2012: What’s trending now
Today is the start of a whole new year. It all looks fresh, shiny and new. So what’s up for the 12 months to come? What will we wear? How will we look? What movies must we keep tabs on?
Today is the start of a whole new year. It all looks fresh, shiny and new. So what’s up for the 12 months to come?
What will we wear? How will we look? What movies must we keep tabs on, and which books will keep us at home? Is the music going to make us run for our earplugs or inspire us to get super sound systems? Where will we go to this year? Which car should we buy? What shall we drink?
So many questions... And the answers are right here:
Fashion
Go bold, it’s beautiful
Affordable Fashion via Collaborations: With lines by Versace for H&M, Mary Katrantzou for Topshop and Sabyasachi and Rohit Gandhi-Rahul Khanna for Wills Lifestyle, designer retail is stylish yet price sensitive.
Graphic Prints:
Prints will return to bold graphics, from techno-tribal to op-art geometrics and dramatic florals, whimsical bird and animal prints.
Accessorise:
Quirky cat-eye sunglasses, oversized clutches and gravity defying platform heels!
Individuality: You can wear the designer dress of the season, but it’s equally cool to dress in your mum’s chiffon sari from the ’50s.
Prints: Whether big, small, floral, tribal or wacky and colourful, mix and match everything. Colour: Think coral, tangerine and sunset orange, the bold, bright and happy colour for the year. Pristine whites and ivory will also be big trend.
Shine on: You cannot escape metallic shine, hi-voltage gloss, controlled bling and sequins and spangles in all shapes and sizes.
Footwear: Pointed toes, strappy heels and embellished/spiky/animal prints are in. Platforms too. Rounded toes are out.
Dresses: Fluid, soft and feminine. Go sheer, knee length or get into a body-hugging maxi dress.(Pankaj Ahuja is one half of the designer duo, Pankaj & Nidhi; Namrata Joshipura is a designer.)
Hair
Natural is the way to look
WomenA not too structured and styled look: Don’t have every wave in place. Rather, go in for unstructured waves and aim for a clean, free, fluid look.
Loose curls: Both natural curls and a beehive backcomb are in, but keep the look unstructured.
Centre partings: They’re back in a big way.
Haircuts: The layered look is passé. Opt for a one-length free-flowing look, a la Kareena Kapoor.
Short hair: No one look will dominate.
MenThe straight, long hair look and messy look are dead: Go for the classic look, where the base is a little shorter, and the top fuller. Style your hair with a side parting and slick it down with a serum or gel. Or try the undercut and top-heavy style with a quiff (a piece of hair brushed upward and backward from the forehead), like Yuvraj and Ranbir have.
Longer hair: Keep it mid-length, touching the neck, textured and layered. Curly hair: Use curl lock-in products, and aim for a look a la Hrithik Roshan.(Apeni George is Indian creative director, RUSK)
Makeup
Clean is the word for the year
Daring mouth: Use a striking colour on your lips. This style is best carried off by someone who does not have too big a mouth.
Clean look: This requires the correct foundation, not a cakey look but a thin film, along with a little gloss and blush. The effect should be of a no-makeup look, but with some shine coming through. To highlight your eyes, add mascara and eyeliner.
Thicker eyebrows: The trend now is for healthy looking eyebrows they should look natural but groomed.
Cream-based products: Use them on your lips, cheeks and eyes but not in a sweaty environment.
More experimentation: With more brands in the market, you can experiment with a variety of products. As you walk past the stores, keep trying products till you figure out what works for you. You’re not supposed to show the makeup you wear, but it should make you attractive and confident. Also, if you use the right products in the right way, it will not harm your face.
Movies
Khan hardly wait
It’s time to bid 2011 goodbye. While the year has been good for the industry in terms of numbers, expectations for the new year are huge. That’s because there are a number of films due for release which are looking exciting.Talaash: Anything Aamir Khan touches turns to gold. His Midas touch even made an irreverent film like Delhi Belly or an art film like Dhobi Ghat success stories. Of course, Talaash is neither irreverent cinema nor is it close to art cinema which makes the excitement level go several notches higher. Reema Kagti, who had directed Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., is making this film written by her jointly with Zoya Akhtar.
Ek Tha Tiger: Salman Khan is on such a high that his films command the best openings these days. And in an age where the first weekend of a film matters the most for its ultimate verdict, any Salman starrer would be red hot from the distributors’ and audience’s points of view. Add the fact that the film is being produced by Yash and Aditya Chopra and that it would release on Eid 2012 and you can almost hear the cash registers ringing loudly. The extraordinary title value (likening Salman to a tiger), Katrina as his leading lady and the directorial reins in the hands of a sensitive filmmaker like Kabir Khan (New York, Kabul Express) are bonus points about Ek Tha Tiger, which can’t be overlooked.Yash Chopra’s untitled film: From the man who understands love stories like no one else, the film should come as a perfect Diwali bonanza. Doesn’t matter if it is without a name, doesn’t matter if the shooting still hasn’t started, doesn’t matter if nobody knows what the film is about, the very fact that Yash Chopra would be directing Shah Rukh yet again is enough to prompt cinema buffs to mark their diaries. Katrina will be seen with Shah Rukh for the first time in this love story which co-stars Anushka Sharma.
Dabangg 2: Abhinav Kashyap may have turned down the offer to make the sequel, but that doesn’t take away much from the second part because the first part was adored by the masses. With the sequel, Arbaaz will try his hand at direction but you can be sure Salman will be at hand to guide him. After all, Dabangg is too precious a brand to be wasted, so the entire Khan khandaan will put their best foot forward to deliver a wonderful Christmas gift. Considering that the sequel has still not gone on the floors, one would have had reservations about its release in 2012, but this is born out of the fact that Salman requested Aamir Khan and Aditya Chopra to move Dhoom:3 ahead and leave Christmas week for the Dabangg sequel, a request both heeded.
Bol Bachchan: Rohit Shetty may be unhappy because he didn’t get the title Bol Bachan, but he will ensure he makes his audience happy. After all, he has his reputation of delivering super-hits (Singham, Golmaal 3) to live up to. Rohit and Ajay Devgn have proven to be a deadly box-office combination (Golmaal: Fun Unlimited, Golmaal Returns, All The Best, Golmaal 3, Singham) and that’s also a reason to expect Bol Bachchan to work wonders at the ticket windows. You can safely assume that Rohit would have only enhanced Amol Palekar’s Golmaal, of which BB is a remake.
Agneepath: Before its release, a film’s trailers and music are the most useful tools for people to decide whether they would see the film. And on both these counts, Karan Johar’s Agneepath scores. The first trailer created such an impression on the minds of the public that a great initial was assured. Then came the super-hit Chikni Chameli song picturised on Katrina, which had the guys drooling. The second trailer only served to make the public actually salivate for the remake of Amitabh Bachchan’s film of the same title.
Student Of The Year: It may introduce three newcomers but this campus tale is bound to become hot by the time it hits screens next year, and that’s because it is being directed by Karan Johar. Remember his last campus film, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which was also his debut directorial venture? Race 2: The Race sequel, directed by Abbas-Mustan, will be a film to watch out for and not just because Race was such an intriguing thriller. The sequel will star John Abraham, besides Anil Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan from the first part.
Barfii: Ranbir Kapoor has been a darling of the public ever since Saawariya was released. But after his sterling performance in Rockstar, he is in a different league altogether. Barfii is an unusual title but one hopes the film would have the staple ingredients of a blockbuster. Anurag Basu directs the film which co-stars Priyanka Chopra and model Ileana D’cruz.
Once Upon A Time In Mumbai 2: This is one sequel for which the paying public is waiting with bated breath.
Housefull 2: Another eagerly awaited sequel is Sajid Khan’s Housefull 2.
Jodi Breakers: To quote someone who has seen the rushes, it has the potential to become the Tanu Weds Manu of 2012. It stars Bipasha Basu as Madhavan’s leading lady.
Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum: This sequel to Kyaa Kool Hai Hum (which released in 2005) may be coming very late but that won’t take away from the fact that it was among the earliest sex comedies. The sequel will see Tusshar and Ritesh Deshmukh tickling the audience’s funny bone. (Komal Nahta is editor, Film Information and koimoi.com)
Cars and bikes
Big goes small 2011 was a monumental year for new cars, and we saw significant launches in almost every segment. However, two new segments seem to be the focus this year.
The first is the small SUV segment, pioneered by 2010’s Premier Rio. While it may not have been much of a success, it has caused other manufacturers to realise the potential of small, efficient hatchbacks with the butch styling and added ride height of SUVs. The other is the small MPV, which favours practicality over style. MPVs are also shrinking to their bare minimum size while retaining the versatility their larger counterparts offer.
There are of course many conventional hatchbacks and saloons coming next year too. Audi Q3: Audi’s Q3 takes all the quality, technology and prestige from the company’s bigger cars and distils them into a petite package. It will be the smallest and most affordable Audi in India and will be priced competitively.
Chevrolet Sail: The Sail saloon and hatchback will replace the Aveo and U-VA. The engines will be a 1.4-litre petrol and Fiat’s popular 1.3-litre Multijet diesel.
Chevrolet CN-100 Minivan: What this seven-seater lacks in flair it makes up with versatility. The trump card is the price – which could be lower than Rs6 lakh.
Ford Ecosport: The baby SUV is based on the Fiesta’s platform, and will share its powertrains too although a 1.2-litre petrol may be offered to reap sub-four-metre excise benefits. Maruti Ertiga : The Ertiga is Maruti’s first serious attempt at an upmarket MPV. Despite being smaller than an Innova, it will offer seven seats, and have an expected price of Rs6-9 lakh. The Ertiga will get the SX4’s 1.3-litre multijet diesel, and a new 1.4-litre petrol motor.
New Maruti Swift Dzire: This will be shorter than its predecessor to duck under the four-metre mark. Excise benefits mean it should be around R30,000 cheaper than the outgoing model.
Renault Duster: This will come with a 1.6-litre petrol engine and the Fluence’s 1.5-litre diesel in 85bhp and 110bhp states of tune. Expect prices between R7- 11 lakh.(Hormazd Sorabjee is editor, Autocar India)
Travel
Action stations
Indians are increasingly leaning toward niche travel with adventure tourism being the most popular concept. Travellers are seeking activities like mountaineering, rock climbing, trekking, skiing (above), skating, mountain biking and safaris. This has resulted in the popularity of destinations like Bintan (Indonesia) for adventure sports and South Africa for jungle safaris.Luxury travel: Indians are spending more on holidays at private islands, luxury yachts, exclusive hotels, chalets and palaces. Castles, palaces and villa stays in Ireland, Switzer-land and Greece are likely to gain popularity in the next year.
Experiential tourism: It is a rapidly emerging trend. Indians are looking forward to understand and be a part of the culture and heritage of the destination they seek to explore.Sports tourism: It is also gaining in popularity e.g. FIFA World Cup, Formula 1, cricket matches, etc.
Eco-tourism: Young Indian travellers are leaning towards identifying an exciting, eco-friendly way to see the world without compromising on comfort and style. Eco-tourism, which entails responsible travel to natural areas that conserve the environment and improves the well-being of local people is amongst the top five future travel trends as per the Kuoni India Holiday Report.
Domestic options: Luxury travellers in India are opting for royal holidays in the palaces of Jaipur and Udaipur. Spa and wellness retreats are also becoming popular with travellers. For more active holidays, people are opting for jungle safaris in breathtaking lodges at Panna, Bandhavgarh, Pench and Kanha, as well as scuba diving and white water river rafting trips. Finally, frequent travellers are seeking a glimpse of true Indian culture via village homestays. (Frederick Divecha is head, tour operating, b2c, Kuoni India)
Drink
Time for wine and spirits
The thing with predictions is that they are about as useful as a spare wheel for a man deserted on an island: eventually he will find use for it, but in the immediate future, the applicability may appear non-existent. The three big things that I am about to foretell are, then, similarly stunted. Some of you may regard with scepticism what I have to share but please allow for the caveat that future-telling is fickle business.
A spurt to spirits: Brown spirits have been making their presence felt for some time now. Trends point at the growth of whisky, rum, cognac or other brandies, and among the whites, gin is the one thing that will be truly a la mode.Artisanal tonic water: We stand to see artisan, hand-made, traditional recipe-based tonic waters enter the market.
A cocktail revival: The one thing that is bound to benefit from the influx of foreign spirits is the possible burgeoning of a cocktail culture. With the growing number of cocktail competitions, the knowledge base too stands to grow and mature. (Magandeep Singh is a sommelier and columnist)Books Whole worlds in words
So what if you haven’t read all the books you bought last year. Today kicks off a whole new year of book-buying. Take a (very small) peek at what’s in store.FictionThe Trylle trilogy and the Watersong series by Amanda Hocking: Amanda Hocking is one of the highest-selling ebook writers in the world. Now her books are available in the traditional format.
Sins of the Father by Jeffrey Archer: The next book in the series Sins of the Father. Jaal: The Web by Sangeeta Bahadur: The first in the Kaal trilogy, set in a world reminiscent of India in the immediate post Vedic era. When Loss is Gain by Pavan K Varma: The first novel by the author of The Great Indian Middle Class. The Aryavarta Chronicles: Govinda by Krishna Udaysankar: The first of a trilogy, the story of Govinda Shauri, before he became the god of legend.
INDIAThe Butterfly Generation:A Personal Journey into the Passions and Follies of India’s Technicolour Youth by Palash Krishna Mehrotra: A portrait of a generation that remembers the old, socialist India but exults in the new liberalised India. India Grows at Night by Gurcharan Das: What has worked in India and what hasn’t since liberalisation.Portraits from Ayodhya by Scharada Dubey: Almost two decades after the demolition of the Babri Masjid, Scharada Dubey studies the Ram Janmabhoomi site and visits the residents, ordinary and prominent, of a town that has known no peace. The Pink Sari Revolution by Amana Fontanella-Khan: In Uttar Pradesh in 2006, a group of poor women wearing pink saris and carrying pink sticks started taking on men who abused their wives. Soon they were fighting all evil.
INSPIRATIONALA Little Book of Life by Ruskin Bond: Aphorisms.Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World by His Holiness the Dalai Lama: Reflections on values that could become the basis of a universalism beyond specific relations.BUSINESSThe New Digital Age: Reshaping the Future of People, Nations and Business by Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen: The first look at the intersection of technology, geopolitics and world events.The Wave Rider by Ajit Balakrishnan: The founder of Rediff.com describes the transition of the world from the Industrial Age to the Information Age.HistoryAshoka by Charles Allen: Ashoka Maurya was forgotten for 2,000 years. How he was resurrected. The Return of a King by William Dalrymple: In 1842, the Afghan people rose against the British and an army of what was then the most powerful military nation in the world was utterly routed by poorly equipped tribesmen. Wellness by Namita Jain: Is it possible to be sexy at sixty? Yes, says the fitness expert.Exercise (title undecided) by Rujuta Diwekar: The author of Don’t Lose Your Mind, Lose Your Weight demystifies workouts.Film
Music
It’s all going to be new
I feel 2011 had a lot of emphasis on electronic music which worked really well with the crowd but people are now looking for a different flavour. Musical sensibilities are changing fast and music lovers are willing to experiment with different genres. learn latin: While it is indisputable that commercial music always does well, I feel 2012 will see an emphasis on Latin and African music in clubs. Reggae for example was never too popular with the crowds but now people have started to enjoy it a lot. It’s a really good sign that people are willing to expand their horizons.
Jam sessions: Recently in Delhi I came across an interesting phenomenon where pubs and live gig venues organise jams and musicians improvise on stage and produce new sounds. I feel jams are going to be big in 2012 because they is more interactive with the audience. They also give artists the opportunity to step outside their comfort zone. Eclectic tastes in music always create interesting sounds. Even at Blue Frog, we do live jams on some nights but I feel dedicated live jam pads are going to crop up pretty soon.
Money, money, money: One major change I’m hoping for in 2012 is financial support for musicians from the government and music labels. There are so many talented musicians in this country but most of them cannot pursue it because making music doesn’t pay. In France, the government finances arts. Music should be promoted in schools and colleges. Also major music labels should take off their Bollywood blinders and support independent musicians. I bet anything that if that starts happening, Indian musicians will rock the scene.
From HT Brunch, January 1
