Pop Up Couture : Funky Fish 3rd Edition

Think of a plush five star banquet, high-end brands and an eclectic theme based decor : that’s Funky Fish for you. After the first two editions of Enchanted Garden and Dream Catcher, this year’s theme was “Patakha Pop”. The brands were a mix of apparel, jewellery, footwear, skincare and sweet treats.

What made this couture event unique was the fact that most of these brands had options for customisation like personalised footwear, chocolates, soaps and food hampers. Also loved that they tried to make it a holistic experience by adding a stall from Tarot Tales. Some of the participating brands were Outhouse Jewellery, September Spring, Weave In India etc.

Enjoy the pictures :

Wedding & Lifestyle Exhibition : Jhalak

“Jhalak” : A Hindi word which means ‘glimpse’, and a glimpse into lifestyle and societal trends is what I get at these expos. This one was held in the plush banquet of hotel Holiday Inn, Jaipur. With the festive season coming up, it was the perfect place to shop for ethnic outfits, jewellery, accessories, shoes and a lot more.

These exhibitions with their colourful textiles, beautiful ornaments and quirky accessories give you a chance to witness the real India that comes alive in her streets. There were shoes with Ajrakh and Kalamkari prints, Meenakari done on fabric jewellery, Phulkari embroidered bags and so many traditional crafts conceived in a contemporary manner.

Exploring India is incomplete without food and this is where these expos should work on. Jaipur has so many traditional delicacies to offer, adding them would make it an amazing experience.

Here are the pictures :

 

Travel : Saturday Night Market, Goa

My favorite way to get to know a culture is by getting lost in the markets of the locals. It is the best way to see how people really live, how they eat and interact, and in what they place value. Goa has two such markets, which are held once every week : Anjuna Flea Market and Saturday Night Market at Baga. While the former has more of authentic Goan stuff (new and old), the latter is an amalgamation of people and crafts from all over the country.

This post covers our experience at the Saturday Night Market, which is a panoply of myriad forms of craft, food and music. There were umpteen stalls selling Tibetan jewellery, jute/straw handbags, Goan spices, Tribal silver ornaments, Beachwear, wooden decor and a whole lot of other stuff. For food lovers, the fare ranged from Tibetan momos and Chinese to authentic Goan delicacies and yes lots and lots of alcohol.

Take shopping as an experience of finding a great product from a treasure trove and you will be enchanted. I loved rummaging through the stuff to find that one perfect piece to carry home as a souvenir. And more than shopping, it was a great way to discover Goa and its people beyond beaches.

Travel Tip : The market is usually very crowded so for commuting prefer two-wheeler over four-wheeler.

Here are the pictures :

 

Decor : Anantaya

Anantaya is a lifestyle design studio that is centered on the philosophy of using traditional crafts in a contemporary style. The gamut of products designed include home decor, textiles, lighting, furniture, gifts etc. The store is located in the beautiful environs of Narain Niwas Palace, a place that provides a perfectly apt background for such eclectic products.

What I love most about Anantaya is the fact that there is a deep-rooted tradition behind each of their products, whose relevance has been so elaborately explained and then the product is designed in a completely unconventional way but nowhere losing on the origins. Whether it is the Cresent serve ware or the Lotus mirror, each item has been conceived not only from the beauty perspective but their being conducive to the overall well-being of a house.

There’s also a separate section dedicated to organic skincare with things like soap, lip balm, aroma oils, candles etc. The overall vibe of the store is very calming and uplifting. Visit Anantaya to buy things for your home or gifts for your loved ones or simply to witness the amazingly designed stuff 😊.

Here are pictures from our visit to Anantaya :

Wedding & Lifestyle Exhibition : Aspiration 2nd Edition

Aspiration was one of the first lifestyle expos that we covered for the blog. The decor was vibrant and there were a lot of stalls selling some amazing apparel and accessories. I could not resist the temptation and did buy some chic accessories. This year’s expo had an even elaborate decor and a wide variety of participating shops, though most of the stuff was all about the bling with ornamentation and embellishments. Since there is no wedding that i have been invited to in near future, i did not buy anything thankfully 😉

Here are the pictures :