Oscar 2011- The ladies who ruled the red carpet..

The week started on a very glamorous note this morning , what with all the beautiful stars strutting their stuff on the red carpet. Though there wasn't too much color out there, the shimmer, beads, lace and tulle more than made up for it. Here's a round-up of the stars who shone....

The gorgeous Mila Kunis in a low-cut lacy lavender Elie Saab gown was the hands-down winner..it should be illegal for someone to be this beautiful. Her hair and makeup were perfect as were the jewels. Though I wish she had chosen to wear something other than lavender on her feet as well.

The ever so stunning Cate Blanchette, never one to play it safe, really rocked this unusual and heavily beaded Givency Haute Couture gown. I was on the fence about this one initially, but the more I see it the more it appeals to me. And truth be told, only Cate could have done justice to it and she sure did!

The hostess for the ceremony...the young and vivacious and utterly gorgeous, Anne Hathaway in one of her many glamorous avatars for the night in this beaded corset style Givency number....a stunner!

Soft, barely there color and lots of shimmer were the way to go for crooner Mandy Moore ,ethereal  in Monique Lhuillier gown...

...as well as for Halle Berry who shone in this tulle trimmed creation from Marchesa.

I loved Anne in this silver heavily-fringed Oscar de la Renta one-shoulder gown...she had an almost perfect wardrobe for the night!

 

Annette Bening's gunmetal -colored shimmery Naeem Khan gown fit her like a glove and was perfectly accessorised with emerald drops in her ears...

 There were some really vibrant colors too...

I absolutely loved Scarlett Johansson  in this lacy, berry-hued Dolce & Gabbana gown with a cut-out back.She looked radiant...I loved her fresh dewy make-up and that messy choppy bob. Infact it was one of my favourite looks from the red carpet.

 Natalie Portman was a winner all the way in this plum -colored Rodarte gown and her advanced pregnancy only added to her luminous visage...

 Amy Adams' red hair was perfectly offset by this shimmery deep blue gown by L'Wren Scott...I loved the demure neckline...

Last year's best actress winner, Sandra Bullock was a stunner in a bright red structured gown from Vera Wang...seems like she can do no wrong on the red carpet these days!!

Before she changed into numerous outfits, Anne made her red carpet appearance in this gorgeous vintage Valentino gown. She carries it very well but something is off about her hair...

Last but not the least, Reese Witherspoon, who channelled some 60's chic in this simple and classy black and white Georgio Armani Prive' number and a high ponytail..



Who were your red-carpet winners...I would love to know!!

all images via people.com , huffingtonpost.com & instyle.com

A month already...

Today I completed my first month as a blogger. It has been an exhilarating journey so far..and I am ever so greatful to all my readers both regular and occasional ( and some even accidental! ) for the support they have shown to maison marigold all this while....Every single comment has served as a morale booster and every word of praise has inspired me to work harder...As I go forward, I hope to give you reasons to keep coming back...

via afterstrokeparty



This is how it turned out....

I will not be sharing any images from the party for which I made the tissue paper pompoms ( since kids were the focus...I completely forgot to take any specific photos of the decor itself ) ...but I'm happy to show you how they looked before they became part of the party decor in the garden .....

 I suspended some of them from the living-room chandelier .....out of reach of a pair of very curious and eager little hands!! They look gorgeous to me....

What do you think??

all images maison marigold

What will you be doing this weekend.....

Starting later this evening , I'll be making a whole lot of these lovelies....

.....for my little boy's party tomorrow!! Since I'm pretty good with this craft ( even if I say so myself ! ), I should be able to share some images  next week !! Hopefully, I'll also be able to make some progress with my daughter's room..the art wall for one...will share that soon too....Have  a great weekend my friends!!

The Doors..



“There are things known, and there are things unknown, And in between are the Doors”      

 

           - Jim Morrison



And if those doors were to open out into the streets of Paris, I would certainly want to explore the unknown that lies beyond them!

Last night, while flipping through the album of our trip to Paris, in october....I made a rather peculiar discovery about myself. It appears...I might have some kind of a door-fetish......I had taken over two dozen images of doors!!

The ones I have featured here are from a limited color palatte (though all in different hues) and have brass and / or wrought iron hardware. The designs vary from basic to elaborate but the common element is ofcourse the absolute gorgeousness of them all.There ought to be a coffee-table book on the doors of Paris.... maybe there is one!

There is no commentary or caption accompanying  these images, as the doors speak for themselves!! Let us check them all out...starting with this very elegant blue-grey door...

...and ending where it probably all started...in front of the majestic Last Judgement Portal of the Notre Dame Cathedral..







detail of the portal

Which ones did you like best...leave me a comment and let me know !!

all images: maison marigold



It's a very special day.....

My little boy marched into his second year today!! I am going to spend all of today with him..cuddling, playing, dancing, eating lots of coggle ( that's boy-speak for chocolate) and just having the best time possible.. I'll be back, blogging, tomorrow!! Have a wonderful day!!



Ayan





HELP ! !

I have not been able to access any of the blogs using typepad platform for the last 2 days...is there a problem with my browser alone ( I use explorer and safari ).....or someone else out there has encountered the same glitch....I can't seem to figure it out...it is very frustrating....any suggestion would be much appreciated..thanks!

Sending out prayers...

The Guardian



The beautiful city of Christchurch in New Zealand has been hit by a massive earthquake...lives have been lost, homes destroyed and so many lives so horribly altered...may God give peace to  the departed souls and strength to the survivors to cope with their loss and rebuild their lives.

Runway to Room...

This orange and black chiffon dress from BCBG Fall 2011 collection may not be for all ( it has been called frumpy fashion by some critics)....

   

           

BCBG Fall 2011

 ...... but it sure translates into a gorgeous living room that no one would have any complaints about! I like how the gloss of the black piano, mirrors the sheen of the model's patent leather boots!!





Anne Hepfer via houseandhome.com

 

 

The Agra Chronicles- I ( Taj Mahal )

I know it took a long time coming, but I finally got it together. The Agra Chronicles is a three-part series with the highlights from my weekend trip to the city of the Taj. In this first instalment, I am sharing images and impressions from my tryst with one the world's best recognised and dearly loved monuments...a monument to love itself...the magnificent Taj Mahal!!

Here's my very first view of the Taj while driving into the city of Agra ...The monument itself was still a long way off but this fleeting glimpse from the moving car had me all excited!!

maison marigold

We stayed at the magnificent Amarvilas( Part 3 of the Chronicles) which boasts of a Taj-view from every single guest-room !! Here's a picture I took from the reception area soon after checking- in. For the two days that we stayed there, this view was our constant companion..We really couldn't have asked for more.

maison marigold

 Since the best time to visit the Taj is either at sunrise or sunset...we set out early morning on saturday in a golf-cart, courtesy of the Amarvilas, with our very able guide. I highly recommend taking a registered guide along( since audio guides are not available here) , as there are so many details and snippets of very interesting information ( some facts and others pure legends) which one might otherwise miss out on. Soon after passing through security, the main dome of the Taj shows up over the compound wall....

maison marigold

The entry  to the main Taj complex is through this Eastern Gate, a magnificent red-sandstone and white marble structure whose archway mirrors the shape of the main tomb's archway.The front and back of this grand gate are identical, conforming to the principle of symmetry so typical of mughal architecture. As one enters through this gate.....

maison marigold

...the sight that meets the eye...takes the breath away. There were quite a few audible gasps( mine included) at this moment. To me, this image of the Taj truly highlights its ethereal beauty...a dream-like vision in white, floating above a sea of humanity...

maison marigold

A World Heritage Site,Taj Mahal is a mausoleum built by the mughal emperor, Shahjahan, in the memory of his beloved wife, Mumtajmahal. It is the finest example of Mughal architecture, which is effectively an amalgamation of Persian, Islamic and Indian architectural styles. Shahjahan was obsessed with perfection and symmetry and this image illustrates how Taj embodies both of those, alongwith unparalleled beauty. Infact, all four sides of the main structure are identical, including all the geometric and floral motifs.

Isn't it ironical, then, that the only visible asymmetry in the entire complex lies in the position of Shahjahan's cenotaph which lies beside Mumtajmahal's centrally placed cenotaph!

maison marigold

This is the view of the gateway, that we entered through, as seen from the reflecting pool ...which is this raised marble water tank for refelecting the image of the tomb. The beautifully laid out Mughal gardens flank the central avenue of fountains that runs between the main gate and the Taj.

maison marigold

Here's the reflecting pool where(and I say this with complete conviction) every single visitor to the Taj, whether a commoner or a dignitary, has had his picture taken!! Taj is a little off-centre in this image, but all the good ones had atleast one of us in the frame!!

maison marigold

There is more after the jump....

What will you find this weekend....

I hope you will find joy in the smallest of things. Have  a very Happy Weekend, my friends!!

PS-I'm working on a beautiful post that I will share with you on Monday!!

A happy little news....

Just wanted to share with you all that my tiny blog got featured on tabletonic's site as one of the '10 bookmark-worthy blogs she discovered this week...(here)...It's a real shot in the arm for a new blogger like me and coming from a fellow blogger, whom I so admire, means a great deal...Thankyou Louise, I really appreciate it a lot!!

Would this keep you going.....

sfgirlbybay via pinterest

Yeah...I totally want to believe that Conan.....but it can get a little hard sometimes..

The things I saw .....

The high point, as ofcourse the purpose, of our weekend trip to Agra was a visit to the Taj Mahal ( I will not talk about the lure of Amarvilas here). One could do a dozen posts on that and still not be done.... I will certainly give it a go once I've have sifted through the 200+ photos of the Taj that I took...you see,I get pretty trigger-happy ( with the camera ) on a holiday!

 In the meantime let me share these two, seemingly mundane, sights that also caught my eye .

One that made me wonder....

maison marigold

....do these tassels make him pretty or just plain blind? The poor animal was in the middle of an endless traffic jam and I was feeling claustrophobic just looking at him. Wish people would show a little more concern for the comfort of these animals before they make them a part of their own festivities.

The other...made me marvel...at the ingenuity of the village women who make these perfect herringbone patterned stacks of cow-dung cakes. Not only does the pattern look beautiful it also keeps the stack compact and stable.Talk about art with a purpose!

maison marigold



Finally, have a look at this gorgeous cane rattle ..... does it not remind you of a spiral staircase? I bought it from a vendor in  Fatehpur Sikri. Can you guess what I paid for it.........



maison marigold

All of 10 rupees ( 20 cents)!!!! Ofcourse I did not bargain...AT ALL. Since my 2-yr old doesn't really play with rattles, I will have to find another use for it.. a decor prop, perhaps!!