such as tulle, bird feather and at times, the actual bird. In a nutshell, the collection was pure ethnic/tribal marvel.

India’s Tarun Tahiliani and Malini Ramani offered equally marvelous collections. Tarun who had shown in Milan and Paris sent out his signature draped looks made from Indonesian batik, ikat and songket fabrics while still retaining his native Sari silhouette. Malini on the other hand, presented modern silhouettes, one in particular accented with a mesh-metal vest for added edge. Her take on the Nehru jacket is the perfect embodiment of ethnic modernity.

Kaveri Jha at Kaun Banega Miss Mumbai finals on 17th Nov 2009.

Shweta Bhardwaj at TGIF Friday_s fashion night in Infinity Mall on 13th Nov 2009.

Barkha Anand and Sonzal Sohum showcase their men_s wear in Sohum Spa on 13th Nov 2009 .

Haier Gladrags Mrs. India 2010 continues to celebrate the Indian Women for the 10th consecutive year v India’s only and first ever Mrs. India pageant is now a reality show from the 15th November 2009 – 27th December 2009 in Mumbai.

Mumbai, November 12th 2009: In its tenth year of celebration year the ‘HAIER GLADRAGS MRS INDIA 2010 REALITY SERIES’ takes a leap forward to become a reality series. The Mrs. India Contest has been a runaway success for all these years, and is being planned into a reality series and will be on TV shortly in association with NDTV Imagine every Sunday from 15th Nov.’09 to Sun.27th Dec.’09 7 pm to 8 pm.

The prestigious title is mainly sponsored by Haier as its Title sponsor, supported by Del Monte and many other brands. The official hosts for the event our The Grand Hyatt. The series will be shot and produced at the Gladrags Career Academy, Mumbai.

The Mrs. India Contest by Gladrags is the only pageant that truly celebrates the essence of womanhood beyond the body beautiful. It is a celebration of the Indian married woman, the wife, the mother, the multi-talent, and multi-tasker and over achiever. She is the woman who maintains that perfect balance between her home, her family and a career.

On the eve of the launch of the series Mrs. Maureen Wadia, The Editor of Gladrags Magazine and the Industrial doyen who started this Contest 10 years ago said “Married women and housewives do the hardest job in the world and that most married women walk the trapeze all their lives balancing responsibilities equally with love and dedication. We had planned to start this contest for housewives celebrating their extra charisma saluting their charming personality plus zing for life even after motherhood. With the shift to a reality series we hope to get the word of an all rounder woman into every housewife encouraging them to take out sometime for themselves as well.”

Gladrags , India’s most established hi-end fashion & lifestyle magazine that has been part of households guiding women on all that goes into being a perfect lady. Gladrags originally began its coveted Mrs. India pageant in 2000, which goes beyond most beauty pageants where the participants of all strata’s are encouraged to showcase their pride of womanhood on this platform year on year. This creation has been nurtured by Mrs. Maureen Wadia, the Michelangelo who has carved a niche for every married woman. A hard task master who believes in hard work for the best results and most of all being able to balance all fronts. She has chiseled to perfection the Gladrags Mrs.India Contestants into flawless sparkling gems.

This contest has celebrated many Indian women on a global platform as the winner of the Gladrags Mrs. India Contest represents India against 75 countries in the USA for the Mrs. World and the Mrs. Globe. The present title holder of the Gladrags Mrs. India Contest – Mrs. Sophia Handa is shortly to compete in the Mrs. World.

Geeta Basra, Sonal Sehgal, Shenaz Treasurywala, Shekhar Suman, Adhyayan Suman, Suchitra Pillai at the Luxurian show in Grand Hyatt on 7th Nov 2009 .

Adhuna Akhtar at Loreal Autumn Winter Color Collection launch in Grand Hyatt, Mumbai on 2nd Nov 2009 .

1000’s of aspiring models from all over the world applied to NDTV Good Times 2 months ago to be a part of the Kingfisher Calendar 2010. After a detail scrutiny 12 finalists were chosen among the auditions conducted in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. Watch these 12 contestants compete against each other and go through difficult task to prove their merit.

Please find attached the press release on the same which also mentions details of the first episode. Also attached are few images.

Do let me know if you would be interested to speak to NDTV Good Times spokesperson or the participating models.

Join the NDTV Good Times “The Hunt for The Kingfisher Calendar Girl 2010” starting 30th October 2009, Fridays @10pm.

Sushmita Sen, Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, Riya Sen, Vijender Singh, Amaan Ali Khan, Ayaan Ali Khan, Raima Sen at Wills India Fashion Week on 25th Oct 2009.

Alladin stars Ritesh Deshmukh and Jacqueline Fernandes along with krishika Lulla of Eros International walked the ramp in clothes designed by Ramesh Dembla in a glittering fashion show in Bangalore. The show had an aesthetic aura of the gene and the lamps.

Meghna Naidu, Nisha Harale at Fair One Miss Mumbai swimsuit round in Royal Palm, Mumbai on 27th Oct 2009.

Neha Dhupia, Aanchal Kumar, Shonal Rawat, Sucheta Sharma at Lina Tipnis Signature fashion show in Novotel Hotel on 26th Oct 2009.

Chunky Pandey, Manyata Dutt, Manish Malhotra, Sophie Chaudhary, Masumeh Makhija, Sanjay Gupta at HDIL Chivas Lounge day 4 on 15th Oct 2009.

Aryan Vaid at the Showcase of Neeta Lulla, Krishna Mehta_s Millionaire Home show in Leela on 25th Oct 2009.

Mumbai-based hi-fashion designer Umair Zafar has incorporated and launched “honey moon beach wear” or bridal beach wear in his collection of bridal Trouseau.

The collection also includes indo-western- Anarkali cut sleeveless kurta with multi-colour brocade flair up to knee length, traditional embroidery border and the empire line. The flair gives a very subtle yet very classy look for any of the post marriage events.

Speaking to media at a special photoshoot by fashion photographer Vishal Saxena, Umair Zafar said, “this collection will be appreciated by women of all age groups and cultural back grounds. It is trendy, comfortable to wear and yet sexy and bold.” The entire collection is very affordable yet chic and will appeal to both a 25-year-old and even a 40-year-old.

Aryan Vaid, Eijaz Khan, Shonal Rawat, Ravi Behl, Jasvir Kaur, Naved Jaffery at the Showcase of Asif Merchant and Sajeeda Virji_s bridal collection in Bandra on 23rd Oct 2009.

Shobha de, Nandita Mahtani, Aarti Surendranath showcase festive collection in Samsara on 22nd Oct 2009.

Malaika Arora Khan, Ritesh Deshmukh, Karan Johar, Shenaz Treasurywala, Candice Pinto, Rehan Shah, Amrit Maghera, Muzammil Ibrahim, Queenie Dhody at Chivas Lounge on day 5 of HDIL in Mumbai on 16th Oct 2009 .

Imran Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Gauri Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Karan Johar, Hrithik Roshan, Suzanne Khan, Preity Zinta, Kajol, Manish Malhotra, Sheetal Mafatlal, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Priyanka Chopra, Yash Chopra, Anupam Kher, Shenaz Treasurywala, Zoya Akhtar, Farhan Akhtar, Sonali Bendre, Yash Birla, Sanjay Kapoor, Shaina NC, Jaya Bachchan, Dino Morea, Uday Chopra, Jugal Hansraj, Mehr Jessia, Ritesh Deshmukh, Malaika Arora Khan, Randeep Hooda, Queenie Dhody, Kehkashan Patel, Arjun Rampal at Karan Johar Show in HDIL Couture Week, Mumbai on 16th Oct 2009.