Kurtas have a great traditional-cultural significance in India. Kurtas are typically worn over loose shalwars or tight churidaars. Kurtas are also worn atop dhotis. Dhoti is traditional clothing of men hailing from rural or semi-rural areas of the subcontinent. A dhoti is a long piece of cotton cloth that is wrapped around the legs intricately and tucked near the belly.

In India Muslim men wear kurtas for the Friday prayers. Kurtas made of costly fabric are worn traditionally all over India by men belonging to all regions and cultures during wedding ceremonies and other related events. Designer kurtas for wedding are available in almost all popular cloth showrooms in India. Embroidered (gold and silk thread) kurtas and American diamond studded kurtas will be available in plush showrooms and the price range could be anywhere between INR 750 to INR 10,000.

Lucknowi chikaan kurtas and khaadi kurtas too be purchased from specific outlets from all metropolitan cities and semi-urban towns of India. Lucknowi chikaan kurtas are hot favorite among Indian men. The price of Lucknowi kurtas and Khaadi kurtas ranges from INR 200 to INR 3,500.

A simple cotton kurta can also be gotten stitched by a tailor. The sleeves of kurta usually fall unto the wrists. The necks can be modified and embroidered to improve the look of the garment. The South Asian tailor’s expertise in designing a kurta stands unparalleled. The buttons are replaced by precious stones and other attractive accessories to enhance the price and look of the garment.

The shorter version of kurta is called kurti and is worn by women usually as a blouse atop jeans or leggings. It is a typical mix of Indian and Western apparel culture. These days kurtis are in vogue and generally preferred as an informal/casual wear to offices and colleges. The lesser intricacy of the garment and lesser draping time makes it a hot favorite among girls and women.

Typically kurtis are made of thinner fabric. Kurtis are colorful unlike the kurtas. Kurtas come in limited color range whereas kurtis come in iridescent hues, embroideries, baathik prints and possible adornments that would make the women’s apparel exquisitely unique. Kurtis although popular among younger girls are worn by women of all age groups. The size range too is available unto the maximum.

Cotton kurtis having bobby dots, baathik print, or painted in natural dyes or Rajasthani cotton kurtis are worn during summers. Satin, chiffon or spun kurtis can be worn on a regular basis. The price range of kurtis is from INR 150 to INR 5000. Kurtis can be purchased from any Women apparel showroom. The price of kurti depends upon the quality of the fabric, intricacy of embroidery, the thread used for embroidery ( gold, silk) and the quality of buttons ( sometimes germs, pearls, and other costly stones replace the regular buttons).

Kurtas and kurtis are popular because of the level of comfort they offer. Kurtas, kurtis or tunics come in various hues like mauve, maroon, pink, magenta, red, violets and purples. They come stitched in finest cotton, georgette, crape, sati, khaadi and spun. Choose the one that suits your complexion and persona. Mentioned underneath are the tunics and tunics that are in vogue. You can even have a look at the price tag.

Black and white zebra print kurti – INR 260

South Indian handloom kurti with gold block design – INR 175

Cotton tunics with brocket printed chatai work (latest) –INR 500

Indian traditional silk crush kurti with machine embroidery – INR 900

Plain cotton kurtis with multiple colored embroidery – INR 440

Printed tunic cotton top with pink and black thread embroidery – INR 260

Designer Indian kurtis printed black and white screen – INR 700

You can just barge into any apparel showroom and select the kurta/kurti that is the latest.

Please share any information regarding the Indian kurtas, kurtis and tunics that you know. We would be extremely glad to hear from you.

Anu Veluri

The first and foremost hair care includes washing. You must wash your hair with good shampoo that suits you as often as you can, so that the oil and dirt which clog the hair scalp and results in poor hair condition can be removed. Do not rub your hair harshly while shampooing as this will destroy your hair strands. Always pat dry your hair. Excessive use of blow dryer causes damage to the hair. Use natural remedies like, gently heated mixture of lavender oil and coconut oil. Twice a week massage your scalp in the night with this oil and leave it overnight and wash hair next day. You will see that you have  very fine hair after the wash.

If you have oily hair then no need for conditioning but if you have dry and colored hair then it requires conditioning. The best natural remedy is egg. Use two eggs’ white and one egg yolk. Mix them well and apply evenly all over your hair and wash with cold water. To remove the smell of egg, add few drops of vinegar in your bucket then wash hair. Use this hair pack once a week.

Dandruff is one of the worst and common problem for hair. When shedding of the dead skin of scalp occurs in the form of flakes, it is called dandruff. A very good remedy for dandruff is fenugreek seeds. Make paste and apply on the scalp let it dry then wash with cold water. Use this paste first two weeks twice and then once a week after it.

Repeated coloring may damage your hair so avoid it as much as you can. If you want to color your hair naturally then use mehandi and beet root water as it gives natural color to your hair.

Use wide toothed comb and brushes for combing your hair. Sharp bristles and comb can cause damage to hair and scalp so be careful. Consumption of protein rich foods is also beneficial for hairs like rajma, egg, fish, dal, groundnut, walnut etc.

So the bottom-line is we generally do lots of damage to our hair and are very harsh to our hair indirectly. Since the men hair care regime is a critical part of men’s grooming so always go forgood styling products and take proper hair care. Follow these simple tips for an improved look, feel and health of the hair as it plays a big role in appearance.

Shilpi Prasad

Few decades ago, women preferred heavy and traditional gold jewellery. However, today’s women like their jewellery ornaments to be more of a style and fashion statement with beautiful and unique designs.

New-age jewellery brands understands how important is jewellery in women’s life and how to cater to their requirements these days.

Below are mentioned names of some of the best Indian jewellery brands in India:

• Tanishq: Tanishq, part of Titan industries limited, is one of the best and the most popular jewellery brand in India.  Tanishq jewellery brand came into existence in 1990’s and launched its first ever range of jewellery and jewellery watches in 1994, primarily for American and European markets.
  However, after the success of the brand, numerous stores (around 70) were opened across India and the brand soon become synonym of purity and quality.
• Nakshatra: Another top and very famous jewellery brand in Indian market today is, Nakshatra that means star constellation. The renowned brand has managed to crave a distinct identity for itself with its exquisite range of diamond jewellery.
  One thing that adds to Nakshatra Diamond jewellery’s popularity is that brand not just provides amazing designs to pick from but also tries to set reasonable prices to make jewellery affordable to women from all segments of the society.
  The Nakshatra brand was launched in 2000, and to everyone’s surprise became a brand to be reckoned with in record time of three-years.
• Nirvana: Nirvana, touted as one of the best in providing fashion jewellery, it stores in 25 cities in India. The company not just believes in offering quality jewellery top its customers but believes that today’s modern women needs jewelry that reflects their personality.
  Nirvana primarily caters to modern women who buys jewellery not because it’s valuable but as a style and fashion statement. It offers wide-range of products like bracelets, rings, necklaces, pendants etc. to keep its new-age customers happy.
• D’damas: D’damas, another quality jewellery retailer in today’s market, is the joint venture of Dubai-based Damas Group and Gitanjali Group.
  D’damas is known for providing high-quality jewellery to its customers and offers variety of choices in jewellery to suit every occasion. It has outlets in 159 towns and cities in India and manufactures and market silver, gold, diamond and platinum jewellery across nation.
  It’s headquarter is situated in Mumbai and it has six sub-brands—Vivaaha, DER, Solitaire, Saumya, Lamhe and Giltterati.
• Asmi: Another brand that caters mostly to India’s new-age modern women is Asmi jewellery brand. In company’s word its jewellery is “For The Women of Spirit.”
  Asmi, meaning “I Am” in Sanskrit was launched in 2002 by the Diamond Trading Company, but was later taken over by Gitanjali group. The brands main aim is to provide beautifully designed quality jewellery for the independent women of today.

Priyanka Sharma

Traditionally, Kajal is made at home. It is nothing but accumulated soot of candle/ eaten lamp lighten with ghee on a silver bowl. Home made kajal has special significance during Diwali festival. It is a tradition to collect the soot of luxmi pujan diya. Next morning collected soot is used as kajal.

Despite quoting various benefits of kajal, there is a section of medical fraternity that thoroughly discard the use of kajal on health grounds. They consider it an absolute taboo for new born babies.

Keeping the medical debate aside, kajal has been used as a product which accentuates the beauty of eyes since ages immemorial. It is also considered as a boon for stronger eye sight.  Nowadays, market is flooded with branded kajals. Companies are also manufacturing herbal kajals. Herbal kajal contains natural ingredients like camphor, almond oil; it is a great source to keep your eyes protected and pollution free. Herbal kajal can be put on without worrying over side effects. Indian brands like Himalaya, Lotus, Eyetex offer exclusive range of herbal kajal. It is available in black and brown shades.

There is also a Kajal called Gurlain Terracotta Kajal. It is formulated on ultra pigmentation formula. This Kajal can sparkle your messy bedroom eyes instantly. It can also be used to achieve sultry, hypnotic look.

How to apply Kajal:

Kajal is available in small jar and pencil form. If you are using jar then use your fingertip, and apply it on lower rim of your eye. Open your eye by putting ring finger just below to lower eyelash, pull it gently in lower direction  now use middle finger’s tip to apply kajal. In case of pencil use one hand to widen the eye, then kajal can be applied with the other hand. When applying kajal on your lower rim then it should be started from the innermost corner or from the middle to the outer corner of the eye. Sometimes kajal is applied along the upper rim also.

Below mentioned are leading kajal manufacturing brands. You can purchase them from almost all cosmetic stores across India. Moreover, you can head towards the exclusive outlets of these brands to purchase kajal.  These are available in the form of pencil, liquid liner form. Kajal has a characteristic smudginess. To avoid smudge you can use water proof kajal. Some of the following brands also offer water proof kajal.

Blue Heaven

Chanel

Eyetex

Lakme

Lancom

Lotus

MAC

Maybelline

Revlon

Shenaz

Streetwear

Kajal is also used to define the eyes properly. You can make your small eyes look big with kajal. It is also believe kajal can cure the eye ailments. It is only an eye cosmetic which can wear whole day. So why to leave your eyes plain! Lighten up your eye with tint of kajal.

Shipra Srivastava

In the last few years, Indian designers have not only managed to make their presence felt on nationally but have gathered loads of praise for their work internationally as well.

Below are given names of some of most prominent fashion designers on Indian fashion scene:

1. Manish Malhotra: Manish is one of the most talented and leading fashion designers in the country today. Manish, who’s born and bought up in London, made his debut on Indian fashion scene when he was barely 25-years-old with Bollywood film “Swarg” in which he styled Juhi Chawla.
The 46-year designer certainly has come a long way since then and till this date has styled almost every leading Bollywood actress that includes Karisma Kapoor, Preity Zinta, Madhuri Dixit, Raveena Tandon, Aishwarya Rai, and Rani Mukherjee etc.
In 1998 highly successful designers opened his store “Reverie.” However, the high point of his career came when he got the opportunity to design for pop-icon late Michael Jackson for a Bollywood awards show held at New York.
Reportedly, King of Pop was so impressed with Manish work that he asked the designer to style his Munich show as well.

2. Ritu Beri: who studied fashion designing at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi, has the distinction of being the first Asian designer to head French fashion brand “Scherrer.”
Beri, who started her career by launching her first line of work named “Lavanya” in 1990, also got the distinction of being the first Indian designer, who showcased her work at world’s fashion capital Paris.
She has dressed up both national and international clients. Some of her famous Indian clients are: Madhuri Dixit, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukherji, Shobha De etc. Some of her international clients are former US President Bill Clinton, Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman, Andy McDowell, Prince Charles, Supermodel Laetitia Casta etc.

3. Ritu Kumar: Delhi-based designer, who was born in Amritsar, Punjab, today is the name to be reckoned with in the fashion industry.
One of the highly successful designers, nationally and internationally, Ritu Kumar, not just excels in creating tradition wear but is equally good at making western outfits.
From casual to evening wear to swim wear to formal evening gowns, Ritu Kumar has done it all in her five decade long career.
The versatile designer has also opened her own outlets in India that offers products ranging from conventional to contemporary. Not only this, Ritu has also co-authored a book on the history of art designs and textiles in India called “Costumes and Textiles of Royal India,” published in 1999.

4. Neeta Lulla: is a very famous Indian fashion stylist, who has dressed top Bollywood stars like Sridevi, Tabu, Juhi Chawla, Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan.
Neeta had started her career as an assistant to former Indian leading fashion choreographer, Jeanne Naoroji, in 1980s. Today, Neeta Lulla is a brand name recognized nationally and internationally.
She has designed clothes for numerous films and had received “National Film Award for Best Costume Design” in 2002 and 2009 for films “Devdas” and “Jodhaa Akbar” respectively. She also runs her flagship store in Mumbai.

5. Rohit Bal: One of the highly-successful fashion designers today, Bal, after finishing his studies, started working with his brother’s export company.
He launched his first independent collection (men’s wear) in 1990 and since then had not looked back.
He had numerous national and international celebrity clients in his kitty and has been referred as “India’s master of fabric and fantasy” by TIME magazine in 1996.

Here’s list of some other prominent figures in Indian fashion industry, who are busy making waves nationally and internationally:
• Wendell Rodricks
• J J Vallaya
• Hemant Trivedi
• Tarun Tahiliani
• Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla
• Manish Arora
• Rina Dhaka
• Aki Narula
• Anita Dongre

Priyanka Sharma

Since they often pretend to be someone or something else, to grab attention, they simply love the idea of taking part in a fancy dress competition organized by schools periodically.

Every children taking part in the fancy dress competition wants to look good and wants to win the competition. Sadly, there will be an only one winner in fancy dress competition.

However, you can prepare your child as best as you can and tell him/her to have fun.
Most importantly, ask your little-bundle-of-joy what he/she would like to be at fancy dress competition. They usually know what they would like to dress up as.

Below are listed some really interesting fancy dress ideas for your little one:

Vegetables, Fruits, Animals and Birds: Dressing little kids as vegetables, animals and birds is one very good option for a fancy dress competition.

As vegetables, they can become, Tomato, Potato, Ladyfinger, Cauliflower etc. As fruits, Mango, Apple etc. are some options and as animals, Tiger, Lion, Bear, Cat, Zebra etc. Examples: Various vegetable example, .

As birds, Crow, Eagle, Parrot etc. are some of the options. Dressing little children as a colorful butterfly is also a good indeed. Examples: Parrot, Peacock, BlueBird, Chicken.

Famous Historical Personalities: Children can be dressed as famous historical personalities such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indra Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, Tipu Sultan, King Akbar, Shivaji etc. Example image of fancy dress ideas for kids from the Kendiya Vidyalaya can be seen here.

Superheroes: There are all sorts of superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Tarzan, Spiderman, Wonder woman etc. on television and seeing what these characters can do, children quickly become their fans.

Dressing your child as his/her favorite superhero idol will make them really happy with their part. Children these days are also quite fond of hugely popular boy-wizard Harry Potter. Example: SuperMan

Cartoons Characters: These are inseparable part of any child’s growing up years and they certainly would love to dress up as their favorite cartoon.

Ask your child about his/her favorite cartoon character and consider dress him/her accordingly. Even if your child finds it difficult to make his/her choice, you do not have to worry as there are numerous cartoon characters.

And, even most parents are familiar with cartoons such as Popeye, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald and Daisy Duck, Tweety, Mermaid, Tinkle Bell etc.

Regional Dresses: India is known for its diversity and every region has its unique culture, tradition and quite often a dress code.
Children can be made to dress as a Punjabi girl/boy, South Indian girl/boy, Kashmiri/Rajasthani or Gujrati girl or boy. Example: Various Dresses.

Indian God/Goddesses/Saints: Parents can also opt to dress their children as Indian god or goddesses such as Shiva, Krishna, Lord Ganesha, Hanuman, Raavana, Ram and Sita, Guru Nanak, Sai Baba etc.

Fancy Dress Ideas for Kids as Nature Theme: Nature theme is also very good. You can think of making a tree costume. But this is one of the most common theme now days and also difficult to make. You can try to make an Animal costume. Image Examples for animal theme: Alligator, Elephant, Rabbit,

One of the Mother Nature Example is Given Below.

Fancy Dress Theme as Water: Conservation of water can be a very good theme. Not many parents think about it because of challenges related to making a water dress. However we found a brilliant example of Water Drop Dress by Aadi Nair as a good theme for the competition. Example is Given Below.

Other fancy dress ideas: Cricketer, film actor/actress, policeman, doctor or nurse, princess/prince, joker, teacher, ghost, pirate, fireman etc.

Lastly, do not forget to show up at your child’s fancy dress competition. Your child would not like anything more than his/her parents watching the whole show and cheering him/her.

Boost their confidence by cheering and clapping for them.

Image for fancy dress ideas for kids in India – Fruits

Image for Fancy Dress India – as Gandhi

Priyanka Sharma

There are number of fashion tricks for men as well to look tall. These fashion tricks can create an illusion of looking taller than your actual height. Let’s start with basics of height increasing fashion tips:

Color scheme

Colors play an important role when it comes to looking tall. Avoid wearing clothes in contrast instead embrace monochromatic color scheme. Make sure pattern of fabric should also be same. You can also experiment with jeans. A shirt with nicely fitted jeans is a great combo for appearing taller. Always prefer dark shades to look tall. However do not forget the concept of same color, this will save you any day.

Be particular about fabric pattern and shoes

Pattern of your fabric can also be helpful in looking tall. Like wearing vertical striped clothing such as pinstriped suits and shirts can serve you with a tall appearance. You should wear perfectly fitting clothes; avoid wearing loose baggy clothes. You can always opt for tailor made clothes. Avoid wearing long jackets. Wear heeled or thick soled shoes. Prefer black color for your shoes.

Make gym your favorite place to hang out

A slim body is great add-on to look tall. Bulky body mars height. Especially, take care of your lower abdomen fat. If you have accumulated any extra kilos there; please shed them as soon as possible. As men get older they are more prone to have excessive fat in their belly.
Exercise in gym regularly under the supervision of your fitness trainer. Eat healthy to balance your weight according to your height.

Watch out your body posture

There is always a scope to increase your height by inch or 2 if you maintain correct posture. Make sure you maintain a straight body posture while sitting or standing. Do not slouch over as you walk.  Ensure your shoulders are not bending forward and your back is aligned and not bowed.

Hair length is also important

You can have your favorite hair style but make sure the length of your hair should be short. Short hair emphasizes your neck and shoulder. Seek the help of your hair stylist in choosing a hair cut that will help you in appearing tall.

Shipra Srivastava

Ingredients:

4 cups of sugar
½ cup of Lemon juice
½ cup of water

Preparation:

1. Mix the sugar, water and lemon juice in a sauce pan. Make sure too to mix the ingredients before keeping it on flame.
2. Keep the Sauce pan on a low flame after mixing.
3. Keep stirring the mixture until the sugar solution melts and you have a thick brown liquid. Normally it takes 10 to 15 minutes on low flame.
4. The consistency of the mixture should be soft ball like. It should not be too thick and not too thin.
5. Let it cool and pour into a clean glass jar. Hot sugar wax can burn your skin so don’t rush to use it after it is prepared and it is still hot.

This wax is a natural homemade wax that can be used for waxing for the body. It can be made easily at home and cheap to make. Waxing is one of the few temporary methods of hair removal which is still commonly performed professionally. Waxing does slow down hair growth. It increases growth initially, because hair grows back thicker and longer, but gradually less and less hair will grow back, and if you wax once a month at first, you will need to wax once in two months a few years later, and even less later on.

Shilpi Prasad

Different market names of conditioner:

There are different types of conditioner available in market including moisturizers, re-constructors, acidifiers, thermal protectors, etc. Among these moisturizer is quite common. Market is flooded with branded conditioners. So, question arises how to choose the best conditioner for your hair. It is important to use a conditioner suitable for your hair type.

Use jojoba oil based conditioners for dry, unruly hair. Conditioners with antioxidants work great with dull hair.

If your hair is little greasy then look for conditioner which has tea tree oil.

A spray conditioner works best with oily hair.

Look for volumizing conditioner in case of limp or fine hair.

If your hair is already healthy, then look for conditioner which is made for normal hair.

Natural conditioners for your hair

If you do not wish to resort to market products then apply the following:

Massage your hair with olive and lanolin, and wash them. It will leave your hair soft and manageable.

Apply Mehandi ( henna) at least twice a month.

Apply Shea butter to your hair, and wash them. It improves elasticity and strength of your hair.

Grind a thick paste of tender hibiscus leaves and the petals of the flower together and apply it all over the hair. Leave it for nearly 30 minutes and rinse off with shampoo.

How to apply conditioner:

Conditioner should be applied only after washing your hair with shampoo. Take coin-sized amount of conditioner into your palm and rub it into your hair. Leave conditioner at least for 5-10 minutes on your hair then rinse off with cold water. Never apply conditioner to your scalp. Remember it is important to use conditioner in right way to get best result. Also, keep in mind your hair type when next time you head towards mall to buy conditioner for your precious hair.

Shipra Srivastava

Take bath at least twice during the day. Wash your underarms, genital area and face with specific products available in the market. These areas are more prone to sweat so these parts of body need special care. Your regular bathing soap is not sufficient. Wax your underarms at regular interval to avoid sweat. You can also apply below mentioned magic potions to remain fresh whole the day:

Add few drops of rose water (gulab jal) or tea tree oil in your bathing bucket. This works as natural deodorant.

Apply best quality antiperspirant after taking bath. Market is flooded with antiperspirants, explore the market and find one which suits you best. Some antiperspirant can cause inflammation so be careful. Do patch test first then include in your routine.

Whatever you eat is somewhere related to the smell that your body emits. Avoid eating packed food. Spicy food is also an absolute no no during summers. Reduce the intake of garlic. Also avoid alcohol and tobacco. According to medical experts, smell of proteins, oily and spicy food remains in your body much longer after consumption of such food. This causes body odor more than anything else.

Increase the intake of water and juices. Consume 1 glass of water with wheat grass on empty stomach. Wheat grass is rich in chlorophyll which reduces the body order. Also increase the use of white vinegar, lemon, and tomatoes. These are also useful in controlling body odor.

Be wise in choosing your fabric. Avoid wearing synthetic fabric instead use cotton clothes. These are light and absorb sweat fast. Also, be careful in choosing colors of your attire. Avoid wearing dark colors. Use light colors. Light colors sooth your eyes during summers because light colors absorb less heat so it reduces the chances of sweating. Do not reuse your unwashed clothes.

I hope aforementioned tips will definitely help you stay fresh longer!

Shipra Srivastava