Flowers, Graduations and Mother's Day!

| at 6:49 AM


May is here with sunshine, flowers, proms, graduations and Mother's Day! We are showing the new styles at the Liberty Hotel on May 9th at 10 pm.  Looking forward to it!

April took us away from Boston to the sunny shores of Abaco Island in the Bahamas. Included are some pictures of the trip. The water was shades of turquoise and aquamarine blue. The turtles, corral reef and shell viewing was spectacular. The beaches were pristine and unspoiled by having few tourists. We swam, kayaked, walked, snorkeled and ate! It was a very relaxing week under the sun and palm trees.





















Coming back to Boston was hard as the bombs had exploded during the marathon while we were traveling. But the city and it's citizens are strong and we all take pride in it.

LUX Fashion Show Pictures by  Yuki Tanimoto





Happy viewing and Spring!

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Color Defines The Onset Of Spring At Shubhra Designs

| at 8:51 PM

Brave crocus spring up defying the cold April temperatures.

Recently it was Easter Sunday and the sun was shining on some purple and yellow crocus in the garden. When I walked my dog around the center, there were families all dressed up in their Sunday best, going to church and onto family activities afterwards. Little bulbs had cropped up everywhere, the first signs of spring. The roads were still edged with melting snow, it's hard to believe that April had already started.

Photo courtesy of my friend Anjali Mehta on one of her walks.
Spring has always been a time for inspiration for artists, designers and creative people. Passover, Easter, Baisakhi and Holi are celebrations created for us to rejoice in color, new beginnings and renew our faith in the cycle of creation. From the wonderful exhibit of Indian art, post Independence, at the Peabody-Essex Museum to the floral shows around town, there is an explosion in color and creativity.

PEM's beautiful exhibit "Midnight to the Boom" featured this artist who was the favorite. Though his work was realistic compared to the impressionists and modern works, his "Durga" was spectacular. 
" Durga"
Another thought provoking painting by the same artist.
Wintry sunshine even when it is almost mid April

I am often asked around this time of year to give a synopsis of trends in fashion. What are the latest colors? How short, how long, prints or stripes, etc? Trends differ by country, climate and the strata of society. Most of the time when there is still snow on the ground here, it's hard for people in New England to celebrate Holi. Wearing a light, breezy chiffon dress and open toed shoes is out of the question, unless we are planning a vacation to a warm destination. The trends for men and women this year point to a very dressed up and almost mono-chromatic palette. By that I mean the return of a suit and tie (yes, Justin Timberlake is even singing about that) for men and a more dressy, retro silhouette for women. Think of "The Great Gatsby," which is being remade incidentally, meeting a certain New England old world charm. Beach wear is forecast to be limited to a nautical color theme of black, white and some red. For those of us, who like color and a riotous blend, it is a little disappointing.


My fashion prescription for this season is color and lots of it. The forecasts are created by fashion  insiders at least a year in advance. They are not weather people and have no idea what kind of winter we are likely to have! That said, after living in sensible pants and boots all winter, I am ready to pull out my retro dresses and recycled sari numbers soon. For the men, a little wardrobe pick me up- buy a new shirt or tie in a wonderful spring color like lavender or aquamarine and live a little. Try a more dressed up look with cufflinks and tie clip. Wear a gorgeous silk shirt to a dinner event. Ditch the wool sweater.

Patriots' Day parade preparation by the Minutemen

In Lexington, you see the Red Coats and the Minutmen walking around before the big parade for Monday's Patriots day.
Costumes and uniforms are stored in people's attics and closets year round. When the time comes, they put them on and it the parade! Some of these costumes have been handed down within these families for years.
The horses thrilled the children on this cold Sunday afternoon, to celebrate Lexington's 300 anniversary

Marching Bands

Lexington is having a town wide event where artists open their studios to show and sell their work. It is on the weekend of April 27th and 28th. I will be showing my colorful designs at that time. The runway fashion show is on May 9th at the Liberty Hotel at 10 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public. Here's to a warm spring.

Credits to Yuki Tanimoto for photographs of LUX 2013





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Shubrah Spring 2013

| at 9:49 AM

February was eventful not only due to the amount of snow we got, but also as we made our trek across continents to India- Delhi and London.

It was generally cooler than normal everywhere. We cut up a lot of old saris and recycled them into our now famous wine bags and beautiful cocktail dresses.


Harrods and London are synonymous now!
Snow storms galore in February and March! What's a dog to do but play in it?
Looking for a few warm days to melt this and think about spring wardrobes and events.
Hamleys and what Spider-Man has to do to keep kids interested these days.
London's quintessential Paddington Bear. Suitcases, toys, superheroes and travel!
Color and artistic displays at Hamleys
Though London was unseasonably cold in February, we admired the beautiful spring flowers in the hotel lobby before high tea.
High tea in all it's splendor. The British know the time of day when a crisp cup of tea and wafer thin sandwiches will make one feel splendid again!
High tea London time. Bring on the silver and the china. Don't forget the Indian tea!
A perfect bouquet of red roses on a side table.
Antique wall clock and butterflies wallpaper in a London room.
The new Leela Hotel in Delhi was small but stunning in it's opulent Raj style interiors. A variety of tropical flowers on an exquisite dark wood and inlay chest.
Delhi was cool this time of year and very pleasant on sunny afternoons in walled gardens.
A gorgeous display of roses and orchids at the Taj in Delhi. The oranges and yellows are fresh and make us wish for warmer temperatures. 
View from the all glass cafe at the Leela, looking out into the garden with an exquisite Buddha head.
The glass enclosed cafe with beautiful orange blooms.
Hammered metal discs adorn a ceiling as modern display.
Let's look out for warmer weather and our upcoming Spring events now.

April 27th and 28th we will be part of Lexington Open Studios like last year. We will have art and fashion on sale. Timings are 11 am to 5 pm both days so stop by.

On May 9th, we are back at the Liberty Hotel, Fashionably LATE! Showing our new dresses at 10 pm, so come by to sip a cocktail and watch the show.

Here's to a warm spring and pretty flowers in the coming months.

 To check more details visit our website Shubrah.com


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