Happy Anniversary PIINK!!

Its been a year since I started writing this blog. Happy anniversary Paisleys and Indian Ink. I have enjoyed this experience and I am looking forward to write more and more, hoping my travels would take me to places unknown.

Happy Anniversary Paisleys and Indian Ink

Browsing through numerous beautifully encapsulated moments, having archived images of wonderful places, having learnt new cultures, languages and having adopted newer fashion styles, I am thrilled to write a column on what I love, what I recommend people to read and what to explore out there in the world full of art, culture, fashion, lifestyle, music, architecture, customs, food, travel, photography and writing. Happy Anniversary again!!

Lucerne’s Ornamental Signposts

Luzern's ornamental signposts, Switzerland

Decorative signposts of Lucerne

Ornamental signposts, Lucerne

Lucerne's Ornamental Facade, Switzerland

Rolex showroom signpost, Lucerne

Filigree signpost for Hotel Krone, Lucerne

Elaborate metal filigree signpost, Lucerne

Read more about Lucerne and Switzerland here.

Facades of Lucerne: http://paisleysandindianink.wordpress.com/2011/07/18/facades-of-lucerne/

Lucerne: http://paisleysandindianink.wordpress.com/2011/07/17/lucerne-swiss-eurotrip/

Mt. Titlis: http://paisleysandindianink.wordpress.com/2011/06/22/mount-titlis-swiss-eurotrip/

Engelberg Beautiful Homes: http://paisleysandindianink.wordpress.com/2011/06/15/engelberg-swiss-beautiful-homes/

Broc: http://paisleysandindianink.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/broc/

Gruyere: http://paisleysandindianink.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/gruyere/

Montreaux: http://paisleysandindianink.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/montreaux/

Lausanne: http://paisleysandindianink.wordpress.com/2011/04/24/lausanne-swiss-eurotrip/

Morges: http://paisleysandindianink.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/morges/

Geneva: http://paisleysandindianink.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/geneva-eurotrip/

Prada Inspired Colour-Blocked Clutch

Prada Inspired colour-blocked clutch

From Prada to Gucci to Louis Vuitton and numerous other brands, Colour blocking is the trend for Spring-Summer 2011. Bright reds, fuchsia, electric blues, teal and peacock green are all rage this season.  This brings light onto my latest acquisition, a Prada Inspired Colour-blocked Clutch picked up from a thrift shop in Bangalore.

Side view of Prada Inspired colour-blocked clutch

Colour blocked clutch against Marilyn Monroe Pop Art background

Clutch: Red-Yellow-Black with gold studs and a gold chain – Thrift shop, Bangalore, India

Available in 3 more colours (Off White-Pastel pink, Brown – Dark brown – Black, Pastel Pink – White – Black)

Broc, Swiss – Eurotrip

Maison Cailler Chocolate Factory, Broc

Broc, located in the district of Gruyère in the canton of Fribourg, Switzerland is just an hour away from the cheese factory in Gruyère. The slow train ride takes one along the beautiful countryside with much awaited anticipation to see the one and only place, Maison Cailler Chocolate Factory. Oh!! I just crept into my fantasy world the moment I saw the chocolate factory; having imagined myself to be that innocent child who just won the ‘gold coupon’ to enter Willy Wonker’s Chocolate Factory. The thought of entering that dream destination and feasting on unlimited chocolates was mesmerising, indeed.

Huge chocolate bars, Maison Cailler, Broc

The Maison Cailler had an interactive tour guide, one that starts with a gallery showcasing Cailler’s famous packaging graphics from 1898 till present day. This was proceeded by a Willy Wonker style 4-D presentation ending on a very delicious note – a feast on the freshly baked Cailler chocolates. Yummmmm!!!

Chocolate Shop, Maison Cailler, Broc

Cailler Chocmel

Chocolait Kobler

Nestle Packaging graphics

Gala Peter, Chocolat Au Lait

F.L.Cailler

Rayon, Cailler

Bonbons Fins Cailler

Kaimak

Know the chocolate!!

Hot baked chocolates directly from the oven

In 2006, Cailler approached Roman Klis Design, a branding agency to redesign its packaging graphics with a focus on brand’s rich history and traditional values; thus relaunching itself as a premium chocolate brand in the market.

Cailler re-branding

Cailler re-branding

Cailler re-branding

Enjoy the Chocolaty experience!!!

Montreux – Swiss, Eurotrip

Montreux, Switzerland

Nestled at the foot of the Alps and facing Lake Geneva, this ravishing beautiful and vivid town of Montreux gets encapsulated into minds of the traveller forever. Montreux Riviera is filled with scenic beauty, culture and wine, gastronomical delights, casinos, yachts, leisure, entertainment and music for the soul.

Lake Geneva & the Alps, Montreux

View of the Alps, Montreux

Lake Geneva at Montreux

The flowers, mainly tulips, were in full bloom at this time, growing in vivid colours and changing the look of the place.

Tulips, Montreux

Tulips, close-up shot, Montreux

Vivid flowers, Montreux

Baazars were set up on the lakeside to entertain the flock of tourists with small flea shops selling Kashmiri shawls to antique jewellery, Red Indians playing musical instruments and people selling dry fruits.

Flea shops, Montreux

Flea shops, Montreux

Red Indians playing music & selling candles, Montreux

The statue of  British icon ‘Freddie Mercury‘ (born Farrokh Bulsara), the lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band, Queen, stands at the main tourist attraction spot facing Lake Geneva. Every September since 2003, Montreux celebrates Freddie Mercury’s Montreux Memorial Day.

Statue of Freddie Mercury, Montreux

I took a long walk along the beautiful lakeside upto Chateau de Chillon, capturing every beautiful view in my camera and in my mind. Switzerland gives you that relaxation, peace and being one with nature feeling, Nirvana, as one might call. I happened to see some of the amazing things on my long walk such as a circular platform on Lake Geneva where people can read books or chat, children playing in the water, the flower gardens with hay sculptures of ‘Madagascar movie’ animals, creepers, vines and tulips near Lake Geneva, beautiful yachts, people sun-bathing at the luxury resorts of Montreux,  a long over-bridge built on the mountains at Veytaux and the stunning sight of the beautiful Chateau de Chillon.

Platform on Lake Geneva, Montreux

Platform on Lake Geneva, Montreux

Children playing in the water, Montreux

Hay sculptures of Madagascar Movie animals, Montreux

Hay sculptures of Madagascar Movie animals, Montreux

Creepers, vines, flowers and yachts on Lake Geneva

Veytaux, Switzerland

View of Chateau de Chillon, Veytaux

The historic castle of Chateau de Chillon, 3 km from Montreux, is Switzerland’s most visited monument. Since the roadway is lodged between Lake Léman in the commune of Veytaux and the cliffs, there is no way to get around Chillon. In the modern times, the Castle is known for having inspired Lord Byron’s poem, The Prisoner Of Chillon (1816).

Chateau de Chillon, Veytaux

Chateau de Chillon, Veytaux

And there ends my journey of this beautiful lakeside of Switzerland, Montreux, whose every moment is etched in my memory forever.

Berlin Wall – Eurotrip

Berlin… after battling the -15 temperatures, snow, cold winds and being stranded on Christmas Eve at different train stations in Germany, we finally reached Berlin. The first thing that comes to your mind when you decide to go around Berlin – is to see the reminiscence of the  World War and the post World War drama that took place in Germany, especially Berlin.

The Berlin Wall serves as a reminder that when two super powers such as USA and Russia decide to tear a country apart in the name of ‘peace’ and ‘harmony’… what can happen… So, here are some memorable images drawn, painted and written in distress, in the hope and with a promise that it would never happen again…

Lille – Eurotrip Diaries

The first pit-stop on my Eurotrip was Lille, France. Although, Eurostar extends amazing offers from London to Lille especially for Christmas shopping. I, for once, decided to forgo my shopping spree, pack my boots and heavy winterwear and head to Lille to start and amazing, yet drilling winter Eurotrip experience.

Lille was frozen … HFO (hell freezes over)… Although, it had one of the best Christmas townsquare decorations. The nightlights and the bombastic giant wheel set against the fabulous Flemish architecture was spellbounding.

The brilliantly lit giant X’mas tree stood jubiliant next to giant ferry wheel that offered a bird’s eye view of Lille from above. The merry-go-round was mesmerizing with its vibrant lights and chiming bells attracting all the children and adults alike.

The chocolatey aroma filled the streets of Lille with local townsmen and women serving hot, mouth-watering waffles and gingerbread at the Christmas market. Ablaze with festive lights and the Christmas market in full swing, I enjoyed my ‘Noel’ experience at Lille.

Eurotrip Diaries

I have been waiting for ages… as to how to put it together… My EUROTRIP!!! And yes, its finally here….

London – Lille – Brussels – Delft – Rotterdam – Amsterdam – Berlin – Basel – Zurich – Paris – Lille – London

My Eurotrip Diaries.. cultural experiences.. food… art.. music… and personally how it has influenced me!! Short stories from Eurotrip experiences.. Coming Soon…………

French Sailor Chic in London!!!

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Over the summers, I captured a lot of coastal inspired stories. Amidst all that, I totally forgot about this beautiful snapshot that I had taken on 14th of July, 2010  celebrated as Bastille’s Day. Bastille Day, formally called La Fête Nationale (The National Celebration) and commonly le quatorze juillet (the fourteenth of July), commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789. The anniversary of the storming of the Bastille fortress-prison was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern nation, and of the reconciliation of all the French inside the constitutional monarchy which preceded the First Republic, during the French Revolution.

The Borough Market in London was having a celebration of Bastille’s Day. This vibrantly dressed group of people were singing and dancing, playing the accordion, drums and guitar, dressed in absolute French Sailor Chic style. The guy playing the accordion in the background with his beret and turned-up hem trousers and the printed scarf around his neck, looks absolutely French. The styling resembles the new Lanvin for H&M men look sans the pencil moustache. The red scarf on the guy playing the drums totally accentuates his black outfit and black beret.

The girls are dressed in ‘stripe T-shirt’, a typical of sailor look’ with a scarf elegantly tied around the neck. The red-buttoned cardigan with the red lipstick totally completes the French look. Not to forget the white culottes with black leggings and red shoes that complement the whole look.

The stripe t-shirt with the red scarf and the high waisted pants with the red belt, all typical of a sailor chic look. To read more about the coastal story and the reign of ‘stripes’ , click here. This is the video which I took on Bastille’s Day. Although, the girls seem to be missing from the picture.

Have a look at more of the French chic look with the likes of Coco Chanel, Audrey Hepburn and Alexa Chung, courtesy The Wall Street Journal.

And to add to this, I found this interesting video on how to dress up ‘French Chic‘!!! Enjoy!!

Coastal Chennai: Colours of Bessy Beach

‘Colours of Bessy’ is yet another vibrant addition to my ‘Coastal Story’; adding yet another diversity to my fashion travel stories.

Chennai, India is a culturally vibrant city, traditional yet contemporary in approach. I got up one fine morning on my visit to India and just randomly decided to capture the essence and morning glory at Chennai’s Besant Nagar Beach, fondly called ‘Bessy Beach’.

Among all the beaches I have been to, this remains my most favourite, Chennai’s Bessy Beach. So, I decided why not add it to my blog’s collection of ‘Coastal Stories’. Although, it  was a cloudy start, I was able to capture the ‘colours of the beach’ at my very best. Never before have I captured such vibrancy (P.S. that too so early in the morning). ‘Mamis’ (aunties) in their colourful Pattu (silk) sarees going for a early morning walk in their ‘sport shoes’ or the ‘colourful’ auto rickshaws or boys digging in the sand in their colourful tees.

 

The sand, the sea, the sky, the sun, the posters on the beach, the boatsman and his guts, the colourful food stalls with their unique typographical yet colourful boards and the magic of colours all reverberate the ‘heart and soul’ of ‘Bessy’.

 

Bollywood & Kollywood influences along with TamilNadu’s politics & its influence are quite evident on the beach. The mix-match, vibrant and bright colours create a ‘kitsch’, a uniquely different and rich colour palette.

A chrome, rusty yellow colour story is seen emerging right  from the yellow painted lockers, to autos, to posters to ‘pattu sarees’ and moving right onto the colourful merry go-around. Its a wee-merry yellow story with shades of rust and sand.

Chennai’s Bessy Beach: chrome yellow, rust, brown, bright reds, highlights of blues, sand and ice blue.