5 Girls selected for the next round at Lucknow Audition of Femina Miss India 2014..

Congratulations! 
Sana Khan, Monika Dwivedi, Khushboo Kankan, Divya Dhobal and Aparajita Verma who has fast-tracked to the Delhi regional auditions of fbb Femina Miss India 2014 contest.
Me and Anuj Singh were the official Talent Partner to bring out the best talent in search of the most beautiful women in India.
http://beautypageants.indiatimes.com/articleshow/28560690.cms

What do you think of these girls? Will they make it to the finals? 

FEMINA MISS INDIA 2014 - Lucknow Audition

The Lucknow audition for the FEMINA MISS INDIA 2014 details:
Audition Date: 8th Jan 2014
Venue: Hotel Golden Tulip, Lucknow
The girls are required to carry the following things for the audition:

• Singlet / Ganji
• Denim Hot Pants /Shorts
• Black Cocktail Dress
• Stelleto

The girls are required to do their own make up.

So girls gear up and put your best foot forward!
All the best...

BAG IT! with Pragya Gupta

Pragya's creation for Patola at Lakme Fashion Week

Young, vibrant, quirky, these are few of the adjectives that came in my mind when I saw the collection of BAGS designed by PRAGYA GUPTA.

  
After working as a senior Product Designer at Hidesign and developing a range of handbags for the designer brand Patola for the Lakme Fashion Week, this Graduate in Leather Design from NIFT, Kolkata is all set to start her own label in Lucknow. 

Here are the excerpt, of the Q & A session I had with her:

1. What does a BAG means to you? 
A bag, to me, is more than just an accessory. It says so much about a woman's personality...her priorities, her taste & her quirks! It is like a little part of her home or work that she carries with herself when she is out.

2. What are the things one should keep in mind buying a leather bag? 
Besides the aesthetic value of the bag, one must define the purpose a bag would solve- where and when can you carry it, how much can you carry in it & how comfortably you can carry it. Price is always a consideration when one is buying a leather bag, but one must remember that this one higher priced leather bag is likely to outlast two or more of the less expensive options. It is a sort of an investment.
 
3. Who is your favourite designer?  
I absolutely love the quirkiness and experimental style of Moschino-Cheap & Chic and Marc Jacobs. I also love Hidesign for its timeless elegant styling.
 
4. 5 things you always carry in your bag/purse.  
A diary, a stationery pouch, a pack of tissues, lip balm and my wallet are just few of the things that I never leave without in my bag.
 
5. 10 years down the lane where do you see yourself. 
I see myself as a happy person with a great career & of course a beautiful family. The brand I am working on with my Uncle, Ajit Gupta, would be well settled and one of the biggest names in the Indian accessory segment. :) 

 

Birdemaid's Gifts

Convertible shoulder-backpack

Grab golden side

Spongebob bag

Clutch

Varnmala

Pragya Gupta

 My personal favorite is 'VARNMALA' which one is yours?
  
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KIMAYA Lucknow: A Shoppers Paradise

My model friend KHUSHBOO KANKAN is going for a friend's wedding next week. Since she has to attend various functions at the wedding she was little confused about the place where she can get everything under one roof. Some of the friend suggested her to visit recently opened multi -designer store KIMAYA.

KHUSHBOO KANKAN at KIMAYA, Lucknow

 Once we reached there we were pampered with the choice of collections by top most designers of the country. She wanted to buy everything but budget played a villain.
So we settled down for 2 tops by Rohit Gandhi Rahul Arora and a beautiful anarkali suit by Pam Mehta.

Top by Rohit Gandhi Rahul Khanna

Top by Rohit Gandhi Rahul Khanna

Anarkali Suit by Pam Mehta

Rana Gill Collection

Which outfit you liked the best, Let us know. 

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High 5...

They are, Tall(all of them are), Dark(not necessarily) and Handsome(oh! most definitely they are)... The 5 male models of Lucknow who the fashion experts think will rule the fashion industry of Lucknow in 2013. 
They might be new and an unknown face right now but soon you will see them all over from shows to billboards to magazines and newspapers.
MELANGE MODEL MANAGEMENT presents the 5 male models in no particular order of ranking.

ASAD MASOOD: A corporate profession who believes in quality work rather then the quantity. After doing few shows he is now all set to get into the big league.

Asad Masood

  SHAH NAWAAZ: Style comes naturally to this fashion consultant working with a renowned brand. Shah Nawaaz farm fresh looks and a good height is a lethal combination one can vouch on.

Shah Nawaaz

PRASOON GUPTA: He is a dentist by profession. With the kind of looks and the killer smile he has, we are sure his patients always walks away with a smile on their face.

Prasoon Gupta

DUSHYANT PRATAP: An engineer by profession, Dushyant Pratap has an amazing body language on ramp. This guy is sure on his way to become a great designer horse.

Dushyant Pratap

AKSHAY SHUKLA: Akshay Shukla came as a plesent surprise to us. This guy has not done even a single show yet the experts believe that he is a fast learner. So after grooming he will turn out to be a great model.

Akshay Shukla

To know about the Top 5 female models Click here...

 
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Will you participate in such beauty contest?

Beauty pageants are considered as a platform to get into the glamour industry be it fashion or film. With the dream in their eyes lot many aspirants participate in it.

But I came across this video that tell us exactly the opposite story.

Do you think these girls will ever make it to the fashion industry!

The organizers of such shows does not know anything about the industry and why and how the beauty contest are conducted. For them beauty pageants means getting few girls and guys together and teaching them how to walk and do the show.

The end losers are the participants because the winners does not get anything(mileage or assignments) except for the Sash, Trophy and of course the facebook 'Likes' on the pictures.

Even the audience of such shows are not from the industry and you can't expect much out of it. 

So all you aspiring models beware of such contests and shows if you really want to make big in this industry.

Its always better to do few good shows rather than wasting your time doing many bad shows. Choice is yours.

Your comments are highly appreciated. 

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Onder Ozkan to showcase his collection in India

International Designer and the winner of 'Emerging Designer 2011 at MIAMI INTERNATIONAL FASHION WEEK, ONDER OZKAN will showcase his Collection at the FASHION FORECAST 12/13 at MISS TOURISM UTTAR PRADESH 2012 Contest organized by MELANGE Events.

Stranger in Paradise by Onder Ozkan

Stranger in Paradise by Onder Ozkan

Stranger in Paradise by Onder Ozkan

Stranger in Paradise by Onder Ozkan

Stranger in Paradise by Onder Ozkan

Stranger in Paradise by Onder Ozkan

Stranger in Paradise by Onder Ozkan

Stranger in Paradise by Onder Ozkan

Stranger in Paradise by Onder Ozkan

 

All the pictures are from internet. 

The word 'Waste hai' inspires me....!

Waste hai!(It's a waste) is such a commonly used words in our day to day life that you really don't take it seriously unless it is used against you. Then it pulls you down and makes you feel miserable. Last night exactly the same thing happened. As I am all set for my next event - Miss Tourism Uttar Pradesh 2012, so I posted some of the photos on the official page of MTUP on facebook
www.facebook.com/misstourism.uttarpradesh.
Within few seconds I started getting  feedback from the people. And one comment read "WASTE HAI". Out of sheer anger I deleted the comment.
Then I started thinking about the comment and I realized this is not the first time I was getting this kind of reaction. I have been hearing this a lot ever since I thought of making a mark for myself.

10 years back when I decided to shift my base from Mumbai to Lucknow everyone said, tumhara base shift karna waste hai (shifting your base is a wastage). Everyone thought there is nothing stored in Lucknow for a fashion professional. 'There are no opportunity in Lucknow, Mumbai is the place for fashion and you have been doing good for yourself", they reasoned out. They were not wrong. But for me it was the biggest opportunity to create a fashion industry here in Lucknow. And today 10 years later we are the National Director - India for two International Beauty Pageant.

Same thing happened when I decided to work exclusively on KHADI and handloom fabric only. In 2006 when  I made this decision again the same comment popped up. 'Why are you wasting your time and energy on a fabric that is considered to be the uniform of netas(Politicians)', they would ask. But I simply fell in love with the fabric and saw its relevance in the future. And today I I am known for it. It gave me an  identity. Today every one is acknowledging its worth. Mega fashion event like Lakme Fashion Week dedicates a day to these fabrics.

So now when I again thought of the last night comment on FB, I was rest assured some day in the near future Miss Tourism Uttar Pradesh would be one of the most coveted crown by every standard.

I really don't  know what does it means to you, when someone says 'waste hai' to your ideas. For me it only means that my ideas are way ahead or something that has not been tried upon. And it means I have to work harder and give my 200% to it to make it happen, so that by the end of the day I should be able to say, "Tab shayed waste tha but ab nahi hai(Probably then it was not relevant but today it is)".

  

KHADI: The fabric of India

Today, as  I was browsing through the YouTube I came across this beautiful short film on Khadi by Kanika Myer.
A must watch...!

KHADI COLLECTION

Khadi Collection under the label 'IN SYNC - basant anuj'

www.insyncbasantanuj.in

FASHION NIGHT @ DE MELANGE - Lifestyle Lounge

Thursday night was dedicated to fashion at DE MELANGE - Lifestyle Lounge. We called it 'FASHION NIGHT @ DE MELANGE'. Within no time the lounge became the hub for the fashion professionals and the fashion lover to connect.

Lounge owner Anuj Singh & Basant Rai