Published on 21 September 2013
Looking Haute
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Manasi Moghe in a Mandira Wirk gown and Damiani jewellery
What happens when a fashion designer teams with the world's top jewellery brand to curate a show? Well, it's bespoke fashion and diamonds all the way. So when designer Mandira Wirk unveiled her 'Miss Diva Collection' of opulent gowns, she roped in the high-end Italian jewellery brand Damiani to provide bejewelled accessories. The head-turning results went on display earlier this week at the rooftop restaurant, The Connaught, at The Oberoi New Delhi. All attention was diverted to the centre of the room where nine mannequins sported Wirk's gowns in champagne colours with jewellery to match by Damiani. Fashionista Tanisha Mohan, entrepreneur Ramola Bachchan, Kuchipudi exponent Shallu Jindal, pop artist Surita Tandon and designer Niki Mahajan air-kissed and admired the creations.
Wirk had designed 16 gowns -- one each for the finalists of the Miss Diva competition, which was held recently in Mumbai. 'I designed sensuous rather than provocative gowns for 16 different body-types,' said Wirk. While 12 of these gowns went on display (nine inside and three on the terrace), Manasi Moghe, the winner of the Miss Diva competition who will now represent India at the Miss Universe competition in Moscow in November, came wearing one. She teamed it with the eye-popping, platinum and white diamond Damiani Acqua Masterpiece necklace.
The Damiani pieces complementing the gowns were drawn from the brand's different collections. The jewellery in gold and platinum featured not just diamonds in different hues but also sapphires, rubies and emeralds. The prices of the pieces started at Rs 70,000 to Rs 2.5 crore for the diamond-encrusted Juliette Masterpiece necklace -- which is one-of-its-kind.
Winner wines
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Christian Ciamos says India is a promising market for wines
This wine company hails from the interiors of Burgundy, central France, and has made its presence felt in India for nearly a century. Maison Albert Bichot, an iconic French wine brand claims it first sent out a shipment to India in the early 1920s.
Today, wine-drinking habits have evolved across the world, says the company's commercial manager, Christian Ciamos. At a familiarisation event held at Delhi's Taj Mahal Hotel, team Bichot along with Aspri Spirits -- one of India's leading distributors and importers of wines and the company that has brought Bichot into India -- showcased their most popular wines across the globe.
Ciamos maintains that countries that have their own local wines adapt to flavours of wine a lot more than countries that have little tradition of wine making. 'And therefore, India is a very positive market for us. We have noticed a changing trend in India. Earlier people would drink just about any wine, but for the last decade or so, we've noticed that people are asking for specific wines from specific regions. That only means they're reading up on it and understanding the finer nuances of wines,' he said.
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A selection of wines from the Maison Albert Bichot stable
The brand's popular wines include the Maison Albert Bichot Puligny Montrachet Blanc, a perfect wine for those who like to eat white meats, suggests Ciamos. Another bestseller, Maison Albert Bichot Pommard Clos des Ursulines Domaine du Pavillon pairs well with dishes cooked in red wine sauces, somewhat spicy cuts of red meat and strong cheeses. The wines are available at all International Airport Terminals in India as well as at The Taj Group of hotels. The wines are priced upwards of Rs 2,000.
Decoding perfumes
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Gauri Garodia at The Perfumer's Workbench workshop
Perfumes say a lot about your personality or so says the experts. 'You generally wear scents that express something about your likes and about yourself,' says Gauri Garodia, director of Code Deco, an artisanal perfumery in Singapore where she works with over 3,000 spirits to create her own line of perfumes. Garodia, an IIM Ahmedabad graduate was in Delhi recently to conduct a workshop titled The Perfumer's Workbench.
The event, which was held at concept design store Moon River, saw Garodia unveil a collection with three lines of perfumes -- Jazz, Fminit and Detour. The 12 perfumes in the collection -- each sells at Rs 9,900 per 50ml bottle - took her three years to create. Garodia says that her passion for perfumes was once just a hobby, which metamorphosed into her perfume company, Code Deco.
The perfumes will now retail at Moon River and you can choose from Jazz, which offers four scents: A Minor, B Minor, Kokomo and Happy Blu. In the Fminit line there's Eaux de Jasmine, Eaux de Rose, Juliette and George. The Detour collection has Thar in Pink, Marwar, Tasman in Grey and Damasc.
With Garodia at the helm, invitees took notes diligently as she led them through the paces of getting to know perfumes. Garodia talked about the nature of the spirits that she works with and how one could get into perfume-making as a hobby.
Know this: fragrances are divided into four classic families or The Fragrance Wheel that is floral notes, Oriental notes, fresh notes and woody notes. An important tip: 'Perfumes smell significantly different on your skin than on a strip of paper. On strips of paper, perfumes are designed to tempt you, so be careful while buying them. Always try them on your hands before you buy them,' she added. And more: buy your perfumes in the morning hours for that's when the nose works better as compared to the evening or night.
Turning a new Leaf
Surajkund in Faridabad -- a pebble throw and 45-minute drive away from Delhi -- has been a natural choice for Delhi's revellers as a weekend getaway. It helps hugely that the touristy spots are lush with foresty vegetation and that the Surajkund Crafts Mela has acquired iconic stature (more reason for that annual drive to Suraj Kund). A few years ago when The Claridges, Surajkund, threw its doors open, weekenders were thrilled to bits about having a resort hotel so close to home. Now, if they are Taj hotel loyalists there's more reason to cheer as last week the property morphed into Vivanta by Taj - Surajkund. With this addition, the Vivanta portfolio for Delhi and the NCR has gone to three -- after Vivanta by Taj Gurgaon and Vivanta by Taj Ambassador -- taking the Vivanta numbers in India up to 28.
The newly re-christened Vivanta by Taj - Surajkund, is all about cool luxury in a forested and tranquil neighbourhood offering Dress Circle views of the Aravallis, the ancient Tughlaqabad Fort and of course the Surajkund Mela when it trips along. The rejigging hasn't seen a huge makeover in the property barring a few cosmetic changes -- a pet policy is now in place which means that you can bring your pets along and they will be provided a bed, a menu loaded with yummies and even a hair brush! The lemon zest fragrance that is so identifiable with the Vivanta hotels across the board now hangs pleasantly in the air.
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The Claridges, Surajkund has morphed into a chic Vivanta by Taj – Surajkund that's nestled amidst a forested and tranquil neighbourhood
Raymond N Bickson, M.D. and CEO, Indian Hotels Company Limited, said as he announced the rebranding of the property last week: 'This is in line with a strategic plan to expand our presence in the NCR and underlines our objective of achieving growth through domestic dominance.'
With 287-rooms and suites, most overlooking the sunlight and green central courtyard and an infinity pool, the hotel has a clear agenda -- to focus not just on business/meetings and incentives and leisure, but also the wedding market. A USP will be the Taj's signature spa -- this one is called Jiva Grande that spreads over 18,500sqft.
Arun Khanna of Claridges Hotels & Resorts explained the handover to the Taj: 'It was a conscious decision. There should be a difference between ownership and management. We are in the business of building hotels and should do what we are best at and let someone else run the properties for us.'
And when Vivanta comes then the Vivanta Avtars or Motifs can't be far behind. These are the 'experiences' offered by Vivanta properties which are rooted in the destination and bring a strong sense of place. These Vivanta Motifs -- meant to surprise guests -- are already in place in Surajkund as well. Veer Vijay Singh, COO, Vivanta by Taj Hotels & Resorts, said that they will be making a strong push for the thematic Bridal suite, the Jiva Bliss suite and the Jiva Indulgence room which take the Jiva Grande Spa experience into privacy of your room and the Renewal of Vows experience offered by the property.
The Taj will also be a major player in the annual Surajkund melas (italics). The Vivanta Folk Studio & Artisan programme will give a platform to new artistes and performers.
It took Taj three months to train the existing staff to imbibe the 300-odd Taj by Vivanta brand standards. Vivanta is planning to step overseas and is eyeing Africa, Maldives, UAE, Sri Lanka among other countries.
