THE GOLD RUSH !

Hmmm.... where should I begin? I am super excited because I get to talk about all my favorite topics - clothes, make up, jewelry and Rekha, the bollywood Style diva, in one single post!

When I was styling a fashion show a couple of years ago, I clearly remember asking the models about their favorite Indian Style diva and most of them mentioned REKHA. I couldn't agree more. During my teen years, she was a huge influence on me. I would grab magazines like Cine- Blitz or Stardust just to get a glimpse of her red lipstick, gorgeous kanjeevarams, exquisite gold jewelry and mogra flowers. Starry eyed, I used to flip through the pages of these magazines and be fascinated by the way she posed for her favorite shutterbugs Askok Salian and Rakesh Shresta. Easily, she was the best Indian face when it came to still photography. And today, I attribute my love for kanjeevarams, gold jewelry and lipsticks to her - she made them look good and how!!

After my recent trip to India, I totally believe that the only place to shop for kanjeevarams in Bangalore is SAKHI. I walked in and out of many stores ( sari giants like Nalli, Kumarans, Deepam, Prasiddhi etc) in under 10 minutes as they didn't have anything that suited my taste and sensibilities. But SAKHI floored me. The colors and range they have to offer in terms of silk is unbelievable. From the traditional temple border, rising borders and the Mumbagam ( 3 parts), the concept weaves to partly pallu ( where the pleats are of a different color and pattern from the body), cutworks, Kalamkari & the Kundan work on Kanjeevarams – they have it all. This is my second feature on SAKHI and this time around, I would like to introduce its collaboration with the legendary jewelers from Jaipur, AMRAPALI . Sakhi unveils its new collection of saris inspired by antique jewelry motifs on the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Thrithiya on May 13th.

As a Mangalorean, it amazes me to see how my home town is fast growing to be a "City of Gold". The first things that welcome you as you step out of the Mangalore airport are huge billboards from various Jewelry brands.

If Aishwarya and Amitabh say "Kalyan Jewelry" is the best, Mohanlal and Hema Malini want us to try "Malabar gold" and our kannada super heroes are roped in too to represent other jewelry brands. Sultan, Alukkas, Bhima’s, Khazana, Abharana, Swarna, Laxmidas, S.L.Shet... the list is endless and it surely makes an interesting drive from the airport to home as you get a glimpse of the brand wars and the dazzling jewelry.

"Akshaya" means infinite or endless. Most Hindus consider "Akshaya Thrithiya" a good occasion to start something new because as per the belief, any new undertaking on this auspicious day is bound to prosper. So as a part of the tradition, in many parts of India people tend to buy gold and clothes on this day. I was in Mangalore many years ago to witness this madness on the day of Akshaya Thrithiya. The jewelry stores were decorated like wedding halls and people flocked into the stores to buy gold. What an experience that was!

For this post, I have chosen 3 off-white Kanjeevaram silk-tissue sarees from Sakhi and have paired it with some stunning gold jewelry from my personal Amrapali collection. This is my humble attempt to impersonate REKHA and I am sure that my favorite shutterbug and dear friend Vandana has done justice to the pictures by bringing out the right feel and the mood.

LOOK 1: (Images by Vandana Rao, Jewelry images by Jayashree Rao)

Off white gold  tissue Kanjeevaram from SAKHI with narrow gold temple border and gold floral buttas. 

Emerald kada and ear-rings from AMRAPALI.

Jadau- leaf motif dull gold neck piece.

LOOK2:

Off white Kanjeevaram from SAKHI with triangular border in the hues of dull blue and pink worn with an off white cut work blouse ( the cut work blouse comes in many colors and is a versatile piece that can be worn with a lot of sarees)

Dull gold Kerala neck piece from AMRAPALI.

The dangly ear-rings.

LOOK3:

Off white Kanjeevram silk from SAKHI with tissue gold border and mogul gold motifs on the body. 

Navaratan Antique finish Kada from AMRAPALI:

Dull gold Navaratan Jhumkas.

"BEDAZZLED COLLECTION" by SAKHI for Akshaya Thritiya:

SAKHI is a niche boutique run by the mother daughter duo Chandra and Neeta. They have 3 branches in Bangalore and one in Hyderabad. Their collection ranges from timeless concept kanjeevarams to breezy chiffons, light tussars to elegant pure silks involving traditional techniques of embroidery and modern cut work.

As a part of the unveiling of their new collection "Bedazzled", they had organized a fashion show in their Indiranagar store on May 3rd and Sage & Slingback has the first hand pictures.

The models here are wearing saris from SAKHI's new collection along with stunning 22k gold, Jadau, uncut diamond and Kundan jewelry from AMRAPALI. 

The motifs are inspired by Jhumkas, Maangtikas, Earrings and Malas. 

The new clothing collection and the jewelry are for purchase and to place your order, please contact Neeta Rajendran.

Contact Info:

Neeta Rajendran – CEO SakhiFashions, Sakhi by Chandras: #305, 6th Main, Indiranagar, Bangalore - 560038

Ph: +91 9880003636 Ph: +91 80 6570 3388 

Email:Neeta@SakhiFashions.com. Website:www.SakhiFashions.com

Sakhi Boutiques located at Bangalore: Indiranagar, Jayanagar, Sadashivnagar.

GIVE AWAY  DETAILS:

On this auspicious occasion of "Akshaya Thrithiya" we have a giveaway for our readers:

1. Leave behind a comment here, telling us how you liked the post. Don’t forget to write your name.

2. On May 25th, a raffle will be drawn and one lucky winner will get a gift voucher of Rs 5000/= from SAKHI, that can be used for any purchase at their store.

3. Like SAKHI & Sage&Slingback on FB.

THE COLLECTION:

Kanjeevaram Half & Half, where one half is plain and other half has Jewelry motifs. It comes in many color combinations and the "BEDAZZLED" collection is priced from Rs 4,500 to Rs.36,000.

A glimpse of the new jewelry inspired Kanjeevarams in different color combinations.

Neeta & Chandra in their "Bedazzled" collection.

SAKHI joins hands with AMRAPALI:

 Kadi print on Tussar silk with a rising border:

Kadi print on Silk Kota with a rising border:

Jewelry motifs on pure silk.

Embroidery on Silk Kota.

Multi stranded Dolki neckpiece from AMRAPALI:

Chandra & Neeta looking resplendent in thier SAKHI's and AMRAPALI's.