Scribbles by Anika

B/W Fashion Photography. My favourites.

2010-11-23T23:47:00.004+05:30

Freja Beha Erichson by Hedi Slimane...

Tom Ford with his model...

And of course... Yves Saint Laurent's 'Le Smoking Jacket' by Helmut Newton. Genius.

Scribbles at SOBO Boutique starting this month!

2010-10-21T01:32:00.003+05:30

SoBo Boutique, one of the much needed fashion stores in South Bombay has opened its doors (and minds) to childrenswear. In an industry that is enthralled by womens' clothing, I'm glad this store supports the ancillary trades of mens and kidswear too.

SoBo will now carry Scribbles by Anika, starting with the Fall 2010 line. From October 20th-November 1st, the store is promoting the Festive season, so only my traditional line will be up (and possibly a few dresses). After that, the rest of the collection will be up. Hoping for a good response!

SoBo Fashion Store,

1st floor, Motor House,

Hughes Road.

#022.23612751

They have a very regularly updated blog and Facebook page too!

Ps: I very much enjoyed Paani Puri's awesomely graphicisized tees for men and women at the store.

Scribbles at Tranceforme!

2010-10-01T13:57:00.001+05:30

Spying

2010-09-08T16:53:00.004+05:30

Today I spent the day spying on other local kidswear brands. Saw 2 brands, both traditional wear-- not impressed! Why would a 3 year old boy wear a fully embroidered kurta? He's going to whine till you put out that last diya.

Also designing a dress for my good friend Varsha--it was her birthday in July!

Spring 2011

2010-09-08T02:40:00.004+05:30

I've already begun work on my next collection! Theme is under wraps for now, but I can assure you it'll blow your mind. I'm including a capsule newborns/toddlers collection and pondering over a juniors line.

Here's an image to keep you guessing (love the colours!):

Facebook page set up!

2010-09-08T02:38:00.001+05:30

Check it out and 'like' it! Thanks to all those who came for the Preview and the Shopoholix exhibition!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Scribbles-by-Anika/157675247580849?ref=ts

My favorite design websites

2010-04-14T13:26:00.003+05:30

1) Design Work Life: http://www.designworklife.com/
Why? Peruses the internet for unique design projects, inspiration. Lot of typography.

2) The Cool Hunter: http://www.thecoolhunter.net/

Why? Neatly divided into sections ranging from interiors to advertisements, insanely futuristic take on design, has a special 'Kids design' section!

3) Design Sponge: http://www.designspongeonline.com/

Why? DIY interior/product projects, love the rustic quality, awesome international city guides with a focus on design! There is a reason that literally every design blog has this as a link.

4) Cool Hunting: http://www.coolhunting.com/style/

Why? As the name suggests, for everything cool, not necessarily futuristic or unique.

5) Jak & Jil Blog: http://jakandjil.com/blog/

Why? Sort of a rebel Sartorialist.

6) T Magazine: http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/

Why? It's like design gossip... what people are talking about around the world. Love the weekly snippets, wish the page navigation was better.

7) Valet: http://www.valetmag.com/

Why? Just might edge out GQ on men's fashion. It's not as snobby, and oh what good navigation! Their handbook is fantastic. Very inspiring.

8) Milk Magazine: http://www.milkmagazine.net/

Why? Street trends for kids, has a kiddie Sartorialist page, kidswear inspiration... oh heaven.

9) Dooby Brain: http://www.doobybrain.com/

Why? Random collection of pop culture from awesome videos to design. Really fun when you're bored.

10) Junior Vogue: http://www.juniorvogue.co.uk/

Why? Because it's fashion for kids. And I like that.

11) Cool kids clothing websites:

http://www.vertbaudet.co.uk/

http://www.fingerinthenose.com/

http://www.diesel.com/collection/diesel-kid

Survivor: Marathon

2010-04-06T12:54:00.004+05:30

I've been watching a LOT of Survivor lately, shuffling between a Justin Tv channel and a YouTube channel. 20 seasons, over 350 contestants, tons of challenges, Jeff Probst and his copter theatrics... needless to say, I'm a fan.

So I've compiled a list of my top Survivor contestants, in no particular order: (will make a clean edit shortly)

Sue Hawk- The snakes and rats speech in Borneo, and yelling at Jeff in All-Stars

Rudy Boetsch- for his curmudgeony comments

Richard Hatch- the ultimate survivor. Played a brilliant strategy game.

Michael Skupin- for wiping pigs blood on his face after killing it, for yelling 'Kucha!' while being airlifted.

Colby Donaldson- for winning 5 back-to-back immunities and being unbelievably hot.

Big Tom- most entertaining Survivor, and his awesome dance moves.

Rob Cesternino- brilliant student of the game, gets the prize for switching alliances the most

Rupert Boneham- crazy pirate man and his war cries.

Jonny Fairplay- for being the little shmutz that he is. a weasel through and through.

Sandra Diaz- bitchy, loved her comments.

Rob Mariano- the Robfather from Bawston. Played a dirty game, entertaining.

Twila Tanner

Ian- for giving up the chance in the top 2 to redeem his pride.

Tom- the classic hero, and for killing the shark.

Stephanie LaGrossa- for surviving her tribe in Palau.

Cirie Fields- the Queen of the silent game. Brilliant.

Shane Powers-

Ozzy- for being the love child of Mowgli and a mermaid, being super loyal (and super hot).

Yul- Stuck with his alliance and his political strategem.

Jonathan- For mutinying against his tribe. Very vocal.

Parvati- The only female contestant to use her sexuality in the winning way.

Yau man- For being humble. stupid, smart all at the same time.

Todd Herzog- For a fantastic final tribal council with the jury.

James Clement- For talking

Erik Reichenbach- For falling prey to Parvati and the League of Bitches

Bob Crowley- for his fake immunity idol and his buff bow tie.

Ken Hoang- the video games really taught him the game of manipulation.

Coach Wade- oh god where to begin? For proclaiming he's the Dragon Slayer, for his definitely fake stories, for being so gullible in both seasons.

JT- total workhorse, loyal.

Russell Hantz- for burying the machete and going head to head with Rob in one nail biting tribal council.

Watches I love.

2010-03-28T14:07:00.001+05:30

Looks inspired by childrenswear

2010-02-23T16:27:00.003+05:30

Marc Jacobs

2010-02-16T20:08:00.000+05:30

Jacobs spun quiet magic on the runways of NYFW. The gentle colors mixed just right with the demure textures of silk, fur and molton wool.

'Go Green' Gardening Party

2010-02-15T16:00:00.001+05:30

My niece's 3rd birthday party preps are in full swing!

Things I am in charge of:

1) Stitching 60 environmentally friendly tote bags with a 'Go Green' logo printed on. The kids will keep their crafts, potted plants and other goodies in this.

2) Creating 60 picture Bingo cards for the kids to play.

3) Creating Activity Sheets (like in popular family restaurants) to color in. Will feature Dot-to-Dot, Match-the-Columns and other games.

4) A t-shirt with my niece and her favorite actor Ranbir Kapoor (a gift from me).

5) There will be an do-it-yourself ice-cream booth. Went out to buy sprinkles, chocolate chips, candied hearts and choco strands.

6) Personalized keychains (!)

7) The kids will be making refrigerator magnets at one of the craft booths, so bought stickers, glitter and play dough to personalize them.

{my workstation: my sewing machine died, so used an ancient one}

{Some completed bags, sans the logo print}

{Loot from Crawford Market: Glitter, Stickers, Keychains etc}

Boy by Band of Outsiders/ NYFW

2010-02-15T15:25:00.000+05:30

Really cool way of menswear-inspired-layering. Geek chic with a twist of that mustard tone. LOVE it; my new NYFW favorite.

NYFW {so far.}

2010-02-14T02:21:00.000+05:30

Favorite so far: Rag and Bone

Oscar 2010/ My picks

2010-02-14T01:51:00.000+05:30

The Oscars have become so passe over the years. This year was no different, even with the addition of the pity best movie nods. People whining about (500) Days of Summer and Avatar 'actors' being snubbed, while the deserving (costumes for 'A Single Man', Alfred Molina in 'An Education', Diane Kruger in 'Basterds') go unnoticed. Blind Side was not at the same level as Hurt Locker or Avatar to make it into the 'Pity 10'.

I didn’t see what the deal was with (500) Days of Summer. I didn’t think the writing was so original that it deserved a nod– Tom’s lines in the film were classic love-lorn lore. It’s not really in the romantic-comedy genre, but the indie-nerd-romance category.

Freeman and Damon were safe votes at the most and the Academy probably wanted to tip their hats to Clint Eastwood (a luminary in their eyes) and Nelson Mandela . Yes, the South African accent is tough– and Leonardo DiCaprio proved it in 'Blood Diamond'. Basically, nothing new.

Meryl Streep is fantastic in whatever she does. It’s just effortless, and she makes us believe that she really is Julia Child. Not questioning that 'safe' vote from the Academy-- even though she's been nominated 16 times. Diane Kruger… she was pretty fantastic in 'Basterds'.

'Where the Wild Things Are' should have gotten a nomination for Art Direction at least. Beautiful film– maybe they had room for only one childhood book-converted-to-movie (i.e.Fantastic Mr.Fox, which was WAY better in vision and production). And the Academy had the gall to snub Tom Ford (designer extraordinaire) and his impeccable fashion sense for the characters of 'A Single Man'? No commercial-value Colleen Atwood could manage this epic feat.

Despite my bitchiness and criticism, I watch the Oscars every year (last 4 in NY, and woke up at 6 am in the years before, will continue to do so now). And here are my picks for 2010, still quite safe bets taking the Globes, SAGs, Critics and BAFTA's into consideration. Maybe the Academy will pull a fast one and might surprise it's incredibly small TV audience/fans, whichever category has less people. Ha.

Lead Actor: Jeff Bridges

Lead Actress: Sandra Bullock (but really want Carey Mulligan)

Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz

Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique

Writing (adapted): Up in the Air

Writing (original): Inglourious Basterds

Editing: The Hurt Locker

Costumes: Coco Before Chanel (but stupid Nine will win)

Makeup: Star Trek

Music (score): Up

Music (song): the theme from Crazy Heart

Cinematography: Avatar

Visual effects (includes sound mixing, sound editing): Avatar

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Animated film: Up

Foreign film: The White Ribbon

Best film: Avatar (but really want Hurt Locker)

New DIESEL Kid Collection

2010-02-12T02:00:00.001+05:30

FUCK. It's so good. I want a job with them PLEASE.

RIP McQ

2010-02-11T22:08:00.000+05:30

I was in the 7th grade when I saw my first fashion show on TV. It was Alexander McQueen's; and I remember thinking... genius. Theatrical, but intense on the tailoring. Can't believe the world will be missing out on a true inspiration. Rest in Peace.

...and cool illustrations of course...

2010-02-11T01:26:00.000+05:30

Super cool kid's illustrations I found too.

Looking for inspiration for a collection...

2010-02-11T01:18:00.000+05:30

These are pictures of kids that I randomly found online. Love the aesthetic, mood and art direction in each shot {click to enlarge}

Twitternapped

2010-02-10T17:25:00.000+05:30

I'm on Twitter. Gave into societal pressure, boredom and love for all things internet.

@anika_gupta

Great website for graphic posters

2010-01-16T17:52:00.000+05:30

http://www.typographicposters.com/

Scribbles

2009-11-06T21:57:00.000+05:30

Starting my own childrenswear company!

STATUS REPORT
-Working on Fall 2010 sketches
-Business card graphics
-Factory and fabric research
-Sampling

Awesome website for the creatively inclined

2009-11-06T21:55:00.000+05:30

http://creativebits.org/

Paul Hoppe

2009-09-16T11:48:00.001+05:30

Just discovered Paul Hoppe, an illustrator from Brooklyn, NY. Very inspired... love his website... and his illustrations seem to trap energy that finds its way out in color and bold strokes. Great color theory (as seen in 'Hat' a children's book he has illustrated).

I <3 DIESEL KIDS

2009-09-16T11:43:00.001+05:30

Diesel's print ad from F/W 2008

VMAs

2009-09-14T10:14:00.000+05:30

Ok. I never comment on stuff like this. But today, as Taylor Swift began her acceptance speech for Best Female Video or whatever, Kanye West (apparently in a drunken tirade) grabbed the microphone from her. He believed Beyonce should have gotten the award. I felt terrible for Taylor Swift. It's great that someone so young has achieved so much (glad Beyonce pointed this out later).

Having a history of award-show antics, his half-ass hangover apology on his blog was terrible (probably forced upon by his very worried publicist).

Kanye West: the world is NOT your stage. Your opinion does NOT represent the rest. RESPECT your fellow musicians. Sit down and SHUT UP.

US Open

2009-09-14T05:03:00.001+05:30

Been watching the US Open Tennis matches at the stadiums and on my laptop.

Upset that Nadal is out, but Del Potro has been playing very well. The Djokovic-Federer match was way more exciting, with Fed pulling out a sexy between-the-legs shot to close out the match. Rooting for Del Potro to win, but it seems tennis is adapting very well to Federer, not the other way round. For women, Kim is my pick. Wozniaki plays only on the defensive, whereas Clijsters has the experience (even though this is her comeback tourney after having the baby) and well-rounded game tactics to win. Really happy to see 2 Indians in the finals of the Men's Doubles. Though Bhupathi-Knowles gave them a good scare, Dlouhy-Paes have been playing consistently throughout this tournament and deserved to raise the silver cup in the end.

I love how tennis has such a large fan base. Fans really do make a difference (Melanie Oudin's 'Cinderella Run', 2005 Agassi-Fed final) and I enjoy reading the positive reinforcement they give their favorites. Unfortunately, with the good comes the evil. YES-- evil. Shocking comments written by the fools of the world; all cowering behind the anonymity that the internet provides. Racist comments towards the William sisters, accusations towards players showing incredible stamina, and plain spite towards the victors that took out their favorites.

Head on over to Youtube/Yahoo message boards to see for yourselves...

2009-07-19T01:28:00.001+05:30

I know it's been terribly long since my last post!

In mid June, I visited my good friend Veronica in Miami. The week-long getaway from work included some dancing, lots of drinking, relaxing days at the beach and of course laser tagging! I did come in last in the rankings, but maybe because I wore a white shirt (not advisable if there are black lights everywhere)... or maybe because I suck at hiding. More importantly, the occasion was Veronica's engagement party to her long-time boyfriend, Saul.

I got back to a hectic office. On a rainy Saturday, we vanned it to Bonnie's parents house in Long Island to shoot the Spring/Summer 2010 look book. The outfits looked great, but the weather put a damper on the schedule, literally.

My dad bought me a new MacBook Pro laptop which came free with an Ipod touch. I also bought the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince computer game. The graphic quality of the Mac is brilliant, but I think the geniuses at Apple should enhance sound clarity. The Harry Potter game, however, is incredibly dull. Waste of 30-something bucks.

I am also lazily looking for apartments--- so if you know anything, let me know!
Plus, am hooked to the show, the Tudors.

The Bonnie Young fashion show

2009-05-31T11:05:00.001+05:30

Going to the Hamptons in about 6 hours for...
More pictures to come...

My new job

2009-05-28T03:37:00.000+05:30

I started working at Bonnie Young yesterday. I interned there from August 2008 to April 2009. Bonnie was at my thesis presentation, and soon called me for an interview after.

She does high-end children's clothing and is based in the SoHo district of New York City. Her collections are regularly featured in publications like Vogue Bambini, WWD, Earnshaw's, Cookie Magazine and Baby Couture. It sells at Donna Karan's Urban Zen, Harvey Nichols, De Groene Wolk and other European boutiques. She has her flagship in Aspen.

I do the production of garments (from creating samples to mass production), work with Bonnie on fittings, shoots and shows and visit factories for embroideries etc.

Static Show, Saks Fifth Avenue, Graduation!

2009-05-19T22:40:00.000+05:30

Some wonderful things happened after the Designer of the Year celebrations...

1.My work was displayed in a 'Static Show', an installation showcasing some 40 designers from our graduating fashion class... great exposure (I was mentioned in FWD, WWD, NYTimes and soon to be in Earnshaw's... seen on Getty Images, Patrick McMullen), met tons of industry professionals and members of the press. Too bad I had to stand in my heels all night.
2. One of my pieces is on display at the Sak's Fifth Avenue flagship store in Manhattan! It is in the front and center window, along with fellow Designer of the Year's Robert Fitzsimmons and Azumi Nishizawa.
3. Graduation at school with an after party at Sak's in 24 HOURS! Bought a dress from Macy's.

Cipriani & more

2009-05-02T21:11:00.000+05:30

The past ten days have really been a pay off for the past four years at Parsons.

Had a blast at Cipriani, Wall Street (and at the after-party) with my friends and teachers. Super proud of our batch.

Oh yeah, I WON Childrenswear Designer of the Year...!
These are all the nominated designers with the wonderful Simon Collins. The 18 of us showed our collections at Cipriani.
(L to R): Esther, me, Veronica, Sara... all dressed up! My favorite Parsons peeps.

The past two weeks...

2009-04-21T23:23:00.000+05:30

...have been pretty intense...

1) We did the photo shoot for my thesis (pictures in the previous post)

2) A line sheet was created.

3) I submitted my collection the next day. The auditorium was abuzz with students and their collections, teachers. The scene was set for the following thesis review week.

4) A website for my thesis was created:

http://dash-dash.me/anika

5) I watched the presentations of my peers throughout the week. This is my friend Sarah's presentation. (http://breatheinbeautiful.tumblr.com/)

6) Worked on my portfolio and croquis book. This is a page from my croquis book. Personally, I feel I could have done much more with it. I had lots to show, but edited it down the last minute.

7) Created a look book for the panelists and teachers. This is a page from the book.

8) Presented my thesis collection on Monday, April 20th, at approximately 11.30 am, in front of some excellent panelists, who had some insightful comments. I'm thankful for everyone who showed up.

9) Waiting with bated breath for the results now... I can't wait to find out who the semi-finalists for women's and the finalists for men's are.

Thesis Photoshoot

2009-04-08T05:58:00.000+05:30

Today, after months of passing out at my sewing machine, I managed to pull off a photo shoot for my garments with the help of some important people and the 20 glasses of caffeine-infused drinks.
Location: SVA Photo studios @ 214 E 21 NY

Photographer: Azhar Chougle (www.thedailysunrise.com)
(Great photography student at SVA. His street photography is amazing.)

Model: Christian
(My teacher's son who is also the fit model in class)

Here are some candid shots from my very horrible camera. Final shots yet to come!

Tibetan store on 80th between Broadway and Amsterdam

2009-04-05T04:02:00.000+05:30

New Collection from Diesel Kids F9/W10

2009-03-20T17:06:00.000+05:30

the coolest thing ever

2009-03-16T13:15:00.001+05:30

Today I discovered Chris Kapono's work. She makes these ornate clay-covered journals that sport jewels, leather straps and even a watch! It's like delving into a world of adventure. I'm saving up to buy one. Her blog, Mandarin Moon Art, is listed under my inspirations.

Dinner in New York

2009-03-15T00:32:00.000+05:30

Last night, I went to Gobo, an all organic vegetarian restaurant with my friend Heather.
Fresh, healthy, delicious all rolled into one. The menu is insanely amazing. We shared 4 dishes and a bottle of Bordeaux.
Here's my menu pick: Pine nut vegetable medley with lettuce wraps. Yum.

Happy Holi-day!

2009-03-12T02:32:00.000+05:30

Holi is the Hindu festival of colors celebrated in honor of Krishna.

Fashion week roundup

2009-03-11T15:47:00.000+05:30

Mens' picks: Junya Watanabe (patches and pockets), Rag and Bone (layering, pants), Y3 (fabric)
Womens' picks: YSL (reworking of classics), Jil Sander (flashes of color through), Prada (fabric)
*I still pledge my dislike for Chanel, but I LOVED the clear 'two-way' bag
Childrens' picks: Diesel (always!), Y3 (union suits), Catimini (prints)

(below: Rag and Bone, Jil Sander, Chanel>>>> courtest style.com)

2009-03-10T13:14:00.001+05:30

2009-03-10T05:45:00.000+05:30

My niece!

2009-03-09T10:20:00.000+05:30

Name: Vanshika
Alias: 'Cheeks' Sangla
Age: Approximately 1 year 10 months
Wanted for: Tantrums, destruction of several doll homes
Status of capture: On the loose and dangerous, could be armed with a toy-like weapon
Last seen: At a Hello Kitty themed birthday party. A clever ruse I must admit... :)

Current inspirations...

2009-03-09T07:50:00.000+05:30

last week was faeries. this week is woodstock retrospective.

Thesis

2009-03-09T03:54:00.001+05:30

On the Road to Zen...

This Fall collection for boys aged 8-10 was inspired after a journey to a Tibetan settlement in South India.

Here are my sketches:
Look1: flannel plaid shirt with reflective tape applique, paired with patchwork cotton twill pants and a hand knit scarf.
Look2: a hand knit sweater with a cactus intarsia and wooden buttons featuring the large front flap and arm pocket; worn over corduroy separating pants with cargo pocket details, patchwork and reflective tape tabs.
Look3: A heavily embroidered 'map' sweater zip-up hoodie worn over a distressed printed knit tee and denim drawstring shorts. These shorts feature a snap-off pocket, clasp holder and cactus embroidery.
Look4: A fully lined cotton twill button down jacket worn over a hoodie-tee with cycle print and asymmetrical pockets, and green corduroy pants with accordion style snap pockets.
Look5: A quilted vest with reflective tape detail with a full sleeve knit tee with applique and print detail under, worn over deconstructed twill slacks with side and flap pockets.
Look6: A cotton-poly water resistant twill 6-pocket 'trench' coat, with a screen printed 'zen' tee under, over denim pants with rollover hem, reflective tape and back pocket embroidery.

Here are some fitting photos:

The ENK Children's Club Trade Show!

2009-03-09T03:16:00.000+05:30

ENK International is a company that hosts trade shows for mens, womens and childrenswear four times a year at the Jacob Javits center in New York City.
This year, for the March show, a few friends and I got guest passes as part of our specialty market training. It was one of the best moments of my time at Parsons.

There were all these great companies selling their Fall/Winter 2009 stuff in wholesale to potential buyers. But before we toured the sprawling inner stall compound, we crashed the fashion show!!

A rock and roll theme, the show featured designs from DIESEL Kids, Bonnie Young (I am an unpaid intern here) and MonnaLisa. I even spotted my boss Bonnie Young in the audience, cheering on her kids who were models in the show. I even met good ol' Benjamin Oliver. He's done work for Bonnie before, and today he was an official Vogue Bambini photographer. We had once lifted a very heavy couch onto the roof of his car for a Bonnie photoshoot.

Then began the journey through the numerous stalls, collecting business cards and rifling through designer clothes for kids. Some pleasant conversation, some hearty note-taking and a banana later, I was out of there after almost five hours of research.

My favorites (where were DIESEL and DKNY??!):
1.Mish Mish
2.Charlie Rocket
3.Zutano
4.Appaman
5.Oilily

Anyhoo. Tons of fun with my friends Esther, Chelsea and Veronica. Much thanks to Francesca Sammaritano and Dean Stadel, our teachers who made this outing possible!

sun(&rain?)day!

2009-03-08T18:01:00.000+05:30

In the excitement of creating my very first blog, I have officially been up all night thinking of what to write about. I spent some time researching other blogs that I found by Googling 'cool blog'.
I thought I'd keep it simple by sharing stuff I find exciting. I love new experiences.

So thus begins my very first post!

I've been watching episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which I think is one of the funniest shows I have ever seen. Danny DeVito joins a cast of four friends who all co-own a bar in south Philly. Trying to make sense of daily life, the gang attempts to solve their problems but serve up some hilarious comedy, 'Sunny' side up.

Since I'm studying childrenswear at Parsons, my section is being given special guest passes to this year's ENK Children's Club trade show at the Javits Center this afternoon. Super excited!

That is a camera phone picture of my building's courtyard. Christmas lights in March! Although, I did see the super take them down this morning.