THIS SUMMER BE COOL
When they asked a crowd of about 300 women, “How many of us here like the season summer?” Not a single hand went up. They had gathered for a meeting in a conference hall in New Delhi. Yes, summers are getting worse by the year and women are increasingly finding it difficult to handle it.
But MoneyQuin brings you tips from country’s top hairstylist, skin care specialist and apparel brands on how to beat the heat and stay cool this summer.
Ace coiffeur Jawed Habib is asking women to keep their hair with few soft waves and bangs this summer, while Dr Sangeeta Amladi of Kaya tells us ways to protect our tender skin from sun rage and eat fresh fruits to keep it glowing. Italian apparel brand United Colours of Benetton wants to add music to our wardrobe.
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FIRST COME THE HAIR
Hair tend to retain heat. So those otherwise beautiful black things cascading down your nape may irritate you in summer. Yet chopping them off is not the only solution. More so in India. Ace coiffeur Jawed Habib talks about the summer 2010 hair trends and cuts in general.
VOGUE SUMMER 2010
On the Street: Styling is simpler with few soft waves and bangs. Why? Because in summer, when you feel hotter you can tie them up. So these very bangs become a style.
On Ramp: The styling on ramp is different. It’s artificial, puffy, and unpractical because on ramp, it’s the theme that works but in the day to day life, it is the life style that matters.
THE HAIR CYCLE
Hair styling is a circle of 50 years. For 15-20 years it’s poky straight. Next 15 years it’s semi curly and the rest of the years it is very curly. So at the moment it’s the phase of semi curly into long layering and of course, with bangs and fringes.
IT SPEAKS YOUR LIFESTYLE
Cut is a lifestyle, especially in India where culture plays a very important role as the need in India is length. So we can’t experiment a lot over here. In India, long layering is very cool as length is present and because of the layering, it has a lot of movement and it looks superb and trendy.
Collegiate Cut: College crowd is the most experimental crowd. By experiment, I mean length, colour, funky and anything can be carried off well.
The Twenty-Somethings: Females in their twenties have a trendy styling while being sober. There’s less of colour and mostly around shoulder length.
The Wives: Married females are the simplest, with longer and plain looks.
ON HOLIDAY
A holiday cut has to be short and wash-and-go as it requires more washing but doesn’t require a blow dry.
IT’S PERSONAL
Every model carries quite similar looks. Only because of their texture and their body language, the cut looks different. Hair styling basically has to be personality based. Even if you give the same cut to many females, it will look different on each of them simply because of their personalities.
WHAT’S THE COST: A hair cut can cost anything from Rs 1000-5000. Depending on the city and the hair stylist.
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THE GLOW ON YOUR FACE
Those much dreaded pimples and rashes may just freak you out one fine morning. They can be painful at times and attract unpleasant attention from people around. But you need not worry. Dr Sangeeta Amladi, Head-Medical at Kaya, says you can easily get rid off those ugly spots on your face. But precaution is naturally better than cure!
PRECAUTION
Summer infections can be bacterial or fungal though both show up as boils, prickly heat, or dandruff on face and scalp. You may follow some very simple measures to avoid them. To begin with, since these infections mostly happen due to sweat, it would help to keep your body cool and fresh. Have bath twice a day. Don’t let the water be very hot or too cold even. Have head bath more frequently maybe thrice a week. Use good oil-free cleanser.
Sangeeta says the food we eat makes a difference. You may be wearing right clothes and sticking to external hygiene, but if you eat heavy fried food, all your efforts will go down the drain. Change your menu for summer. Light food rich in fibre is advisable. Say good bye to oily fried food. Salads are an essential part of every meal. Fall in love with fruits. Yet avoid fruits which generate heat like Mangoes. Litchi and water melon are the best. Curd has a cooling effect on our bodies. Curd with rice make for a perfect summer meal.
CURE:
However, if you’ve already got pimples, boils or rashes, don’t panic. There are very simple curative measures. Apply a good cream. You may use a good cleanser. But if it has really gone bad, get some good antibiotic. That should cure it in some time.
So go ahead, take the heat head on. And yes, don’t forget to put on a good pair of goggles. Eyes add to your beauty. Also, apply sunscreen at least 20 minutes before exposing yourself to the sun.
THE MONEY: Good cleansers cost between Rs 400 and Rs 600. Sunscreens range between Rs 500 and Rs 1000. Make sure the products you apply, suit your skin type.
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WHAT ARE YOU WEARING THIS SUMMER
UCB’s PUT MUSIC IN YOUR SUMMER CLOTHES
We’ve known of a deep connect between love and music. You fall in love and life’s melodious. But the latest is about clothes and music. You wear clothes and feel music all around you! Can’t be?
Ask the designers at United Colors of Benetton (UCB). The women’s wardrobe at UCB got musical this summer. They say the whole experience is like a piece of music which is pleasantly unforgettable. Each theme is just like one of those summer tunes that are part of our holidays.
The core colour is Rhapsody Blue.
Check it out!
THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL: Colours and designs affect your moods and mannerisms. A patterned outfit will make you feel different than what a plain outfit can. So when you wear UCB’s reversible fabrics with patterns on one side and plain on the other, you feel the special “double” effect on you. Denim is understated. For shirts it’s mostly plain and yarn-dyed poplin. And for the jersey collection, it’s cotton chenille and plush viscose. Trousers are full length and waist and shoulders are the focus of silhouette.
Colours: White, Blue, Pale Blue and Cherry Red
REMEMBER THE TIME: Linen, cotton, floral prints, knitwear. It’s an escape to the countryside. Its dress and shirt accompanied with shorts and mini skirts for this look. If you want to experiment with sheer elements and layering, try viscose/linen jersey and cotton gauze.
Knitwear is interpreted with fine and soft yarns such as cotton, viscose and nylon spandex. Floral prints are popular on yarn-dyed and open weave fabrics. And linen and cotton are used to maximum effect in a variety of textures like fine cotton, jersey, silky blends, and id cambrics. Wear them for relaxed, soft and floaty look.
Colours: White, Grape Red, Blue, Beige and Grey
LIBERIAN GIRL: Wear this theme and you are out on a journey to discover ancient traditions, intense colours, and evocative scents. What with drapes and ruffles on dresses with ethnic floral patterns, jodhpurs, kaftans and rushed tops. Silky look is interpreted by cotton and viscose blended to create a range of fabric from jersey to poplin and a ribbon knit used for the tricot. This is not enough. There’s layers of light jersey and modal alternatives with waistcoats. In knitwear, the emphasis is on open, large stitches and special shapes found particularly in dresses.
Soft fabrics reveal the silhouette of the body.
Colours: White, Brown, Purple, Green, Yellow, and Orange
YOU ROCK MY WORLD: It’s cotton! So you have t-shirts with graphics which strongly refer to the eighties. Imagine teaming yarn-dyed shirts with lived-in denims. Romantic! Cotton is dyed indigo like the broiler suit with bare shoulders. The looks area a true fit, comfortable and emphasize the figure without softening it too much.
Colours: Black, Grey and Blue
BLACK & WHITE: Stretch cotton satin, cotton/viscose, stretch poplin, georgette, and viscose jersey for gala silhouettes in varied shapes and lengths. You got slim trousers, shirts, cocktail dresses, and knits with soft drapes to pick from.
Wear the theme and you make for the perfect Marlene Dietrich of the 21st century.
Waistline is the overall fulcrum.
Colours: Black, White, and Pink
HOW MUCH DO YOU PAY: Anything between Rs 499 and Rs 4,999
