October 2005
Diamond mania overwhelming women in Delhi
New Delhi:
Since time immemorial women have been fascinated by the
glitter of the jewellery made of gold. But now weary of the
precious metal the women in New Delhi are exploring the vivid
facets of gems as diamond mania grips Delhi's socialite circles.
This fact is evident in an event, Timeless Jewels 2005, being
held in New Delhi, where the magnificent jewellery and watches
are being exhibited. The visiting women are clear about what
draws them to the otherwise 'mere crystals of carbon'. Roomi
Sekhri, a housewife from Delhi confesses, " Yes, I prefer
diamonds to gold because gold is very bulky and gives a very
heavy look whereas diamonds seem to be more practical and
they are more wearable." The choice of individuals in designs
too vary as from a delicate light studded necklace to a heavy
'diamond embedded in gold" necklace. The much-stated reason
of buying gold as an "investment", finds hardly few takers.
Rina Dewan, a school principle says,"We are all wearing diamonds
if we are getting together for a lunch and all that. Gold,
I think is way back. Gold is no longer an investment. There
are other horizons for investment like property and others.
Earlier, jewellery was more of an investment than anything
else."
This new attraction
for Diamonds augurs well for the economy, and India being
the biggest diamond cutting centres in the world. The Indian
diamond cutting industry employs close to a million people.
The cheaper labour costs and competitive pricing, coupled
with the fine craftsmanship, with diamonds cut here able to
stand all the tests of Carat, color. Clarity and cut makes
India the most preferred place in the world to have its diamonds
ctu here. The local buyers are inundated day in and day out
with novel brands like D'damas, Interjewe and Swaranjali.
Observing the trend in women's buying habits, a host of Indian
fashion designers like Neeta Lulla are stepping in to bring
forth their signature collections in diamond jewellery. The
Adora range is 'Swaranjali', a limited edition series of premium
diamond jewellery, which has been conceptualised and designed
specially for Adora by the legendry playback singer, Lata
Mangeshkar, is a real showstopper. Rachna Shah, the niece
of Lata as well as the Partner and Consultant for the brand
name 'Adora', is happy to speak about the 'Swaranjali' collection,
which literally translates as 'an offering of musical notes'.
"It's not as if we are targeting only fans of Latajis. For,
her jewellery is not catering only to her fans. It is of good
taste, it is exquisite and so it will appeal to any woman
who believes in exquisite jewellery." says Rachna. Hindi films
inspire diamond jewellery fashion trends as epic grosser like
'Devdas' showcase a lead actress sporting trendy gems. People
find various ways to incorporate gems into traditional diamond-heavy
sets as well as buying uncut diamonds, which can be passed
from one generation to another. With the wedding season in
full swing in India, the escalating gold prices are dampening
the interests of even the hard-core gold lovers. The domestic
demand for diamond jewellery in India went up to Rs 6,500
crore in 2004 from Rs 5,600 crore the previous year. India's
economy, Asia's third largest, is expected to grow seven per
cent in the fiscal year to next March, marginally faster than
6.9 percent growth last year. Indian exports of cut and polished
diamonds touched an average of 1.18 billion dollars in 2004-05,
representing an increase of over 26.6 per cent over 2003-04.
-Oct 16, 2005
French women can no longer boast about
svelte figures
London: A
new official health statistics has broken the Gallic myth
that "French Women Don't Get Fat" despite binging on food
and wine, as they do and in ever-increasing number. Recent
statistics from the National Institute of Health and Medical
Research, Britain showed that 11 per cent of French adults
are now obese, with the rate even slightly higher among women.
"At this rate, the situation in France will be like that in
the United States, where two in three people are now either
overweight or obese," said an official from the National Institute
of Health and Medical Research. Indeed, experts calculate
that, if the French keep eating at their current pace, obesity
will continue to climb at a rate of 5 per cent or more a year,
and the country will have closed the fatness gap with the
US by 2020. The latest figures somewhat fly in the face of
the latest wave of diet books, mainly American, which have
hit the best-seller lists in recent months, all vaunting the
miraculous weight-loss qualities of the French diet. One of
the most successful, Mireille Guiliano's French Women Don't
Get Fat, shares with readers the secrets of staying slim the
French way - lots of fresh vegetables, small portions and
long walks. But even Ms Guiliano has been forced to admit
that perhaps the title is a little too sweeping. In France,
it is called Those French Women Who Don't Get Fat, a concession
that some - perhaps many - do. The reason for the growing
weight problem is simple, a change in traditional eating habits.
The French may suffer from knee-jerk anti-Americanism in political
matters, but when it comes to burgers, pizza and chips, they
love fast food as much as anyone else. The government is particularly
concerned by figures which show that obesity among children
has doubled in the past five years - 4 per cent of French
children are considered clinically obese while a further 14
per cent are overweight. Vincent Boggio, a paediatrician at
Dijon hospital in eastern France who has treated hundreds
of overweight children, says even those from well-off homes
are at risk. "There are greater numbers of fat children because
our society is becoming wealthier, and children are walking
less and being driven more," he said. "And they're solicited
all the time to eat," he added. The French, however, are determined
to win the battle of the bulge. Last month, the government
banned vending machines selling soft drinks and food from
state schools and next year it will become the first in Europe
to impose mandatory health messages on all TV and radio adverts
promoting processed food.
-Oct 16, 2005
Lakme's Winter Fashion Collection is really
'hot'
Mumbai: Cosmetic
giant Lakme recently unveiled its new winter fashion collection
'Mosaic' at a star-studded show in Mumbai. Leading models
showcased designs of Malini Ramani and Suneet Verma at the
_The Lakme Grand Finale Winter 2005', which reflected the
vivid and radiant colours of India. "I am doing the jewel
mosaic which is deeper maroon, deeper emerald green and dark
navy. I am working with much more deeper tones that really
works well for the Indian women skin tone," said Verma. Model
Katrina Kaif said that the collection was really great keeping
in mind the Indian skin tones. "I think, it's great. Colours
are nice and everybody can comfortably wear these clothes.
I think the Lakme looks are the most suited to Indian women
skin tones," said Katrina. Artist Clint Fernandes, who has
created Lakme's new mosaic collection, said: "It will be more
like jewel and earthy tones. There will be a lot of sparkle
in the lip colour, a lot of sparkle in the eye colour and
a lot of glitter and sparkle in the nail colour. Lakme has
predicted the winter colours as blues, mauves, hot pinks and
burgundy enriched with amethyst, ruby, gold, emerald and bronze.
The most interesting product of this collection are the lipsticks
in duo tones in eight different shades reasonably priced at
Rs. 165 each.
-Oct 16, 2005
Exhibition on trends for brides, grooms
Agra (Uttar
Pradesh): A wedding exhibition, that brings forward the
latest trends for the forthcoming wedding season, has become
a one-stop-shop for prospective brides and grooms in northern
India. Hundreds of people thronged "Vivaah 2005", literally
Wedding 2005, a two-day exhibition organized by a reputed
newspaper in Agra. The beginning of the festival season is
also a boom time for weddings. The main attraction of these
exhibitions, customers said, was that they brought together
a variety of products of the best quality needed for the big
day. Shubra, a customer who came shopping for her sister's
wedding in December, said though her neighbourhood market
was giving her slightly cheaper rates, she was impressed by
the sheer range of Lehngas, a traditional skirt worn by brides,
on display. "There is not much of a difference in the rates.
But if we are getting a good variety and quality, we don't
mind spending that extra bit of money," she said. Manufacturers
who had displayed a range of products that would come handy
for weddings, from trousseau's to crockery and microwaves
to cosmetics, said the exhibition gave customers a great facility
of getting the latest fashion under one roof. Manufacturers
also gave customers the convenience of advance bookings. Manoj
Kumar, a manufacturer of bridal dresses from Agra, said he
was upbeat about the success of the exhibition, adding that
he expected to do business at least worth 100,000 rupees.
"Queries range from cost to any alterations that can be made
from the designs to the sizes. And because we are both the
manufacturers and retailers, so we can make adjustments according
to our customers. Our rates are also very competitive," Kumar
said. While brides-to-be revelled under all the attention,
prospective grooms to be were also not far behind. Elaborate
trousseaus, from Maharaja style "sherwanis" (traditional dresses)
to chic three-piece suits, prospective grooms had a wide variety
to choose from. The highlight of the exhibition, however,
remained a trendy fashion-show where models sashayed down
the ramp displaying the latest fashion trends for brides and
grooms.
-Oct 5, 2005
Previous File
TOP Current
File
