28-07-2025
Lounge Loves: The galaxy sari, viral cushion foundation and more
I recently stumbled upon the poem Khabar-e-Tahayyur-e-Ishq Sun (Listen to the Confounding Story of Love) by the 18th-century Indian mystic poet, Siraj Aurangabadi. The source was its haunting 2020 rendition by musicians Ali Sethi and Noah Georgeson. To say the verses have wrecked me would be an understatement. Sample this: Na junoon raha, na pari rahi (Neither obsession, nor beauty remained)/ Na toh tu raha, na toh main raha (Neither you remained, nor I) / Jo rahi so bekhabari rahi (Only obliviousness remained)... The Sufi poet allegedly stopped writing poems after the age of 24 and died at 48. Incredible that someone could write with such depth and intimate grasp of pain and grief in their early 20s. One of those moments you're simply grateful to be alive—to witness art that reminds you what it means to be human.
After it started showing up on my Instagram feed at least twice a day, I caved and bought Tirtir's viral Mask Fit Red Cushion Foundation that has been in every beauty influencer's kitty for months now. The Korean beauty brand did not disappoint, because the foundation is indeed all that and more. It's super easy to apply and blend with far less effort and precision than liquid foundations, so this is the perfect product if you are just getting started on your make-up journey. The only hitch, as a lot of users have pointed out, is finding a shade match out of the whopping 40 that the brand offers. The best way to do this is their shade try-on camera on the website—so go ahead, give it a whirl. Sometimes the hype is real. —Shrabonti Bagchi
I hate blingy clothes, especially for the attention they bring to the wearer. Earlier this week, though, my stance changed when I saw model Sonalika Sahay in a Rahul Mishra sari on the ramp. I would like to call it the 'galaxy' sari for the way the cosmos was created on the fabric. From a distance it looked like a painting with light bulbs beneath to give a disco-like feel. Up close, beads and sequins were embroidered by hand—a fashionable representation of the song Badan pe Sitaare (1969). It was bling on steroids, and yet there was an inexplicable softness (perhaps it was the choice of colours), making me wonder if too much shine can also be part of a minimalist design vocabulary? —Pooja Singh
For someone who's not into musicals, I headed to watch a new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's popular musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, in Bengaluru last week. Directed by Dubai-based theatre professional and fashion choreographer Kevin Oliver, my reason to watch it was the titular 'technicolour dreamcoat'. Designed by Dubai-based couturiers Michael Cinco and Furne One, who've between them dressed celebrities like Beyoncé, Rihanna and Aishwarya Rai, the coat was crafted out of a dozen fabrics, encrusted with Swarovski crystals and weighed 21kgs! Enough reasons to have my eyes peeled for the moment when the dreamcoat is revealed. And it came in the end: the lights went dark, Joseph ascended the steps, stretched his hands out and the coat shone... like a 'walking work of art'.
