Best New Product Award (NYIGF)

Our  Madhubani Dancing Peacocks Pillow...

got the second place at NYIGF Best New Product Category in Home Accessories.

It feels great to be selected and recognized especially since it is the first time we're showing at NYIGF.
Thank You all judges and NYIGF, we feel really honored to have our product counted amongst the best.

NYIGF - Jan 31 to Feb 4, 2010

We just came back from Javits after setting the booth up. It has been a very tiring couple of days starting from the Airport where security took ages and then flight got cancelled and then delayed. After landing in NY, we got to know our apt which we'd rented had a plumbing issue, so we were booked at the Time Hotel (...it was okayish....we certainly expected it to be better) and then there was a last minute package to be collected from ICC and then ofcourse the booth setting and again shifting back to the apartment, doing the last minute purchases for the booth and just when we thought we had everything under control, we discovered we had wrong visiting cards......so then off we went to Kinkos and got them printed....

So all in all, it has been a very hectic 2 days for us...

All's well that end's well - Right !! Ofcourse right !!

So visit us at Booth 7749 at Javits Center . We welcome  you :)

Lovisa and Mitali

And they say Imitation is....

.......the best form of flattery. How about downright cutting, copying and pasting ? Well, somebody has very neatly copied our entire post and added it to his blog. You can check it out here.
Thank You Deepanshu Mehta, we are mighty flattered !

We'll be exhibiting at The NYIGF.....

......................................and our booth number is 7749. 
2 sevens and a square of seven :) ....should be lucky !
Anyhow right now we're neck deep into loads of self inflicted deadlines. New clients to tap and contact, sampling, coordinating production and quality, strategizing our marketing and P.R., booth design, retail website, executing current orders…Amongst all this hyper busy-ness our poor uncomplaining blog gets sidelined.
So here we are blogging about our 2^nd tradeshow - NYIGF - The holy grail of all tradeshows.......ummMM......ok ok ...... in N.America at least !


If you can, then please do visit us. We’d be launching some new designs. 

A sneak peek shall be posted on this blog soon, so stay tuned !

Have a good night folks and may you all have a rested and blissful sleep!

Once upon a time in Lucknow

Lucknow was perhaps the most photographed city in India during 1800's and after seeing below images it would be easy to understand why. Lucknow symbolized the extreme decadence that was prevalent amongst the royalty. It was a life of unadulterated leisure and indulgence which sparked a cultural revolution of sorts. Beauty in all its forms was patronized by the princely nawabs. Courtly manners came to be known as "nawabi tehzeeb".

 View of City of Lucknow - Sometime in 1800's (Unknown) via

View of Mohammad Ali Shah's Palace and Garden (Undated - Bettman) via

Roomi Darwaza (1870 - Samuel Bourne) via

Chattar Manzil (1870 - Unknown) via

Chattar Manzil and the Royal boat of Oudh (Felice Beato) via

Did you see that lovely fish shaped boat of a Raja - Could anything be more romantic that to travel in that boat on a calm Gomti river by night?

And now for some images of Rajas, Nawabs and Courtesans of Lucknow. The elaborate costumes and the jewelery are fabulous.......

Raja Lal Madho Singh - Talukdar of Amethi (1880 - Abbas Ali) via

Love his shoes - they seem almost contemporary !

Mirza Jafar Ali Khan - Tallukdar of Bihta (1880 - Mushkoor ud daula) via

.......and finally for some images of pretty courtesans. These ladies were extremely accomplished and educated. They learned and practiced classical singing and dancing, poetry, literature etc. Unfortunately some of the beautiful ladies below are un-identified.The pictures are taken sometime around 1865 by Mushkoor ud daula.

 

Check out the beautiful inlay work table and the mirror .... and ofcourse the jewellery.

Addha Biggan 1905 via

Mahemuneer around 1905 via

Mooshtari Jan around 1905 via

Mulka Jan around 1905 via

All the above 3 ladies have a very similar design on their lehnga/sharara. Perhaps this was the latest in fashion then.

Noor Jahan around 1905 via

Hope you liked this post. If you'd like to have some more information, please click here. It is a well researched essay on a famous and yet almost mythical Lucknow courtesan Umrao Jaan.

Allem Studio on Bolly Instyle

Bolly Instyle is a blog about Indian inspired stuff - from clothing to accessories to jewellery to homes to decor to ...well everything ! Check it out for an instant fix of Indian chic and inspiration. Beautiful eye candy !
So, it felt great to be featured by Shital Taylor of Bolly Instyle here. Thank You !

Allem Studio on Once upon a Tea Time

Though we're a bit irregular about posting on our blog (shame !! ;)...however we do make it a point to regularly check out some blogs that we have become fans of. Once upon a tea time is one such blog. So it was a real treat to be featured by Aditi at OUATT here. Thanks Aditi, your lovely words about our work made our day.