Summer Fun - July 20th
Nothing is more special than a glowing, tanned and gorgeous bride to be!
Sorboni Banerjee's wedding to Jarrod, much awaited, in October. Last week, we had an initial fitting with some of her bridesmaids. Including Anne Allred from Channel News 7 News. We started with some tea and munchies for the girls at 2 p.m. The dresses are all one of a kind, made from sari fabrics that were cut up for the borders which are woven with intricate gold patterns and vibrant jewel tones. We tried on of the dresses and pinned for perfect fit. Meanwhile, the ladies shopped and modeled Shubrah.com's Spring/Summer 09 collection and bought some fashions! I can't post any of the pictures of the dresses being custom made for the wedding as yet. That will happen in Oct after the wedding.
But we took some pictures of the girls at tea!On another note, the lilies in my garden are bursting with color and I could not resist adding a few pictures of them! So inspiring, the color and the mood of the garden! I noticed a lot of purple flowers in bloom too--lavender, hasta, morning glory, nicely offsetting the lilies and the marigolds. I filled vases with the bounty from the garden.
A great day at Tanglewood yesterday, Mozart, green lawns, brie and sunshine.
Happy 4th of July
School is out and the biggest holiday of the summer is upon us. Whether you’ll be spending your July 4th at a barbecue, watching fireworks, or at the Boston Pops, make sure you put your best fashion foot forward. Check out some styles below for Independence Day inspiration.
Stars and stripes in black and white! Sport a festive striped dress, with white stripes like our flag, and black stripes to supplement with and elegant flair. A simple powder blue shirt with khaki shorts in a casual but dapper look for men.
Not casual enough? Nothing is as American as classic T-shirt.
Whatever you decide, his and hers Shubrah designs will ignite fashion fireworks!
As we celebrate our nation’s rich past, Shubrah.com would like to recognize the support it has received in its very recent past. A special thanks to our TiEcon choreographer, Shonool Malik, pictured below in orange, to Timelesslens.com, for the fabulous photos, and Susan Smith Pinto, our MC, pictured below in black.
In Case You Missed It
Thanks to everyone who joined us on Friday, May 22 for the Shubrah.com Sustainable Couture fashion show at the TiECON East Conference at The Westin Hotel in Waltham.
If you couldn't make it, check out some of the photos here!
Mish-tee shirts were all the rage backstage.
Silk men's shirts make great Father's Day gift.
The ladies looked elegant on the runway in beaded and embroidered tops and caftans.
Check out more styles in this excerpt from the fashion show. For the full fashion show, check out at http://www.youtube.com/user/Shubrah1.
Trunk Show This Weekend
Hopefully everyone had pleasant Memorial Day weekend, spent with friends and family. With the festivities of the long weekend as just a preview of things to come, spend some time this upcoming weekend boosting your wardrobe at the Shubrah trunk show!
If you did not get to see the spring collection at this past weekend’s TIECON fashion show, check out the designs firsthand this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Lexington. Not only will you be able to sample the designs found online at shubrah.com, but also some of these one-of-a kind caftans.
Something light, airy, and eye-catching to wear throughout the summer months will turn heads everywhere you go. During the summer, you may not want to fuss over elaborate accessories and shoes. Throw on a comfortable caftan; with elegant patterns and construction, you won’t have to worry about adding much more your outfit.
Pick up a unique piece that no one else is sure to have. With collections for men, boys, and girls, don’t forget to browse for the family and friends either. Better yet, just bring them with you!
Just because summer is filled with lazy days, doesn’t mean your clothes should be lazy too. The Shubrah trunk show will feature carefully embroidered and embellished necklines and details.
Hope to see you at the trunk show!
May Summer Begin
Summer weather will be here to stay any day now, so it’s time to prepare accordingly. New wardrobe, new event calendar, new adventures. Throughout your seasonal transition, Shubrah.com is right there with you.
As you reinstate your summer wardrobe staples, why not add a few new items. The Shubrah spring collection features bright, light-weight scarves to enhance your warm-weather classics. Wear it as an accessory, a top, a skirt, or a head scarf, whichever way suits you best. With so many options, one scarf can create a new look every week.
Looking for nighttime barbecue outfits? Airy dresses or caftans with simple yet elegant embellishments create a soft, casual evening look for gatherings with friends and family after dusk. Pair them with jeans, and you have a laid-back daytime look for mid-morning brunch.
As most relax during the calm summer months, at Shubrah.com the activity picks up, with our debut custom bridal collection nearing its premiere. Sorboni Banerjee, WHDH channel 7 news anchor, has her wedding just around the corner in October. Our wedding dress, rehearsal dinner dresses, bridesmaids dresses, and matching ties for the groomsmen made from exquisite handwoven Indian fabrics are coming together quite well. Here are pictures of the bride, her bridesmaids, and below, Jarrod the groom, who is a news anchor in Rhode Island.
Don’t think you won’t get rewarded for spreading the word. Refer a new member to our newsletter or bring someone new to our trunk show and we will give you $25.00 off on your purchases.
Customers are not the only ones who benefit from great fashion. We give a percentage of our profits to create awareness and do something meaningful in the local community and the world. In 2008-09 we gave donations in the form of money, fashions to auction, and our time to the following organizations:
Chintan, a non-profit based in Delhi, India that works to clean up urban waste, educate the poor, and create products out of recycled plastic bags. These products are available for sale on our site.
American India Foundation, which works toward accelerating social and economic change in India.
Lexington Education Foundation, which supports educational excellence by awarding grants for creative programs, instructional resources, and innovative materials in Lexington, MA.
Agape International, which helps poor children worldwide who suffer as a result of the global AIDS crisis.
Ronan McElligott Memorial Playground Committee, which built the community’s first barrier-free children's playground for handicapped kids.
With Shubrah.com, everybody wins! 
Spring Is Here
"April showers bring May flowers, so be prepared for flower power in the Spring/ Summer 09 collection, launching on May 1st. The Green Generation was the global theme for Earth Day this year and we are doing our bit! The fashion accessory of the season is the scarf.
What can do you with a scarf, other than tie it around your neck? (For those who are depressed about the economy....we would not suggest that approach!). Well, we have numerous ways of wearing a scarf, of draping it, pinning it, creating a whole new look for a new season.
You can tie it like a halter, drape it like a one shoulder blouse (we suggest putting a camisole under it for an under the jacket office look), or wearing like a skirt/ sarong. Its great for traveling, gift giving, dressing up or down. Come up with your own variation on what you can do with a scarf that brings sunshine into your wardrobe.
Send us an e-mail with pictures. One way to break out of your tired winter look - wrap a scarf with bright colors or flowers over a pretty silk dress or cotton tee- without breaking your favorite piggy bank!
Our new collection is all about color and beautiful fabrics...vibrant colors and embroideries, eco-friendly fabrics, what else can we do to come out smelling like roses? Giving you a peek at the new looks, which we will be ready to launch on May 2nd.
Here's to a green earth, (green is the new black- in case you did not get the memo) and your new summer look!"
New Year, New Horizons
With 2009 upon us, change is palpable. This new year brings a fervor and excitement that has been dormant for sometime now, with a new administration coming in with progressive ideas. While we strive for national improvement in the coming months, we should also take the time to set some goals for self-improvement. We should look to maintain our bodies, both physically and mentally. Thus, our post-holiday wish list: Experiencing the world of cultures around us. Through books, through travel, through fashion, through food. Reading for pleasure, not just work. Partaking in forthcoming change by being more eco-conscious and civically engaged. And maybe, finally, a manageable exercise routine. Challenging our bodies in a healthy manner that actually may be fun as well.
Although the future is uncertain yet, the Shubrah line is drawing from the spirit of resiliency and hope in the Spring/Summer 2009 collection, which is currently underway. The collection will reflect the revitalizing spring season ahead of us, only a few months away. In the meantime, the Fall 08 collection still offers winter fashion essentials, now at 30% off of everything on the website.
In addition to the upcoming Spring line, Shubrah couture will debut in the new year with a custom bridal collection. These pieces incorporate Indian fabrics, western silhouettes, and striking color. With the wedding approaching in a few months, the designer is hard at work blending original bridal fashion with the personalities of the bride and bridesmaids themselves.
Inspirations
So what do a gorgeous garden, your neighbor’s dog, and a rainbow display of bangle bracelets have in common? . . . Inspirations for the debut collection of Shubrah, of course! The designer admits she finds inspiration in a surprisingly broad and varied array of sources, and that is certainly evident in the freshness and creativity of her designs. Perhaps most fittingly for a company founded on environmental awareness and sustainable business practices, much inspiration has come from nature. Some gorgeous blooms in her spring garden, for example, were the inspiration for the floral accent motif in some of this season’s holiday collection fashions.
With fabrics and detailing coming mainly from India, color inspirations are ubiquitous – from the bolts of new fabrics to the glittering displays of bangle bracelets in New Delhi boutiques – vibrant colors and patterns are a trademark of the Shubrah line.
But some of the loveliest inspirations can also be the most personal. While chic and high-fashion on one level, the Shubrah line has elements of whimsy as well . . . such as that inspired by the designer’s daughter, Shreeya. An avid dog lover, Shreeya created the adorable doggie logo for the Mishtee line of t-shirts for men, women, and children.
Design is really a reflection of how the designer sees the world . . . how she translates disparate sources of inspiration into a cohesive line of products. For the Shubrah fusion fashion line, it’s about the natural, the whimsical, and the art of pulling it all together into “environmentally aware chic”!
Fusion Confusion
Friends and fellow fashionistas . . .
“Fusion” (but not the nuclear kind!) is a word that has long been used in the food realm . . . both for better and for worse. Who hasn’t enjoyed a yummy meal that combined culinary influences – perhaps Chinese and Indian, or Vietnamese and French? But then there are the less notable experiences – like shrimp curry on a pizza or pad thai enchiladas. Fusion does not mean “free-for-all”!
In fashion, the concept of “fusion” can run the same risks. For example, a sombrero and a sari won’t work well together (unless you’ve had a LOT of tequila first!) And you wouldn’t want to pair cowboy boots with a silk Mao jacket. But the marriage of Indian-inspired fabrics and Western-style designs? That is one way that fashion fusion can be fabulous. And flexible – because fashion fusion helps you to create innovative new looks that work in a variety of contexts.
Look at how easily fashion fusion can work with things you already have in your closet.
For women, let’s start with a chutney stripe silk dress. A perfect example of fusion – pure Indian silk taffeta in soft brown shades, rich embroidery, georgette sleeves, modern just-above-knee length. Chic for evening with strappy sandals; equally trendy over skinny jeans or with boots.
The Bombay jacket is similarly versatile. The soft silhouette works as well over a little black dress or as it does over jeans. The rich silk fabric permits such flexibility -- you can dress it up or down, and it holds its own in any context. The unusual cut and styling provide ample modern flair.
For men, fusion can be even easier (why is life often so much easier for men?!) A mens shirt made from silk dupioni takes perfect advantage of Indian textiles, whether in plain colors, stripes, or patterns. The western styling, plus option for either regular or french cuffs, allows it to be worn either casually or formally. Wear it with a jacket and dress pants for the office or formal evening out; pair it with jeans to look casual but cool.
And for kids, fashion fusion is all about fun! A unisex kids kurta boasts Indian fabric, vibrant colors, and embroidered details, but the versatility is all western. A boy can wear it over chinos or jeans for any occasion. For a girl, it is adorable with leggings, skinny jeans or a skirt. How's that for multi-tasking fashion?
Fashionable, flexible, fabulous, fun . . . that’s fashion fusion at Shubrah.com! Watch our blog for future entries on fashion fusion guidelines; how to break the rules “right”; how to wear color well; and more. Of course we’d love your thoughts and reactions -- tell us what you’d like to hear about. And please visit us at http://www.shubrah.com/ for our whole line of eco-friendly items for the family and home.
