The Bob

A bob cut or bob is a short haircut for women (and occasionally men) in which the hair is typically cut straight around the head at about jaw-level, often with a fringe (or "bangs") at the front.The bob cut gained popularity amongst the most fashion forward and advanced women during the 1920s in the pre-war times.Later in the 1960s Vidal Sassoon revived it by giving it a new angle and making it more stylish with a lot of celebs of the 60s sporting the bob cut.The 2000s has again saw the coming back of the bob cut or lob in its various avatars making it very popular with celebrities and further being adopted by fashion forward women. Here are a few variations of the bob and the lob:

• The Variations in the Bob

• The Lob

The Lob is a longer version of the Bob. 

So what are you waiting for?! Try these hot new hairstyles to give yourself an ultra glam look.

Boho Chic

Always loved the hippies ' 70's style fashion or what you call these days Boho chic or Bohemian chic. There are several ways to describe this style of fashion or clothing or lifestyle-Style of the unconventional person, a person who doesn't follow the rules. Includes the way the gypsies or the nomads would dress-up with a relaxed and casual element to it. Its very retro, reminding us of the 70's flower child movement or style. This look, owed much to the hippie styles that developed in the middle to late 1960s, became especially popular in this century after Sienna Miller's appearance at the Glastonbury Festival in 2004, 

By the spring of 2005, boho was almost ubiquitous in parts of London and was invading stores in almost every British high street.Its adherents were sometimes referred to as "Siennas", this eponym even being applied to Miller herself: "Sienna's Sienna-ishness", as Jessica Brinton put it in the Sunday Times in 2007.Features included "floaty" skirts (notably long white ones), furry gilets, embroidered tunics, cropped jackets, large faux-coin belts, sheepskin (UGG) boots and cowboy boots, baggy cardigans and "hobo bags". Demand was so great that there were allegations the following year of some sub-contractors' having used cheap child labour in India for zari embroidery and beading.

Since then it has progressed a lot and increasingly seeped into our wardrobes, what with style icons like-Janis Joplin, Kate Moss, Sienna Miller, Nicole Richie,Vanessa Hudgens, Alexa Chung and the Olsen Twins making a statement with this style of clothing.

The Coachella Arts and Music festival in California, USA is a place where bohemian style of clothing is seen in full swing and it is now popularly termed as festival or coachella fashion. Celebrities like Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner, Vanessa Hudgens, Nicole Richie, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Gigi Hadid and a whole range of other celebrities flaunt boho style of clothing at the festival.

I am a big fan of Free People clothing as their clothes are a true representation of bohemian style of clothing. There are also a lot of brands which are selling a whole range of boho chic clothing.
Boho Blouse with flared jeans, tasseled bag,


A Kimono with denim shorts-Kimono is a very popular trend this season

A Boho Style front slit dress with silver jewellery and Bandana

Some of the looks include-Crochet cropped tops,skirts, kimonos, tassels, boots, gladiators, flared pants, off shoulder dresses fringes, gypsy style skirts and maxi dresses. People literally go wild in showcasing their bohemian side during this festival.

Boho style includes a lot of use of Indian prints, moroccan prints, embroideries from India, Mexico and Morocco, floral embroideries, gypsy, african embroideries and prints, silver jewellery, chunky jewellery, feathers and plaited and wavy hair, boots, tie-on sandals, gladiators, tassels and headbands, bandanas, maxi style dresses, kaftans, crochet, ponchos, kimonos, billowy tops with flared sleeves, distressed denims, flowy short dresses, ties, flared jeans and pants, slouchy pants, printed pants. gypsy skirts, maxi skirts, printed rompers, harem pants, ruched and smoked blouses, scalloped skirts and blouses, peasant style blouses, beaded blouses and dresses.

Below are a few pics representing bohemian style:

In India the bohemian or hippy look was adopted by a segment since the advent of the hippies in Goa and the 70's style evolution. Since then it has gathered further momentum in the past few years with indigenous brands like Anokhi, Fab India, People Tree, Global Desi, designers like Malani Ramani, Manish Arora, Nida Mahmood and Anita Dongre. These brands have incorporated indian embroideries and prints in a mishmash of western and indian silhouettes to create a beautiful, uniquely Indian bohemian look which is being lapped up the world over.

Anokhi

There will be a following article on the Indian Bohemian look.

Pondicherry-The French Riviera of the East

Visiting Pondicherry had been a long cherished dream. I had seen numerous programs on television depicting Pondicherry and this place has fascinated me always. The calm and peace, the sea air and the beautiful French colonial architecture and the cobbled streets promised something ethereal and a true blue French experience out of France. 

There is a strong French influence in the city, especially in the old quarters, with Rues and Boulevards lined with Mediterranean style houses and bakeries, although the city remains very much Indian. French is still understood, and the whole city makes for a rather pleasant mix of East and West.

The Bay of Bengal

Mostly people travel to Pondicherry via Chennai as it is situated 160 km north of the city. Getting to Pondicherry involves a three hour road journey from Chennai. But since I was visiting Hyderabad, I decided to take a Volvo bus which took us around 13 to 14 hrs to reach. I know not a very wise decision but then I wasn't sure if I was ever going to visit Chennai. The Bus journey obviously was tiring and tedious although the Volvo buses are really good and comfortable. 
Anyway, once we reached Pondi we, i.e. my Mom and brother, took an auto-rickshaw for a 100 bucks and reached our Guesthouse-Le Escale on Rue Dumas in a quaint alley behind the beach Promenade and very close to the ocean. A quaint little French guesthouse with narrow stairs and nice view of the Ocean from its terrace which has been turned into a lovely eating area where we had a sumptuous French breakfast the day we arrived. The owner was very nice to give us maps and instructions to explore the area. 

The Beach Promenade

Le Escale Guesthouse

It is best to travel in Pondicherry by auto-rickshaws or by foot or by hiring a cycle, scootie or a bike on a reasonable rate. The first day we hired a cab for 6 hours, which was a big mistake, as the auto drivers are the best bet to travel in and around Pondi. The cab driver took us for a ride. We first went to Auroville which I found really beautiful, reminded me of South Goa. The tranquility of its surroundings was incredible. The longwalk to the Matrimandir can get a bit tiring. Once we reached the Matrimandir my Mom was a bit disappointed as it was a Gold round ball of a structure. The outside is plated with gold, while the inside houses a space bathed in warm colored light, with white marble and geometric patterns. In order to experience Matrimandir, first head to Visitor's Center to watch a short film about the history of Matrimandir and Auroville (this is required for going to see the Matrimandir inside or outside). Then you can ask at the desk for a viewing point pass. They will direct you along a walking path to the viewing point where you can see the Matrimandir from a distance. If you want to go inside the Matrimandir, you must then go to the Matrimandir Tour Booking at Guest Accommodation Services (upstairs at Visitor's Center) and get a pass for the tour. You are told to come the next day. The Botanical garden, the Banyan tree and the Visitor center were splendid.From there we headed out to the Auro beach. Although considered one of the best beaches on India's Eastern Coastline it was very polluted. I must say I was a bit disappointed. 

Auro beach

If you like you can head out to the Serenity beach from there. A more tranquil and cleaner beach. Mostly frequently by foreigners and surfers.I loved it here.

Serenity beach

Alliance Francaise

The Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception

                                         

The Church of Our Lady of Angels

A Surfer at the Serenity beach

Coming back to Pondicherry, there is not much one is expected to do at Pondi. It is a very laid back place. Nevertheless, beautiful. Pondicherry is famous for the Shri Aurobindo Ashram where one can meditate or checkout the library to buy books. There are several buildings all over Pondi affiliated to the Ashram. I found the place a bit stoic and pretentious as  the visitors were constantly shushed and there was not much freedom to move around the ashram. Offered prayers at the beautiful Ganesha Temple, Sri Manakula Vinayagar Temple. A wonderful spiritual experience. 
There are a number of old and large churches in Pondicherry, most of which were built in the 18th and 19th centuries. A number of heritage buildings and monuments are present around the Promenade Beach, such as the Children's Park & Dupleix Statue, Gandhi statue, Nehru Statue, Le Café, French War Memorial, 19th Century Light House, Bharathi Park, Governors Palace, French War Memorial, Romain Rolland Library, Legislative Assembly, Pondicherry Museum and the French Institute of Pondicherry at Saint-Louis Street. A leisurely walk by the beach promenade which is bustling with activity, brunch by the Sea at the Le cafe( a bit overrated place but go there for the experience of sitting by the sea and having a cup of coffee or tea with snacks), an evening snack consisting of quiches, eclairs, etc at the Bakery Street cafe, dinner at the Bamboo Garden restaurant, one just couldn't get enough of this place. Pondicherry is known for its wide variety of cuisines ranging from South Indian delicacies to seafood.French influence can be seen to some extent in the local food. The best options are still the local delicacies; the excellent seafood. Good French food is available at restaurants around the French part of town. The Shopping experience is also quite nice in both Auroville and Pondicherry. I particularly loved a shop called Kalki and a boutique selling Auroville products, including designer clothes, soaps, incense, aromatic bath oils, jewelry ,etc. You can also buy hippy clothes from streetside vendors, hammocks, leather bags from Hidesign... Shopping could be real fun here.. The whole vibe here is of Bohemian-chic and New Age meets Old World..

Two days are more than enough to cover all spots leisurely. As for me I would have loved to stay for more days in order to take in the surroundings on a leisurely pace. Enjoy the walks around the Pondicherry city, shop at the marketplaces, checkout the cultural centers, visit the Ashram, stroll around Beach Promenade and so much more. I will definitely go back there as this one visit made me want more out of this place...

The Gandhi Statue at the Beach Promenade

Raj Niwas

Something Unique in Shoes

SimpleSizzl is a website helping out indigenous designers. I have a fetish for shoes and I came across a collection by Al Artz which amazing unique and very funky. They are made up of non-chip leather and hand painted. http://www.simplysizzl.in/Products/DesignerIndex?DesignerId=100044.
These shoes can be paired with denims, skirts and shorts.. Not for the faint hearted. The outfit should not be too busy but has to be a little plain and solid to compliment these shoes...

The Pangong Tso Lake

The Pangong Tso Lake is one of the most visited lakes of Ladakh.  Ever changing hues of the lake mesmerizes. Situated at a height of about 13,900 ft, the name Pangong is a derivative of the Tibetan word Banggong Co meaning "long, narrow, enchanted lake". One third of the lake is in India while the remaining two thirds lies in Tibet, which is controlled by China. Majority of the streams which fill the lake are located on the Tibetan side.

Pangong Tso is about five hours drive from Leh in Ladakh region of Jammu & Kashmir. The route passes through beautiful Ladakh countryside, over Chang La, the third highest motorable mountain pass (5289 m) in the world.

The first glimpse of the serene, bright blue waters and rocky lakeshore remains etched in the memory of tourists. There is a narrow ramp-like formation of land running into the lake which is also a favourite with tourists.

The salt water lake does not support vegetation or aquatic life except for some small crustaceans. However, there are lots of water birds. The lake acts as an important breeding ground for a large variety of migratory birds like Brahmani Ducks, Rare black necked cranes and Seagulls. One can also spot Ladakhi Marmots, the rodent-like creatures which can grow up to the size of a small dog. 
We stayed at one of the Camps, called Camp Shambala. There are several camps on the shores of the Pangong Tso lake 
I couldn't resist taking several pictures of the Lake as it is so magnificent and mesmerizingly beautiful both in the evening and early morning!

 The Entry point to the Pangong Tso Lake

 A View from the Camp's Living area

 Our Camp-The Camp Shambala

The Aquatic Birds

The Pangong Tso Lake

The Clouds, mountains and the Lake

Sunrise at the Pangong Tso Lake

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Camps at the Pangong Tso Lake

Reflection on the Pangong Tso Lake