The bold family drama, Maryada, that kept the audiences for quite some time now will come to an end soon. The last episode of the serial will be telecast on April 13, and then the show will go off air.

The plunging TRPs have acted as a catalyst to bring the Star Plus’ Maryada to an end. The audiences are no longer glued onto this family drama that revolved around four women of the Jhaakar family. In fact the recent twists and turns in the storyline have done little to pique the audience’s curiosity.

The cast and crew of this television serial seem to have enjoyed the journey and now wish to end the saga on a happy note. “It’s useless strecthing it any further,” we are told. So, Maryada will have an abolute ending and a haapy one at that.

She previously admitted she felt incredibly insecure about her ‘flat granny bum’.

But now The Only Way Is Essex’s Chloe Sims is more than confident about her body – after going under the surgeon’s knife for a Brazilian butt lift.

The 30-year-old reality star told Now magazine she’s desperate to show off her new womanly curves in a bikini when she hits the beach this summer.She said: ‘My bum doesn’t feel heavier or wobblier like I thought it would. But it does look lifted and now goes into a noticeable bum shape, which I’m really happy with.

‘I already know that I’ll feel more confident as a single woman with my bum the way it is now – especially when I go on holiday. For the first time in ages I’m actually looking forward to wearing a bikini.

‘It’s sexier to have a bit of weight on you, isn’t it? It’s not sexy to be skinny with no bottom.’

Chloe also spoke about how she made the decision to have the butt lift, admitting she’s sure the procedure will have an overall positive effect on her life.

She said: ‘Even before I was in The Only Way Is Essex I was surrounded by gorgeous girls with hourglass figures. Mine felt unsexy and boyish in comparison.

‘I tried everything possible to overcome my body insecurities. I wore certain clothes to make my bum look bigger and even wore knickers with chicken fillet-type padding.

‘I always had my bum in mind when I was buying clothes. I’d hate it most whenever I went on holiday and had to get into a bikini. It always looked awful, like a flat “granny” bum. With age and gravity it only got worse. By the time I turned 30 I’d ended up with a droopy bottom.’

Describing the procedure, which was carried out at Dr Aamer Khan’s clinic in London, Chloe explained: ‘They removed fat from my stomach and thighs with a syringe. It felt like a rod going under my skin and was very painful.

‘Then they emptied the fat into a hospital drip bag to separate and drain it before injecting it back into me.’

However, any cosmetic surgery procedure has its drawbacks, and Chloe admitted to Now she is still struggling with the post-operation pain.

She said: ‘The downside is that I felt sore for a few days afterwards and I’m not able to lie on my back for six weeks in order to let the fat on my bum settle.’

Chloe added that while most of her family and friends knew about her decision to have the butt lift, she decided not to tell her seven-year-old daughter Madison.

She explained: ‘Madison stayed with her dad for a few nights and just thought I’d been at work. I hope Madison doesn’t have anything done when she’s older and it’s not something I’ll encourage. But she’s only little, so I can’t say what might happen in the future.’

San Diego is now home to a brand new Salvatore Ferragamo at Fashion Valley Mall.

The Italian brand will showcase the brand’s premier ready-to-wear collections, along with other luxury goods.

‘‘The San Diego market is an important region for the network of national Ferragamo boutiques,’’ said Vincent Ottomanelli, president of Ferragamo USA. ‘‘An intellectual and creative community, the clientele in San Diego firmly understands and appreciates the qualities that define the House — luxury, style, tradition and innovation.’’

The store opened its doors on April 9, and is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. 9 p.m. and on 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays.

A professional model will be dressing up – this time as a badger – to run a marathon for an animal charity.

James Farmer, who has been photographed for the cover of GQ Magazine and models for the fashion industry, will be running the Brighton Marathon on April 15 for the Wildlife Aid Foundation in Leatherhead.

The foundation’s founder, Simon Cowell, said: “I’m full of admiration for James as I’ve worn a badger costume myself in the past and it’s not something to take on willingly.

“Those costumes are heavy and bulky and it’s difficult enough to wear one for a short whole but to run a gruelling 26-mile road race in it seems insane to me.

“However, unlike me, James is ultra-fit, and he’s been training hard for this, so I’ve no doubt he’ll go the distance.

“We’ll all be rooting for him on the day.”

Inspired by Bikaneri craftsmen, jewellery brands and independent designers in the West are shunning the ‘cut’, one of the three crucial Cs that decide the value of a diamond. Nona Walia reports on the return of the uncut diamond.

Experts will tell you that a diamond’s cut is its single most defining feature, beating the other two Cs (colour and carat). It gives the stone what insiders call light performance, and what we identify as sparkle. Strangely, veteran actress Jaya Bachchan, Hollywood star Penelope Cruz and sundry Indian brides are shunning the cut altogether.

The Indian uncut diamond, once the exclusive preserve of Maharajas, is turning into a fashion statement. More natural than the full-cut polish diamond, the rough rock has caught the eye of international jewellery designers, too. The 40-year-old daughter of musician Mick Jagger, Jade, who plays old luxury with contemporary chic, designed a polki set that was worn by British supermodel Kate Moss.

Sangeeta Dewan, who heads the design division at Tanishq, created over 400 pieces in uncut diamonds for the cast of Aishwarya Rai starrer, Jodhaa Akbar. “Akbar Nama carries several references to the popularity of uncut diamonds. Bikaner in Rajasthan is a major hub,” she says. Siddhi Kumari, erstwhile Princess of Bikaner, who has worked towards keeping the craft alive among young artisans, says the state houses some of the finest heirloom pieces, and is home to over 4,000 craftsmen, who are working towards modernising their design philosophy. Bal Krishan Johari is a seventh generation jeweller whose ancestors learnt the craft from the Persians. “When the British arrived in India, most craftsmen moved from Delhi to Bikaner. Today, we run a 10 crore-a-day business,” says Johari.

While Delhi designer Alpana Gujral says Americans are taking a fancy to the ‘exotic’ stone, British designer Emma Chapman, a regular at London and Paris Fashion Weeks, uses chakri uncut diamonds for her Lakshmi collection. “Chakri are only available in Jaipur and Bikaner. They can be set in both, silver and gold. The West is waking up to the wonder of uncut diamond,” she says.

Deepika Govind is facing flak for the photo shoot of her latest spring resort collection.

First, it was an Indian fashion magazine that was criticized for doing a photo shoot of poor folk modelling high end fashion accessories. Recently, another international designer brought out a controversial fashion campaign in which models posed with flashy luggage alongside coolies. Now, the poverty chic controversy has come closer home.

City-based designer Deepika Govind is facing flak over the concept shoot for her summer resort 2012 collection that was unveiled recently on Mumbai’s catwalk. The shoot, carried out in the outskirts of a town in Karnataka, depicts a waifish model in a sharp-shouldered blue outfit, shot in a rural setting, with the weaver and his wife squatting beside her. The picture has been drubbed by a daily as “poverty chic” hinting at using the “poor as props” and the “unbridgeable gap between the two worlds”.

While all sorts of allegations are being hurled at her, Deepika insists that she has used “fashion as a medium to voice her concerns on the dying Indian traditions and crafts and on the environment.” Deepika says that no particular magazine photo shoot came to her mind when her campaign was planned.

“The shoot is not about poverty-stricken India as has been written. Instead, the motive was to try and connect with India’s young to show them the journey from the loom to the garment. All I wanted to do was to give textiles a contemporary spin and bring it on a larger platform,” says the designer.

One of the accusations levelled against Deepika in the article also hints at the colonial-minded set-up of the designer, and speaks about the villagers, who aren’t “even aware of being part of a bigger debate”.

The designer, who is known for her work in traditional crafts and has also generated livelihoods for the weavers of Karnataka, says that she is not apologetic about the shoot. “My objective is to promote traditional crafts,” she says. However, the article hasn’t affected sales, confesses the designer. “Clients expect unique things from me,” says Deepika. Meanwhile, as a fitting rejoinder, Deepika plans to shoot inside a weaver’s house to show the journey of a garment from the loom to the catwalk.

Designer speak

Prasad Bidapa: It’s a non-issue as far as I am concerned. It’s Deepika’s creative vision and she is in no way taking advantage of the villagers. She is not trying to demean India or the villagers.

Manoviraj Khosla: We do live in two worlds, but does that mean that one should not wear designer wear at all. On that note, should a person not dress stylishly at a lounge as the waiter who serves there can’t afford such clothes? It holds no logic.

Ramesh Dembla: It’s a unique concept and has been seen in a different light. I don’t think she was trying to demean the villagers.

Chantelle Houghton has revealed she is terrified of giving birth after discovering she has a heart condition.

The former Celeb Big Brother winner – who is expecting her first child with Alex Reid – told New! magazine that she has been diagnosed with Supraventricular Tachycardia – a condition that can cause her heart to beat at 250 beats a minute rather than the average 80.

Speaking in this week’s edition of the magazine, she said: “About four-and-a-half weeks ago I got up from the sofa and my heart was going wild. It lasted less than a minute. Then the next day it happened again.

“’I was born with it but I’ve only noticed since I’ve been pregnant. The pressure on my heart has made my symptoms rear their head.

“I’m absolutely terrified of giving birth. I’m worried something could happen to me or the baby.”

As she cannot take any medication while she is pregnant, Chantelle is considering having a Caesarean which will take some of the stress off her heart.

She also spoke about the rumours that her relationship with cage fighter Alex is on the rocks after he contacted model Amy Willerton – the winner of ex wife Katie Price’s TV modelling competition.

“Maybe Katie Price was right to get rid of her,” she said.

“She’s 19. She doesn’t have a clue about hormones or pregnancy, so I’ll talk to her in 10 years’ time and see how she’s getting on!

“She’s young enough to be Alex’s daughter… It will take more than a 19-year-old girl to break us.”

Tulisa Contostavlos has claimed she was drunk when her infamous sex tape was made and could not remember her boyfriend Justin Edwards making the film.

In an eight-page witness statement to the High Court obtained by The Sun, the singer insists she must have been intoxicated during filming of the explicit footage.

According to the newspaper, her statement says: “Now that I can see the video, I can see it is me in it. I must have been very drunk to let my then boyfriend Justin Edwards, who I also know features in the video, take the footage.”

The 23-year-old, who secured a temporary ban on the raunchy footage after it went public online last month, claims her ex conducted a hate campaign to destroy her.

She adds: “Justin Edwards claims in a letter to his solicitors that I ‘took many pictures and videos of us having sex’ and I still have those videos. That is completely untrue.”

She also denies allegations that the footage was taken in a public place, saying it was likely to have been filmed in her dressing room at an N-Dubz gig.

Tulisa is suing Justin, known as MC Ultra, in a trial set for this summer. He denies leaking the tape.

It is a tough time for Planet Media. Ever decreasing advertising revenue means dwindling budgets while the demand for content rapidly grows, thanks to the Internet and twenty four hour programming. The cult of celebrity goes someway to fill all that air time and those column inches but it isn’t enough. Providers must now create stories where there are none.

One simple, effective way of doing this and one which you are probably very accustomed to seeing, is taking high profile women and comparing them to each other, often ruthlessly, with a fairly inevitable conclusion: one triumphs, one fails and we are royally entertained in the process.

While these ’stories’ are great gossip fodder, all too often they appeal directly to tired, disproven female stereotypes. As I type, the top celebrity story on the infamous Daily Mail homepage (the most popular news website in the world, by the way) is of a woman who claims other women hate her because of her good looks. Oh yes, that old chestnut – uptight ugly-types slamming pretty girls, especially if they happen to be younger. Aren’t women just so catty? Thank goodness there aren’t more of them in government!

The Daily Mail is far from being a sole offender. Countless magazines, websites and telly offerings use the pitting of women against each other to create content that is then happily consumed as mere entertainment. For example, we are so accustomed to seeing two female stars that had the misfortune to wear the same outfit being dissected as to determine who ‘wore it best’ that it doesn’t even register with us as downright nasty carry on, which it undoubtedly is.

Whether it is Girls Aloud (Cheryl versus Nadine; Cheryl versus Lily Allen), the Spice Girls (they all hate each other, apparently, but then so do a lot of former band mates) or Lady Gaga and Beyonce opting to go so far as to record a stomping single together as a ’screw you’ to the powers trying to pit them against each other, the media likes to depict women as embroiled in some unnamed gendered war. Quite frankly, the idea that the likes of Gaga or any successful woman, sits around plotting the demise of her so-called competitors because of her bitchy female streak is absurd and an insult to hard earned achievements.

The toxic comparisons go beyond bitchiness and catfights to weight, image and age. High profile women are compared not just to their counterparts but often to younger, thinner, more glamorous images of themselves so we, the audience, can marvel at the havoc of aging. Men retain their allure but women, we are forever reminded, don’t. For those churning out the celebrity news we so crave, there is no better, or cheaper, way to illustrate this point than juxtaposing a contemporary photo with one from twenty years ago, writing a bit of shoddy copy and calling it an article.

What happens when people consume these stories? The sheer volume makes them impossible to escape. Do we realise that what we are reading or watching is designed to appeal to our attachment to basic stereotypes, thereby hooking us in and blinding us to the fact that while we’re arguing over who wore what dress best, in reality, the Emperor has no clothes? I’d certainly like to hope so since the alternative is a very grim prospect indeed, for women and for us all.

SHOPPERS at the Fairhill Shopping Centre, Ballymena were treated to an afternoon of fabulous fashion when top models took to the catwalk to showcase the new season trends at the ‘Fashion Lives’ event last week.

Wearing a range of outfits from Fairhill retailers including Topshop, Vera Moda, River Island, Clockwork Orange, New Look, Marks & Spencer and Remus Uomo, the mall came alive in a blaze of hot pinks, flamboyant prints, ice cool shades and Olympic inspired looks.

Leading celebrity fashion stylist Eve Brannon gave style advice to the excited shoppers, while Sinead from Shek Hair and her team in Ballymena created some attention grabbing looks. After each show Boots make-up artists used the latest eye and lip colour products from Estee Lauder & Clinique to give shoppers free make-overs.

Catwalk looks for the ladies favoured bright prints in coral pink, colourful maxi dresses worn with big shades, structured dresses teamed with mint green or baby pink ankle socks, statement gold necklaces and chunky wedges.

The male trends favoured a cool relaxed summer looks with key pieces including red chinos, navy boat shoes, three quarter length shorts and straw hats. Hair salon, Shek Hair created oversized ballet buns, statement quiffs and loose curls, which were perfect for a spring/summer look.

After each show the models returned to shop windows to give shoppers some further style inspiration by bringing the outfits to life.

Fionnuala McEldowney, Commercial & Marketing Manager at Fairhill, said: “It was a great day of fashion and fun for all our customers. People of all ages enjoyed the shows which were compered by Emma Louise Johnston who did a superb job of keeping everyone entertained.

“The Macmillan cancer support fundraising team were also in the centre on Saturday and were overwhelmed by the generosity of shoppers. It was a truly super day for Fairhill and for Fashion.”

Software engineer Jagath Venkat and social media consultant Adeeth Ibrahim had one thing in common — both had a passion for fashion photography, and when model Aroon Pemmaiah entered the picture, By2Coffee was born. The startup is a social media and events company, with a focus on fashion. We caught up with these young entrepreneurs to go behind the scenes.

Adeeth, who also runs the fashion events blog has over 10,000 likes. He says, “I started the blog one-and-half years ago because there were websites for parties and other events but what was missing was an exclusive channel for fashion events in the city. We promote young models and designers from various fashion schools like Raffles, MCC, JD and Vogue, featuring their year-end collections and start-ups which they operate through Facebook.”

Adeeth, who has an engineering degree and an MBA, says he got into fashion by chance. “I met Jagath at various events and we started hanging out. He introduced me to Aroon and we all put our ideas together to start By2Coffee,” he says.

“We are a young company and we are targeting the fashion conscious young generation,” adds Aroon. “Fashion is not meant only for the ramp. Whether it’s a Kannada movie promotion, a store launch or a corporate event, a fashion show can take it to the next level. Take our last event at Tulsi n Thyme, which is one of our clients. We had a fashion show at an IPL screening and I think that’s what set it apart and made the event a success,” says Aroon, who is currently pursuing his BBA degree. “I worked with Prasad Bidapa earlier and quit to focus on my studies, but I still freelance as a model. By2Coffee is something I hadn’t planned, but I see a great future for us. We’re taking fashion forward with the youth of Bengaluru.”

Unveiling a new pret brand of affordable luxury garments, 12 top designers took to the ramp on Monday.

When Sonakshi Sinha sashayed down the Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2012 runway sporting a pretty churidaar kurta, she drove home the point that designer wear can be affordable and accessible. And leading the charge was the house of Kimaya, which brought together 12 leading designers – including Rohit Bal, Anamika Khanna, JJ Valaya, Rocky S, Falguni & Shane Peacock, Ranna Gill, Shantanu & Nikhil, Rina Dhaka, Neeta Lulla and Kavita Bhartia – to design exclusive collections for its new pret store Karmik, showcased on the ramp on Monday.

Surprisingly, all the garments are priced at an average of ` 6,000 and have a designer stamp of approval. Says Pradeep Hirani of Kimaya, “The concept behind Karmik is to provide aspirational designer wear at affordable prices, making them accessible across the country. It capitalises on the gaping void that exists in the women’s ethnic wear segment in India.” Aptly putting the initiative in a few lines, JJ Valaya explains, “With Karmik, a person who is a notch lower will step up, a person who is a notch higher will be very comfortable buying several pieces instead of one. So you are going to attract two different segments of the market and put them on a similar sort of a platform.”

Established and emerging talent of fashion industry on Tuesday coloured the ramps of Federal Capital with local and international haute couture in Red Carpet that opened the 2nd “Islamabad Fashion Week“.

The event enthralled the audience of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad by providing an opportunity to established and upcoming and budding designers, models, choreographers, fashion critics and photographers.

The Gujranwala Institute of Fashion Technology (Gift), Lakhany Silk Mills, Erum Khan, Jazib Qamar and Ali Xeeshan were the participants of the inaugural day with their exclusive styles for the fashion lovers of the Federal Capital who rarely get opportunities to witness fashion shows.

In the world of Pakistan’s textile, apparel and fashion industry, the name of Lakhany is synonymous with fashion, quality, style and creativity. The women take this brand as artistic and aesthetically appealing apparel.

Erum Khan’s label offered both Eastern and Western ensembles that were a true depiction of the designers innate style and a rendering of the world she sees and feels around her.

She created both Eastern and Western cuts with enhanced vivacious trimmings, dovetailing elegance with abstraction to offer utterly feminine concoctions.

Jazib Qamar has been a strong presence on the Pakistani menswear scene for the past half decade. His bold menswear is a strong fusion of indigenous silhouettes, intricate detailing and overt experimentation.

The men’s wear collection created for IFW spellbound the style conscious people with its dark color palette juxtaposed into long jackets and outerwear.

The GIFT university has emerged as a premier seat of higher education among the leading universities of the country. It has established a reputable image both within the region and in the country. The textile design component introduces students to the tradition through textile weaving and printing techniques while elements of hand printing and screen printing on fabric, photo and computer generated imaging, dye technology and handloom weaving are also taught in this component.

“Fashion weeks are a perfect way to showcase and promote textiles, casual and formal wear, leather, footwear, and other fashion-related products in local and international markets,” said the organizers while talking to APP.

These fashion events not only promote the countries’ finished products export, but strengthen the countries’ fashion related cottage industries.

The event has been organized by Excellent Event and Entertainment (Triple-E) in association with the International Pakistan Fashion Council (IPFC); World Fashion Organization (WFO) and Europa Regina. The Creative Consultant for the event is veteran hair and make-up stylist Tariq Amin and the choreographer is veteran, Pomme Gauhar.

The three-day fashion extravaganza will showcase leading international and regional fashion designers, brands and institutions including Element Jeans, Danish Wakeel (UK), Arslan and Yahseer, Shaiyanne Malik, Umar Sayeed, Fahad Hussain, Munib Nawaz, Fashion Era, Institute of Art and Design, Lahore, Iqra University and many other emerging names through fashion runway shows and multimedia presentations with an emphasis on trade.

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