Alicia’s Tacky Tikka

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I was just watching the 2008 American Music Awards noting that asymmetrical and gold bead worked dresses were in (how gorgeous were Leona Lewis’ and Nicole Scherzinger’s dresses?) when Alicia Keys walked out onto the red carpet. Now, we’ve seen plenty of desi cultural appropriation attire on the red carpet over the years, (remember Madge’s desification?) but Alicia’s tikka and earrings just made me tilt my head to the side and go, “Huh…”

Alicia Keys AMA getty images.jpg

You’d think with five nominations, her stylist could have spent a little more time on the red carpet outfit… I can’t get over how cheap the combination of the ‘plastic’ earrings with the tikka looked. I kinda can see how the one shoulder dress slightly resembled the swoosh of the auchol over the left shoulder, but still. It’s a stretch.

[Full length fashion disaster after the jump.]

Alicia Keys AMA.jpg

In my opinion, if she was going to do the tikka, she should have gone all the way and done the sari wrap while she was it. And tossed those horrendous dinner plate earrings in the morning trash. What do you think, Mutiny? Hot or not?

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About Taz

Taz is an activist, organizer and writer based in California. She is the founder of South Asian American Voting Youth (SAAVY), curates MutinousMindState.tumblr.com and blogs at TazzyStar.blogspot.com. Follow her at twitter.com/tazzystar

45 thoughts on “Alicia’s Tacky Tikka”

  1. I think the earings killed it way more than the tikka, like if she wore matching earrings it wouldn’t have looked so bad. Im not so sure these girls can handle saris, maybe she should have tried the pre-stitched kind that Shilpa Shetty wore in the deewangi song of Om Shanti Om.

  2. Eh, I thought it was an interesting look. Could’ve been executed better, but still not too bad.

  3. I agree that this ensemble is a disaster. Her tikka is slender and pointy while her earrings are wide and round. Makes no sense… Looks like there wasn;t much thought put towards the choice of jewelry. The dress is pretty though. In this pic, she looks like something from Star Wars…

  4. NOT! Hello? She could have called up any of the desi designers and gotten better duds and jewelry…she’s trying to create a new “bhindi” craze..lord help us.

    I agree with you Taz..with that many nods, her stylist could have done better. Such a shame as she is soo lovely but soo poorly dressed.

  5. Definitely not the best look for her. I see where she was trying to go, but did not quite make it there. Took a wrong turn at the earrings, for sure.

    On a good note, her body is looking great! She’s been keeping some good fitness habits lately! 馃槈

  7. 6 脗路 Manju said

    that big tiara in the 2nd pic gotta go

    Thats not a tiara!! thats the BACKGROUND.

    4 脗路 curly said

    she’s trying to create a new “bhindi” craze..lord help us.

    I doubt that curly, tikka is way different than a bhindi, tikka is piece of jewelry, bhindi is a mark with religious significance. and tikkas don’t work with every hairdo. strange a friend at my school goes by that nickname.

  8. I respectfully disagree, but that’s probably because she could show up in a tie-dyed burlap sack and I’d still think she’s gorgeous.

  9. I do think the earrings are the problem and not the whatamacallit. But no one wants to talk about the hideous rabbit-furesque reverse L stripes? It could have been a lovely dress. 馃檨

  10. I would make the tikka bigger to go with those excellent earrings.

    I thought bhindi was subzi and bindi was the decoration … and of course there’s also tikka/tikka. No wonder people are confused.

  12. Bhindi is a vegetable, otherwise known as okra. A bindi is a little mark on the forehead. The issue isn’t really hot or not. The issue is that India’s soft exports — film, food, fashion — continue making waves. And that’s a great thing for us back at home.

  13. It could have been hot, but sadly, not. Whoever her stylist was probably considered the tikka a cute exotic piece of jewelry and didn’t actually have the know-how to look at it objectively as a piece of jewelry and decide what it would go well with. Otherwise the stylist wouldn’t have put those earring with the tikka. Don’t you know how to make jewelry match? Sheesh.

  14. I like it, there is nout i don芒鈧劉t like about her. Leona looks good. The pussy cat doll, rubbish.

    12 脗路 Namita said

    Bhindi is a vegetable, otherwise known as okra. A bindi is a little mark on the forehead. The issue isn’t really hot or not. The issue is that India’s soft exports — film, food, fashion — continue making waves. And that’s a great thing for us back at home.

    mmm Bhindi Khuddi!!

  17. I’m sure all of you have extensive experience in fashion, and girls envy the way you look….so I don’t want to put down your opinions.

    But I thought she looked fabulous

  20. are u guys looking at the same thing im looking at? SHE IS SMOKIN

    yea thats what i was thinking…seriously she pulled it off quite nicely..

  22. Bhindi is a vegetable, otherwise known as okra

    i think she would have looked better with a bhindi on her forehead. this just looks like pigeon poop.

  25. what is most hideous is the congealed gloam at the base of her extremely high forehead – the effect being magnified through the unfortunate way she is wearing her hair. desi women look better because they have this terrific unibrow thing going and so the tikka does a moses from the peak of the forehead to the bridge of the nose.

  26. 25 脗路 khoofia the fashionmaven said

    desi women look better because they have this terrific unibrow thing going

    damning with fake praise

  32. desi women look better because they have this terrific unibrow thing going

    Damn, khoof. Why you gotta hate?

  35. Taz, I had the same reaction as you last night.What?!? Yikes to both the giant earrings and the the mangtikka. Of course she is generally so hot she could show up in a t shirt and gym shorts and be more beautiful than most…..but still…..

  36. You left off the angle bracket in front of the “a href”. 馃檪

    Thanks so much, SM Intern, you are most kind to fix it and to explain in such a non-threatening way.

  37. since someone has already pointed out that it’s bindi, not bhindi, i’d like to say that it’s teeka, not tikka… tikka you eat!

  38. The earshields have seen some battle action, attacked by the pigeons, methinks.(but doing nothing to hamper her gorgeousity)

  39. the earrings were a bit much, but a beautiful girl nonetheless. no cattiness here for miss keys.

  40. Definitely agree. I know she’s brown, I know she’s an incredible singer. But seriously I saw the tikka and considered testing nonexistent powers to remove it. Sigh…the appropriation continues….

  43. Alicia looks ridiculous in that pic. Often times, people don’t understand how jewelry – especially indian jewelry – should be worn or balanced. The tikka looks silly with her earrings. Her bangles or the cuff look silly too. Frankly, I think a tikka (especially that slim tikka) works on her forehead. Alicia is such a pretty gal though.

  44. All I remember from the AMA’s is Beyonce rocking the house shaking her boody. In my next lifetime I want to come back with the body of Beyonce!!

    OK Alicia, I think she’s gorgeous and I liked the tikka. I even liked her eye makeup which can come across as a bit too much in bright light but for a award show it’s totally acceptable. The earrings btw aren’t plastic, they are the latest look in shell and crystal. However they didn’t necessarily work with the tikka or dress. I loved the dress, she’s got a nice body, it was different and I loved the classy Navy color.

  45. I know she’s brown, I know she’s an incredible singer.

    What? She’s half white, half black. She’s not Indian!

    Anyway, the only non-Indian who sports this kind of stuff well is Gwen Stefani.