UDD CHALI MEIN MANCHALI....

I dedicate this post to all women out there, who are strong, fearless, resilient, independent, loyal, lovable and REAL!!

(Our dear friend Veena Nayak is missing here, as she was away vacationing)

Isn't "FACEBOOK" a word we all love to hate ??

For many it's so passé, a waste of time, intrusion of one's privacy etc, etc. But honestly, for me it has worked wonders in a creative way and without qualms I admit that I love it and cannot live without it.

As cliched as it may sound, I have mainly used FB as a platform to positively inspire others and get inspired in return. Apart from reconnecting with old friends and family, I have also stumbled upon a few like minded people whose friendship has been creatively inspiring and enriching. One such virtual encounter was with Ms.Yuti Shah, the artist/creator/owner of "UDD" ( meaning fly- denoting freedom in Hindi), a happy Indian clothing brand that I absolutely love.

The vibrant hued cotton and silk sarees with hand drawn Madhubani motifs and a unique mix of prints simply took my breath away. I hadn't seen anything like this before, so distinctive in it's style and feel. It's a brand that believes in spreading happiness everyday through it's designs, inspired by Indian folk art and colors. I am a sucker for anything and everything that is traditionally Indian, with a modern twist to it. To me UDD represents the same and may be the reason why I believe in this brand and am writing this post today. 

Fashion is my forte and sarees are my passion. My extreme love for this 6 yard fabric is a known thing amongst  friends and family. And when I love something so strongly, I make it a point to share it with my good friends and get them all excited about it. So when I discovered UDD, I had to tell my friends and it took us no time to order our first UDDs. With such beautiful Indian fabrics in hand, a fun photo-shoot for Sage & Slingback was an obvious thing to do. My friends were super excited about the photo shoot and were game for it.  A "style meet" was organized and we decided to parade the streets of Michigan Avenue in our beautiful UDD sarees, bindis and flowers. We wanted to show the world the ease, comfort and  rawness of a bold colorful cotton saree amidst the sky scrapers and the crowded streets of our city. So here it is people, a day in our lives..... flying high in UDD!

I wanted a candid, not so perfect, careless yet comfortable feel to the pictures. So "be yourself" and "don't pose" were the only 2 instructions that I gave my friends. Our starting point was the Art Museum and as we walked on Michigan Ave, Reema, our talented young shutterbug started taking pictures, mostly without our knowledge. Onlookers admired our outfits and compliments started pouring in as we walked along.

We wandered around the Magnificent Mile  in our sarees without feeling awkward or embarrassed, spreading the essence of UDD - HAPPY,FREE & REAL!!

We wanted to capture the essence of the city, the people and the hustle-bustle. 

It's also one of the reasons why we avoided shooting at the usual touristy spots like the BEAN, BUCKINGHAM FOUNTAIN or the NAVY PIER. With compliments pouring in at every step, we sure did feel like the "brand ambassadors" of our country, proudly promoting our National Costume.

"A christian is not to become a Hindu or a Bhuddist, nor a Hindu or a Bhuddist to become a Christian. But each must assimilate the spirit of others and yet preserve his individuality and grow according to his own law of growth."  

This was an excerpt from Swami Vivekanandas concluding address from the world parliament of religions held in Chicago on Sept 27th, 1893....How profound!!

Spreading our colorful wings and imbibing the best of both worlds, we, the team "Sage&Slingback" were soaring high in our spirits and Indianness!!

We laughed and talked as we walked along the streets - briefly stopping at the bridge, the Wrigley building and the soda place Ghirardelli's. People on the streets took our pictures and admired us in our sarees. One even wished us an enjoyable stay here in Chicago, mistaking us for tourists from India. 

SAGE&SLINGBACK CONTEST DETAILS:

It's your chance to win a colorful cotton dupatta of your choice ( like the one Reema Rao is wearing in this pic) from Yuti's fabulous collections, "UDD PANCHI" and "MEHNDI MANCHALI".

And to win, all you have to do is:

1. Suggest an apt TITLE for this post in the comments section ( The post is currently untitled, and the winning title will be used for this post)

2. Like "Sage & Slingback" page on FB.

3. Like "UDD" page on FB.

The contest starts on Sept 15th and closes on Sept 30th. The winner will be decided by Yuti Shah( owner of UDD) and Jayashree Rao.

UDD PRODUCTS & CONTACT DETAILS:

UDD products include sarees in cotton muls and silks, dupattas, Half sarees ( My favorite) and fabric jewelry in an AFFORDABLE price range.

Blouses will be stitched on request and shipped all over India and abroad.

You can view their entire range of designs on:

www.uddfabricdesign.wordpress.com
and e mail them on uddfabricdesign@gmail.com

follow them on fb on:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/UDD/213486022016743.

Place your orders NOW!!!!!