shubrah

April Spring Break

April Spring break took us to southern Florida. It really felt like we were traveling to a different part of the world. The air was warm, the sun was shining, gorgeous people, food, beaches and locales. The first resort stop at was the Breakers in Palm Beach
An old world hotel and resort, the decor and ambience echoed a by-gone age. Jasmine, orchids and palm trees gave way to graceful formal gardens, secluded courtyards with waterfalls and pristine beaches.

Fine dining with excellent seafood preparations, a chef's garden for herbs and vegetables and children's programs made it easy to have a multi-generational vacation. Perfect spot for dressing in scarves and little dresses!

Our next stop was South Beach, Miami. We stayed at the new W hotel, the hot spot that everyone wants to be seen at. Modern decor, lots of marble, granite, white and black decor and gorgeous people. We dined one night at Mr. Chow's the famous Chinese fusion restaurant on the property. Included are pictures of the amazing desserts and the handmade ceiling.

South Beach is lined with fabulous shops, restaurants, fashionable people and a lot of spanish culture. The homes of the rich and famous dot the inter-coastal. The Bar Harbor shopping area and palm tree lined eateries take out door dining to a wonderful casual level that is so special for us from the north.

Italian, cuban and bistro style cuisine at it's best! " Harvard Business School Fashion Show.

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April showers and Spring Brides!

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Shubrah.com recently participated in two very different Wedding Expos. One was focused on a "Green" wedding theme for the bride and groom. The event was held by Elegantly Green Weddings at the Hyatt in Boston in February. The idea was to present "green" wedding vendors to potential couples and families who had an interest in making their planning eco-friendly. Who attended? There were florists who worked with local or organic flowers only. Gorgeous blooms, all pesticide free and many locally grown. Some great restaurants from Cambridge and other neighborhoods that sourced local produce and catch from our coastline. We got to sample the appetizers and desserts! Local cheeses, organic fruits and vegetables rounded off the offerings.

There was a company selling organic wines as well. The wedding cake vendors did an amazing job of showing off organic or vegan choices. The flavor of the year has been cupcakes! Brides and grooms are going for them instead of huge cakes. More stylish and frugal in this economy!

We showed our pure silk east meets west dresses and mens silk shirts for options for bridesmaids and groomsmen. Our designs were well received by a largely local and eco-friendly audience.

The Wedding Expo at the Taj Boston in early March was a very different event. Shubrah.com participated to show the recent wedding party designs created for Sorboni Banerjee of Channel 7 news and various other ideas for bridesmaids and bridal designs. India New England News had brought together wedding designers, photographers, planners, caterers and travel agents with a South Asian theme for the Boston Indian-American community. Music for the event was provided by a wonderful jazz and Bollywood fusion ensemble of musicians. The Taj served appetizers, desserts and drinks.

It was a well attended event, with over 350 people participating. We are excited to be part of such a vibrant community of people who embrace the cultures of the East along with the West to make it a rich and rewarding experience. Adding some photos of the event.
Our next events are coming up end of March and in April. We are donating our fashions for a live auction for the Lexington Education Foundation's annual gala dinner and dance event at the Westin, Waltham on March 27th. This fabulous evening is called Educated Tastes and local restaurants, businesses and bands donate their time and products to make this a must attend event. We have been participating for years to give back to the community and ultimately the children's schools. If you are there, hope to catch up with you!

April 13th, Tuesday- Harvard Business School Retail and Apparel club 2010 Spring Fashion show at the Indo-French bar and restaurant Mantra in Boston. Shubrah.com has been chosen to show a few looks from the website. It is a fundraiser event for a non-profit and we are donating our fashions for the auction. Hope to see you all there. For more details click here: http://www.thehbsfashionshow.com/

Our Spring collection will be showing in May. However, we have been working on some one of a kind designs meanwhile. They are beach worthy or warm weather cotton dresses and pajama pants. Well, they are made from saris that I decided to cut up (it's only antique cotton fabric from the 70's after all) and make into some wonderful sun dresses and pants. Recycling the best hand made cotton Kota saris I could find. You can wear them to a beach, a nice dinner at a bistro or pull on the pieces over your bathing suits. Each sari had enough fabric to make one dress and one pajama. So, if you are looking for something special, call us or e-mail to set up an appointment. We are here to wardrobe you for Spring break!

Well, the sun is finally shining after days of torrential rain. Perhaps March and April showers will bring happy brides, in May and June!

Sunapee and March Madness

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Children learn new skills so easily. It is astounding to see how quickly they can pick up a new sport, language, attitude or even adapt to new fashions. As adults, our brain loses this amazing agility. Our limbs lose the coordination to master new sports or skills. There is something to be said for teaching kids early on that adapting to new environments and that new behaviors can save the environment and nature. Our winter vacation week trip to Sunapee in Newbury, New Hampshire was a wonderful fun filled event. We stayed at the Mount Edge Spa and Resort.

Filled our Chintan bags with fresh fruits, local eggs, organic milk and sausages. French bread, local cheese... wine... chocolate... need I say more? Headed to the mountains every morning for a day outdoors. Adding some pictures of the beautiful lakes and mountains, all snow covered that made for a winter wonderland. Snow boarders, skiers and ski lodgers alike, took to soaking up the sun.

We watched the Winter Olympics at night on TV and marveled at how the athletes made all the sports look so effortless! On sat night the fireworks outside our balcony brought all of us in our winter jackets and flannel pajamas out. Adding some pictures!

We look forward to warmer weather. Or a trip to a warm beach, next. In New England, the end of February and early March means snow covered ground, as winter still drags on. But Spring break is around the corner find us at the shows we are doing during early March. Our first trade show is from Feb 28th to March 3rd. New England Apparel Club is hosting. Check out our booth #920, Royal Plaza Trade Center, Marlboro, MA.

On March 7th, we will be at the Taj Boston, so grab brunch at the posh hotel and browse the Wedding Expo- hosted by India New England News. We will be showing our eco-friendly bridesmaids dresses and meeting clients who want a couture gown designed for their wedding. Meanwhile, think of a warm beach vacation where you can wear Shubrah.com. Coming soon!

On Feb 14th we took some pictures of the Elegantly Green wedding showcase we were a part of at the Hyatt, Boston. Adding some pictures.

Walking in your shoes

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Our travel to Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA was a fun day trip to a jewel of a craft museum in our state, that we had never visited. The show was very well curated and the theme - shoes! Interpreted by artists in various media, it really inspired us to observe how creative people think! The materials used were orange peel, paper, wire, clay, metal or paint!

If the shoe fits, or for that matter, if the dress fits! What is always inspiring is to see another artists' creations and guess at the thought process that goes into making that piece of art. What was going through their heads at that time? What caused them to use the media that they chose? Why orange peels? Why newspapers? There was a shoe that had a tape measure as the strap, cabbage or salad greens as the heel and looked like it was made for someone one a diet! We are including some pictures of the show.

http://www.fullercraft.org/exhibitions.html#Perfect
Brockton, Massachusetts, once known as the shoe capital of the world, will revive its legacy with The Perfect Fit – Shoes Tell Stories. Curated by Wendy Tarlow Kaplan, who has strong family ties to Brockton’s shoe industry, this exhibition will explore how shoes can tell stories, addressing topics such as gender, history, sexuality, race, class, and culture.

February is here and we are thinking of Valentine's day and Winter break. Whether we travel to snow covered places for skiing or a warm beach for chilling, we still need to look pretty and be eco-friendly, all at the same time. Our next few shows are all about green weddings, so watch out for us in February and March at events in the Boston area. Bridesmaids dresses or cocktails at a resort.

Our trunk show which will launch our Spring/ Summer '10 collection is coming up in April. Stay tuned for dates and times. We are inspired by Incredible India, as always. Chiffons, beading, embroideries and eco-friendly practices are all a part of this collection. Look out for our trendy scarves, flow-ey dresses and jazzy shirts for the man in your life.

Around the world in 2010

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We have decided to dedicate this year to blogs about travel. Fashion, art, music and food are all part of the mix of traveling to a new place, seeing the foliage, eating the local cuisine and devouring the sights. How that experience enhances our collection, the choice of color and styling is all part of this mix of getting on a plane, in a car, a train or a horse drawn cart and going to a new destination.

Our first trip this year was to Delhi and Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri. We stayed in a lovely hotel called the ITC Mughal, the staff was warm and friendly and the service excellent. Will highly recommend their large breakfasts- their multi grain version of the south Indian dosa, is fabulous. The restaurant- Peshawari - serves the local cuisine like grilled meats, freshly made naan and breads and other north Indian dishes, at it's best.

The hotel has a wonderful opulent spa and magnificent gardens, so it is worth staying there for a few days. Local industries include marble carving, tourism and foot wear. The Taj Mahal was made by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his beloved wife, it is a magnificent monument made in white marble and hand carved with precious stones. It stands on the banks of the river Yamuna and Shah Jahan is said to have spent his last days looking at this view from the Red Fort- where he was imprisoned by his son.

Fatehpur Sikri is a wonderful monument made by Emperor Akbar for the Sufi saint Salim Chisti, when he had a son after years of praying for off spring. Akbar named his son Salim after the Sufi saint. There is a white marble mosque inside the red sandstone walls of Fatehpur Sikri. People go there to ask for their wishes to come true, tie multi colored ribbons to the trellis work on the windows and drape colorful cloths on the saint's grave.

Included are pictures of the sites, enjoy!

Our website is having a winter sale with everything at 50% off.

Feel free to browse, shop and spread the word to your friends!! We have some up coming shows in Feb, March and May of this year and our trunk show in April as well. So look out for our new Spring / Summer 10 collection in the coming months!

Happy 2010 to all.

Remembering 2009 with Shubrah.com

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As I mull over the year that was 2009, there were highlights for Shubrah.com and also some wonderful moments for me, personally. Recently, a customer who ordered our red girl's dress from the Misshree line called me. She is from the UK and has been living in New York, recently. Her daughter was going to her first school dance and when the red dress arrived, it fitted her like a glove! She looked beautiful in it and I was so happy to receive this phone call out of the blue! It made my day. We have celebrated a year in business now. A year of tremendous ups and downs in this dismal economy. But, a phone call or an e-mail from a happy customer is all it takes to make us want to run out and create another wonderful collection! So keep you feed back coming.

We are thinking of creative ways of stretching a very small marketing budget with e-mailed newsletters, facebook, twitter, linkedin, the blog and of course, our wonderful website. So visit us often, read the blog, spread the word by becoming a fan on our facebook page and forwarding our newsletter to friends. We don't believe in cluttering your inbox or using paper to fill your mailbox, so anything you do to spread the word, counts for us! If you have a great tip for us, send it along. We are happy to hear from you anytime!

We pray for peace, a greener and gentler world in 2010. We wish for more time to pursue what we love to do. It may be traveling safely to loved ones during this holiday season or sharing a locally sourced meal with our family. We hope that 2010 brings harmony, peace, joy and eco-friendly-ness to you.

Onwards in search of the "new" spice route this week....exotic silks, sheer organic cottons, bewitching gems, aromatic spices, marigolds and jasmine, all beckon to be hunted and gathered! Happy Holidays from Shubrah.com!

KATwalk--Fashion show at M.I.T in Nov 09

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Shubrah.com was invited to participate in KATwalk, a fashion show at M.I.T, Cambridge MA, on Nov 11th, along with other boutiques and designers. The event is an annual show that is organized by students at M.I.T and is a fundraiser for a worthy non-profit that supports children's issues called CASA. The venue, is a glorious hall, part of Walker Memorial Building along Memorial drive with beautiful high ceilings supported by massive pillars and giant paintings as a backdrop on the walls.

There is a balcony surrounding the entire hall, where the students gathered and cheered the proceedings below. The catwalk was set up on the main floor, with front row chairs as well as tables for guests for desserts and beverages. We showed our collection modeled by 20 college students from MIT, with great music, choreography and ambience, all created by the students.

The MCs for the evening, introduced

Shubrah.com as an emerging Boston area design company to be watched for fusion as well as environmentally conscious design. The music they picked for this part of the show was fusion, some western, bollywood and bhangra, all mixed live by the student DJ. The show was a great success, with a live auction as well as two very talented groups of MIT students dancing and singing for the audience. There was a segment called "MIT couture" that was created by students, a tongue-in-cheek take on the clothing with college insignia, sold on the campus. The audience applauded in delight, at the hip music, choreography and at their friends who modeled during the course of the evening. A wonderful event, worth attending again, next year!