I’ll start with a big announcement and also the reason I was MIA last week — my sister Rochelle had a baby! As you can imagine it’s been an exciting time for all of us, and as someone said to me: “Masi love is a special kind of love.” I got back to Chennai and landed right in the midst of the Cricket World Cup madness along with encountering a few hardcore fans who asked me for tickets. No luck there. While quite a few friends were at the stadium for the match, I happily watched from the comfort of my home, munching on my snacks as India made off to a strong start. It got a little stressful for a spot there in between but thankfully the boys in blue managed to pull it off. Team India also defeated Afghanistan subsequently. Well, it’s only the beginning and we’re looking forward to an exciting season ahead.
On the fashion front, we had not one but two store launches this week starting with designer Stephin Lalan, who launched his flagship store. Chennai’s fashion fraternity turned up in full force from models and stylists, to all the ‘veteran’ designers or should I be saying ‘OGs’. It was great to see. A huge chunk of the crowd that poured in were clients, excited to have the first look at the new collection. Inspired by science, particularly chemistry and physics, the line ranges from western to indo-western and Indian as well, keeping in mind the upcoming festive season. Everyone chatted and shopped over high tea, loving the multi wear asymmetrical tops with minimal embroidery. And were the men as excited? Yes! There were loads of options for the gents as well, with some truly one-of-a-kind pieces.
We saw many of the same faces at Suta from Mumbai, also launching for the first time in Chennai. The super popular brand has many loyal fans, and the opening was buzzing with excitement. With an exclusive guest list, we saw many of the city’s popular faces all draped in beautiful saris, taking loads of photos.
Also taking place this week with much fanfare was the 12th edition of the Iris Face of Chennai at Radisson Blu. With categories for both girls and boys and married women as well, we saw quite an enthusiastic audience, cheering the contestants on. Special guests from across industries were present, from fashion and film, to music and health. The winners were Niharika — Ms Iris Face of Chennai and Manikandan — Mr Iris Face of Chennai, with Duruthina winning the coveted title in the ‘Mrs’ category. There were also a host of subtitles for talent, fitness levels, catwalk, skin and hair.
We’re looking forward to a fun month ahead, with all the Halloween invites coming our way and everyone starts to think of what their costumes might be. We’ve also started receiving our cake mixing invites, a reminder that Christmas isn’t that far off either. Here’s where we start talking about how the year has flown by, but I’ll spare you. I’ll save it for New Year’s instead. I’m gearing up for some more travel this week but I’ll keep the suspense going for a little longer and fill you in next week!