Waris Ahluwalia

This is Waris Ahluwalia. Born in India, and raised in Brooklyn. Don't know him? That's alright, because he is the most famous un-famous celebrity. By 'un-famous celebrity', I mean someone who is known by the inner circles of alternatives, a brotherhood of artistes who worship the out-of-the-ordinary, a collection of thinkers known for their out-of-the-box ways and work. Besides, the first thought in the minds of people who don't know any better is "What is this Sardar doing here?". In other words, he's no mainstream rockstar.


Waris Ahluwalia is a jewelry designer. His House of Waris line is high-end, available at the esteemed Bergdorf Goodman, and at Colette in Paris, known to showcase groundbreaking fashion art and artists.

His work is simple yet atypical, opulent yet understated. In an interview with fashion journalist Diane Pernet, he explains that, to him, luxury is an intangible, immeasurable aspect and amount of "soul" put into each piece of his jewelry. The client is not only buying the value of the precious rocks, but also the indeterminable romance of the will and talent of an expert craftsman breathing life into the raw material. Interesting thought, and expert marketing to the soulless super-rich, I must admit.

You see, for 6 months of the year, he spends his time between Rome and Jaipur, designing, and then directing and overseeing a team of expert craftsmen working on his line. And then the next 6 months, marketing his collection, networking, partying, hanging out with supermodels and actresses... yes, all the occupational hazards of a jewelry designer with a luxury line.

And then, when he has the time, he stars in his buddy, Wes Anderson's little film ditties, quirky independent masterpieces such as The Darjeeling Limited and The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. Rumour has it that his deadpan good looks and subtle character studies so impressed Spike Lee, that Lee tracked him down and asked him to be in his thriller The Inside Man.

So essentially, Waris Ahluwalia is best known for his bespoke jewelry, his bit-parts in classic cult movies, his looking like a fish out of water at red carpet do's, and his undeniable underground rockstar status. Now that's what I call "genius".

Gratuitous fabulous jewelry pic

BYZANCE earrings

by Satellite Paris

I need some art

There are 2 artists' work that I so love, I fantasize about one day having their work grace my home. And they are both local Singaporeans.

Manjeet Shergill is a prolific artist, who has a studio in Holland Village where she works from, and conduct the occasional painting workshop. I have thought many times about signing up for one, but never had the guts to. I just will be so in awe of her and her work I will hardly be able to squeeze any paint out of the tube.

I love her Modigiliani-esque shapes, and the honesty and crispness of her subject's presentation. I also love how her work is so 3-dimensional in effect despite being so 2-dimensional in form, you know what I mean?

Shergill's "Village Woman"

(Fact is, I have tried to emulate her work, but as you can see, it is a rather poor and very immature version.)

My "Indian Aunty" :/

The other artist I cannot get enough of is Desmond Sim. He is another prolific artist, who actually started out his artistic career as a poet and playwright. His renderings and interpretations of Peranakan culture is captured so gorgeously it's amazing. From the detail of the ornaments and intricate designs of the sarong kebayas, to the little saucy smirks and nuanced glances of the subjects. It evokes a whole sense of identity that is, really, eroding.

The Peranakans are a dwindling lot, and a rather curious phenomena, simply because you can't be quite sure what makes one a Peranakan. Is it the pidgin language (actually they call it Peranakan patois now) that you speak, or is it the cross-cultured traditions that you keep? 'Coz it's definitely not a race-thing, which essentially makes it hard to define. Mainly Chinese who speak quirky-accented Malay with a smattering of Chinese dialect, the Peranakans are seriously, neither here nor there. And so they decided they would be One. Which is really quite cool. :)

The Peranakan Museum in Singapore is a colourful tribute to this very hodge-podge culture, with fantastical Malay dress infused with Chinese elements and super-superstitious traditions, of a loud exuberant people. Highly interesting, and things so wonderful, that every time you look at it again, you see something new. Just like Desmond Sim's work.

Mental diahorrea

So, I have all these ideas in my head.

I have endless visions about my hoop/disc earrings every time I am idle for more than 2 seconds. I do imagery gymnastics, if you know what I mean, because I imagine how and where the wire will bend and go, and then how things could or could not fall into place, what combination of stones, and how they will go on... and on... and on...

Another idea I am playing around with is to have all my old stock sold off at a discount, with much of the proceeds going to charity. That would work well no? I have a friend, Tania, who founded a sick children's home in Beijing, Blue Sky Healing Home, and I'd like to do this for her. It would be one of these home jewelry parties I think, 'coz she has quite a few contacts, and it would be so nice to have an intimate air with a homestyle-tea-party type of thing. Anyone interested, do drop me a note, I'll send you an invite and the address when the time comes...

Yet another thing I am toying with in my head, is to have a monthly giveaway at this blog. I'd like to stay close to my customers, and would love that we become friends. It just makes it all the more fun. Don't you think?

OK, so let's see when these will materialise... first to do so is probably the hoop/disc earrings, which you will get to see... soon... we hope. ;)

My very own bangles

I have invested in a pair of sterling silver bangles from Silverwood, from enjoying the sound of Ruhi's bangles.

Aren't these pretty? I love the organic detail of its asymmetric form. And I am so looking forward to enjoy the jingle-jangle of it while I am at work. I can't wait for them to arrive! :D

Yes, I have been productive...

... and if I dare say so myself, pretty prolific.

'Coz right now, I am moving on from these bangles and rings, to experimenting with a completely different form - hoop earrings that're more like discs... Nyes, it probably looks better than it sounds... I'll post a pic as soon as I deem one presentable. :)

But for now, here are the fruits of what I have been up to the past week or so. Many thanks to my Dear Ole Dad, who tried his best to help me figure out how to polish up on the crafting of these bangles.

So, I have lost my fingerprints and there's a feeling in my fingerjoints that's somwhere between "dull ache" and "numb".

But these ARE yummy, aren't they? ;)

Vivienne Westwood's ANGLOMANIA

Woo-hoo! I just got tickets to go to the show on May 10. Very, very exciting for me. I have been an admirer of her and her work since I was about 12.

Throughout her career, Vivienne Westwood has been the go-to designer for out-of-the-box, street-savvy looks, whether casual or couture. She does punk and high fashion equally deftly, and in both very different genres, you can see the Vivienne Westwood-ness of it. Her style is ultimately rebellious with a streak of whimsy, outrageous without being inaccessible. The mark of a true fashion genius.

In her seventies now, Westwood was awarded a Royal Honour in June 2006 for her contribution to the arts, which makes her now Dame Vivienne Westwood to you and me. She received her award from Prince Charles in a no-nonsense 50's-style black dress with, blue eyeliner and matching blue eyebrows, hair accessories of silver devil horns, and, as usual, no underwear.

The Vivienne Westwood ANGLOMANIA show is the closing show of the Audi Fashion Festival 2009 in Singapore. Other designers showing are Marc Jacobs, Ashley Isham and Christian Lacroix.

A Peace from Ruhi

Ruhi has been wearing these bangles lately, and I have noticed how she is enjoying the jingle-jangle of them - when she moves about, especially when she makes a mistake with her writing attempts and "has to" use the eraser.

Another thing I have noticed is how refreshing that jingle-jangle actually is. I like how it "clears the air" for those very few seconds, literally a kind of music to the ears. It snaps me out of a mental treadmill anyway. It's a refreshing momentary peace, a nice shot of Here and Now.

Thanks Ruhi!

Interview with Maya, aged 9

1. What is something Mum always says to you?
"Sayang my sweetheart"

2. What makes Mum happy?
"When I am nice"

3. What makes Mum sad?
“When I am rude"

4. How does your Mum make you laugh?
"Funny jokes and behaviour"

5. What was your Mum like as a child?
“I don't know”

6. How old is your Mum?
"37"

7. How tall is your Mum?
“150cm?” (befuddled look)

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
“Make jewelry"

9. What does your Mum do when you're not around?
“Make jewelry!"

10. If your Mum becomes famous, what will it be for?
"Her jewelry" (big smile)

11. What is your Mum really good at?
"Making jewelry" (beginning to laugh)

12. What is your Mum not very good at?
"Saving money" (goddamit)

13. What does your Mum do for her job?
“Make jewelry”

14. What is your Mum's favorite food?
“Uh... nothing” (Unfortunately, it's more like EVERYTHING)

15. What makes you proud of your Mum?
"She can make jewelry”

16. What do you and your Mum do together?
“Look at magazines”

17. How are you and your Mum the same?
“We both have long hair” (grins)

18. How are you and your Mum different?
"She has an oily face, I don't"

19. How do you know your Mum loves you?
"She always says 'I love you', and kisses me and hugs me"

20. Where is your Mum's favorite place to go?
"colette" (the boutique where my jewelry's at)

Interview with Ruhi, aged 4

1. What is something Mum always says to you?
"I love you"

2. What makes Mum happy?
"Good behaviour"

3. What makes Mum sad?
“Bad behaviour"

4. How does your Mum make you laugh?
"Pretend to do something funny"

5. What was your Mum like as a child?
“Small”

6. How old is your Mum?
"37"

7. How tall is your Mum?
“That tall” (spreads her arms)

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
“Making jewelry"

9. What does your Mum do when you're not around?
“Her work"

10. If your Mum becomes famous, what will it be for?
"I don't know"

11. What is your Mum really good at?
"Making jewelry"

12. What is your Mum not very good at?
"I don't know"

13. What does your Mum do for her job?
“Make jewelry”

14. What is your Mum's favorite food?
“Fried rice”

15. What makes you proud of your Mum?
"I'm proud of her because she makes jewelry”

16. What do you and your Mum do together?
“Read story books”

17. How are you and your Mum the same?
“Same smile” (grins)

18. How are you and your Mum different?
"She has pimples, I don't"

19. How do you know your Mum loves you?
" 'cos she loves me so much"

20. Where is your Mum's favorite place to go?
"Shanghai and Phuket"