Elegance and Pam athai

My blog, as you know, is about more than fashion design. It's about designing life in its totality. Integral to a well-designed life are the people it includes - they are essential to providing balance, perspective, harmony, color - the elements of good design. My mother, whose life (and sarees!) inspires Jaya Designs, has a friendship that to me embodies one of the pillars of her own well-designed life. this is her close and warm relationship with my aunt, Pam ("Pam athai", in the Tamil reference to "aunty.")

There is not a time in my memory when my mother and Pam athai didn't sit together and even from afar, we could tell they were huddled in strategy to keep their children out of harm's way and on the (very) straight and narrow path. We could be visiting in our homes, in a crowded taxi in India or as tourists visiting Buckingham Palace... they would still be together - poised classically... sarees draped just so, stuffed handbags hoisted, one hand on furrowed forehead and another protectively guarding the precious handbag,sunglasses perched. Elegance and anxiety personified. Bosses, children, husbands, grandchildren, in-laws... no person in their realm escaped being the topic of their huddle. In their soft midst, troubles were willed away through sheer force of their belief and prayer.

My mother and Pam athai are my earliest influences of style, grace, willfulness, pure love... the truly feminine and the truly strong. Groomed, coifed, draped perfectly - they are still the ideal to which I aspire. We lost Pam athai last week to a very long struggle with leukemia, to which she not so much succumbed as surrendered to with faith. The shock of the loss of her physical presence has left us gasping for air, as if the earth has contracted and the oxygen has left it. We look up and see her through our ethereal visions of our Pam athai happy, whole and praying for us to be happy, impeccable, to live each moment with utter integrity and much more - to be all we can be and live the very best versions of ourselves according to not just our own power, but higher powers that are all around and of which she is now part. These are the images that will prevail. We hold onto that. Thank you, Pam athai.

Eat, Drink and Be Cherry

I love it and can’t take credit for it… it’s the slogan for the wonderful Pink Tie events leading up to this year’s National Cherry Blossom Festival (March 27-April 11). I am so tickled (pink, that is) to be on the Host Committee for the Pink Tie, which is next Thursday, March 11, and to be involved with the Festival this year. I love the entire concept – the pink, the cherry blossoms (my LIVING room has an Asian/cherry blossom theme to honor the beautiful cherry tree in our front yard and those in our neighborhood), the botanicals, the SPRING!!

Now that it’s March, can we dare hope for less white (as in snow), less gray (as in cloudy skies) and more green and pink and sun? I say – YES. At the DC-area Mazza Gallerie last Thursday night (another Festival event), the fashions came out and they all welcomed spring. The clothes were from Mazza Gallerie stores (including Neiman Marcus, Filene’s Basement, Corby and others) and they were floaty, strappy, mini, glittery, and made us all smile. (Especially one very special short pink jacket with a darling peplum that was made from a blossomy brocade – perfect, we all said, for our dear Diana Mayhew, president of the Festival. We found out the jacket is Armani – stay tuned to see what Diana ends up wearing to the events!)

As for me, I can’t wait to show you all Jaya Designs’ new pieces for spring. My Maharajah Collection features floaty chiffon dresses inspired by the warm breezes of India; silk tops and skirts inspired by the jewels of royal palaces and purses inspired by the many intricate and precious boxes used by royalty to store incense, spices and treasures. AND FOR THE FIRST TIME… something for men and girls… handmade, silk neckties made in the tradition of all Jaya Designs pieces (see photos on my website at www.jayadesigns.net!); and floaty dresses for little girls to match their mommies… or of course, make a fashion statement all their own.

Next time, you’ll see the photo for my Spring signature piece… only one available, it sets the tone for the entire Spring, I think. (If you notice any hints of cherry blossom here – that’s entirely intentional!)

Hope to see you at the Cherry Blossom Festival! See all the events and details at www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org.