EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH STYLE CRACKER TIA PARANJAPE ABOUT THE BOROUGH LOOKS

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH STYLE CRACKER TIA PARANJAPE ABOUT THE BOROUGH LOOKS

It’s StyleCracker Borough time! One of the most popular events in Mumbai to be held at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse on the 28th and 29th of November and this time, the SC Borough will see pop up shops, live bands and food counters in plenty. So if you’re a fashionista, a foodie, a music aficionado, this is the place to be this weekend. To know more on what goes into creating an event as exciting as this, we caught up with Tia Paranjape—Associate Director at StyleCracker, the girl who’s trying to make the world a stylish place!

StyleCracker aims at providing styling solutions at affordable rates. How fulfilling has the journey been?
Oh I can’t tell you how amazing it has been! We started in May 2013 and just a few days back, I was in office working late and I happened to come across this frame that has all our initial press releases. So I realised we’ve come a really long way. You know our first StyleCracker Borough too launched in 2013. We did it in a bungalow on Worli Seaface. It had about 12 brands and today, we have about 130 brands presenting their collection at the Borough. We are also launching our mobile app at the Borough, which is so exciting! So yes, it has been fantastic to see us grow and learn so much.

What was the one reason behind the creation of a unique platform like StyleCracker?
Well, Archana (Walavalkar) and Dhimaan (Shah) are the founders. They have been friends for a while. Archana was the Fashion Editor at Vogue India and they were just having a conversation one day when Dhimaan came up with the concept and they decided to give this a shot. But you have to understand that the biggest reason behind this is that there is a need for something like this. We have so many e-commerce platforms and so many brands but people need to know what is right for them, they need to understand what works for their personal style and what fits in their budget. So I guess we really wanted to create a one-stop shop for all things style through this platform.

What has been your biggest challenge while working on this styling platform?
Of course, we’ve faced challenges like any startup would face. But then a couple of things have been a challenge as well as a support—a team being one of them. We have a really great team. We were a team of 5 and today, we are a team of 50. Building this team and ensuring that you get the right people on board is challenging because you need to find people who have your vision. Another advantage and disadvantage when we just started out was that there was no one else doing what we did. The concept was so raw. Now, there are some who are doing similar things of course but we were the first ones to come up with something like this.

What advice would you give to an aspiring stylist?
I think I’d like to tell them that it’s not going to be an easy job. Don’t come in with rose-coloured glasses. You have to go through all the layers and start at the bottom and climb each rigorous step up. It all looks glamorous but honestly, there’s so much that goes into styling. You have to do the dirty work because it’s all a part of the learning process. It will take you to the top eventually but there’s no escaping that. Styling is physically hard work. Like sourcing is not easy, working on weekends is hardly simple. You have to deal with people’s personalities, ego, etc. Also, maintaining relationships is so important. And you need to respect everyone—from your office boy to the celebrity and the dressman.

The StyleCracker Borough starts tomorrow at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse in Mumbai. Is this the biggest event for your team so far?
It is! The only time we did a two-day Borough was when we did it for the first time. This time, it’s on a big scale. We have a lot of fun things happening. We wish to do something different each time. So this time we have a live band and many cool DJs. We have a bar. We have some amazing food stalls—Terttulia, White Owl, 1 Tablespoon Pizza Kitchen and Bombay Food Truck. The other cool thing is that we are sponsoring a race happening at Mahalaxmi Racecourse on Sunday.

Who are your top five designers at The SC Borough and why?
Well, we have about 130 brands showcasing but I’m really looking forward to Shop Lune. They have really fine jewellery. I also love Popsicle. Designer Akanksha Gajria is doing a special line for us. So I’m looking forward to seeing her collection for the wedding season ahead.

Since this is your biggest event so far, you naturally have high expectations riding on this event…
You know we like to go into the Borough without any expectations. We’ve really pushed marketing this time. We did billboards across the city, radio ads and newspaper inserts. We’ve personally called all our supporters and invited them.

Moving away, you've styled plenty of celebrities too. Who has been your favourite so far?
Imran Khan without a doubt! I feel like he has an amazing sense of style himself. He teaches us. You always learn something new when you work with him.

Finally, where do you see StyleCracker 5 years down the line?
I hope StyleCracker will be in your pocket, mobile, everywhere. It should be what you’re wearing, where you’re going; you must take it wherever you go!

diy#HEALTH CARE#5 REASONS TO DITCH THE GYM AND GO RUNNING INSTEAD

5 REASONS TO DITCH THE GYM AND GO RUNNING INSTEAD

If you’re bored of your gym routine and looking out for something that’s just as effective, try going for a run instead. Apart from being an all round exercise that can benefit people of any age, here are 5 solid reasons why you should take it up on a regular basis…

The wind resistance helps you workout better 

When you run outside you tend to exercise harder since apart from exerting your body you tend to fight the wind and end up burning more calories as compared to a treadmill. So the next time it’s windy, going for a run might prove to be a better, result-oriented workout.

Running fights off common cold 

Running stimulates your immune system and can help you fight a common cold. So when you are starting to feel sick, go run for 30 minutes to get rid of it before it takes hold.

It’s good for the memory 

When we run our brain pumps out endocannabinoids aka happy hormones which improve mood and the quality of your sleep.  So technically speaking, running is great if you need a quick mood elevator or are having trouble falling asleep.

It can never get monotonous 

Running opens you up to several outdoor options. You can choose beaches, gardens, parks, hills, streets and even open grounds to workout. Gym can get boring and monotonous with the same machines and interiors.

Vitamin D 

One of the most essential vitamins your body needs is Vitamin D, a daily dose of which is obtainable by spending some time in the Sun. A run pre 8 am should do you some good in this department.

diy#learn easy ways to REMOVE DARK SPOTS FROM YOUR FACE

HOW TO REMOVE DARK SPOTS FROM YOUR FACE

We’re not quite sure how much of our mind space is consumed by issues related to our skin every month, but we could easily approximate it to about 60%. Among them are the usual culprits—acne, redness, dark circles. A recent entrant has been dark spots. Scientifically speaking, dark spots appear due to an excess of melanin content (the pigment that gives your skin its colour.) Turns out, the melanin increases when the skin’s trying to shield itself from the sun. The UV rays oxidise melanin leading to these dark spots. However, apart from the big ball of fire there are other factors that can cause an uneven skin tone and brown spots as well. Read on as we try to get to the bottom of the issue and offer you some solutions…

Choose the right face wash 

When it comes to fighting facial dark spots you need something far more than just a fairness product. You need to resort to products that delve deeper into your specific problem and target them individually. Luckily Pond’s White Beauty Daily Spot Less Lightening Facial Foam is one such product that works to not only cleanse deeply but also remove dead skin cells, fight dark spots and uncover bright skin cells.

Top that up with a moisturiser meant for your skin 

Designed specifically to target facial spots and lighten uneven skin tones, the Pond’s White Beauty Daily Spot-less Lightening Cream is a formula that works to absorb and fade out dark spots; and its antioxidant lightening action works to lighten dark circles. What’s more, this cream is a magic potion in a bottle that is well armed to fight all kinds of uneven skin tone and can also double up as your daily anti-spot fairness cream with UVA and UVB protection.

Natural ways to fight dark spots 

Consuming the right food for flawless skin is the most effective way to fight skin problems. For dark spots; buttermilk, apple cider vinegar and aloe vera gelprove beneficial as they help clear out blemishes and facial acne. Applying lemon peels also helps lighten uneven skin tone as it has bleaching properties. These are our tried and tested home remedies for flawless skin.

So go ahead, try out these effective tricks and methods and get rid of dark spots forever ‘coz remember, nothing gives you more confidence than flaunting stunning skin.

diy#LEARN 13 EASY N QUICK WAYS TO TAKE YOUR SMALL BUSINESS TO GREAT HEIGHTS..

I hear this question a lot from executives at small and even mid-size companies. Most are focused on growing as fast as possible — as they should be, especially as competition intensifies. However, many growing businesses eventually hit a wall of operational constraints that limit their ability to deliver goods and services or to branch out into new markets. They simply can’t grow anymore because their businesses are running on a patchwork of processes, organizational structures, and IT systems that are too complex and can’t scale and adapt.

In a recent case study, Sharon Romem, vice president of business development at Weight Watchers Israel said, “When we expanded [our business], we increased the number of weekly meetings from 150 to 450. To help manage this growth, we needed to replace the numerous management applications we were using with a single application that allowed for efficient and coordinated communication and collaboration across multiple departments.”

Does this sound familiar? Too many businesses are relying on multiple systems that don’t work effectively together, and they only think about simplification when they have already started to grow. But if you start to think about running simple while your business is still small, you can avoid the cost and frustration of being bogged down with a fragmented legacy system in the future.

Here are 4 simple (and free) things you can do to get that passion back into employees. These are all based on research from Deloitte.

1.  Encourage side projects

Employees feel overworked and underappreciated, so as leaders, we need to stop overloading them to the point where they can’t handle the workload. Let them explore their own passions and interests, and work on side projects. Ideally, they wouldn’t have to be related to the company, but if you’re worried about them wasting time, you can set that boundary that it has to be related to the company. What this does, is give them autonomy, and let them improve on their skills (mastery), two of the biggest motivators for work.

Employees feel overworked and underappreciated, so as leaders, we need to stop overloading them to the point where they can’t handle the workload.

2.  Encourage workers to engage with customers

At Wistia, a video hosting company, they make everyone in the company do customer support during their onboarding, and they often rotate people into customer support. When I asked Chris, their CEO, why they do this, he mentioned to me that it’s so every single person in the company understands how their customers are using their product. What pains they’re having, what they like about it, it gets everyone on the same page. It keeps all employees in the loop, and can really motivate you to work when you’re talking directly with customers.

3.  Encourage workers to work cross-functionally

Both Apple and Google have created common areas in their offices, specifically and strategically located, so that different workers that don’t normally interact with each other can have a chance to chat.

This isn’t a coincidence. It’s meant for that collaborative learning, and building those relationships with your colleagues.

4.  Encourage networking in their industry

This is similar to number 2 on the list, but it’s important for employees to grow and learn more about what they do. It helps them build that passion for their industry. It’s important to go to networking events, and encourage your employees to participate in these things. Websites like Eventbrite or Meetup have lots of great resources, and most of the events on there are free.

What do you do to increase employee engagement? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Bigg Boss 9#LATEST NEWS#Fights between Rishabh-Prince-Aman EXCLUSIVE

Bigg Boss 9: Fights between Rishabh-Prince-Aman and Mandana-Rochelle shake up the house!

It's Double Trouble time inside the Bigg Boss house as everyone is turning against each other for various reasons.

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Day 38 inside the Bigg Boss house saw some of the worst fights as well. Not one, not two, but three fights shake up the scenario inside the house of terror.

While the luxury budget task has already caused a rift among the contestants week over week, Mandana's fake eviction came with a surprise twist. What was it? Bigg Boss informed housemates that Mandana has been kept in a secret room and every time a particular red light flashes, the entire house has to bitch about Mandana, giving her the impression that they hate her. 

In the course of doing so, Mandana who's unaware of this khufiya task, gets really angry at Rochelle and Aman and lambasts the IPL anchor for back-stabbing her. But it's not her fault, Mandana. After all, Bigg Boss also announced that the names Mandana takes will be directly safe from evictions this week.Another fight which happened inside the house was between Rishabh and Aman. Rishabh used Aman's towel without letting him know and this lead to an argument between the two. But soon things were fine between them.

But the biggest fight of the day was definitely between Prince and Rishabh who went almost head to head against each other. Cause of fight? An argument over who will eat how many parathas inside the house. Like really? However strange it sounds, the two contestants had a major showdown over the same and didn't stop from showering each other with abuses. 

COMEBACK#BOLLYWOOD’S MOST MEMORABLE AND ICONIC OUTFITS

COMEBACK OF BOLLYWOOD’S MOST MEMORABLE AND ICONIC OUTFITS

Whether you’re a Bollywood fan or not, there will still be some Bollywood films that you will have seen and loved. Some Bollywood movies, songs and moments are just too iconic for anyone to miss. Well the fashion fanatics that we are, we have decided to bring you some of the Bollywood’s most iconic outfits that have managed to acquire cult status. Take a look…

Madhubala’s anarkali in ‘Mughal-E-Azam’ 

Madhubala's mint and red, heavily embellished costume in the song is iconic in every sense of the word. In fact, it is safe to say that it set the tone for all those anarkalis that we see trending today. Made in red and mint colour combination, the outfit was a big fashion risk for those times.

Picture credit: Google

Mumtaz’s wrapped saree in ‘Brahmachari’ 

Mumtaz’s wraparound sarees became one of the most celebrated saree trends ever! When Mumtaz shook in tandem with the legendary song, ‘Aj kal tere mere pyaar ke charchey’, wrapped in the gorgeous orange-tangerine saree she created waves in the fashion circuit.

Picture credit: FashionLiveMedia

Rekha’s anarkali in ‘Umrao Jaan’ 

Rekha in that golden and white, pearl hued brocade dress immortalised the ‘Umrao Jaan’ look such that no one has been able to replicate it quite as perfectly in these many years. There have been many Umraos since then but the magic that Rekha’s Umrao dress spelled remains unmatched.

Picture credit: Firstpost

Dimple Kapadia’s polka dotted blouse in Bobby 

Dimple Kapadia's hot and saucy retro look in the polka dotted tie-up top and black short skirt became a huge rage amongst teenage girls of the 70s. Not only did the look become a fashion staple of that era but has also been replicated and altered many times post that.

Picture credit: Pinkvilla

Madhuri Dixit’s purple backless saree in Hum Aapke Hain Koun 

When it comes to Madhuri Dixit there are many iconic songs and outfits that will all qualify to make it to this list but our favourite continues to remain the purple saree and that gorgeous backless blouse from the very popular ‘Didi tera devar deewana’ number. The song still continues to be a rage in the wedding functions and the outfit still remains etched in our memories.

Picture credit: Fanpop

Kareena Kapoor’s T-shirt and patialas in Jab We Met 

Casual, comfy and desi cool to the hilt, the look became quite a trend after Kareena Kapoor’s characterisation of the bold and beautiful sikhnii, Geet. Long T-shirts teamed with patialas are this generation’s go to comfort clothing after Kareena’s ‘Jab We Met’ stunt.

Picture credit: Bollywood Celebden

Kajol’s green lehenga in DDLJ 

It’s almost been twenty years since the movie released but Kajol’s green wedding outfit from DDLJ continues to be etched in our minds even today. This dulhaniya, when in her green outfit shook a leg to Doli saja ke rakhna, the song went on to become a wedding anthem.

Picture credit: Rediff

LRT DIARIES#THE BEST DRESSED CELEBS#BOLLYWOOD DIWALI PARTIES

LRT DIARIES—THE BEST DRESSED CELEBS FROM BOLLYWOOD DIWALI PARTIES

Bollywood went through its rounds of Diwali parties—nay, extravaganza—this week. Some of the biggest parties were thrown by the Bachchan household, Akshay Kumar, Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra, Hrithik Roshan, Ekta Kapoor and fashion designer Manish Malhotra. All these events saw a lot of celebs dressed in some of the finest Indian traditional attire designed by top Indian designers. Here we pick the best dressed Bollywood stars from the last week of parties and revelry.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in a stunning deep pinkish red and gold Manish Malhotra outfit definitely makes the cut. She matched her lip colour to the outfit, defined her eyes with lovely, thick, wing-tipped eyeliner and accessorized with earrings. The simplicity of the styling and the perfect choice of colours and accessories make Aishwarya stand out.

Kareena Kapoor Khan was seen in a shimmery Sabyasachi belted anarkali in brown, beige and Gold. With gorgeous chand balis, loads of mascara, kolh lined eyes and just a lovely line of sindoor, Kareena nails the festive look. The brown and gold clutch (also by Sabyasachi) is the perfect accessory for her outfit.

Sonam Kapoor was seen wearing a sheer sari with plenty of glitter by fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani. The deep cut blouse showing ample cleavage was definitely a head turner. Sonam, of course, wore the sexy outfit with ease and made it look absolutely divine. As usual she was bang on with her styling also, choosing to style her hair in a center parted bun, keeping her makeup quite subtle otherwise. Big thumbs up for this ultra glamorous look.

Shilpa Shetty was definitely partial to blue this festive season. She wore a stunning blue lehenga by designer Manish Malhotra (and was seen previously, also in blue. She had worn a corset sari by designer Tarun Tahiliani). With plenty of bling on her outfit, Shilpa chose a pair of statement diamond earrings and bangles to add to the festive look and kept her hair open. Husband Raj Kundra sweetly matched his outfit colour to hers!

Neha Dhupia wore a simple, yet very beautiful sari in traditional colours- red with gold work by designer Payal Singhal. She accesorised with lovely gold jewellery, carried a black clutch and finished her look with rosy cheeks and an updo.

Sophie Choudry looked gorgeous in a lehenga in hot pink and gold with the large statement earrings and hand jewellery that looked beautiful, as did the gold clutch.

Karisma Kapoor stood out simply because of her choice of colour. She picked a bright yellow anarkali (again) by designer Manish Malhotra.

Its great to see the ladies of Bollywood come out to celebrate in gorgeous outfits and make the festive season a bit brighter.