Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Couture ecstasy: In clothes, everything to go from chic to kitsch is on the racks

home > Lifestyle > Auroville’s fashion vistas Bina Bakshi, merinews, 11 December 2007, Tuesday Views: 51 Auroville is a small ‘ville’ (village in French) a few kilometers from Pondicherry right in the middle of Tamil Nadu.
BESIDES BEING the spiritual hub of people from different faiths and walks of life, it’s a discovery of natural foods, organic materials, a holistic way of life, really. What with Solar Energy cooked food, no appliances that create CFCs are used (i.e. air conditioners, microwaves et al), fresh spirulina is served with every meal…
Auroville, the getaway for seekers of The Mother, the aura, the beauty of Matrimandir (A 10-storey high Golden Orb of obeisance to The Mother and self quest) have made Auroville a destination for the truly divined.
I went to Auroville as a must see destination for all its hoopla of community living and international benediction. What I discovered instead was a hub of fashion, comparable to Paris or Belgium. Couture ecstasy is what followed!
Jewellery made from the finest gems, silver wrought around semi precious stones, collars made from sea pearls, bracelets of faceted garnets, classique and marmoreal pearls, zircon, amethyst, topaz set in antique silverwork.
The pottery is available in hues like midnight blues, blazing oranges, brilliant greens and muted browns: beer mugs with hand painted terracotta colors, glazed jewellery boxes, and pots, miniscule and delicate, coaster made of 12 different hues of burgundy. Figurines, statuettes, murtis, if you may have them called!
In clothes, everything to go from chic to kitsch is on the racks: knitwear that hug the curves, Avant-garde fabrics of silk, crepe de chine, crepes hand painted stoles and scarves, team sassily with internationally handcrafted inner wear, Crochet jackets with fur lined collars, leather for bags, Lacquerware for your homes, papier mache Masks, bukris, thongs and table wares in germanised silver …handmade paper lampshades, folios, greeting cards, writing paper, picture frames, note books, hand-pressed paper with infinitely fragrant real flowers, aroma oils, incenses, candles, beauty products, anti ageing applications…trendy boutiques. A shopper’s dreamland together with a shopping attitude.
Bakeries lined with breads of every nationality: French, German, American and Norwegian, exotic food cooked in solar kitchens, spirulina spiked with wine and fresh garden salads were never so delectable.
Auroville is a belvedere experience in discovering how this erstwhile French Colony in Pondicherry has restyled the art of making silver jewellery into fashionable dernier cri.
Paper was never so demulcently stylish.
Mediterranean styled haciendas, white textured walls, trailing bougainvillea, muted music, and Tamil salespeople make up the entire Shopping Vista of this place. Many international brands like Hidesign, Auromode, Maroma, Flames etc have originated from workshops and cottages in its hallowed portals.
A must see for its single trend: simplicity and naturalness.

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