My Story , My Ariel with Manish Malhotra & Mona Singh

For a girl who loves to eat, sleep, live fashion – an invitation for a rendezvous with India’s leading fashion designer Manish Malhotra is a dream come true!
If you are wondering how Manish is associated with India’s leading detergent brand Ariel, he is the brand ambassador for Ariel Oxyblue, which he swears by to keep your clothes shining like new.
This is what Manish has to say about Ariel:


"I agreed to endorse Ariel Oxyblu because I experienced proof of its superior technology first hand at Ariel’s Beijing Innovation Centre last year. I have tried and tested the product and am convinced that it actually works.”
Manish Malhotra, Fashion Designer

And I quite agree with him. As important as it is to design, own or wear good clothes, it is important to care for them so that they keep shining like new. And Ariel is the perfect companion for garment-care.
Though it can get expensive on a daily basis.

When I was getting ready to meet him, I felt as if I’d forgotten what looks best on me. And that’s how conscious you can get when you are about to meet the master himself!
I kept thinking to myself what a fashion designer must think about a fashion blogger!
I took a deep breath and decided not to think too much and just wore the newest additions to my wardrobe !

As I entered this brilliantly lit up room at JW Marriot, I saw this handsomely dressed man , looking no less than a Bollywood star himself. Thats Manish Malhotra for you, stylish and smart. 

Mona Singh(from the fame of Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi) looked stunning in a cream-colored almost gown-like ankle-length  Anarkali with patchwork on net and Bronze peeptoes. She sure looks prettier and younger than what she looks on screen.

My story, My Ariel was an amazing platform to share your most  treasured garment and the story behind it.

Manish Malhotra’s favorite garment:

·         The Bandh-Gala which he wore to the event is his favorite and was designed by him 6 years ago. According to him Bandh-Galas look very classy on Indian Men. Though he designs majorly for women, this is one of his creations for men which he treasures.

Mona Singh’s favorite garment:

·         A  gown, which she wore to a fashion show in her final year which  also won her a prize for the best dress. Surprisingly this gown was a last-minute replacement for another gown which got damaged just before the show! Manish added a pair of Fuschia Heels and a shrug stitched with matte black sequins to give this gown a 2012 appeal.

In the Q&A round, this is what we came to know about Manish Malhotra:


·         He doesn’t have any degree in design- all he knew was sketching & painting!
·         He is not tech-savvy .
·         Mona mentioned she has never seen Manish cribbing over work even when he has to shuttle between India, Paris, Milan all the time! Says he is always calm and composed!

·         It was his passion for Bollywood movies that drew him to designing clothes for movies.
·         It was owing to him that ramp fashion came into stores and became available to the common junta in India.
·         He believes western clothes are designed best by the locals as it is their culture. He believes in designing the traditional Indian wear and giving it the contemporary look.
·         Kareena Kapoor & Deepika Padukone according to him are the best dressed ladies in B-town. He feels the same for Sonam Kapoor , but thinks that instead of focusing on her mainstream that is Bollywood- the talk of the town is entirely about  her dressing sense.

He asked us about our favorite garments and then said- Oh these guys are too young to have a treasured garment yet! And we kept smiling ear to ear.
He loved our blog names ,found them very catchy.When i told him i blog about flea markets , he promptly said- Oh ,then i am the wrong person! And then I told him how much i adore his creations, but I'm a budget shopper.Maybe some day ! sigh!

How Manish styled my favorite garment:

I recently got orange skinny jeans as a gift from a sweet friend from Singapore. I was in a fix as it was too bright to be true!
I thought who better than Manish suggest a solution for this beauty. Though I left that pair of jeans at home I described it to him. And then he went on like an idea-machine bursting with so many alternatives. He is a natural!

At first he suggested a white shirt but then I told him, it still makes the outfit bright. He admitted - even white has a certain brightness to it. Then he suggested a top in greige(grey+beige) and pale brown  shades that will kill the brightness of the orange. He suggested off-shoulder tops that would allow attention away from the color and warned against any other color addition!
I am so excited to try his ideas once I get hold of that perfect top, and I will put that up in my upcoming post. So have some patience J

You can also share your story in My Story ,My Ariel !

Share your most treasured garment and its story on the FB page of Ariel and win exciting prizes!

Blogger Gossips

Like any other blogger-meet this one gave me a chance to meet more fellow fashion bloggers and we almost gelled like we knew each other for ages. We spoke about anything and everything but fashion. Yes, this time FOOD was the topic that took main-stage. Amena (Fashionopolis) and I love food and the food fever just got viral as we chatted over a delicious brunch.




  Thanks to Picky-C relishing her rabdi in the most tempting way, I indulged in some Rabdi and Jalebi , and people at Marriot sure know how to get their rabdis right J
We returned guilt-ladden (thanks to the rabdi-servings) and accomplished as it was a dream come true to chat up with Manish face-to-face while he rushed in for arrangements for Delhi Couture week where he will showcase his collection on 11th August 2012.
Signing off with a dream, to wear a Manish Malhotra creation atleast once in my life! sigh!


I chirp on Twitter.
Connect with me on Facebook for more photos,tips etc.
My Daily style on Stylepile .
Love & more Love
* Ila *




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Nautical Fashion 2012: Part 3 Colored denims


After Part1 and Part2 of the Nautical fashion series, here i bring you another style dedicated to the
trend that will never die.
Like i had said earlier, this is a tribute to Coco Chanel who introduced this trend for women .I will keep
this series going (as most of you requested) till her Birthday month i.e August .

To any element that wants some 'life & love' add a flower.
If stripes seem plain to you, add a floral touch, either with accessories or let the print do it for you!
Florals and stripes work beautifully in harmony. In fact, many fabric prints use this combination.
It combines the femininity of flowers with the smartness of stripes.
Add colored denims, and its a whole new happy outfit for you .
Since choosing stripes is easy, let us concentrate on the bottoms- the colored denims.

Colored denims- not your thing?

Most people avoid risking their wardrobe with a colored denim.
Luckily,people have now started embracing them ,thanks to their availability and people
like you and me who want this cheery & colorful addition.
One of the reasons why people avoid colored bottoms is because they feel there are limited ways
of styling one.
But believe me, once you start wearing them, you will realise they can be quite versatile.
Colored denims go very well with striped tops.Its either white or its stripes.
Although unlike your classical blue denims, colored denims have to be chosen with care.

How to chose the colored denim that suits you?



I'll save you the complex exercise of identifying your skintone etc.etc,to identify the right shades.
Instead, I will quote Leatrice Eiseman, author of The Color Answer Book ($10,amazon.com) and director of the Pantone Color Institute( Remember the post on Pantone color of the year, here ?), the international authority on color.
 "Some colors work for all skin tones and hair colors, because they fall into the middle of the color spectrum, meaning they're not too warm or too cool," says Leatrice Eiseman


She lists the 4 universally flattering clothing colors.
And i believe these are the 4 colors that are the safest bet irrespective of your skin-tone!
Buy any denim from this color chart , and you my darlings, will rock the colored denim trend like you never did before!
4 women with different skin tones donning the 4 magic colors .



COLOR 1: Eggplant

COLOR 2: True Red

COLOR 3: Indian Teal

COLOR 4: Mellow Rose

Remember, pick any denim in one of these shades, and it will definitely be fail-safe.







                                                                Shadows overplay

MATCH-MAKER- Look how seamlessly patterns from the wall mosaic & my shirt match!

A little SUN here, a little SUN there, a little SUN everywhere!

Whoever said RED was loud?! Look which color screams here....!


The most refreshing Lemonade ever---especially after looking at the sun straight in its eye!
Dear Sun ,shine bright...Don't give me a tan in the night!

Red denims - Globus,           Rs.1200 (Last worn here.)
Top- Hill Road,                    Rs.200
Mustard Kolhapuris,Colaba, Rs.250
The messenger bag you see here is my regular staple!
This pretty look came in for Rs.1650/-
Do you like it?
As always I would love to listen from you in my comments section.
And hey, I'm not leaving you here, you can catch me on:
I chirp on Twitter.
Connect with me on Facebook for more photos,tips etc.
My Daily style on Stylepile .
Love & more Love
* Ila *

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Nautical Fashion 2012 : Part 2


I was in Bangalore, as you must've read in Sonshu's post for the last 18 days.
I've been dying to do this post on my blog .But a non-existent internet service does exist even in these times!
So hey,I'm back, and I chose to start my first morning in Mumbai with my blogpost :)

As promised I'm doing another post on nautical fashion.
I hope you have started to recognize the nautical trend as I'd written about it in my last post here.
By now, you must have noticed every second person flaunting the stripes big time!
All the major stores are flooded with stripes .If you haven't got yours, fret not!
Stripes are here to stay.

In the photo below is Claudia Schiffer in
Chanel Ready-to-Wear Spring/Summer 2011 fashion show at the Grand Palais during Paris Fashion Week.



With the chanel quilted purse and those knee-high boots she rocks the look.
 I add a desi-twist and 
replace the boots with my golden braided-leather sandals.As you can see,I've highlighted my look with golden accents.Enjoy the look :)






Top- Bandra, Leggings- Max, Purse- Janpath,Leaf pendant- Colaba


This simple look comes in for :

Top- 200 Rs
Leggings- 265 Rs.
Leaf pendant- 70 Rs.
Quilted purse- 400 Rs.
Leather Sandal - 300 Rs.

Rs. 1235/- for the complete look :)

The Flea market Queen Happiness Index-  5 stars 
Posted in InfbRemix.
I happily carried the look for a little shopping spree in the evening.Quilted purse replaced by Primark shopping bag :)



Now, that I'm back, I would be posting here more often.
Mumbai rains are crazy, you can't plan the shoots, but I'm game.

Your thoughts on this look?
Connect with me on Facebook for more photos,tips etc.
My Daily style on Stylepile .

Loads of Love,
* Ila *
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