Ralph Lauren Romance, one of Ralph Lauren’s most beloved fragrances for women, has celebrated authentic love stories and romantic moments with iconic imagery of real-life couples. Now introducing the next chapter in the Romance story are famous celebrity Polo player and wife, Nacho Figueras and Delfina “Delfi” Blaquier – the latest stars  for Ralph Lauren’s Romance advertising campaign.

Shot by renowned photographer and filmmaker Bruce Weber, the new campaign colourful  for the first time, with stunning scenery  portraying the fairytale lives of the couple. The campaign was shot on location in Buenos Aires, Argentina at La Concepion estate, home of Delfi’s grandparents. Delfi spent many of her early years in the enchanting locale where she would ride horses, watch polo matches, and spend time with Nacho during their courting days. The site later became the location for their wedding; Nacho and Delfi married on the steps of a charming stone chapel on the estate with family and close friends as witness.

Complete with dreamy images of the couple kissing while riding majestic white horses amidst open fields, the shots are enchantingly spontaneous and portray passion, intensity, freedom and timelessness captured through the lens of Bruce Weber. Be inspired by the real-life love story of Nacho and Delfi and this new magical world of Ralph Lauren through the ever-timeless Ralph Lauren Romance.

Captivate with Ralph Lauren Romance Valentine’s Day 2012 Limited Edition

Specially created for Valentine’s Day 2012, the lovely transparent silver-capped glass bottle of Ralph Lauren Romance is housed in a pink-silver carton enveloped with delicate metal-grey entwining flora and vines. This limited edition modern fragrance classic that celebrates true love is also accompanied by a Romance travel spray.

The Scent of Romance

Ralph Lauren Romance, a “fresh sparkling floral”, has a bright, clean translucent quality as well as richness and femininity. A juicy Ginger adds shimmer to Sungoddess Rose, a hybrid rose with a fresh, clean scent in the topnote. Chamomile and Marigold boost the freshness along with tender and fruity nuances. The precious heart of Ralph Lauren Romance includes a bright floral combination of velvety White Violet, Night Blooming Daylily and Violet Absolute. Paradisone adds fluidity & volume to the feminine floralcy. The basenotes are seductively combined with Patchouli Heart and Oakmoss, for sophistication and a touch of mystery. A Rich Exotic Woods Complex, together with Skin Musk 2000, embraces the fragrance with warmth and sensuality.

Ralph Lauren Romance Valentine’s Day 2012 Limited Edition retails at Rs.5400 (EDP 100ml + Travel Spray EDP 30ml) and is available at all leading department stores and perfumeries across India

Vu Technologies is pleased to announce the launch of their brand new Vu Suite store at Phoenix Mills in Mumbai. The new store is strategically located in the Grand Galleria of the mall right in the heart of Phoenix Mills’ “technology hub” alongside other tech-brands. The Vu Suite is a state of the art studio that provides customers a chance to take in the complete line up of Vu’s products. The new location on the ground level of the Grand Galleria is central to the mall’s patrons, especially those who are looking for electronic appliances for the home.

Vu’s new suite will off the company’s cutting edge Super TVs, their LED TVs, their LCD TVs as well as their Waterproof TVs. One of the unique attractions of the new store is the LED wall which covers an entire central pillar in the store to create the world’s first video pillar, which can be customized to suit a customer’s requirements. Patrons are encouraged to come in and interact with Vu’s product line up and make an informed decision before making a purchase. Also available in the new store is Vu’s TelePresence unit – TelePoint – a unique virtual conference room where customers can engage in face-to-face meetings and interactions just like they would in a real office.

Speaking on the new store at the Grand Galleria at Phoenix Mills, Devita Saraf, CEO of Vu Technologies says, “We are really excited about the new store and hope it is as well received by the mall’s patrons. The location of the new store makes sense for us as it is a extremely strategic location where there are more footfalls and greater numbers of people looking for consumer electronics in that part of the mall. Rest assured, the ambience of our store will retain its original luxurious ambience and will be a treat for our customers.”

In its continued endeavour to serve its loyal customers across the country, Mercedes-Benz India, the premium luxury car manufacturer, has geared up to welcome its newest showroom in the city – Auto Hangar. The launch of the new and bigger showroom at Prabhadevi by Auto Hangar group will be one of the most sought after Mercedes-Benz showroom in Mumbai. The city’s newest Mercedes-Benz showroom will be inaugurated by Mr. Peter Honegg, Managing Director & CEO Mercedes-Benz India along with the Special Guests of Honour, Mr. Matthias Luehrs, Vice President, Sales Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler AG and Mr. Johannes Fritz, Director, Sales & Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Central/Eastern Europe, Africa & Asia.

Speaking about the inauguration, Mr. Peter Honegg, Managing Director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India comments: “Mercedes-Benz has been the pioneer of unparalleled customer experiences. Our customers in Mumbai are accustomed to the highest zenith of service and it is our constant endeavour to give them the ‘Best or Nothing’. Our partners Auto Hangar understand this innate requirement of the customers in Mumbai and we are confident that our association will flourish through this new dealership.”

He further comments, “Auto Hangar has represented Mercedes-Benz India since 1997 and has grown with us. As partners we share the same passion and commitment towards our valued patrons. We are confident that our customers in Mumbai will experience even further enriched ownership experience with the inauguration of this dealership.”

Measuring a sprawling 6,000 square feet, the new showroom in Prabhadevi will be the largest Mercedes Benz dealership in the city. In addition to the cars on display, the new showroom will boast a dedicated accessories centre which will display the latest add-ons for Mercedes Benz. Staying true to its promise of ‘Best or Nothing’ the showroom also features a plush customer lounge. The showroom is equipped with world class features that are aimed to take care of all automotive needs of our evolving customers, ranging from new car sales, spare parts to financing options, thus establishing a world class car ownership experience.

Speaking about the new showroom, Mr. Mohan Mariwala, Managing Director, Auto Hangar Group comments, ” The new Prabhadevi showroom will showcase the latest Mercedes-Benz models such as the new C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, GL-Class, ML-class, E-Class Cabriolet, E-Class Coupe, SLK- Class, CLS-Class as well as the high performance cars from it’s AMG range  like the legendary G55 AMG, the SLS AMG. The new showroom will be exclusive featuring the latest models of Mercedes -Benz, coupled with a plush customer lounge and dedicated sales team working for customer delight and enliving the promise of the Best or nothing”.

Auto Hangar’s association with Mercedes Benz goes back to 1997 and over the course of the years they have sold a laudable figure of 4,600+ Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The new showroom strengthens this relationship between the partners.

Tired of rummaging through high street shop after shop for your closet essentials? FREECULTR has arrived! Uniquely designed for global citizens, the pioneering Lifestyle Apparel Brand makes its debut, bringing to India freedom of choice through its diverse product portfolio and seamless online shopping experience, only at www.freecultr.com.

FREECULTR offers a full range of lifestyle apparel & accessories featuring casual tees, polos, tunics, sweaters, shorts, cardigans, denims, pants, footwear and accessories for both Men & Women. In sync with the modern global customer’s shopping wish list, this premium brand offers the latest in international styles at reasonable prices, delivered direct to your doorstep. The most vibrant color stories, constant innovation and cultures from around the world are part of the DNA of this brand – so feel free to experiment and express your own true style at this quintessential fashion address.

Sujal Shah, CEO and Co-Founder of FREECULTR speaks about the inspiration behind the brand, “Freedom of choice, Freedom of expression.  The new Global Culture of cool is predicated by the ability of an individual to exist within a group and express his/her own personal style.  FREECULTR was born from that notion. It’s what we see today in every city around the world…the shifting everyday styles with smart casual wear taking the place of dull formals, every day of the week.   With a focus on fabrics, product innovations, color options, and most importantly, the little details, FREECULTR is your everyday partner and friend. Easy, fun, cool, and most of all simple, the FREECULTR way of life embraces every personality and every culture, it inspires ambition and breeds success. In sync with our beliefs, we are humbled and grateful for all the support and tremendous response we’ve received from retailers, industry professionals, and friends from around the world.”

FREECULTR aims to deliver the highest quality while maintaining reasonable prices, and be available to all consumers across India immediately. Unencumbered by the traditional bricks and mortar costs, with in-house design and development, this lifestyle brand is able to address the need for attractively priced products, while maintaining unmatched focus in terms of quality, durability, comfort and product diversity.

FREECULTR provides ease of access and a consistent retail experience through its seamless online shopping portal. By only selling what is actually ready to ship, delivery across India is guaranteed within 2-5 days. No Hassle Shopping with Free Returns and Free Shipping on all orders over INR 1000, make it the best and easiest way to shop online for your favorite t shirts, denims, and much more.  Our world class Customer Care team has only one mission, to ensure that they help you have the best experience with FREECULTR every single day of the week.

Sandeep Singh, COO and Co-Founder of FREECULTR tells us more about their unique business model, “The genesis of our business model lies in the inefficiencies of physical fashion retail – multi tier distribution, infrastructure overheads, spread of available inventory across different retail stores leading to non availability of styles or size when customers actually need them and of course the long queues outside the trial rooms we all hate. We all know that internet infrastructure will be developing faster than retail infrastructure in India, so a premium brand like FREECULTR will be available 24×7 through digital channels to customers across every nook and corner of India from day 1, while other brands distributed through traditional retail channels will take years to achieve that kind of distribution.”

The global apparel market is currently worth more than USD 300 BN and is expanding at the CAGR of 9%. Out of this, India’s contribution is estimated at USD 40 BN. With E-Commerce growing at a strong double digit CAGR, this market holds immense potential that is yet to be tapped into, both globally and within India.

The Forevermark Millemoi Collection celebrates the individuality and diversity of every modern woman’s life and personality and is comprised of exquisite jewellery pieces with joyful hoops, jostling bands, sensuous fringes and tassels all representing these many unique depths and layers. They are all connected and intertwined, presenting a wealth of experiences, memories and emotions in abundance of femininity. At the core of each design, a beautiful Forevermark diamond holds the differing bands together, representing the unique sparkle inherent to each modern woman.

Diamonds today are worn by women of all ages, for all occasions, from everyday casual to dressed-up party glamour, The Forevermark Millemoi collection with its classic yet contemporary designs moves effortlessly from day to evening wear. The mingled colours, the warmth of yellow and rose gold, the refined elegance of white gold, combine to trigger real emotions.

Like every woman, each Forevermark diamond is unique. Each is carefully selected and inscribed with a promise, a promise that it is beautiful, rare and has been responsibly sourced.

The Forevermark Millemoi Collection is available in a range of exquisite contemporary designs including rings, bracelets, pendants and earrings, in Authorized Forevermark Jewellers from 1^st October 2011.

Discover the New Code of Seduction for men with the arrival of Giorgio Armani’s new fragrance – “Code Sport”. The newest launch in the n⁰1 fragrance franchise in the world, Armani Code Sport is Code at its most raw and animalistic. The irresistible campaign for Code Sport has Megan Fox and Chris Folz as the protagonists.

Based on the values of ‘Tension’, ‘Seduction’, and ‘Technology’, Code Sport is a truly irresistible fresh fragrance from Armani. Speaking about the inspiration behind Code Sport, Mr. Armani said, “Through this fragrance I wish to express the intrinsic attraction and beauty of a physique honed to perfection through sport.”

The fragrance is a delicate yet masterful fusion of American Spearmint, Italian Peppermint and Brazilian Wild Mint, along with lemon and Sicilian Mandarin. These essences come together to create a surprising and unusual top note of incredible freshness symbolizing tension. The woody and distinguished character of vetiver mixed with the crackling vibrancy of ginger emphasizes seduction and excitement.  The Hivernal technology brings a powerful invigorating icy blast adding adrenaline to the fragrance.

The fragrance has been created by master perfumer, Jacques Cavallier, the same man behind Armani’s best selling fragrance ‘Acqua Di Gio’. He says, “Armani Code Sport is a woody aromatic citrus. It’s an explosion of freshness on a base of torrid sensuality. A freshness, which doesn’t overshadow the sensuality! The amber note, combined with the woods, confers an extreme elegance and hyper-sensuality on Armani Code Sport.”

Even the packaging and bottle of Armani Code reflects the key attributes of the fragrance by utilizing colours such as red, black and brushed silver to symbolize magnetism, power and sensation. The cylindrical and sensual curved lines of the bottle exude a timeless fluidity and bring a refined contrast of materials – the cool brushed metal is combined with the sensual warmth of the ‘soft touch’ materials.

The new fragrance is available at all leading Department Stores and Perfumeries across India.

Lancôme, the worlds leading luxury beauty brand opened the doors to perfect skin with the launch of Lancôme’s latest skincare product, “Visionnaire”. Since time immemorial women have desired Perfect Skin. Lancôme with its latest development has answered this Quest for Skin Perfection. To celebrate the launch, Lancôme hosted a panel discussion on skincare and beauty. To answer, the stronger than ever desire of Indian women for flawless skin there was exchange of expert opinions by the panel The event was held at Hemant Room, Four Seasons on September 28^th 2011.

Prominent personalities from the Indian beauty industry were part of the panel. Leading Dermatologist, Dr. Purnima Mhatre, Kadambari Lakhani, Beauty Editor Elle, Artist Manasi Scott, and Kiran Singh, Business Head Lancôme India participated in the discussion. The consumer’s voice was also represented by Delshad Mistry who was the part of the panel.

Lancôme globally known for its innovative and cutting edge skincare products has innovated with Visionnaire; its first advanced skin corrector that works on uneven skin texture, minimizes open pores and reduces the signs of ageing and fundamentally recreates beautiful skin. It is a global skincare solution based on a unique molecule, LR 2412 4% which when tired more than 1 out of 2 women postponed their cosmetic procedures. The performance of Visionnaire has been tested on different ethnicities and skin-tones in order to provide women with a solution to achieve perfect skin.

Visionnaire is available at the below Lancôme stores from the 3^rd of October 2011.

On October 14th the lovely ladies of Le Mill Cecilia Morelli Parikh, Julie Leymarie and Aurélie de Limelette along with Bandana Tewari launched the new collections from three renowned French high fashion labels, Isabel Marant, Jerome Dreyfuss and Shourouk.

Inspired by Native American cultures, Isabel Marant’s collection was clearly the highlight of the evening, which saw a bevy of beautiful models sporting her outfits. Meanwhile Jerome Drefuss’ handbags and the glittering jewelry from Shourouk added a healthy dose of French fashion to the already high fashion quotient of the evening.

Among those who came by to see the inviting atmosphere at Le Mill,with its breathtaking space and congratulate the ladies on the launch of the new collections were Sonam Kapoor, designer duo Shivan and Naresh, Divya Thakur, Natasha Chib, Shana Levy, Ila Chaterjee, IMG’s Anjana Sharma, Arundhati De, Krsna Mehta, Gaurav Bhatia, Alex and Namita Kuruvilla, Matthieu Gugumus and Shahid Dattawalla, amongst others.

In keeping with the feel of Isabel Marant’s collection, Le Mill was stunningly decorated in a Navajo theme. The store was decorated with tepees and other native American artefacts. In addition to an energizing DJ, who belted out foot thumping tunes from the console, there was also a tarot reader on hand to entertain the guests.

Guests tucked into mouth watering bites that were prepared by the Cafe at Le Mill and imbibed delicious cocktails from Belvedere which ensured that everyone was in high spirits!

People who attended the event were seen discovering the sprawling space at Le Mill while discussing the collections from the three French fashion labels.

Debailleul, the family owned and operated Belgian pâtisserie par-excellence is pleased to announce their launch in India this month. Brought into the country by Writer Lifestyle, an entity of Writer Corporation, Debailleul creates an array of products that epitomize indulgent taste experiences and beg for repetition.

Debailleul’s beautiful French-themed store in Mumbai will be located at Prabhadevi, Worli. In addition to catering to the city’s gourmands and dessert aficionados, Debailleul will also accept requests from corporates and others interested in larger orders for gifting, events and occasions.

Debailleul’s product range includes specialized creations in four distinct product lines, including:

• Hand-crafted pastries including gateaux, tarts and macarons
• Luxury chocolates such as bonbons and friandises
• Artisanal ice creams, sorbets and ice-cream cakes
• Delectable selection of viennoiseries

In additional, Debailluel also offers seasonal and festive menus.

Relying on time-honoured French artisanal culinary traditions and techniques, Debailleul’s products are 100% hand-crafted and truly one of a kind brought to you directly from Belgium. They are made from only the finest natural ingredients and contain absolutely no preservatives or food additives.

Debailleul and the products they create whole-heartedly espouse the values of ‘traditions modernes’ or traditional modernity in which traditional ideas are interpreted with a contemporary eye.

The company is also decidedly ‘Français Contemporain’ in being extremely deferent to its French origins that champion finesse, class and elegance. Additionally the Debailleul brand exudes a ‘Bourgeois Bohemian’ attitude which targets the connoisseur with humorous whimsy in its own sophisticated yet accessible style.

Speaking on Debailleul’s imminent launch in India, Karen deSouza, Business Manager of Food Concepts at Writer Lifestyle says, “the Indian palate has changed over the last several years and there is a growing demand for Debailleul’s calibre of products in Mumbai. We are helping fill this void and are confident that Debailleul will be the next big thing in the city!”

Hans Pauwels, Managing Director of Debailleul adds, “Debailleul has been extremely well received in the other parts of Asia where we have a presence. Coming to India was the next logical step for us and I am looking forward to introducing our products to the increasingly savvy consumers here.”

Debailleul takes pride in the fact that they are the sole company outside of France that has, not one but, two Meilleur Ouvrier de France on their staff. This title is akin to a restaurant holding two Michelin stars. Translating to mean ‘One of the Best Craftsmen of France’, the title is one of the most prestigious culinary honours in the world. In addition, Debailleul boasts a litany of other awards and recognition for their superlative products. Among the numerous honours that have been bestowed on the company are Champion du Monde de Pâtisserie, Vice World Champion at the World Pastry Championships and Bronze Medal at the World Pastry Championship.

This season Ensemble brings you the latest bridal fashion trends ranging from Farshi ghararas to voluminous skirts which are worn with long tailored sherwani jackets and lehengas to saris and anarkalis.

Ensemble has kick started the festive season with Gaurav Gupta couture collection fresh off the ramp from couture week. The sheer fabric look continues, while evening wear goes more along the lines of understated elegance. The traditional embroideries have now evolved into more delicate forms, visualizing works of art. In terms of embellishments, multicolored thread embroidery and Chantilly lace are big this season as seen on his flattering pieces. The elegant yet chic appeal of the sari gown / concept sari makes it an ideal outfit for not only sangeets but cocktail parties too.

Anamika Khanna has created a new collection with limited pieces for her exclusive and unique shop-in-shop at Ensemble, Lion’s Gate. Anamika has followed her quintessential design sensibilities while creating this special collection for Ensemble. The collection features a wide color palette and a variety of silhouettes in a fluid yet versatile style. With Anamika’s ubiquitous talent, it effortlessly mixes ethnic Indian aesthetics with the more contemporary and western styles.

The color palettes used in the different bridal collections at Ensemble this season vary from mint green, pink, red, and maroon to white, cream and the most dominant color of the season – nude. Distinct color choices and combinations from aubergine to green and white to burgundy, blue and peach are evident this season. Interestingly, silver and gold continue to be strong. Traditional bridal colors such as red and pink continue. The designers have used an assortment of fabrics this season. They range from velvets and chiffons to satins, in some cases even brocade.

Some of the country’s top designers bridal collection are now available at Ensemble. Among these are Manish Malhotra, Anamika Khanna, Tarun Tahiliani, Sabyasachi, Varun Bahl.