Champagne and Canapes

Absolutely hectic day!
I almost missed my ride to the airport in Bangalore. Then the flight was late, the pick up cab at Mumbai airport was late. Every red light decided to take personal interest and greet me. For extended periods of time, I might add!
I almost did not make it to the event on time. I slid in sideways. Leaving skid marks on the red carpet.

But oh! it was so worth it. A red carpet sprinkled with keys…

On 18th of Jan, Sussanne Roshan Khan hosted a lovely afternoon of champagne and canapes in Mumbai. The soiree was an opportunity for a few select taste makers to touch and feel the products sold on her virtual lifestyle store called The Home Label as well as to officially launch their blog.  It is rare to find products that look exquisite in photographs also feel so in reality. But that is just what every piece felt like. I met some interesting people. The party was in full swing with editors of some very famous A- List magazines, life style bloggers and moi ( humble artist :-)) attending.

First image is of Sussanne and me. The second certainly fits me well!!

The Home label does things with a stylish twist, a certain flair that one does not normally find in an India based E- commerce venture. I love that the site is not flooded with a gazillion things in a ‘me too’ approach. As an Information Architect in my previous working life, I can understand and appreciate the added advantage a deep understanding of your own content and business brings to the table. And Suzanne and her team have it in droves.  They certainly have the quality and the product in place. But they have more. They know their target audience very well and cater to that exclusive niche.

These two images are taken from the collections showcased at The Home Label website.

Each piece is displayed in a setting which allows the user to see options on how it can be incorporated into their own environment. The fact that we can see the same classiness, stylish and understated elegance of ‘The Charcoal Project’ come through-without the cost, means accessibility to those who could only dream of it thus far.

These are the Take away treats from the soiree- Delicate little cups of joy that show elegance, simplicity and fecundity.

Between a warm conversation with Sussanne , champagne, chocolate cake pops and a wonderful tea cake… I had a great time. Till of course I had to get back to reality and start the journey back home to Bangalore.
* Update* – You can see a video diary from that evening here.

I loved the keys hanging as a center piece. I got four back with me. One is on my key ring and the other three for special friends.  The key is part of The Home Label logo.
My cup of joy had red flowers. AND I carried back two slices of the cake and two cake pops for my little babies at home.

It was like Mumbai did not want me to leave. The traffic was relentless. The red lights embracing me at every turn and the flight … you guessed it- was late. I stopped en route to the airport  and picked up vada pav for a dear friend who would have lynched me had I forgotten them!  And I lost my favorite ring at the airport. This while texting my man back home while waiting in line surrounded by a mass of humanity, all equally anxious to get to where ever they were going.  Having got out of home at 8:30 am, I got back only at 2:00 am. Barring the two and a half hours at the champagne soiree, the rest was spent traveling!!

By the time I got back home I was exhausted. But I was smiling. Thank you Sussanne Roshan and Preeta Sukhtankar (the lady behind the Label Corp). I look forward to my association with you. Did I mention I was also carrying two huge cartons of Poonchh merchandize to Mumbai. Coordinating pickup and collection of the same in the midst of everything else!!

Why the Poonchh stuff in Mumbai?… wait for it and I will tell you soon 😉

Update – Here is a video of that day. What you don’t see in this clip is my gigantic glass of sinful margarita  just off camera!!

P.s- There is one other site I can think of that does the stylish E-commerce bit really well- also India based. Since this post is about The Home Label, I will not mention them here 🙂 Though I have already written about them!