What else would one celebrate on the 25th day of the year 2025? Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee's 25th year in fashion!
Last month, our own Marquee Brands Chief Creative Officer for Home, Kevin Sharkey, traveled to Mumbai, on the Western Coast of India, to attend the monumental celebration. Held in the city's Jio Convention Center, the space featured a stately "grazing" table filled with cakes, pastries, fruits, and charcuterie, surrounded by tall statues of tigers, elephants, and birds as well as local foliage and flowers. More than 760 guests were in attendance - all wearing the requested dress code of "strictly black." The celebration included a runway show of Sabyasachi's brand core elements of couture clothing, luxe accessories, and stunning jewelry. Actress Deepika Padukone and supermodel Christy Turlington anchored the fashion presentation. It was an evening commemorating the wonderful work of Sabyasachi over a quarter-century and an occasion that will be remembered for many years to come.
Here are some of Kevin's photos, enjoy.
Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s flagship store is his biggest yet – four floors and more than 25-thousand square feet housing an extravagant collection of clothing, accessories, and jewelry.
Bridal wear is on the first floor. Many of the gowns are from his latest Hamilton Collection.
Gowns are elaborate and include traditional shades of white and ivory as well as reds and maroons.
The gowns are made with heritage and Indian craftsmanship in mind. Many of Sabyasachi’s design inspirations come from his beloved hometown of old Kolkata, previously Calcutta.
Sabyasachi is well known for his clothing – sarees, anarkalis, bridal lehengas and other traditional Indian pieces.
He is also celebrated for his striking and timeless jewelry. He uses curated gemstones such as Zambian emeralds and fine diamonds.
His choker necklace designs are exquisite and detailed.
This is the formal jacket Kevin wore to the 25th anniversary event – all black in keeping with the dress code.
Here he is wearing the jacket and an elaborate necklace. In India, a formal man’s necklace is traditionally worn by royalty and grooms.
Here is a closeup of the piece decorated with diamonds and pearls. Men’s jewelry reflects the country’s rich culture and historical heritage.
At the evening celebration, guests were greeted by classical music.
Here is Sabyasachi himself, wearing his signature Bengal tiger design on his black sweater welcoming everyone to his celebratory affair.
Various Indian artifacts and decorative porcelain urns were also styled in vignettes around the space.
The venue was dimly lit to showcase all the décor.
The buffet was so beautifully arranged. This platter includes mixed, berries, olives, a variety of cheeses and salted nuts, pitted prunes, and other dried and fresh fruits.
Salamis, hams, smoked salmon, spiced chicken loaves, gravlax, and tomato and garlic croute were also on the menu.
Desserts were everywhere including colorful chocolate filled macarons served in giant bowls.
Smaller treats such as chocolate truffles and chocolate covered fruits adorned another area.
This is a decadent Belgian dark chocolate cake embellished with fresh fruits.
A traditional “grandmother style” Christmas cake with whisky, candied orange, figs, macadamia nuts, and ginger.
Beautifully decorated cakes lined the tables – there was enough for everyone to have seconds and even thirds.
It was so nice to see all these guests gather for the momentous affair – it was standing room only!
Wait staff dressed in traditional pink turbans served Dom Perignon to hundreds of guests.
The evening continued with a runway show of Sabyasachi’s designs. Deepika Padukone opened with a monochromatic and elegant white ensemble, a flowing trench coat, several necklaces, and a cross pendant.
Another model presented this luxurious gold floor length coat.
At the end of the show, supermodel Christy Turlington appeared in a black sweater, baggy trousers, and necklaces.
Here is Kevin with Sabyasachi.
The next day, Kevin attended a Sabyasachi Luncheon at the Taj Mahal Palace Ballroom in Mumbai. Here is a musician playing a traditional sitar.
The dress code for this event was tropical whites and other neutrals. In this photo, Kevin is joined by Saks Fifth Avenue Fashion Director, Roopal Patel, fashion entrepreneur Kalyani Chawla, and Bergdorf Goodman Senior VP of Fashion Linda Fargo.
Here is a snapshot of Sabyasachi, lifestyle journalist Bandana Tewari, business entrepreneur Tony Brand, and journalist Fern Mallis.
And here is Kevin with Sabyasachi and Fern. It was a brief and very full travel week for Kevin, but one he’d never miss. Congratulations Sabyasachi! Here’s to many more years of your exquisite designs and successes.
Winter is such a good time to tackle those indoor houseplant chores.
I love container plants, and over the years I have amassed quite a collection of potted specimens. To keep them looking their best, it is important to check their condition regularly, feed and water according to their needs, and repot those that have outgrown their current vessels. Recently, I instructed my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, to repot a group of dracaena - delicate plants with strap-like leaves that emerge in fountain-like clusters from thick woody stems.
Enjoy these photos.
I often display interesting and eye-catching container plants in my Winter House porch or in my kitchen where I can see them every day. Among them, the dainty dracaena.
There are more than 170 different species of dracaena and they all have grass-shaped leaves that grow from one or more thick, cane-like stems.
Dracaena’s narrow foliage may be completely green or may include stripes or edges of green, cream, red, or yellow.
Dracaena is a low-maintenance, easy to maintain plant that does best in bright, indirect sunlight. Here is a selection of dracaena that have outgrown their current pots.
Under the foliage, the stems on these dracaena plants are thick with nodes indicating where leaves emerge. The stem color depends largely on the species, but can range from green to brown to reddish-purple.
These plants need more soil and more room.
The root ball is pulled from the pot showing some overcrowded roots, sometimes called potbound or root bound. This is a sign the plant needs repotting. Lacking the space to stretch out, the roots of a root bound plant are congested and overgrown.
The new, larger replacement pots are made by master potter, Ben Wolff. These pots are a perfect up-size for my dracaena plants. The number on the side refers to the wet clay weight, which in this case is 10-pounds.
I save all the shards from broken pots for repotting. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, these shards come in very handy.
Ryan places the shard on top of the pot’s hole to maintain good drainage and to prevent soil from escaping.
Dracaena plants thrive in a well-draining, slightly acidic potting soil mix with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5.
Ryan adds some fertilizer and mixes it in thoroughly. We use Miracle-Gro Osmocote. The beige shell on each prill coats a core of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
Ryan starts by putting a few inches of soil into the pot.
Then he teases the root ball just a bit to stimulate new growth. When transplanting, the roots should also be inspected for any signs of disease, rot, or pest infestation.
Ryan places the plant in the pot at the same height it was in its previous container. If needed, he adds a bit more soil.
Once the container is filled, Ryan tamps down on the soil gently to ensure good contact with the plant.
Ryan adds some pea gravel as top dressing. This gravel not only looks pretty, but it will help to anchor the stems.
This gravel is native washed stone in a blend of gray tones.
Once the plants are all potted, Ryan carries them next door to the greenhouse where they can be thoroughly watered.
During the growing season of spring and summer, these plants can be watered once a week. During fall and winter, they can wait a few days more. Dracaena plants prefer drier conditions, so it’s best to let the soil surface dry out between waterings.
If you want an easy to care for, appealing houseplant, that is also known for purifying the air, consider a species of Dracaena.
Among the main ingredients in my daily green juice is celery - and the flavor from homegrown celery is a treat not to be missed.
I grow celery all year long - in my outdoor garden and in my vegetable greenhouse. I also grow cutting celery or leaf celery, as well as celeriac, the warty-looking globe vegetable with gnarly roots that grows just beneath the surface of the soil. All of these are grown from seed and started early indoors.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
My garden always includes a bed of organic celery. Celery is nutrient-rich with vitamins A, C, and K, and when homegrown – more flavorful than store-bought varieties.
Here are some delicious stalks freshly picked from my garden last summer – so lush and green.
This is celeriac. Celeriac is also known as turnip-rooted celery or knob celery or celery root. It isn’t the most beautiful vegetable, but its distinct celery-parsley flavor is amazingly delicious, and hard to ignore.
Celeriac is a long-season vegetable that takes more than 100 days to mature from seed. I love to use it for soups. It’s also high in vitamins A, C, and K.
I also grow cutting celery, which is also good in my green juice. This herb is often mistaken for flat-leafed parsley, but the flavor gives itself away. It tastes more pungent than store-bought and can be used as a celery substitute.
My celery and celeriac are both started in my greenhouse. Many of this year’s seeds, seed trays, and other supplies are from Johnny’s Selected Seeds in central Maine – a company I’ve been using for quite some time.
Starting after the holidays, I along with my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, sow thousands of seeds. The process is easy and quick, so we’re able to get a lot done in preparation for the growing season. Here is a packet of seeds with its corresponding marker.
The seed pack itself contains valuable information such as plant type and variety, seed type, number of seeds in packet, germination rate, and days to maturity. Always refer to it when starting vegetables and flowers from seed.
Select the right kind of tray based on the size of the seeds. The containers should be at least two-inches deep and have adequate drainage holes.
Ryan spreads the soil mix across the seed trays completely and evenly, filling all the cells of each tray.
Using his fingers, Ryan makes a hole in each cell, and then drops seeds into each one.
Ryan does this for two trays, each containing 72 cell compartments.
Seeds are small, so be very careful when pouring them out of the packet.
These seeds are pelleted. Each seed is coated with a layer of clay to increase its size and make them easier to handle.
Ryan drops one to three seeds into each cell. It’s always a good idea to keep a record of when seeds are sown, when they germinate, and when they are transplanted. These observations will help organize a schedule for the following year.
Look closely to see the seeds in the cell. These seeds will be selectively thinned in a few weeks. The process eliminates the weaker sprout and prevents overcrowding, so seedlings don’t have any competition for soil nutrients or room to mature.
The markers clearly identify the varieties in the tray.
Ryan covers the seeds with more Miracle Grow Seed Starting Potting Mix.
And then levels the soil mix gently with his hands.
After the trays are fully seeded, Ryan gives them a good watering and places them into the Urban Cultivator until they germinate. If you haven’t yet started your vegetables from seed, start some now – the growing season will be here before you know it.
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