Archive for December, 2005
Straight Questions – Perfumatrix Robin
December 31st, 2005 • 1 comment To be filed
Her posts are infused with clover and pink pepper. Sometimes even a dash of the obscure such as benzion. Browsing through Robin K’s blog is akin to uncovering delicious wares at a French antique store or…or…biting through a box of assorted chocolates never quite knowing what’s in store.
Her blog, is about fragrances.
Robin is no perfumer herself, nor is she a beauty editor at one of New York’s glamour magazines. Candid and brutally honest, she admits her only qualification to edit a blog about perfume is her wearkness- "I just like perfume." Like, would be an understatement. She is so passionate about perfumes that when a favorite fragrance discontinues she annouces, a moment of silence and has an entire category devoted to "dearly departed" fragrances!
Her 300-some perfume reviews make me gag at my limited knowledge of less than 30 perfumes.
When I first asked her if she’d wouldn’t mind me interviewing her for a magazine, she shot back ,"sure but what do you hope to achieve with a magazine that you can’t with a blog." Her blunt reply stumped me.
I couldn’t come up with a strong answer immediately and had to pretend I was busy. (So Robin, if you are reading this– 
sorry! I was just taking my time to compose an intelligent-enough answer!)
Although she reckons that it will be some time before beauty and fashion blogs actually garner more attention, my prediction is, Robin’s blog will be at the forefront, leading the others. Join us as we chat about selecting a fragrance, upcoming perfume trends in 2006 and why fashion blogs are yet to impact the blogosphere. (and also browse through her list of Best of 2005!)
StyleStation: When did you start NowSmellThis? And what keeps you motivated to continue working on your blog?
Robin:I started in February of this year. Most days it is not a problem to get motivated because I really do enjoy writing and talking about perfume. Every so often I just can’t get motivated to finish a perfume review, so I just post whatever news I have that day and move on. If I ever start feeling like that every day, I’ll probably stop blogging.
StyleStation: Your blog holds a certain authority over perfumes and is an ultimate source for anything related to perfumes in the blogosphere! How do you feel about that?
Robin:I strive to be an ultimate source for news about perfume, There is a very active online community of fragrance fans. They post on the various fragrance forums, and a number have their own blogs. I love perfume, but I am far from being an expert.
StyleStation: I’ve also noticed that you respond to almost every comment you get on your blog (which easily run up to 50 sometimes!) how do you keep up? Do you enjoy the on-going dialogue?
Robin:I do enjoy the dialogue. I became interested in perfume via the online fragrance boards I mentioned, so I think of perfume as an interactive subject. It is nice to watch the readership grow, but it still feels lonely if nobody talks back. It really isn’t that hard to keep up – remember that if you see 50 comments, half of those are mine, and most days there aren’t more than 10 or 15.
StyleStation: This blog has eliminated the need for me to refer to the perfume page in major magazines. I trust your word more than Vogue’s. And this is just for perfumes. I have a blog that I consult on almost every subject. What do you think about this emerging phenomenon, where most of us are looking away from newspapers and magazines for information?
Robin:In the fashion & beauty world, at least, blogs have some advantages over the mainstream print media. There simply aren’t any daily publications on fashion & beauty that are geared towards a general reader. When it comes to perfume, even the monthly publications don’t devote very much space to the subject.
StyleStation: And of course, there is the advantage of not being dependent on advertisements from the major perfume houses. The fashion magazines can report on perfumes, but they can’t really review them.
Robin: But there are also areas where the mainstream media has huge advantages. Most large perfume companies have no interest in having their products appear in a blog. It is a lot easier for Vogue to get information about new fragrances than it is for me.
StyleStation: Interesting. Do you think that will change in 2006? What trends do you predict for the next year? This year I thought it was all about customization.
Robin: More and more perfume houses are offering custom fragrances, but it is hard to imagine that this will ever be more than a sideline geared towards the luxury market. It is just too time consuming and expensive for the average consumer. Layering, however, which I guess you could see as the poor man’s customization, will probably continue to be popular.
More lines now offer advice on layering combinations, and I would not be surprised if other mainstream designers followed Donna Karan by introducing sets of oils meant to be layered.
I am not a big trend watcher in general, but the celebrity fragrance boom has clearly not bottomed out yet. Traditionally the celebrities in question have been big names in music, sports, or movies, but in 2006 we will see the first fragrance from author Danielle Steele. If that turns out to be a big seller, we might see a serious expansion in the kinds Of celebrities releasing new fragrances. Perfume tie-ins with popular movies and TV shows are also
becoming more common, and I think that will continue to be a big marketing tool for the perfume companies.
StyleStation: How much time do you devote to your blog?
Robin: Anywhere from two to four hours a day.
StyleStation: Do you hold a day job? More importantly, has your blog generated you any work, freelance projects, writing assignments? Apart from advertising, did your blog make money for you?
Robin:The blog is the closest thing I can claim to a day job. I do a very small amount of freelance writing on the side, but otherwise, the only money the blog has made is from advertising.
StyleStation: Has anyone paid to mention or write about a particular perfume or a product? How have you dealt with such situations?
Robin:I do get free samples sometimes, but most of the time I have to do what everyone else does to get samples: beg, borrow, steal, or buy on ebay. No company has ever offered to pay me to mention their products, and I don’t expect that I will ever get such an offer. As I mentioned above, the larger fragrance companies would no doubt prefer not to see their products mentioned on a blog at all.
StyleStation: Do you think readers would trust your endorsement more over a magazines’? I know I do!
Robin: There is certainly a segment of the fragrance buying population that is more interested in a review in a blog than a magazine, but let’s face it, the magazines reach so many more people. Vogue has over a million readers a month. On a good day, I have about 5000 readers. In the areas of politics and tech issues, blogs have started to represent a real challenge to traditional print media, but I think it will be a long time before the beauty & fashion blogs start to have that kind of impact.
StyleStation: Do you have any future plans for your blog? Any new additions? What should your readers expect?
Robin:I do hope to add new writers in 2006. I really like the independence of having my own website.
StyleStation: Just out of curiosity, how many bottles of perfume do you really own?
Robin: It is fewer than 75, but I can’t say for sure. I will do anything to avoid actually counting them.
StyleStation 
o you usually gift perfumes to friends and family?
Robin: Almost never.
Tips on choosing a fragrance:
Never decide based on how the fragrance smells on paper, whether from a scent strip in a magazine or a paper test strip in a fragrance store. At the very least, try the fragrance on your skin, better yet, get a sample to take home so that you can live with the fragrance for a few days.
Robin Recommends:
I can’t pick. If I could, I probably wouldn’t need all those bottles. But here are a few random favorites: Frangipani by Ormonde Jayne, Tam Dao & Philosykos by Diptyque, Luctor et Emergo by The People of the Labyrinths, Le Parfum de Thérèse & Vetiver Extraordinaire by Frederic Malle, Divine Bergamote by The Different Company, Iris Silver Mist by Serge Lutens, Passage d’Enfer by L’Artisan Parfumeur, and Apres L’Ondee by Guerlain.
Leafy beds and sonorous dreams
December 28th, 2005 • 1 comment Culture Briefings
Tokyo has become the playground for rich industrialists, culture mavens and fashionable glitterati. (and faraway lovers like me!) The super-l uxe Mandarin Oriental is the latest to open doors in Tokyo. Cosmopolitan in every sense of the word- the hotel houses four restaurants serving world cusines, has a spa and a Sky Lobby. Whats truly unique is the theme-treatment ….
“Under the themes of “forest” and “water,” the hotel is conceived as a single large tree, with guestrooms as branches. The “roots” are a cascading waterfall in the entrance, while the “canopy” on the 38th floor has an abundance of leafy motifs. The themes apply to everything from wall treatments, carpets, fabrics, screens to furniture.”
Themed hotels have pretty much become the norm now. And why not? If a little more fun and imagination is injected in the sta rk, insipid hotel rooms – customers are bound to enjoy their stay and return often!
Best of the Bests!
December 25th, 2005 • 2 comments To be filed
Come December and magazines, newspapers, TVshows (even blogs!) tend to put up ‘the best’ of lists of the year gone by. Instead of making one myself – I’m rounding up the ones that already exist.
Fast Company, Cool Gadgets of 2005.
Popular Science, Best of What’s New-2005
Business Week, Best of 2005 – Leaders, Products and Ideas.
The New York Times Magazine, 2005- A year in Ideas
Fast Company, Creative Minds of 2005
Time magazine, Best Inventions of 2005
Publishers Weekly, Best Comics of 2005
About.com, Best Fashion Trends of 2005
Amazon, Best Books of 2005
The Times, Best of 2005 Travel (stories, articles, etc)
…. feel free to add to the list via comments!
CoolSpot – Sony’s Bean Mp3 players
December 21st, 2005 • 6 comments To be filed
I’m not a big fan of Sony – extravagantly expensive and (often) not worth it! But, design is one area where Sony comes close to Apple. And thesebean-shaped Mp3 players are testimony to that.
I LOVED the fludity and wholesomeness of these bean players- A fresh change from the geometric shapes of Ipods. Comes with a tiny organic screen, built in FM transmitter ( a must in any new generation mp3 players!) and its battery can be charged in 3 minutes with a USB charger! Promises 50 hours of playtime.
The only downside – comes with either 512Mb or 1GB storage capacity. Maybe they’ll figure out a way to increase it?
Keep an eye on these.
CoolSpot – Haiku by the (toilet) roll
December 21st, 2005 • 1 comment To be filed
Sold in major bookstores in Japan, this toilet papers releases you from utter boredom while performing your er..rituals. Aptly termed the Literary toilet-paper , it is haiku-by-the-roll!
e
CoolSpot – USB Slippers
December 21st, 2005 • To be filed
Whoever knew all you have to do to keep your feet warm is connect your slippers to your USB Drive?!
CoolSpot- Site
December 21st, 2005 • 3 comments Culture Briefings, Marketing/ Advertising, On my mind...
Engrish is a collection of humorous english that is used in Asian advertisements and product displays.
Insanely entertaining and a powerful glimpse into the japanese consumer culture!
d
Beastly love
December 18th, 2005 • 4 comments To be filed
"The beauty killed the beast-" Thus ended Peter Jackson’s giant epic. A tad too long – but to watch a beastly gorilla skidding on the Central Park ice-rink, his love nestled safely in his palms was worth it. I’m a sucker for love stories and this one was no exception. So what if the hero was King Kong? he saved the herione’s life three times. Most Bollywood heros would be impressed.
But I wondered why the movie-makers always end up killing the Kong at the end. And then bring him back to life in their next movie. Sheesh.
The show was sold out. The audience enthralled. And I was in tears. Ten dollars and three hours well spent.
India on a quest to return-to-its-roots
December 17th, 2005 • 26 comments Culture Briefings, On my mind...
When the ruling party changed Bombay’s name to Mumbai in 1995 Bombayities young and old revolted by making a somber promise to keep the city’s name alive in their hearts. And so we adhered to calling our beloved city, Bombay.
- The adjoining picture is appeared in The Times of India. Along with the picture appeared this note, "The street sign at the recently named Dr Sharad Pandey Chowk at Bandra was defaced four days ago. The incident comes in the wake of protests from members of a neighbourhood ALM group against naming the chowk after the late doctor". (Thanks Vivek!)
I even went to the extent of losing one mark in my final 10th grade English examination by writing Bombay in the address instead of Mumbai in Letter-Writing (A question worth 8 marks where we had to write a mock letter to a friend, a relative or a parent, usually describing a silly school trip or how celebrated a certain festival) I was proud of that mark I lost.(In 10th grade, every mark counts! – It is like the SAT’s for Indians) To date, I chide my non-Bombay friends who call it Mumbai, It will always be Bombay, I say.
Mumbai is for maps, notarized documents and CNN. Bombay is for its lovers.
As rich and heterogenous Bombay’s history is – it’s name has an even more illustrious history. What used to be a land-mass of seven scattered islands was first called Heptanesia by Ptolemy. When the Portuguese inhabited the islands, they christened the place, Buon Bahia or Bombiam- that meant "good bay," while the fisher-folk living on the fringes by the sea named the island, "Mumba," after Goddess Mumba, their gaurdian spirit.
In 1662, Portugual gifted Bombahia to King Charles ii for his marriage to Portuguese Princess Catherine of Braganza, Bombahia was soon angelicized to Bombay. And it stayed Bombay from until 1995. Once Bombay’s name was replenished to it’s Hindu name, a slew of other streets, roads, railway stations and airports were named after people from history and other valiant fighters. The justification was, "on anti-colonist grounds." At one point, I actually wondered if they might demolish the colonial architecture, railways and Brit-inspired schooling system. Thankfully, it must have been a tremendous challenge for the politicians because they never mentioned these factors as anti-colonial.
The trend quickly spread to other cities and Madras was renamed Chennai and Calcutta, Kolkatta. Here and other other English-sounding streets were changed. But the big news came a few days back when the government approved Bangalore’s name change to Bengaluru. And a proposal is being considered to change Delhi’s name to Hastinapur. I heard this news from an enraged Banglorean. "What sucks is, they didn’t come to me asking for my opinion if I want this change or not," he wailed. The name-change has evoked extreme reactions and has both its detractors and the locals, who have supposedly embraced the change. Some are glad to get rid of that last vestige of colonial flavor and some (like me) see absolutely no point in this nation-wide exercise.
India is getting a little too wild with this sudden, "return to the roots" streak- when there are really no narrowly or correctly defined roots! India’s culture is an exquisite amalgamation of hundreds of years of Aryan, Persian, Mongol, Arab, Chinese, Portuguese and British influences. Essentially, by getting rid of one – we Indians are discarding a piece of our history.
This name-change odyssesy has embittered some of us. The city we grow up with and that grows up with us represents our identity and becomes a part of our personal histories. A lexicon we build for ourselves. And to have that taken away is just malicious. A couple generations down the road, they will only read in history books that Mumbai was once Bombay and Bengaluru was once Bangalore. But they will never know the whole generation of peoples who knew and loved Bombay and Bangalore. They will never share that common history with us.
This may not be a big deal to some of you. To some of us, it is a big deal. Imagine changing New York’s name to…Piegoneye or whatever it was called before it was called New York. Or Imagine changing London to…(sod it- can’t think of anything!) It just matters.
Is this a cultural trend? Or is 50-year-young India still trying to discover it’s individuality? Answers to that will appear with time. For now, this discontent is what we are left with.
I won’t be surprised if India’s name is changed to Hindoostan in the next couple of years. I suggest you brace yourself for this as well.
Here are Aranyi’s views about the issue. Fierce!
Redefining the demographics
December 16th, 2005 • 5 comments To be filed
A house, a car and a stable job – used to be every young American’s dream. "Youth" is a very ambiguous term as is, "young." I thought "youth" ended at 25 (don’t know why 25 – something to do with quarter century?!) Staying young and youthful forever has become every man’s quest. We do have the plastic and physical commodities (botox, lipo, organic foods.. blah blee dah) to make that possible, but youth, is now percieved as more of a state of mind, than an actual demographic. A carefree, hedonistic state of mind that craves fulfillment. Last month a wrote about the new priorities of the "youth" – The 3M’s – Mobility, Multilplicity and Money. I was right on target. Add to that this bit of research found by Iris, a marketing agency based in London showed,
" Americans between ages 29 – 37 have decided to
take their time reaching the American Dream and would rather indulge
themselves in luxury goods that were previously out of their reach…
…Like Baby Boomers, these middle youth have achieved a certain degree
of career success and thus have disposable income to enjoy themselves,"
said McRoberts. "However, like recent college graduates they still have
that sense of adventure [and] social exploration as they are in no rush
to settle down."
The study claims that the luxury items most coveted are advanced video-gaming tools, big-screen LCD, (the works) Telvesion sets and other wireless products. I am not sure how true this part is but I strongly agree that the "youth" are in no rush to settle down. I am just starting out and nowhere in my list of to-own, is a house with white fences. (on second thoughs, maybe a pent-house in New York ) Neither is a killing need to save. Infact, I don’t care if I can just scrape through, but the one priority I have is to enjoy, to constantly indulge myself and ofcourse, work the kind of work I love.
Anastasia Goodstein, 34-year old (young?!) youth expert concurs, writing, "My husband and I have decided to defer the "dream," mainly to pursue
our own (his being psychology and mine being the blog, book, job thing)
and we choose to live in a completely unaffordable city (San Francisco)
because we just like it here. We also have a big screen TV, but he’s in
school (bought the TV right before he started) and money’s tight, so I
guess we can’t really afford to "buy the goods regardless of the
price." So close, yet so far."
Apart from America, I know most about India and this "youthful state of my mind," consciouness is prevalent in major big-cities in India as well. The 20-40 somethings have a disposable income they like spending on travel, electronics and little luxuries.
Whats your idea?
I watched The Island last night. The story of human clones and the predicated near future left me stunned. Yesterday I also watched, The Day after tomorrow,the one where a major climatic shift brings ice-age back to Earth and wipes out half the human population (hey- it was sleeting outside and I hadn’t seen these movies. So sue me for watching them!)
And I didn’t think those movies were corny. They both presented ideas that are a very real, imminent possibility. A threat.
It put me in a strange mood. Solemn and quiet. I thought if it would be worth bringing my own children in this world. Any ways- do you think this has anything to do with the shifting attitudes of our generation? Even with the technological advances, robust economies and nicer lifestyles- I don’t think we are really sure of our future, or even our children’s. (when we have them)
So are we thinking- screw it all, one life, I have to enjoy?
I’m afraid, but I often find myself thinking in that direction. Do you?
Share your thoughts please.
Car Inspirations
December 14th, 2005 • To be filed
Bat Mobiles? The Jetson car? At the Tokyo Motor Show, car-makers went all out! Sleeker, sexier and compact-ier designs combined with brilliant colors -these are cars that come with a loaded personality.
Check out the rest here.
Coffee Cola
December 14th, 2005 • 2 comments To be filed
The Cola strikes back – this time aided with coffee. (as if there wasn’t enough caffiene in colas already!)
Colored Baubles
December 14th, 2005 • To be filed
Sundays were for family trips to the Juhu beach. Merry-go-round rides, roasted corn with lime, spiced chana and soap bubbles were a part of the deal. Vendors displayed stacks of colorful soap water on small tables and usually let you pick your choice of color. Regardless of the color I picked- blue, red, green – the bubbles always came out transparent with a slight glimmer of a rainbow. The sparse color was never enough for me!
An American toy inventor and an Indian dye chemist changed this! By introducing Zubbles- bubbles that are actually colored. Hot-pink? Orange? Green? The duo’s made them all! 11 years of trials and errors have paved way to the release of Zubbles early next year.
Now only if someone invented a way to make these bubbles-zubbles permanent. Imagine! Instead of disappearing, what if these colored baubles actually solidified? I guess we wouldn’t really need shiny X’mas balls for our trees then?
Cool Credit Cards
December 14th, 2005 • To be filed
I don’t know much about these cards except that they were designed in Turkey, specially for the youth. They are transparent (something like the Blue AmEx cards here in USA) uber cool and a hip green.
(Tipped off by Ozgur Alaz)
Sipping the wrinkles away
December 12th, 2005 • To be filed
Growing up in India, my mother advised me to have a glass of warm water and a spoonful of honey in the mornings. It is supposed to give a good start to the day and helps rejuvinate the skin. In China, they mix black sesame paste with water to start their day. Every culture has a health and beauty parlor in its kitchen. Only, now- it is also available in the aisles of fancy-schmancy stores. This world-wide increase in the creation and consumption of health and beauty drinks, extolling their nutritional and anti-aging benefits has risen out of the urbanites desires to switch to a more holistic lifestyle. It’s beetroot instead of botox and yoga instead of lipo. Will these health and beauty drinks replace the soda?
- The 2003 introduction of POM Wonderful – the pomogranate juice in the trendy transparent bottle shaped like two pomograntes stacked on top of each other did two things, 1) Gave a "cool" profile to the previously unfamiliar fruit, pomogranate. 2) Made it "cool" to drink, drinks with health benefits. (energy-boosting drinks are not included in this category to avoid confusion) It can be safely said that POM, probably vangaurded this trend in America.
- H2Olive, the South African beauty drink claims to be the first of it’s kind to use olive oil extract in making a drink that rejuvinates skin and reduces wrinkles within 28 days of regular consumption.
- Another beauty drink, Borba, sold exclusively in stores like Sephora, promises to reduce aging within 7 days – 2 bottles each day.
- Asia, particularly Japan has been credited to have launched major innovations in the heatlh industry and it continues to set trends in the field. Ukon no Chikara, a Japanese health drink that contains turmeric is supposed to make one "awake refreshed after a night out partying."
- Shiseido, the Japanese beauty giant, introduced Collagen EX, a beauty drink with marine collagen, eastin, DNA, ginseng and skin-revitalizing elements.
- A Japanese company also introduced collagen soups, Biken Kenshoku. It contains 100mg of collagen per serving. (I’m so used to getting my collagen dose from lotions and potions that i’m not sure I can actually digest it in a food/drink form. GULP!)
- Vege-Care, also Japanese, a jelly drink ensures skin and eye health.
- In South Korea, the Green Tea Drink claims to help to reduce weight.
- In Phillippines, Mother’s Best Apple Ketchup helps prevent heart disease, tooth decay and Alzheimers.
A picture a day…
December 12th, 2005 • 1 comment On my mind...
Images are a powerful medium of expression. Getty Images, has initiated, Change Me, a world-wide project aiming to bring people together through imagery. The concept behind this project is to encourage people to select a photograph from Getty Images library that has the power to spark an idea, change an opinion, change a mood or change someone’s life.
I think it is an interesting project – only a little unfair by limiting it to submissions selected only from the Getty library. It would be more challenging and inspiring if people were encouraged to submit their own photographs that THEY have taken.
What say?
PS: I didn’t take this photograph, but absolutely love it. It used to be on my desk-top a couple of years back.
Baby Boom vs. Tech Boom
December 11th, 2005 • 4 comments To be filed
Quickie Trivia:
q) What do Donald Trump, Sylvester Stallone, Candice Bergen (the orginal columnist of Sex and the City) and Kathleen Casey Kirschling have in common?
a)They will all turn 60 in 2006.
Nowhere famous as the forementioned names, Kathleen Casey Kirschling is still a super-star in her own rights. For Kirschling was born one second past midnight on Jan 1, 1946 and thus crowned, The first baby boomer in America’s history.
She has made numerous TV appearances, interviewed for magazines and it wouldn’t be surprising if she has signed a couple hundred autographs. All fame attributed to being the first baby-boomer.
According to the Inquirer, the oldest baby-boomers will turn 60 at at rate of 7918 a day. (330 an hour) in 2006. Marketing companies, trend experts and management gurus have long targetted the aging boomers, and an entirely new consumer market has emerged specifically to cater the baby-boomers now entering old age. (to be politically correct)
The baby-boom era was marked by a consumerist avalanche- young soldiers returning from war rushed into marriage and started their families younger. Jobs were plentiful, wages were higher and the energy was abundant. A robust economy encouraged a higher spending power. Families bought houses and settlements shifted to suburbs. Young men and women became fiercly independent , spent more, saved more and had fun. In Kirschling’s words, "We had a great, great ride. We dared."
Reading about the boomers, reminded me about the current state of India. Tech-power has become synanmous with India. Even man-power, if you will. (Ernst and Young just bought a couple hundred of its employees from India to work in their American offices for the tax season. These employees are paid the same wages they are paid India – which probably account to a measly $500 – $1000/month. Their American counterparts, for the same amount of work are paid a couple hundred percent more. But that is another issue!)
India is a contradiction by itself- even though it nurtures one of the oldest cultures, it is still a very young country that has yet to realize its full potential.
NYT did a 4-part special report on the recent infrastructural, social and economic changes in India. An interviewee for the articles drew a parellel between the 1950’s post-war consumermist America and the current 2005, post-BPOs/ tech-boom, consumerist India. I couldn’t agree more.
Having recently visited Bombay, I can vouch that the new energy bubbles in the atmosphere. With young graduates nailing high salaries with multi-national companies, middle-class families affording vacations to Mauritius and Hong-Kong, small-business (like that of my father’s) finding it harder and harder to survive, every third graduate targetting Australia, England or USA for "future" studies, plethora of airlines and cheap airfares, hollywood movies releasing the same day in India as in America (just a few years back, it took atleast a couple of months for new H-wood releases to arrive in India!), the youth becoming more experimental with their career choices and freely adopting the roles of a chef, a hair-stylist, a jewelery designer and journalists — I have every reason to believe and expect that this change will permeate through the tiniest and farthest villages of India.
During the baby-boom era in America, the sale of gadgets was the highest. The tech-boom India has seen a rise in sale of television sets, washing machines and cars -available to the mass Indians via simple loans or monthly payment options. Young American families invested in houses. Like wise, young Indian professionals
are buying property in India and the boundaries of cities keep expanding.
In America right now, luxury has gone mass. An average woman can afford a Stella McCartney skirt, an Issac Mizrahi sandal or a Karim Rashid designed object. In India, luxury has been re-defined. Hyper-marts, food marts, something akin to Wal-marts (cheap prices) and malls have become the new backdrop for social occasions. Indians are thinking more and more about American-style affluence.
My reaction to this change is neither positive nor negative. It was, meant to happen. It is a social and economic evolution. But the only part that surprises me most is- it all happened so suddenly! In four years to be precise. I left India in 2001 and even though I have returned often, I always see drastic changes. Like the time they made wearing seat-belts compulsory in Bombay. Or maybe, living outside of India gives me a better, sharper and an outsider’s perspective on its growth.
The young Indians echo the baby-boomer’s attitudes and aspirations. They are willing to dare, and they want to have fun. They have abundant choices and opportunities. And most of all, they have bigger and shiner dreams. So yes, this generation of Indians will be immortalized as the ones who dared. And give it a couple of years before little Indian boys and girls read about the Tech-boom years from 2002- whenever, in their history text-books.
For more voices on the changes in India, go here.
Update 2: Holiday Gift Guides
December 9th, 2005 • 3 comments To be filed
Dealhack.com has put together a comprehensive list of online retailers including final shipping dates (for your gifts to reach before Christmas!) and hard-to-find customer service numbers.
Featured retailers are Amazon, eBay, GAP, Fossil, Cooking, Best Buy, Buy, CompUSA…etc.
Bookmark the page!
Regular Postings…
December 8th, 2005 • To be filed
will resume soon. I am working in New York for a bit and am still getting used to my new schedule.
Coming up on StyleStation
- a privy look at the new Technica Travel/Adventure Show (I attended the launch party yesterday)
- interview with Dr Kyle about Hip-hop in Japan
- interview with Robin, of Now Smell This
So Stay put!
Christmas at MTV
December 6th, 2005 • 2 comments Marketing/ Advertising
Update on Holiday Gift Guides
December 6th, 2005 • To be filed
designsponge has a wonderful (and growing!) gift-guide with over 100 items under $50 and more added daily.
Scented Credit Cards
December 6th, 2005 • 5 comments To be filed
When I was nine years old, a family friend in Kuwait bought me a scented diary that also had a lock and key. I didn’t use the diary immediately because I wanted to save the scent. So for months and years, I thought of something cool and interesting to write about in my little scented diary. When I finally made up my mind, some three years later, that I’d use it to store my family’s phone numbers in it (like I didn’t already know the mumbers!) the scent had worn out. I was disappointed but the lock and key managed to keep me enchanted!
As a 22 year old, I doubt if a scented diary will charm me. But talk to me about scented credit-cards or scented phones and I’m all ears!
Reflecting the desires of some 6000 surveyers, JCB has released the first of it’s kind, a citrus scented credit card. Called the LINDA Sweet Card, this little piece of plastic has been introduced with the intention of making their women-customer’s life even more beautiful. (Trust me, women are suckers for scented items. I know I am!)
Win a concert for a vote
December 6th, 2005 • 2 comments To be filed
Students of Santa Monica High School had something to look forward to after their classes yesterday : A Kanye West concert!
” Back in November, DJ Big Boy of KPWR-FM (105.9) announced a contest called “Big Boy’s Backstage With Kanye West.” All Southern California high schools were eligible to participate, and the rules were simple: Whichever student body voted for their school most frequently on the contest website would win a concert with mega rap star West.”
The 3,500 students of Santa Monica High submitted close to a million votes out of the total 5 million. Teachers report how students excused themselves between classes to use computers and how some would appear tired and extremely sleepy because they were up all night logging votes.
The lesson? When the American youth want something real bad- they probably do everything to achieve it. It wasn’t very smart of DJ Big Boy to get these kids to log useless votes for their school – a ninth grader clicking endlessly on the SUBMIT button to log votes for his school is not really a creative and effective use of this time!
The radio channel could have been imaginative in the method it chose to market or give-away the free concert.
Hopefully the “nearly 1 million” and the free concert bought the kids closer to their school.
Ripples before the Memoirs
December 5th, 2005 • 3 comments Culture Briefings
"Memoirs of a Geisha" releases next week – but the air is already thick with anticipation, swollen promises and an ethreal-ness. Even people who haven’t read the book, or seem the promos for the movie are aware of it. From the classic photographs of actress Ziyi Zhang in this month’s Vogue to the cherry blossom motifs on tea satchels and make-up products – "Geisha" has lit an aura of sophitication, elegance, richness and class.
And the promotional tie-in’s reflect the opulence, perhaps an effect the produers were aiming for before the release of the movie?
- Banana Republic sold a limited edition of kimono-styled blouses and mandarin collared jackets. Prints and patterns were inspired by the movie’s traditional costumes.
- Fresh cosmetics designed a special-edtion Geisha cosmetic line of six beauty products to be sold at major stores like Sephora, Neiman Marcus, Barneys and Saks. Priced between $25 to $125, the sale of these products is already "double digit" ahead of the company’s expectations.
- Icon, an art-work company, has translated "Geisha" inspired motifs and photo-prints on shoes and leather bags.
- The Republic of Tea, has released special sencha tea satchels, infused with cherry bloosoms. The package design features the lead actress Ziyi herself!
- Mikimoto, supplier of high-end pearl jewelry, has lent unique museum pieces to "outfit" the characters. In the past, when Mikimoto supplied pearls for movies like, "Girl with a pearl earring" and "Legally Blonde" – a few dozen customers requested the exact $5,500 Scarlett’s earrings and $37,000 Reese’s necklace from the movie.
Additonally, the movie has hiked up the sales of the book. And will undoubtedly result in creating a country-wide kimono-ish trend and a re-emerged love for silk, pearls, round toed shoes and sake.
It is only because I love the book too dearly, I have not indulged in denouncing or appreciating the movie’s marketing methods. If anything– it was amazingly creative! Tastefully subtle, yet ridiculously powerful.
Curry lovers nation
December 5th, 2005 • To be filed
One of the better food-blogs I’ve come across ….
The site proclaims, "a rebellion against bland food." It is not an authentic Indian site, but it enlists the help of spices from the Indian sub-continent to add flavor, zest and fun to their food.
Run by a bunch of non-Indian women, Naughty Curry is quite a dishy site that advices on everything related to spices from how to make a spicy coleslaw to how to please a patron’s brazilian girl-friend who loves spicy food!
(Link via Sepia Mutiny)
Last Minute cram-jams
December 3rd, 2005 • To be filed
Last minute prep-lessons, project deadlines, final presentations and those 20 page thesis papers – FINALS are here for colleges across America. (Never felt so relieved to know I’ve graduated!)
Here’s a quick round-up of what’s happening in preperation for the final’s across universities –
- Hasting’s College in Nebraska hosts specials like mightnight dinners, make-your-own-sundae night, nachos night and milk and cookies night
- Wrigley’s, the Official Sponsor of Finals Week, is on a campus-visiting spree until Dec 9th, offering students an opportunity to relax and relieve test-time tensions by chewing Wrigley’s gum. Participating colleges include Purdue Univeristy, Temple University (my school! my school!) University of South Carolina, Florida State University and Ohio State University (among others) It has been proven that chewing gum reduces stress.
- Some departments or residence halls at Ohio State and Temple offer free massages to students during final weeks.
- University of California, San Diego, offers free movie nights and "midnight pancakes" nights!.
- Folks at Beyond Bookmarks have launched special finals week care-packages that come packed with the coffee, chocoates, stress toys, pens pencils and highlighters, blue books, little mini-snacks, protein bars, gummy bears and tazo tea.
Add your own ideas and tips below or let me know if your school is doing something different.
New magazines hit India
December 3rd, 2005 • 2 comments To be filed
A country’s magazine speaks best about it’s current flavors, trends, hits and misses. Every time I travel anywhere, I make it a point to browse through local magazines about the place. My father sends me old issues of Indian magazines with relatives returning to America. I love magazines. Absolutly!
India already publishes a bevy of glitzy international titles – Elle, Good Housekeeping, Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, L’Officiel- the works. And it’s own – Filmfare, New Woman, Femina, Outlook Traveler, Business India. etc.
A Cosmo-India editor recently announced that more intl. consumer mags are entering the saturated Indian market.
1) Marie Claire’s Indian edtion will be out in April next year.
2) The Brit mag, Tatler, is ready for circulation, but awaiting some paperwork.
3) Word is , Conde Nast is planning a mega-launch starring Glamour, Conde Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest and Self.
4) GQ is all set for its premier issue in India.(or is it out already?)
If the grapevine is true, Indian consumer market is in for some surprises. When I was growing up, magazines were just too expensive for an average middle-class family. I guess that has changed now. The call centers have given young college kids a free reign over their pocket-money with which I’m sure they can afford to buy more magazines, more regularly now. (The general economical climate in India is pretty favorable itself – more jobs, better starting salaries and more money to spend!)
Will I-pod beat Radio Mirchi?
December 3rd, 2005 • 5 comments To be filed
A close friend was wondering what to buy for his girl-friend’s birthday. I suggested I-pod video or the nano. He simply shurgged and said, it would be useless in India.
I wondered why and a long discussion ensued.
1) Number one reason sited was the internet speed. Even though most major cities in India boast of fast DSL and cable-internet services, it supposedly is nowhere in comparison with America. To download videos and songs (from limewire, bit-torrent, or i-tunes – a fast and reliable internet connection is number one priority)
I agee partly with this reasoning. I’ve had DSL since forever at my home in Bombay and something goes wrong with the service (or the computer!) every other day. But this is not an impossible problem to repair.
2) "The Radio killed the cassette. It will not spare the I-pod." This is a debate I’m wary of.
Since late 2001, cities like Bombay have seen a downpour of major FM channels. (The radio market in Bombay alone increased from $2.5 million to $12.5 million in the last 5 years alone)
Each is out there to outdo the other. They’ve got it all – young, vivacious and talented Rj’s, great give-aways, interviews with Bollywood celebrities (in some cases celebrities even host shows!) and most of all, great music. As opposed to one FM channel I grew up with that had maybe one show featuring new songs, this is a fresh and drastic change.
Audio CD’s were the harbinger’s of the audio cassette’s death, but the radio channels hit the nail on its deathbed. Apart from the rickshaw-wallahs and taxi’s, a very tiny percentage indulges in audio cassettes anymore.
My friend reasoned that his girl-friend’s gym, her car, even her work-place constantly had one of the radio channel’s on and so she’d never really use her i-pod. Valid reasons. Valid argument.
I don’t remember using my I-pod much when I was visiting Bombay this summer. But then again, I was probably just too lazy to charge it……
The Anthropologie Experience
December 2nd, 2005 • 1 comment To be filed
A few months back I gushed over how lovely it was to window-shop at Anthropologie. Urban Outfitters, the store’s parent company is headquartered in Philadelphia. This weekend, I stopped by the flagship store on Walnut street just for some eye-candy. Here’s some for you!
Hip-hop meets haiku
December 2nd, 2005 • 1 comment To be filed
I had to plug this in –
Last year I took a very awe-inspiring class about International News Media. My professor, Fabienne Darling-Wolf invited lots of guest-speakers to give a truly international flavor to the class. She’s pretty culturally assimilated herself –born in France, studied in USA and completed her thesis in Japan.
One of the guest speakers, Prof. Kyle Cleveland gave us a presentation about Japanese youth. He teaches race/ethnicity at my university’s Tokyo campus and has been researching the Japanese youth interaction with hip-hop.
I came across this article today that mentioned his research. While I don’t have more information at hand, I’ve already requested him for an interview.
Japanese youth and hip-hop, huh. Here’s another facet of their personality that I wasn’t truly aware of!
Trend-Spotting Guide
December 1st, 2005 • On my mind...
Although PSFK has already written about it, I have to add my two bits! Trendwatching.com’s December newsletter is probably the best it has produced to date.
Instead of rounding up trends, the newsletter shares with it’s readers tips and methods to spot trends and cool-ness.
A must read!