It’s all happening at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week — the designers, the models and all those luscious, luscious clothes. Our Trendy Fashionista’s been at hand to bring you the scoop.

Always wanted to smoulder like charcoal? Slip, simply, into a Rohit Bal. After Nacre — a hint of glint for Spring-Summer 07 — the maverick designer is calling his Fall-Winter 07 collection Koyla. His logic? “After years of promise, koyla becomes a diamond.”

Practical just isn’t Bal — his clothes are larger than life. Right now, flimsy foil-printed skirts in white and beige (from the Nacre collection) float from his hangers at Balance outlets. Pearly white blouses with Victorian ruffles on yokes and collars sit primly on racks.

The new autumn look is in stark contrast. Slate grey and brooding black separates made their debut at WIFW. Severely tailored woollen jackets, with double flaps at the shoulders and gigantic collars, stiff organza evening dresses with voluminous folds, and sheer, crinkled tops, all from the Koyla line, will hit stores only in September.

So, if you dig New-Yorker blacks with a hint of thread-embroidery, and the slightest embellishment, you’ll just have to wait. Pin on his lotus-inspired metal brooches, and you’re all set.

You may not be a Mittal or an Ambani. But you can still feel like a million bucks in a Bal.

In Bangalore: Rohit Bal at Evolution, Embassy Classic, 14 Vittal Mallya Road, Bangalore 560001. Telephone: 080-41121089.
In Delhi: Rohit Bal, Shop no. 218, 219; Second Floor, Square One, C-2 District Centre, Saket, New Delhi 110017. Telephone: 011-29562895, 992. BALANCE, The Crescent at Qutub, G-06, GF, Lado Sarai, New Delhi 110030. Telephone: 011-29521734.
In Mumbai: Rohit Bal, 10a, 41/44, SP Centre- The Courtyard, Menoo Desai Marg, Colaba, Mumbai -5. Telephone: 022- 66385478. BALANCE, 10b, 41/44, SP Centre- The Courtyard, Menoo Desai Marg, Colaba, Mumbai -5. Telephone: 022- 66385478.
Prices: The pret collection at Balance ranges between Rs. 2,000 and Rs. 15,000. The Rohit Bal ‘bridge’ line starts at Rs. 12,000.

Ashima, good Bengali girl, bows her head in front of Ashoke, prospective groom. She recites Wordsworth, charms her in-laws, and the man who will bear her away, across the seven seas, from Calcutta to New York.

You can see why Mira Nair veered towards Jhumpa Lahiri’s ‘The Namesake’, the book on which the movie is based. Because this is not just Ashima’s story. It is also, in many ways, Mira’s story. And the story of all those women and their men, who leave their homeland for far away places, in search of a better life.

Ashima and Ashoke’s little boy is named ‘Gogol’, and that’s where the heart of the story lies: as he grows up in the country of his birth, Gogol asks himself the questions that any young person does, in his place. Who is he? An Indian? An American? Kal Penn, rising Indian American star, plays Gogol with conviction, as do Irrfan and Tabu, his parents.

Nair’s latest movie shows how identity and place can come together to create something new. As well as lead the way to something old, like Ashima finds out.

Sometimes, it is possible to come home again.

The Namesake; directed by Mira Nair. Based on the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri. Out in theatres nationwide tomorrow.

Come this Sunday, you’ll be watching her shimmy live onstage. But before you tie on that coin scarf, get it on with Shakira in a never-heard-before conversation with Trendy, on song, sex appeal and suchlike.

On India:
I’ve travelled to India on my own a lot. Been to Dharamsala via Delhi in the late ’90s, and even walked around all of Delhi.

On Indian music:
I love music by Ravi Shankar, and anything soothing. The sounds of the sitar are quite relaxing. Music transcends everything. That’s the point of art or music — to make us forget about differences in race and culture, and build new bridges.

On life as a poet, songwriter and singer:
I have always been fixated on words — they play a key role in my life. I sing everything I say, and I always end up saying everything I think about.

On being called the goddess of oomph:
It’s fun, and at the same time, it always takes a bit of getting used to. I think guys now are too scared to approach and ask me out — so that doesn’t happen too much. But I believe that sexiness isn’t something that you can create, you have to possess it.

Shakira Live, Sunday, March 25, 2007 at 5:30 pm. MMRDA Grounds, Bandra-Kurla Complex, Mumbai. Telephone: 26706641 or 1800-4251114 (toll free) for tickets, or buy online at dnanetworks.com.
Price: Rs. 3,650 and Rs. 2,650.

Girls are better seen than heard. The perfect Bharatiya nari should be a demure and gentle homebody. If thoughts like these make you want to scream, we know just what you mean and can recommend the perfect place to let off some steam.

Fightercock, a new pret store by designer couple Nandita Basu and Abhishek Gupta, helps you channel your anger into a style statement. Flip off mind-numbing dainty pinks and floral patterns. Give the thumbs up to Fightercock’s signature checks and angry graphics in hues like muddy yellow, dirty green and hot fuchsia. Get whipped to a frenzy by tees and skirts that shout attitude, and sturdy denims and tweeds that speak volumes about your radical spirit.

And you shop in like-minded company. A wall collage, featuring famous people with spunk, from Abdul Kalam to John Lennon and Bin Laden to Bush, inspires you to pick the perfect jacket that balances that chip on your shoulder.

Fightercock, 31 Lodhi Road, Main Lodhi Market, New Delhi.
Price: Rs. 750 - 10,000 for women’s separates. Rs. 1,400 - 12,000 for men’s separates.

You still remember the first time you watched Cocktail. A young Tom Cruise strutted his stuff, flipped bottles and juggled martini shakers. And you thought to yourself: I want to do that, too!

Now you can — with a desi twist. Smirnoff is conducting bartending classes to teach you to mix drinks with verve, finesse and local flavours.

The Indian Cocktails Special, helmed by expert bartenders and mixologists, covers basics like choosing the appropriate spirits, setting up the bar, buying the right cocktail shaker and, most important, adding a delicious new twist to great Indian faves like naariyal pani, jaljeera and golgoppa.

So, at the next ethnic theme party, give those Cosmopolitans and Screwdrivers a miss. Bring out the green chillies and coriander garnishes. Mix the drinks in matkas. Serve them in earthenware glasses.

And preen prettily under that course certificate, as pals raise their glasses to say Masti!

Smirnoff Mini Tastemaker session: March 24, 3 - 6 pm. Regular Tastemaker Session: March 25, 11 am -4 pm. Classes held at Nineteen Twelve, St Marks Road, Bangalore. To register call Kamalaksh at 9900306478 or SMS STM to 3636.
Price: Mini session fees: Rs. 500. Regular session fees: Rs. 900 (individual) or Rs. 700 (group).

Let’s face it, you love hitting the shops anytime, anywhere. But nothing pleases you more than a boutique that ups your feel-good-factor.

Turqois’ new space, which opened last month, promises just that. The mango-hued ceiling and clean displays along the ivory stucco walls emphasize how different this is from its predecessor. The original home of Turqois at Bandra’s Perry Cross Road offers décor from across the world. The all-new Turqois focuses on farm-fresh fashion.

Lush leather footwear greets you at the door. Light cotton kurtas (perfect for summer), cholis with a hint of sequins, and short kurtis (pair them with jeans or even shorts) fill the shelves. Woven reed basket bags and accessories in juicy-coloured beads, semi-precious stones and silver keep your interest piqued.

A pleasant, no-pressure vibe pervades Turqois and slowly permeates into you. Enough to let you go back to the tumultuous world outside, cushioned in a calming turquoise-tinted cloud.

Turqois, Shop No 3, Shahina Bldg, Near Pali Market, Pali Mala Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai-50. Telephone: 32941369.
Prices: Rs. 250 - 700 for clothes. Rs. 250 - 4,000 for jewellery.

Politics and power meetings. Most Delhi divas have been there, done the schmoozing and moved on. But now, you might find yourself working your contacts to get into an all-new ministry.

The Ministry of Sound (MoS), one of the most famous nightclubs in the world, has arrived in Delhi. And not out in Noida or Gurgaon, but conveniently right next door, in Vasant Kunj.

The nightclub’s triple-deck pyramid-shaped interior has a humongous dance floor at zero level for the jostling, Smirnoff-quaffing junta. Members-only VIP and VVIP areas above exclusively cushion the Belvedere and bubbly set.

The sound quality, too, is high. If you don’t mind your Moby peppered with Chakna Chakna, that is. The Delhi MoS — which mixes mainstream Bollywood and Hip Hop with electronic — is far removed in ideology from the original in London, which spearheaded underground sound.

A line-up of famous international deejays woos the well-traveled show-me-something-I-haven’t-seen-before Delhi-ite, through the week.

Up soon, ladies nights on Wednesdays, powered by deejays who are divas in their own right. Just like you.

Ministry of Sound, The Pyramid, Local Shopping Centre, Sector C, Pocket 6 and 7, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi 70. Telephone: 46045319-20.
Price: Rs. 2,500 cover per couple (redeemable against food and drinks). Annual memberships cost Rs. 1.5 lakh (VIP) and Rs. 2.5 lakh (VVIP).

A girl can never have too many pairs of shoes. Or nightspots to wear them to.

So pull out your best slingbacks for the all-new Mixx. Set up by Ananth Narayan, the guy behind hip hangouts Urban Edge, Fusion Lounge and Nyx, this one’s USP is its music: a mix (so, Mixx, geddit?) of retro, rock and commercial hits, handled by DJ Sandeep.

Our Trendy Pubber, though, loved the Arabic theme of the lounge-cum-pub. Part-covered, part-open air, Mixx has seven colour-changing tents that accommodate up to 10 people each. The low seating, mood lighting, hookahs and kebabs tempt you to lie back with the special in-house cocktails and switch off.

If that sounds too docile, join the jiving crowds. Though there is no demarcated dance floor, the expansive space ensures everyone who wants to shake a leg can do so.

The main courses aren’t too exciting, but then, you aren’t looking to eat at a lounge, are you?

Psst: All-women nights coming up. Now you know why you need all those shoes.

Mixx, 80 ft Road, (above Yo China!), 6th Block, Koramangala. Telephone: 41460081.
Cocktails start at Rs. 150; spirits, appetizers at Rs. 100.

Aishwarya and Abhishek. Brownies and vanilla ice cream. You and your favourite heels.

When talking great pairs, don’t forget David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore. Our Trendy Fashionista got a sneak peek of the richly colourful collection they’re showing at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week in Delhi. Sapphire blues, ruby reds and cocoa browns drench their rough, hand-woven wool jackets, crepe dresses and appliquéd blouses.

Men’s clothing motifs have inspired this cutting-edge women’s wear. Don’t look for suspenders and checked shirts. Pin-stripes and patterns from men’s suits contrast with shimmering sequins and smooth silk linings. The standout piece: a bold, zebra-striped trench.

Can’t wait until September? You don’t have to. Abraham & Thakore’s handloom-heavy summer stock hits stores this week.

This season’s volume cuts and black-and-white palette create drama in linen jackets, crisp cotton shirts with thread-work, wrap-around skirts and broad-legged trousers. For work wear, try the so-easy summer blouses with cap-sleeves and slouchy waists. For evening, little cotton black things.

Like with Abhiwarya, you get two for the price of one. Designer wear for all seasons.

In Bangalore: The Abraham & Thakore Shop, 14 Vittal Mallya Road. Telephone: 080-51329316.
In Delhi: Abraham & Thakore, 31 Courtyard, Lodhi Colony. Telephone: 011-24603455.
In Mumbai: The Abraham & Thakore Shop, The Courtyard, 41-44, Minoo Desai Marg, Colaba. Telephone: 022-56385486.
Abraham & Thakore also retail across India at Kimaya, Evoluzione, Hot Pink and Ensemble.
Price: Summer collection for Rs. 1,000 - 3,000. Winter collection for Rs. 3,000 - 12,000.

The West Indies gets all the attention these days. Yup. Life’s a Pitch. So Trendylicious brings you a series you’ll enjoy, whether you’re a cricket chica or it’s just not your cup of tea.

Your man just turned into a remote control. You push the buttons. Nothing happens. All he wants is more of the same: Men in blue, yellow, orange, green and maroon, playing the game.

Gather your gal pals and head to the nearest multiplex this World Cup season. Besides bats and balls, you’ll get noodlestrap-queens-turned-cricket-enthusiasts, tall, dark hunks and Bollywood’s best comic talent.

Out today is Hattrick, a laugh-fest starring Paresh Rawal as a cricket-obsessed NRI, Danny Denzongpa as a retired cricketer and Nana Patekar as a cricket-hating doctor. And hottie Kunal Kapoor, who is happy to let wifey Rimmi Sen stew: he loves cricket, she doesn’t.

Up next is Say Salaam India. Dishy Sanjay Suri plays an idealistic coach who whips together a team of underdogs to win, and view the game as something more than a passport to scarlet Ferraris and succulent deals.

The follow-through is by Mirabai Not Out, which sees Mandira Bedi abandon her chiffons for salwaars. She plays math teacher Meerabai Achrekar, who hates her resemblance to Mandira — yes! — and loves Anil Kumble.

When done with this hat-trick, fall back on old faves Lagaan and Iqbal. Then check to see if the remote control has returned to life.