November 2005
Indian grooms fix date with beauticians ahead of marriage
New Delhi:
Gone are the days when weddings used to be an occasion
only for the Indian brides to look their best and spend hours
in beauty parlours. Indian grooms too are fixing up their
date with beauticians to look 'groomed up' for the D-day.
As a rare congregation of stars falls on November 27 with
some 30,000 weddings in New Delhi alone, thousands of would-be
grooms have made their way to beauty stylists to get a better
look for themselves. They got busy getting their manicure,
pedicure, facials and body bleach done, along with a new haircut
to add to the drop-dead look. "(I am here) for a sort of make-over
for my wedding. Though this is my first complete make-up,
which offers a complete package, which included so many things
like manicure, pedicure, and bleach. Basically, it's a bridal
make-up sort of groom make-up, " said Raman, a would-be groom.
"People are very busy these days but we should take out time
for our body care. At the most we go to gyms, we should take
proper care of our body, "said Raj, another would-be groom.
Carrying their softer feminine side on their sleeves, modern
men termed as "metrosexual" are not embarrassed with their
ways which are in stark contrast with the image of a macho
man.
A relatively
recent jargon, which is yet to find mention in popular dictionaries,
the locution befits men who take extra-care of their appearance,
regularly visit beauty parlours for all those beauty treatments
so far associated with women only, such as manicures and pedicures,
facials, waxing, and much more. "It gives you extra confidence.
In case of grooms, it tones their skin if they are dark so
that they look good. We lighten the shade, giving you a better
form. Person should look good and in a proper way, " said
Amjad Habib, a stylist. With packages starting from 1000 rupees
onwards, depending upon the service provided, the amount can
actually go up in five figures. Weddings in India are a long
drawn out affair and families of the bride and the groom come
together in a number of religio-social ceremonies. As most
arranged Indian marriages are scheduled to have the nuptials
converging with an opportune astral moment, there is a mad
rush by families to grab them.
-Nov 27, 2005
Diamonds fast emerging as Delhi men's 'best
friend'
New Delhi:
Diamonds have long been viewed as women's best friend
around the world. Call it the revival of the ancient traditions
or term it as the 'latest' style of fashion, a lot of men
in New Delhi are showing deep interest in buying themselves
diamond jewellery as the newly opened boutiques allure them.
Vying for diamonds, many men in the Capital here, are adorning
themselves with diamond encrusted watches and buttons crafted
with precious stones. Sensing this fast emerging inclination,
many boutiques in Delhi have started catering to the growing
fascination for the precious stones among men. They are designing
and showcasing an entire range of diamond studded accessories
to go with men's wear. "The world is changing and men are
getting into accessories and stuff. Earlier men never used
to wear rings. But they have started wearing them now. If
you look at the olden days, they used to wear a lot of diamonds
and I think it is just coming back," says Kunal who was shopping
with his wife in one such boutique. Kunal said he was looking
around for accessories for himself and thought that buttons
studded with diamonds to adorn the traditional Indian male
attire-Sherwani would be a very good idea. Shweta, a Public
Relations professional, had checked in with her brother before
setting out to shop for a gift for him. While visiting Dia,
a diamonds' accessory boutique in Delhi, Shweta said: "My
brother's engagement is round the corner. So I was looking
for some gift item for him. I heard of Dia and came here to
look around for some diamond studded watches, or cuff links
or sherwani buttons...something on those lines, basically
a gift item for my brother." The trend is not lost on the
traders. They are the quickest to close in on the 'quarry',
in this case, the buyers.
According to
Rauf Ansari, Managing Director, Regent Watch and Jewellery
Company, more and more men have begun preferring diamond-studded
watches as a style statement synonymous with their stature.
Companies such as Cartier and Piaget have been bringing forth
fresh designs every season. "A watch by itself is basically
an instrument to tell time. But when you adorn it with diamonds
or have it made in precious metals like gold, platinum and
white gold, it takes on a completely different aura. Today,
watches are no longer just functional, they are the expression
of self-identity, and one's hopes, desires, of what one wants
to be seen as. So they have taken on a very important role,"
says Rauf. Initially, the men folk were not used to buying
such expensive accessories for themselves and often come along
with women to make choices. But the trend may ebb a little
over the times to follow and men may soon take decisions all
by themselves, say hopeful boutique managers.
-Nov 27, 2005
Beauticians thrive as brides want to put
their best face forward
New Delhi:
With the wedding season approaching in northern parts
of India, the beauticians are set to make a tidy business
As most of the Hindu marriages are scheduled to have the nuptials
converging with an opportune astral moment, there is always
a mad rush around this time of the year. About 30,000 weddings
will take place on November 27th in New Delhi alone. A relatively
less number are scheduled for 23rd November, as per reports.
And this creates a heavy rush on beauty parlours too. "The
1st of every September we open bookings for the next year.
Come December and we have already committed for up to the
November and December next. That's how glued in everybody
is these days and how much in advance one gets ready for their
bridals. There are certain days, which are really heavy "Saya
days" (or, auspicious dates) which completely get booked eight
months in advance. There is not a single slot free for anybody
else with a late booking to come in and take a chance," says
Ambika Pillai, a popular Beautician in New Delhi. A typical
Hindu marriage is a long drawn out affair and families of
the bride and the groom come together in a number of religio-
social ceremonies.
The weddings are
viewed as the biggest occasion for any girl. And nobody wants
to compromise with her appearance on her wedding day. As traditional
Indian bridal make-up is an intricate affair, a professional
beautician's services are mandatory. The make up is a vital
factor in a bride's itinerary. With a heavily 'in demand'
date and only a few favourite 'in vogue' designers, the beauticians
get a deluge of offers to help these brides 'put their best
face forward'. The brides to be have everything chalked out,
a far cry from the demure, withdrawn brides of yesteryears.
"When it (the marriage) was fixed up in June, I had to really
be after my Beautician, trace her out and give her a lot of
references as 23rd and 27th are the busiest of wedding dates,"
says Neha, a bride-to-be. Besides no Indian bridal make up
is complete without a henna- sketch that leaves beautiful
dyed imprints on the hands and feet of the bride. There is
even a wedding rite, Mehndi Ki Raat, a day before the wedding
day, reserved exclusively for it. Henna is a reddish-orange
dyestuff prepared from the dried and ground leaves of a plant
grown especially for the purpose in the Indian subcontinent.
With this confluence of stars on 27th, the henna artists are
tempted to hike their rates. "It normally starts from rupees
5,000 onwards and upto 15,000. Our bookings happen six to
seven months in advance. There are people who want instant
bookings and at time even try to 'bribe' to take on their
booking for double (near rupees 30,000), of the normal price,"says
Geetanjali, a specialist in the Henna works. "The offers are
attractive, but we cannot refuse earlier bookings to leave
them at the last moment," says Geetanjali.
-Nov 23, 2005
Previous File
TOP Current
File
