Everyone’s feeling completely exhausted from all the Diwali fun, celebrated with what felt like extra gusto this year. More shopping, more food, more parties and all round more indulgence. It felt like the festivities went on for weeks with card parties, brunches and more. And the shopping! Where do I begin. We saw retail therapy of epic proportions in the lead up to, and during Diwali, with the ladies needing barely any excuse to do some serious damage. Speaking of which, Palladium hosted a Diwali Gala with brand Kate Spade. The décor seamlessly combined the essence of the festive season with the timeless sophistication that defines the brand. Guests saw a mix of entrepreneurs, fashion peeps and a range of PYTs that were happy to interact with the expert stylists on duty. Finding favour with the crowd was the latest collection of Dakota bags. They loved the meticulously curated range from handcrafted accessories to the statement pieces.
My Diwali was a mixed bag, including a trip to Thailand to celebrate a family member’s milestone birthday. So, instead of diyas and ladoos, it was mango and sticky rice but we were pleasantly surprised that celebrations extended to Thailand as well, with mini-carnivals and everyone wishing us ‘Happy Diwali’ at every turn. In Chennai, I was also invited to a festive soirée at Reena and Vishal Kumar’s home. The perfect combination of food, served in the quirkiest of ways, special cocktails, cards and even a furry friend. After a slew of photos and videos were taken for Instagram, the dancing began and went on for a while.
I always feel like the festive season continues in one big chunk, going into Christmas and ending only on New Years. The countdown to Christmas is truly on with all the cake mixing ceremonies taking place in a row. Next to have its turn was Grand Chennai by GRT, in the lead up to preparing a 400 plus kg cake. Guests enjoyed mixing the fruits and nuts, with big smiles for all the photos, with their santa hats.