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Ideas in Style

Text and Pics by Kirthi Sri Karunaratne
"Adahas" a media and communication consultancy outfit was launched by Kumar de Silva, a man full of ideas and varied talents and his wife Tharindra. At an intimate little dinner party in the patio at ‘Le Palace’ they hosted friends from the media, and the five star hotels, which was preceded by drinks in the garden. Kumar, who is a household face with his regular appearances on television over the last fifteen years, hosting a variety of programmes ranging from "Bonsoir" to Buddhism, decided it was time to venture out on his own, with the fullest support from his wife.

Short speeches were made by a few friends to wish every success to the new way of life, even though Kumar has been in a variety of other fields barring television, such as journalism, compering and being somewhat of a linguist, specialising in English and French. It was not an occasion for fashion but relaxed elegance was evident with Tharindra and Kumar setting the trend. A simple black saree of gossamer cotton was bordered in gold for Tharindra to wear with a black blouse and gold jewellery. Kumar was the picture of comfort in a white kurta, he wore with a peacock blue sarong. The Public Relation Managers of the Oberoi Hotel, The Galadari, and The Mount Lavinia Hotel made their own statements in fashion. Narmada Muller draped a lovely silk shawl over her shoulder in tones of shot greens, blues and yellow over her sleeveless ultramarine blue top, and black skirt, while Nilrukshi Rupesinghe had her outfit too in a brighter shade of blue, with a large inca sun printed on the back of the top in shades of gold, with a border design in the same colours to edge the hemline and sleeves. Buttons covered in the print fastened the V necked top she wore with a simple slim skirt in the blue. Oshadi Weerasinghe favoured a pants suit in a shade of plum, the short tailored jacket buttoned down the front in black with her accessories in black. A compliment to the Chef has to be paid as he contributed in no small way to the success of the evening with his gourmet meal.

Porcelain extravaganza

Dankotuwa - Laklain held a Table Top exhibition and Competition to which they invited friends and supporters to a cocktail for the handing over of awards to the winners, at On Golden Pond of the Hotel Taj Samudra. It was interesting to note that the invitees were asked to vote for their choice of table arrangements, from which a winner was found with a raffle draw. The actual winner’s number took a long time coming up, thus providing the house-proud wife was not in agreement with the judges. The standard was commendable and some of the participants displayed versatility and creativity with the numerous use of local products. Fashion was much in the forefront and lined up listening to the chief guest H.E. Ilkka Usitale, the Ambassador Head of Delegation for the European Commission was Iromie Wijewardene in a black saree embroidered in a design of tulips in red, yellow and ivory with long slender green leaves. Her cutaway blouse had the design around the armholes, and she draped her saree in the Gujarati style. A necklace of rubies, emeralds and diamonds were the complementary ornament. Orange fused with old gold at the borders and on the pallu in the saree Shiranee Thenabadu wore. The borders and pallu was embroidered in a tracery design in gold, and she wore a necklace of rubies and diamonds, with drop earrings to match. A long sleeved black blouse Michelle Kannangara teamed with a grey saree with a piping border in black and little scattered motifs. Her accessories were in black, and she wore a ‘pol kura’ in her hair. The dacca cotton saree Shama Wijesinghe wore was in a pale grey entirely woven in a trellis of black and red, with the border in a ribbon of black with a row of paisley motifs above it in black with red centres. The blouse was in the same patterned fabric. Glamour came in the form of Achala Welikala. She teamed a long full flowing skirt of charmeuse in burnt sienna with a cutaway top in the same colour heavily embroidered in gold and pearls. A stole was draped over her arms and she wore gold jewellery.

Salwars the tea-time favourite

Salwars were the popular choice at tea-time when Lukshmi Puvimanasinghe invited her friends to the Blue Elephant to celebrate her birthday. The venue was the ideal place for such an event being more private than at a Tittle Tattle Tea in the lobby of the Colombo Hilton. Everyone was relaxed and moved around meeting and greeting friends and making it easier for the fashion cameras. Among those in salwar kameez were Thanchi Coomaraswamy in a combination of royal blue and turquoise with ‘bandini’ print in white on the dupatta. The pink and white salwar Jennifer Kelaart wore was as pretty as a rosebud. The pink kameez had white applique on the sleeves, and the shawl was in the reverse colours. A red and white check combined with cream in the salwar kameez Yajina Theagaraja wore, and Badra Wijesena had the neckline of her black and grey outfit thickly worked in ivory and black at the neckline to emulate a necklace. Lalitha Rajapakse had her deep green salwar embroidered in a panel down the front, she wore with a green dupatta and diamonds. Gowrie de Silva brought sophistication to the traditional garb with her kameez which featured shoe string straps and an empire waistline in shaded purple. The stole studded with silver sequins was wound round her neck for feminine grace. Among the saree wearers was Nirmala Wijesinghe in a jade green, while the saree she teamed with a blouse of guipure lace in silvery white and green, while the saree Aloma Eliyathamby wore was as fresh as a daisy in yellow embroidered at the borders in white chicken work. Outdoing them all was the hostess Lukshmi who went western and wore a long top in a leopard print in white and browns, with a large plastic bag through the translucence of which the print made its impact for slick sophistication.

Women ‘more happy than men to go to work’

Traditional family roles are being reversed as fathers are increasingly prepared to sacrifice their salary and career prospects by staying at home to raise children, a new survey reveals.

Men are willing to work fewer hours because they enjoy their careers less than their wives or girlfriends, who are more likely to enjoy the social activity and companionship of the workplace.

However, mothers in full-time employment feel more guilty about working than anyone else and admit to often buying things for their children in an attempt to make up for not spending enough time with them.

The report, Family Lifestyles and the Effects of Work, which is published by Mintel, found that fathers were often seen as a "soft touch" and fell prey to blackmailing children who could easily twist their arms to get what they want.

The survey of 1,774 Britons discovered that working mothers were more likely than fathers to emphasise the personal fulfillment that paid work can bring.

Fifty-three per cent of the women questioned said they enjoyed their job, compared with 47 per cent of men. While in the past the workplace was a key source of companionship and social life for men, only one in four working fathers of children under 16 said this was still the case, compared with 40 per cent of working mothers.

Work appears to have more of an effect on the social and family lives of men than women. Nearly 40 per cent of men complained that their social or family life suffered, against 30 per cent of full-time working women.

Almost one in eight, 12 per cent, of all working parents would prefer to be at home looking after their children all the time.

However, nearly one in four mothers who do not go out to work said they would prefer to do so. The nonworking mothers of children under five were the most dissatisfied, with 28 per cent wishing they had jobs.

The report charts a decline in the traditional family unit of a couple with dependent children, which in 1979 represented almost a third of all households in Britain.

By the late Nineties, less than a quarter of households were of this type, with one parent families having almost doubled to nearly seven per cent of all households.

Yamuna Nayanakanthi’s First CD Disc

The first CD disc named "Redee Nadee Tera" consisting of songs sung by Mrs. Yamuna Nayanakanthi Sumanasekera a singer of "B" grade in Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, is handed over by her to Colombo district member of parliament Baratha Laxman Premachandra, Chairman of National Film Corporation Tissa Abeysekera, General Manager of National Housing Development Authority Berty Jayasekera and Additional General Manager of National Film Corporation Karunathilake were the launching ceremony held recently in National Film Corporation Chairman’s office. Vijitha Sumanasekera was also present at the occasion.

Yamuna Nanayakanthi an English teacher became popular after she sang "Gedi Siyayak".

The lyrics of "Redee Nadee Tera" are by Sunil Ranchagoda, Gemunu Saman Gonalagoda, Thilaka Ranasinghe, Vernon Perera, Saman Priyadarshana, Wasantha Rohana, Laxman Mallawarachchi and Ranjith Peris. Music was directed by Rohana Bogoda and Nimal Gunasekera.

Givenchy make–up for Sri Lankan skin

For most Sri Lankans the immediate association that the name Givenchy evokes is its distinctive perfumes. Many of us are familiar with the exquisite haute couture of the house too. Now comes a brand new offering - Givenchy’s new skin care and make up products that comes in a strikingly beautiful packaging.

Francois Dif, International make up artist representing Givenchy of Paris was in Sri Lanka on the request of the "Parfumerie", sole agents for Givenchy in Sri Lanka.

A former model, Dif worked for Elizabeth Arden, Lancome, Chanel.

As a make up artist he has travelled widely. He says "This make up and skin care range works in tandem with the body’s natural mechanism, aiding natural process.

He elaborates. "The main work of our product is to act on the cell membrane and get to the base of all types of skins. It is the communication between one cell and another, where all exchange of water oxygen etc can be done. With age your skin needs extra care. This is where our products play a major role."

Givenchy believes in keeping in constant touch with its consumers. "The greater the interaction with our consumers, the better our idea bank" points out Dif. "We need constant feedback on our products to better and still better them. It is perfection that we aim for, be it packaging or texture. Our success can be attributed to the close communication we share with our consumers.

"Also we space out our product launches to get a feel of the market. Another selling point is the guidance that a cosmetics counter provides, in easy language with no technical jargon. Beauty should be at the fingertips."

Dif explains how Givenchy has been formulated. "The skin changes every season and it is this change that we address when deciding the formulation. To explain: If you eat the same thing day in day out, your body is bound to rebel due to a lack of essential minerals and vitamins. If you use one product for years on end, it will stop making any difference. It is this need for change that we act upon. From time to time, one needs a stronger, more efficient product to handle the skin’s metamorphosis. It should have one specific aim, to treat and to repair the damage caused by environmental factors."

"All our products, foundations, eyeshadows, lipsticks etc., feel like second skin," says Dif. "They provide a great mate finish. If you prepare the skin well, it can take to almost anything. I personally advise the use of a cream or moisturiser to prepare the skin before applying a foundation. It helps the foundation last longer. One unique feature about our powders, blushers and eye shadow is that you need to just press the brush on to the formulation and voila, you have the colour. You don’t have to scrape or rub harshly to get the product on your brush and this is all because of a special pigment."

This is particularly useful in the eyeshadows, because you don’t need to stretch the skin around the eyes to apply the colour.

So now we know what makes this couture house tick. It is their desire for change, for nothing is more constant than change itself..

Building bridges of friendship

In a simple ceremony that took place recently at the Russian Cultural Centre, Colombo organised by the SAARC Women’s Association, Sri Lanka Chapter, distinguished representatives from the SAARC countries, resident in Sri Lanka were invited.

Young girls attired in national costumes of each country presented a silver medal on a satin cushion to each one of these personalities.

The SAARC Women’s Association has up to date four chapters — India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The fifth chapter to be formed within the next 12 months is expected to be in Nepal. The main objective of this association is to encourage friendship and harmony between women in these chapters through cultural exchange.

Dr. Radha Coomaswamy, UN Rapporteur, Violence Against Women, was the chief guest and Ms. Saeeda Mandiwala, Founder/President, visiting from Karachi was the guest of honour.

The chairperson of this project, Ms. Mano Candappa and Ms. Aminath Panabokke, President, were pleased that the project had the support of all the members of the Association which made it a great success.

In the picture from left to right, top row — Madame Mohini Menon, India, Madame Pabitha Jayakody, Sri Lanka, In the absence of Madame Aminath Aziz, a representative accepted the token. In the bottom row Madame Afifa Haqqani, Pakistan and Madame Yasmin Ashraf, Bangladesh accepting a silver medal being a token of appreciation of their participation in an exchange of culture.

Do women make better bosses?

Do women make better bosses? What happens when they are given a sense of responsibility? Do they make better or worse bosses than men?

Women are said to be ministering angels, nurturing creatures who dispense comfort with a soft voice and a soft touch.

Ideally in any office or workplace sex of the boss doesn’t matter. As long as the individual wielding authority can handle power and responsibility it does not make any difference whether the boss is a man or a woman.

However in actuality women bosses have an edge — an edge of compassion towards her fellow beings. They have a better understanding, they emphasise better with their peers. They also add to the morale and functioning of an office.

Nandani, a government employee: "Give me a male boss any day. Sorry, I may sound chauvinistic, I find women make better friends, but the moment they become bosses, they are the worst. In come mood swings, a furtive air, a reshuffling of priorities and partially towards their favourites regardless of sex.

Ajitha: No doubt women are better managed, and committed to their work with a high sense of professionalism and integrity. Irrationality is the first word that comes to my mind when I think of women bosses. Decision making is based on instinct and intuitiondirections to subordinates are inconsistent. It can be hell working for a woman boss.

My colleague a senior journalist’s point of view is that women bosses are better than men. They are more responsible and make the working place a healthy environment to work with. Virtues like patience, understanding and an unruffled temperament are all ingrained in woman. Most of all they are hardworking and have a better understanding of their fellow subordinates.

A hotelier in Colombo feels that women bosses bring a rather well rounded feel to her professional environment. I know the women bosses who operates on the principle of ‘adding to life’ at the office bringing in sensitivity, humour, positive ethics and a unique dose of being human in air volatile environment.

An advertising company manager feels that a distinction between a man and a woman should not be the criteria for a smooth working of an office. A bad boss is a bad boss, whether she is a man or a woman. A bad boss plays partisan games, divides and rules, takes wrong decisions. Here too, either could fit the bill.

So any boss, man or woman, should wield authority without fear or favour. He or she should be mature enough to handle responsibility.
— Zanita

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