Crystal Eyed

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Year - 1895. The sound of gusty wind was almost deafening. It was the darkest winter that Austria had ever seen. But that did not flinch the young Daniel Swarovski from his mission. In a bare flicker of a candle, this Austrian glasscutter had been consumed for almost a year in the painstaking process of designing his dream machine- a machine that would be able to slice glass crystals with a certain precision to shine on, almost flawlessly. And on one such ominous night, he attained his Nirvana. And thus was born, an invention that would bring the shine back in the world of fashion in 1920s. From Mademoiselle Coco Chanel to the Master couturier Elsa Schiaparelli, they all had found their ' crazy diamond'. The glitter of 'flapper fashion and Swarovski studded costume jewelry had confirmed its royal spot in....

Suneet Varma's 'Elixir of Youth', a fabled magical potion

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So the ancient legend goes like this... Many were seduced and tempted by the elusive 'Elixir of Youth'. Others billed it as just an illusion or an urban legend. 'Elixir of Youth' the fabled magical potion that would revive the fast-fading traditional crafts, resuscitate the stylish designs and breathe life back into fashion. Many legendary warriors fell for its allure and embarked on a quest to find the 'Fountain of Youth'. Some succumbed to their failure, others gave up and traced their way back. Though there was one such knight who remained unflinched, determined to explore fashion's new horizons and find the magical fashion formula that would cure all fashion ailments. Meet the fashion's 'Knight in shining Armour'- Suneet Varma. He locked himself for days to learn the exhaustive embroidery techniques, roamed the faraway lands....

A French Ballad

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Did I just time travel? Or those innumerable cups of coffee had some sinister substance in it. Is it for real? I grabbed my seat at the show area and waited for the sartorial spell to break into reality. It felt like a scene from a French Gala or a Royal Soiree in the 19th century. Marie Antonette's haunting presence on the ramp made me experience a strange thrill. It was as if she stepped down from the archives to breathe through the epic costume drama curate by designer Varun Bahl on the ramp. The painstaking research was evident. The resurrection was complete. Varun had dived back into time and ripped open the closets of French Royalty. Fitted bodices and corsets with 'leg o mutton' and cuffed sleeves....

It happened in Portobello

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It was a lazy Sunday afternoon when the protagonist of this story walked languidly past the pastel fronted terraces of Notting Hill strolling into the miles of sartorial past that lay ahead. London's Portobello market was on this young man's mind along with roving out the prized vintage selection lined up in those 2000 tightly squeezed vintage shops along the stretch. So was the thought of his next collection. A spark of inspiration in the market heaving with camera laden tourists? Unlikely, you would say. But designer Varun Bahl has his own godly ways. You never know when the inspiration strikes. And you never question it. The moment of Truth finally arrived. His eager eye spotted a vintage pick - an old vintage book documenting the history of French Royalty titled ' Very Vintage' lying in the heap of meagre pickings. ....

Holding the fort at Devigarh

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It was about 4 o' clock in the morning when the alarm clock roared into my ears. I dragged myself up, groping for my spectacles in the dark..'Just another day',early morning flight to Udaipur where i was shooting 'just another travelogue'.and jeaopardising my new year's eve at 'just another heritage hotel'!! Rajasthan,the reflection of India to the world ,now i know that it would be this land of sun and sand which must have propelled rest of the world to call India- the land of elephants and snake charmers. Hmm... an almost 2 hours flight to Udaipur... and a well dressed chauffeur from Devigarh Fort greeted us at the airport... 'Just another warm smile', "I have had plenty of that", I thought.And then a 40 minute bumpy ride to the fort punctuated with 'bovine interventions'. A friend who had stayed at Devigarh once told me that....