Chanel Cruise ‘13- Marie Antoinette meets M.I.A?

I like the Chanel logo where the tear drop would normally be tattoed (see any pic of Game).


See the entire collection here. The music played during the show was M.I.A's bad girls- a track I really never liked. I would  instead suggest

My picks of the 2012 Met Gala

BASSnectar

I started listening to Bassnectar at some point last year. I was never particularly interested in dnb, dubstep, electronica and the rest of it, despite going to the LED festival in London few years ago (although that was more at the Calvin Harris end of the spectrum).

Browsing through youtube for some reggae, I initially found some nice dub mixes, such as the Peter Tosh legalize it 6blocc remix (another great bass blaster artist), Alborosie herbalist dubstep (numa crew remix) and the amazing Alborosie No cocaine dub remix. From here I somehow ended up , and eventually stayed on, Bassnectar (the very first track I heard was ‘Basshead’).

At the risk of sounding like a crack addict, I have to say, Bassnectar really is more than music, it’s an experience. You start listening to it, maybe in the background, then gradually and quite quickly, it takes over and next thing you’re blasting it way too loud, have forgotten what you were doing in the first place and have let yourself go with the flow and WubawuBaDubuBbbDubb is probably the only thing going through your aural sphere. Did that sound a bit dodge? LOL.

It goes without saying that good speakers are vital here, ones with a decent bass,subwoofer etc. or there’s absolutely no point. I don’t know how to drive, but being able to blast these kind of bass lines would probably be one of the main motivations to learn. As a side point I’d like to add that there seems to be a lot comparisons being made between Skrillex and Bassnectar, and if I had to pick one, I’d say Skrillex is really not for me, its far too mechanical sounding for my taste. They certainly do have slightly similar styles but Bassnectar is absolutely unique. I love the way he mixes a broad range of samples into the beats he creates, ranging from tranquil mellow singing to rap to echoes to reggae and even laughter.

The man behind this addictive soundscape is Lorin Ashton who describes bassnectar perfectly as “an open-sourced musical project that is as diverse as it is heavy, as raw as it is meticulous, and as fierce as it is imaginary. Spanning the spectrum of sonic style, the music covers every genre imaginable and smashes it all into a synthesis of intense, wobbling basslines and hypnotic soundscapes.”

Check out the official Bassnectar discography here and the official website too. His most recent albums have been Cozza Frenzy (2009), Timestretch (2010), Wildstyle (2010), Divergent Spectrum (2011) and the most recent Va Va Voom (2012). Even if you’re not familiar with his music or a fan, its likely you would have heard the more mainstream track Elle Goulding –Lights (Bassnectar remix).

He’s played at Coachella and other festivals and I would love to go to one of his concerts, as the light and sounds effects look mindblowing, in some cases, probably literally! Sadly, I don’t think he’s in the UK anytime soon.

In the meanwhile here are my favourite Bassnectar tracks, enjoy, make your brain vibrate, this is as dirty as it gets.

Past Album covers:

Miriam Haskell & Kourtney Kardashian

Recently I saw Kourtney Kardashian on a casual stroll (on the net, I wasn’t actually following her around) and I noticed that she had paired her casual outfit with a startlingly blinging Miriam Haskell neck piece. The store has been making beautiful jewellery since the 1920s, is based in New Yawk and has collaborated with brands including Target, JC Penny and Vera Wang. If you like your necklaces chunky, and your rings to look like a bowl of fruit, head to their official website. There’s even a sale on. They’ve been worn by Michelle Obama too.

Miriam Haskell:

Devdas- 10 year anniversary!

Its been 10 years since the most expensive Bollywood movie ever made (at the time) was released. Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Aishwarya Rai, Kiron Kher, among others, the movie, based on the novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, was a feast for the eyes from the first shot till the very last. Everyone loves a bit of unrequited love play itself out and destroy three lives as happens in this movie and Sajay Leela Bhansali directed it wonderfully, even screening it at Cannes 2002. Devdas was India's entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars in 2003.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali is known for his amazing cinematography and each scene is an orgy of fabulousness (Hum Dil Chuke Sanam, Black, Saawariya, Guzaarish). The sets looked like nothing seen before, maybe Mughl-e-Azam or Pakeezah, and the costumes were simply flawless.  The amazing singing by Shreya Ghoshal also catapulted her into the spotlight.

So, Who did the costumes? The designers, according to the official Devdas website are:

NEETA LULLA
After 15 years as a fashion lecturer, Neeta Lulla laid her creative steps into the world of Hindi Cinema. She went on to design costumes for over 350 films and over 75 film stars, from Zohra Sehgal and Bindu to Sridevi and Juhi Chawla to Kareena Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai. In Devdas, she has designed the costumes for Aishwarya Rai and Kiron Kher besides other female characters in the film, thus adding much to their beauty and individuality.

ABU JANI-SANDEEP KHOSLA
The Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla label made its mark internationally beginning with a range of exclusive shawls sold under the Shakira Caine mark at Harvey Nichols and Harrods in London and Neiman Marcus and Bergdof Goodman in New York.

REZA SHARIFFI
In Devdas he has designed some costumes for Madhuri Dixit who plays Chandramukhi, besides several key male characters as well as female dancers.

The jewellery throughout Devdas is absolutely over-the-top beautiful. e.g this hand piece worn in the song sequence ‘Maar Dala’ by the courtesan with a heart of gold played by Madhuri Dixit.

Aishwarya Rai plays ‘Paro’ (Parvati, Devdas’ love interest), and looks stunning throughout.



The movie gave us some great One-liners. I haven’t translated them because they loose the meaning then, so find an Indian to help, theres 7 billion I’m sure there’s one near you:

Devdas: “Itna ghuroor toh chaand ko bhi nahin.”
Chandramukhi: “Haan magar dua mein, jub ye haath uthaya, Khuda se dua mein, tumhe maang dala”
Devdas : “Yaad to woh aate hain jinhe bhulaya ja sakta ho.”
Chandramukhi : “Har dukh aane wale sukh ki chitthi hoti hai dev babu. Aur har nuksan hone waley fayde ka ishara.”
Devdas : “Haan jab bazaar mein baithne wali aurat kajal ka tiika lagati hai, jabaki wo chahti hai sabki najar us par tiki rahey.”
Chandramukhi : “Yun nazar ki bat ki, aur dil chura gaye, hum to samajhe they buth, aap to dhadkan suna gaye.”
Devdas: “Kaun kambakht bardasht karnay ko peeta hai”

Music

Gold

Its been grey, rainy, drizzly here in London. We all know that the weather directly affects our mood, and given my love of music, and the constant search for the ultimate soundtrack to life, I found this gem. It has an awesome uplifting effect. Maybe its the solo guitar, maybe its the naice bass and bangs. Not sure, blast it, see for yourself. Also, if it helps, drape yourself in some serious gold like these YSL pieces.

 The Black Keys - Gold On The Ceiling

Gettin wedgy with it..River Island.

If there's one thing that can cheer anyone up from this wet grey weather that's taken over London recently, its these gorgeous multi coloured wedges courtesy of River Island. It's been my favourite (ok ..top 3) label on the British high street for as long as I can remember and this lil' collection proves why its still amazing!!

Gettin wedgy with it..River Island. by taamrasegal featuring platform sandals

London Coffee Festival 27-29 April

If, like me, you’ve got an unhealthily needy relationship with your Costa Rican (i’m referring to coffee) then you need to head down to Brick Lane this weekend for the fabulous London Coffee Festival. I’m not much of an experimentalist (if that’s a word) and tend to stick to my favourite for a few months atleast. Right now, its Kenco Costa Rican.yum.

18 different coffee shops will be taking over the pop up True Artisan Cafe for 3 hours each, serving the best caffeine concoctions on their menu for you to try. Head to the ‘make decent coffee lounge’ to learn how to perfect your skill. Theres a lot more information on the website so best to read there, and all the while the background music will be provided by an eclectic mix of John Adeleye (ex-X factor contestant), Hackney Globe Trotter, Richard James etc.etc.

Tickets start at £9.50 and 50% of all ticket sales will be donated to Project Waterfall, a clean water initiative currently providing communities in Tanzania’s Mbulu District.
http://www.londoncoffeefestival.com/

Pigalle

Im not a fan of neon bright shoes, after an unfortunate year in high school wearing BLINDINGLY bright Fuschia heels (Topshop), but I saw these babies on Kim Kardashian in the DailyMail (my link to reality) and reaally liked them. I guess it goes without saying, don’t try adding anything else this bright to the outfit, you may cause serious damage. Its the ‘Pigalle’ by Louboutin and will set you back $625 USD.