Ten Worst Red Carpet Dresses Ever

Every year the celebrities walking on the red carpet feel the pressure to stand out among their peers. When the paparazzi is clicking and flashing away and the star-struck gaze is piercing them, the usual just won’t do.

In their attempt to get noticed sometimes celebrities actually end up in weird outfits. Here are some of the top ten worst red carpet dresses that we have seen ever!

1. Bjork, Oscars 2001 

One of the most famous faux pas on the red carpet is by the Icelandic artist, Bjork. She wore a swan outfit designed by Macedonian designer, Marjan Pejoski, with the neck of the swan wrapped around her and fluffy white ruffles below resembling its feathers. She even pretended to lay an egg on the red carpet! Bizarre!

2. Lizzy Gardiner, Oscars 1995

Lizzy, the Australian costume designer, designed her own outfit made of American Express gold cards and carried it to the Oscars to win the award for the best costume design. Taking the best costume design award in one of the worst red carpet dresses ever, now that is ironical!

3. Demi  Moore, Oscars 1989

For the 61st Academy awards Demi designed her own outfit which comprised of bicycle shorts wrapped halfway behind with a black and printed metallic skirt. Bicycle shorts and Oscars; definitely not made for each other. After her dress became a part of the historically famous worst red carpet dresses, Demi left design to the pros, for her future red carpet looks.

4. Cher, Oscars 1986 

Cher is known to break the rules as far as dressing is concerned at the red carpet. Her 1986 Bob Mackie black dress with magnificent headdress is still remembered for being outlandish. It is a bit too much.

5. Whoopi Goldberg, Oscars 1993

An outfit from Beverly Hills’ boutique, it was a purple full length robe tied around waist with neon green lining. The robe was worn with brocade pants and top. It was too bold and busy. Maybe Whoopi wanted to play clown at the red carpets too!

6. Celine Dion, Oscars 1999

Celine Dion wore a satiny Christian Dior jacket backwards with pants, sunglasses and a fedora. It was difficult to understand why the classy performer chose that outfit?

7. Hilary Swank, Oscars 2003

Hilary’s Christian Dior dress for the Academy awards 2003, made it to the worst red carpet dresses list as it looked like tulle wrapped over a pink cami-slip. It was a fashion mistake for this otherwise well dressed actress at the red carpets.

8. Uma Thurman, Oscars 2004

Uma Thurman wore a Christian Lacroix at the Oscars 2004. The dress looked like it was a homemade costume made by an amateur. It did not do justice to Uma Thurman’s great figure at all and was a complete mess! Uma admitted that the embarrassing dress was a bad choice and definitely it is one of the worst red carpet dresses ever.

9. Lady Gaga, Oscars 2015

While her Azzedine Alaia gown was stunning white with crystal studded embroidery, the red gloves killed the look. The gloves looked like a deliberate attempt to make it to the worst red carpet dresses list.

10. Amber Rose, MTV Video Music Awards 2014

This look magnifies the definition of the worst red carpet dresses. Well it is almost a no dress look. The hip hop star Amber Rose walked down the red carpet in silver chain ensemble designed by Laurel Dewitt. She showed a lot of skin in this barely covering bra-top and thong dress which is definitely a no-no for a red carpet event.

 

These were the worst red carpet dresses, which were definitely a miss. What the celebrities didn’t miss though was the attention and they will be remembered forever, for their unforgettable and disturbing worst red carpet dresses.


Image Sources: nydailynews.com, www.guardian.com, www.telegraph.co.uk, www.people.com, fashionilluminati.com, www.foxnew.com, www.fashion365.ro

Indian Bridal Wear 2015 - From Ramp to Reality

Every bride dreams of looking like a million bucks on her wedding day. When a sea of people are looking and analysing your choice of hairdo, make up and bridal outfit, you surely feel a lot of pressure. And to make everyone go gaga over you, one has to look the best on the D-day. So, if you are walking down the aisle this year, let us help you take a cue on the trending Indian bridal wear 2015.

This year, both Lakme Fashion Week and Amazon India Fashion week 2015 showcased plethora of trends including outstanding bridal wear for all the fashion savvy bride-to-be’s out there. Here’s the list of awe-inspiring Indian bridal wear 2015 trends that are beyond obvious and will win your heart:

Feed your soul with more than one Colour
Gone are the days when brides used to choose just the shades of red for their bridal outfit. The new age bride is all about experimenting with colours and cuts. The ace designer Ashima Leena worked on this idea and presented her multi-coloured collection for the Indian bridal wear 2015.The collection featured contrasts in hues like bright yellows and pinks and some metallics tuned with subtle pastels. Go beyond the obvious with this multicolour trend and stand out!

Ashima Leena Design

Gold never goes out
Gold and silver motifs, beads and embroideries never go out of vogue. Indian bridal wear of 2015 also emphasised on the golden accents to the large extent. Gold embroideries are perfect for occasions like cocktail and reception parties.

New hue on the charts
Channel your inner diva by opting for Anamika Khanna’s black and white risque collection for your wedding functions. This classic contrast will surely make you a head turner and crowd-pleaser.

Anamika Khanna Design

Add neon to your wardrobe
Indian bridal wear 2015 is not restricted to the usual colours but a lot more than that. This season you can get bold and beautiful by adding the splash of neon colour to your wedding wear. Anushree Reddy showed us how neon colours can brighten your wedding attire with bright pinks and sunshine yellows.

Anushree Reddy Design

Let Prints do the talking
When larger-than-life prints are combined with sophisticated fabrics like silk, the result is just spectacular. Neha Aggarwal displayed her latest collection of lively prints which is perfect Indian bridal wear 2015 for outdoor weddings and brunches.

Neha Aggarwal Design

Simplicity at its best
Indian bridal wear 2015 is not just about over the top embellished outfits, but sometimes a simple garment speaks volumes. Gaurang Shah’s collection is one such kind. Simple patterns and minimal designs along with deep colours are a great choice for occasions like your mehndi or bangle ceremony.

Gaurang Shah Design

Time to flaunt your abs
If you are sweating hard in the gym to get the envious abs, it’s time to flaunt it. Here, crop tops and cholis come to your rescue. Crop tops paired with high-waist lehengas or palazzos is definitely the most ‘in’ thing for the season . It hides the stomach while showing just the right amount of skin.

Mix and Match
Indian bridal wear 2015 calls for creativity by playing with different fabrics in one garment. Designers came out with an edgy concept of combining different fabrics in one outfit either by layering it up one over the other or by pairing heavy fabric along with the soft ones to create an illusion of volume.

So all you gorgeous brides-to-be, embrace these styles and put your best foot forward!

The Top Lakme Fashion Week Designers for Summer-Resort 2015

The Lakme Summer/Resort fashion show 2015 was held from March 18th to March 21st, at the Palladium, Mumbai. The highlight of the show was that, the most of the attention grabbing shows from the seasoned Lakme Fashion week designers, were held off site from the venue. The success of any fashion show lies with the power designers’ showcase and the promise that the young talent displays. The Lakme fashion week designers put up an avant garde display at the event.

The young Lakme Fashion week designers gave a lot of fresh perspective. Among them there are few notable ones. Anushree Reddy who is already popular with the bride in her 20’s presented her bridal wear with pastels combined with vintage floral prints, chevrons and stripes with a hint of bling. Mandira Bedi commenced the last day of the Lakme fashion week with her saree collection. She used a lot of colours with trendy cholis using banaras art on cotton and silk sarees.

Neha Agarwal’s ‘From Russia, with Love’ collection showed Indo-Soviet outfits. The Russian prints and babushka doll imprint were seen on most of the skirts and tops. The showstopper Karisma Kapoor’s pink bodice with sheer embroidered cape and printed skirt was outstanding. Ken Ferns theme ‘the eternal sleep’ saw red poppy flowers sprinkled on all his black and white outfits. They even had a hint of blue and mostly were printed modern wear. Karleo also presented a very western line with skirts, modern sarees and gowns. The young Lakme Fashion week designers did garner attention amidst the veteran glitz. There will definitely be an increase in the new Lakme fashion week designers every year from this year’s 39 new designers.

Anushree Reddy design

Neha Agarwal design

Ken Ferns design

From the veteran Lakme fashion week designers; there was some amazing work to watch out for. Sabyasachi commenced the grand show at the Richardson & Cruddas rundown mill with 120 dazzling looks. It portrayed the 70’s with bling, stripes, floral prints, solids and monochromes. Manish Malhotra’s show ‘the Blue runway’ was presented in association with WEvolve. This opening night show was again off site at the old world ‘Great Eastern Home’. As per his theme his outfits were mostly bound by the colour blue and were traditional with contemporary approach. Suneet Varma presented ‘the decorative arts of India’ bringing forth the traditional techniques of different parts of India. He used a lot of mirror work and embroidery on shades and tints of reds and magentas. His mirror work shorts and pants stood out in the show, as did the gorgeous lehenga with crystals. 

Satya Paul by Gauri Khan saw contemporary sarees and flowy attires with tropical leaf motifs and modern prints. Tarun Taliani’s work was funky, blending in the cool and warm shades. The multicoloured prints used on kaftans, jackets and dhotis with turbans, made a lively presentation. The showstopper Chitrangada Singh said it all about Tahiliani’s show with her bohemian blue printed top with pink layered skirt. Wendell Rodericks’s ‘Popology’ took inspiration from pop art and used young bright colours in geometric patterns.

Manish Malhotra design

Tarun Tahiliani design

Satya Paul by Gauri Khan design

Of all the Lakme fashion week designers, Anamika Khanna’s show was a memorable one. She brought the curtains down with her ‘Sculpt’ line. The show was held at Bhau Daji Lad Museum using a grand staircase as the runway. Justifying the theme the collection showed sculpted outfits with modern cuts and Indian aesthetics. The show presented lot of gold, gunmetal and silver with ivory and black. Kareena Kapoor who is the face of Lakme did the final walk down the staircase in amazing silver and black attire.

Anamika Khanna design

The show ended on a grand note and the Lakme fashion week designers made the event happen with lot of originality, which will see us through this season.
 
Image Source: Lakme Fashion Week facebook page

Trends for Indian Bridal Make-up 2015

Those eyes kill me quietly. As your face, your devilish lips

Take my breath away; like it was sucked out of my soul.

It leaves me completely breathless,utterly speechless.

-Alexander Bentley

A ravishing, radiant bride is the focal point of any wedding. As mostly the Indian bridal attires are in bold colours with lot of gold and glitter, the Indian bridal make-up has to be at par, so that more than her dress, it is she who takes everyone’s breath away.

Let’s cover the trends of Indian bridal make-up for each specific feature that is highlighted:

Tress Talk:

This season the hair can be tied up using any hairstyle with accents of flowers or a jewel hair accessory. The South Indian bride displays an amazing braid hairdo with flowers and ornaments. For a modern look the bride can let the hair down with soft curls. Hair extensions and a hint of colour in hair with an emphatic mangtikka are also popular.

The flawless skin:

The base foundation for the face, which is like creating canvas for art, has to be perfect. It has to look flawless and natural at the same time. It is important to choose the tone as per your complexion, sometimes a shade darker does more justice than ending up like ghost bride. Brides are going in for airbrush foundations that are applied through misty spray and they let your skin breathe. One trend in Indian bridal make-up is using a bronzer instead of blush as it gives definition and contour on the face with a more natural look and this in turn results in amazing wedding day pictures!

The eyes say it all:

Smokey eyes are big now as they go well with this season’s more bejeweled and opulent classic wedding attires. This year rust and copper brown shadows are favourites, as is the addition of shimmer to the eyes. There is also a trend of adding a hint of the attire colour to the eyes like blues, teals, greens,etc. whatever the bride is wearing. This season for the Indian bridal make-up, the focus is on the eyes. The younger brides prefer a minimalistic look with no huge fake eye lashes.  Kajals will always be popular with Indian brides and full eyebrows are also very in for the Indian bridal make-up.  

Lips don’t lie:

Indian bridal make-up this season is all for natural berry stained lips or underplayed nude lips to match the brides’s smokey highlighted eyes. Instead of the sharp edge of the lip liners, the stains give a more natural look. Orange-browns and plums also go well with Indian complexion and most of the conventional Indian bridal-wear colours. Before choosing the lip colour the bride should consider her dress colour and skin tone too. The brides can go for bolder colours like reds or fuchsias with lightly done eyes.

Brides are also going in for permanent make-up these days. Permanent make-up helps you have well done eyebrows, eyeliners, lip colours and you can also add a beauty spot that will stay for a long time.

When we talk of an Indian bride we cannot ignore culture and tradition. So apart from the general elements of Indian bridal make-up, the Indian bride has some unique additions. The Bengali bride goes for a big red bindi and red and white motifs on her forehead accentuating the eyes. The red bindi is a common element for most of the Indian brides (except the Catholic or Islamic bride). The Maharashtrian bride sports a crescent moon shaped bindi.

The Bengali bride

The wedding pictures of Bollywood celebrities like Aishwarya Rai and Kareena Kapoor, shows them with lots of jewellery or regal dresses with subtle make-up, so I guess that sums up the make-up trend. You can go heavy on your attire but ‘au naturale’ is the Indian bridal make-up mantra for 2015.

Image Source: newtrendsinfashion.com, shaadisaga.com, stylecraze.com

Popular Indian Casual Wear for Summer 2015

The Indian casual wear has gone through huge transformation. The picture of Indian wear today will be very different from what people used to wear a hundred years ago. Today’s Indian casual wear has borrowed from western fashion heavily and what we see are attires which have Indian embroidery, techniques and cuts, but they give you the flexibility of western wear. When you walk down any street in a city in India, and observe people, you will see them in ethnic casual wear or western casual wear.

Let’s first have a look at the ladies’ Indian casual wear. The ethnic casual wear for ladies includes casual cotton and synthetic sarees or salwaar kameez. You can never go wrong with a saree because a saree is the most versatile piece of attire in India. You can wear it casually, formally or to a red carpet event as well. It is a very common casual wear for women in India especially the elderly prefer it. Saree is also more popular in the southern states and the East. Traditionally people in the north used to wear salwaar kameez.

However, nowadays it has found acceptance across different regions, cultures and age groups due to the ease of movement that it offers. Western casuals are more popular with the younger crowd. In colleges of the major metropolises in India, we can see the latest western trends. The western casual wear will include skirts, summery dresses, jeans, tops and tunics. These days we can see women donning very Indian tunics with western stretchable leggings and skin tight jeans.

Purple hand-woven saree

Sea green Tunic 

Red Checks top 

Orange pleated skirt and top

From the days of dhoti/ lungi the Indian casual wear for men has evolved a lot. Today his casual ethnic attire will be mostly a kurta with churidar or cotton trousers/ jeans pants. The kurta itself has lot of modifications; it can be long or short. If the kurta is knee length, has pockets across chest and is worn with salwaar, it is called a ‘pathani’.

The Indian Islamic men are commonly seen in Pathanis but others in general are also open to adopting it as casual wear or as an outfit for semi-formal events. The modern Indian man is mostly seen in western wear, which includes a shirt with a pair of trousers or a T-shirt with denims. Lot of international brands are entering the Indian market due to the huge demand of casual as well as formal western wear. We can see Allen Solly, Van Heusen, Arrow, Polo, Marks and Spencer and many more in the men’s fashion segment.

Source: projectfashion

Source: Jabong

Casual Kurta

Pathani Source: Lakme fashion week facebook

When we move away from the metropolis, to the interior rural India, we still see more traditional outfits worn by men, women and kids. The rural Indian casual wear has still kept our roots alive by using lot of traditional weaves and crafts, which find its way into our modern wardrobe. The modern day Indian designers also take a lot of inspiration from the village casual attire like mirror work, etc.


Today’s Indian casual wear is a perfect blend of old ethnic charm and modern day versatility in carrying out our daily activities. The cottony Indian casual wear cools you off in the tropical summer heat of the country. Maybe this comfort factor makes our Bollywood shake a leg on a whim!

Virtual Bling: Indian Jewellery Online

In 2007 the launch of Flipkart, which was a huge success, showed that Indians are open to buying things online. The Bansals of Flipkart had paved the path for the booming Indian e-commerce market.  Among the needs of the Indian consumer, jewellery has an around $55 billion worth market. However, do Indians buy jewellery online? Here’s a look at Indian jewellery online.

Diamond and emarald necklace set

Diamond and Pearls necklace set

The Indian jewellery online market has both pros and cons to it. Looking at the cons, compared to the mammoth Indian jewellery market, which is one of the largest in the world, the online sales account for a very small percentage. This can be attributed to different factors, few of which are: 

• See, touch and feel: Jewellery is an item with very high average selling price. So consumers are vary about buying jewellery without getting a good look at the diamonds, the quality of craftsmanship and assurance about gold used. 

• Tradition: Most families have their trusted jeweller over generations, so for occasions like weddings, etc ., they would like to have a personal interaction with their trusted jeweller and get a unique custom experience.

• Customer Service: India lacks high standards of customer service (especially it stands true for some small businesses) and also due to the lack of high security standards online, customers are sometimes not willing to pay huge amounts online. However things are changing as far as security and customer service is concerned so in future maybe the trust factor online would be better. 

The Indian jewellery online market enjoys pros as well:

• Upward trend: Due to the burgeoning e-commerce in India people are becoming open to buying big ticket items online, especially if it comes from a trusted source. So when you hear Ratan Tata has invested in Bangalore based Blue stone and US hedge fund Tiger Global has put its money into Caratlane, it gives you an assurance about these online portals.

• Delivery system: With the success of deliveries from Flipkart and Amazon, people have started trusting sources which have a good delivery system set up. Many jewellers are also tying up with these online giants to ensure delivery success.

• Lower investment:  Online portals reduce the need of having a plush high end store in a good locale with optimum display. They can transfer these savings to have a higher number of varied collections of jewellery. Due to the low set –up cost we have seen an upward trend in lot of jewellery start-ups online.

• Technology: Using advanced computer technology today we have better display of jewellery online, showing the minutest detail, so the customers can order exactly what they want. 

• Better customer service: Caratlane was the first to come up with a try at home option for jewellery. The Indian jewellery online set-ups do not have to deal with high volume sales instead they enjoy higher returns on each item sold. So they can focus more into making each sale an amazing service experience, which will lead to consumers willing to spend more online.

The fashion imitation Indian jewellery online market has huge potential and people are very open to buying such jewellery online as they see minimal risk in terms of cost.

Experts have estimated the Indian jewellery online market to grow at a rate of 30%. The big Indian jewellery online players like Caratlane, Bluestone and Gitanjali are being very specific in their target audience. They are focusing on the working girl, who is open to buy jewellery online and prefers light accessories, she can carry to work. So most of the sales happen in the ‘affordable jewellery’ segment. The high value purchases for weddings still happen offline but with the younger generation being more savvy and open to the virtual bling, I do not think that day is far when buying an expensive Indian jewellery online is as simple as buying a T-shirt online.

Image Source: Strand of Silk

The Indian Runway Bride: Different Indian Bridal Looks

The coy Indian bride has come a long way and what we see today is a confidant woman who dresses according to her taste, individual style and culture for her big day. She is more of East meets West and the fusion can be seen in today’s bridal wear. The different Indian bridal looks have a more global approach nowadays.

In India mainly the bridal wear comprises of a saree, lehenga, salwaar kameez or an anarkali suit. The events associated with the Indian weddings like the Sangeet, Mehendi, Haldi and the cocktail party have also opened doors for different Indian bridal looks to suit the event. Adding to it the cultural diversity brings out more Indian bridal looks like the South Indian, Maharashtrian, Gujarati, Bengali or the North Indian bride. 

When we consider the saree, it is no longer the age old attire. The blouse worn with the saree has undergone a huge transformation. Sometimes it is the show stealer from the saree, and gives that edge to the outfit. The sarees also portray a look with jackets and sometimes instead of the unstitched drape brides also go for a fitted saree.

Here are some of the modern Indian bridal looks:

Applique and zari saree

Pre-draped Saree

Crystal blouse

Culturally in India the saree is more popular as bridal wear in Maharashtra, Bengal, Orissa and down South. We can see the brides from there decked in Kanjivaram, Banarasi or Paithani style silk sarees.

Bengali bride in red and white banarasi saree

The South Indian Kanjeevaram

Maharashtrian Paithani saree (Source: Pinterest)

The lehenga originated from the north of India but has gained popularity across regions as bridal wear. It has a heavily embroidered skirt teamed with a blouse and stole. The lehengas can be paired with a Gujarati style shorter blouse with bare midriff or the Northern style longer fitted jacket type blouse. The elaborately done lehenga with a big flare gives a royal princess look because of which it has become popular with the girls today.

Opulent red lehenga

Four piece lehenga

Traditional Gujarati inspired Lehenga

The Anarkali suit again due to its flare and volume like the lehenga is a great bridal choice. The difference is that in an Anarkali suit the top is one piece almost reaching the ankles and it is generally worn with churidar pants below. The look is completed with an embroidered stole, or the new trend, a jacket.

Anarkali jacket set

Red embroidered anarkali

The salwaar kameez bride can generally be seen in Punjab region of India. This outfit is preferred by the Indian ladies as daily wear or office formals due to the comfort factor. This outfit however will offer a subtle bridal look as compared to the sarees and lehengas.

Beige Salwar suit

In the cocktail parties of the modern day Indian bride, the gowns have also found a place. The Indian bridal looks with gowns can be traditionally inspired or can have a complete modern feel to it.

Corset Gown with traditional embroidery

Modern gown

A bride can mix and match from the plethora of the different Indian bridal looks for her big event. She can wear the traditionally relevant (depending upon her family’s lineage) saree or lehenga for her wedding day and opt for contemporary bridal wear for other events.

A wedding is a once in a lifetime affair, so brides, show all your Indian bridal looks with all the show stopping attires. The wedding runway is all yours!