Thursday, April 28, 2011

Observations at WIFW #3 - Editors keep it cool.

Unlike the Carine Roitfields and Anna Dello Russos of the world, the Indian fashion editors like to keep it (relatively) simple and chic. Though there are a few exceptions, I'm sure we would love to see more drama! Its about time we start wearing our heart on the sleeve, non? (see what i did there?) Though it must be said they look so intimidating with their prada bags and perfect manis, they are surprisingly sweet to talk to and encourage the blogger scene (okay maybe not all of them!) 

While we are all fairly familiar with all these glossies (and pretty much feed on them), its good to  know the hardworking souls working behind the scenes, who months in advance scout the global trends, introduce us to the fashion front - runners and inspire us to look past the bad hair days!

So here's to the Editors:

Edward Lalempuria, Anaita Adjania Shroff, Bandana Tewari, Shruti Thacker

Karuna Laungani, Divyak D'Souza, Mohan 
Amandeep Kaur, Pearl Shah, Neena Haridas


Nandini Bhalla, Cosmopolitan, Sujata Assomull, Harper's Bazaar

Sohiny Das, Verve.  Ekta Rajani, Grazia

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Observations at WIFW #2

If the show is unbearable, keep the sunnies on!
(make sure you try this only in the front row)
(If you are in the front row, you already know this)


Priya Kishore, Bombay Electric




Monday, April 25, 2011

It smells of love



Mr. Dior's instructions to the perfumer's creating Miss Dior were simple: “Create a fragrance that is like love.” But, the fragrance went unnamed until the elegant Mitzah Bricard saw Christian’s sister Catherine enter the Dior Couture boutique and said: “Look, there is Miss Dior!”. “Miss Dior! That is my perfume!” exclaimed Christian and finally christened the perfume. More than one liter of pure fragrance was sprinkled every week in Dior’s first boutique when it opened in February 1947.

Almost treated as an heirloom piece, this little bottle of Miss Dior has travelled three generations to reach Deepika Dayal's perfume cabinet. This was bought sometime in the 70's for her grandmother. I dare not even spray the half full content of this rare vintage find. 'Please be very careful,' were the only words she spoke to me as I started to take pictures of the bottle but throughout the five minutes that the bottle remained carefully placed on the china dish, her eyes were fixed on it. The box also smells as sweet as the bottle. Over the years, the cardboard too has become protective of the bottle. The bow intact on the neck of the bottle stands proud even with its whithered satin fabric. It smells, feels and reminds me of love. I wonder how many more generations would this bottle travel. Knowing Deepika, it will definitely make it to her kids!

I'm not sure if I have any such treasures worth romanticizing about except my great grand mom's little tin box that houses her little handkerchief collection with embroidered flowers and Crochet trims. But that's for another time.

Much Love,

Sunday, April 24, 2011

The Industry - WIFW'11

The fashion Industry in India is carving its own identity on to the world map. The gaps are filling in, trends are emerging, designers are taking risks and more attention is being paid to design (as opposed to PR stunts). We just might be coming into our own but we are certainly not there yet.

Having drooled over some of their collections from my days in NIFT to actually meeting them face to face, this indeed was one of the coolest privileges of attending WIFW. Its rather funny that most of the designers are surprisingly camera shy and need a lot of persuasion to get a picture. Regardless, I did get few of them to coyly smile for my camera.

Also this post reminded me of a Note I recently read on the facebook profile of my NIFT senior - Arathi Cherian. Filled me with full-on nostalgia and I thought it would be perfect for this post.

"I love our industry...I love what we do...Our unapolegetically changing moods....

I love how Anti-fashion is Fashion..how no one is exempted from the chain no matter how unfashionable they may claim to be.

I love that because of the likes of us, Cerulean, Cobalt and Prussian suffer from no identity crisis.
I love how the word season will always mean something slightly different for us.


I love that a Galliano and a Calvin Klein can co-exist so...umm..fashionably?? ...and while we’re talking Galliano, I’m on his side, the poor genius!!!
I love that we know and create now, for another person, on another side of the planet, what he does not know he will want in 2 years.
I love what we stand for and that we needn’t.


I love our depth and our shallowness and that we can flit from one to the other as we please.... our kisses in the air and our hunger to leave the world a little more chic than we found it.
Ah well!!!... Whats not to love???
Here’s to us!!!! The insiders..... We may not be bound by Flesh or Blood...But we are forever connected by the Umbilical Cord Piping....by our peplums of now and pea-coats of tomorrow....our lab-dips and color matchings...test fits and seam-rippers...Lap Seams and Double-needles....


POWER TO US!!!!"


The Anti-fashion fashion tribe : <Kallol Datta >   <Anand Bhushan>
Inspired with worker class aesthetics, gorgeous <Masaba Gupta>'s collection is all about colors and prints!
Narresh, Manisha and Shrivan. <Shrivan Narresh> have to the most dapper of the men at WIFW. You'd be lucky if you land a free outfit from these guys but luckier if you get a free numerological consultancy session! ;)

Super hipster <Sailexx> I love his slightly edgy take on construction!! <Anuj Sharma> challenges the complete concept of garment construction with his innovative collections. I adore him!
<James Ferreira> is the Sex! the lazy sunday morning kind. <Aki Narula>'s crazy layering always surprises me!!
Felix Bendish - the most creative accessory designer on the block. Narresh's craazzzy glasses that he got from Venice. he's been looking for something even edgier for the last 2 years. hmmmm... any suggestions?
<Nitin Bal Chauhan> taking a break from his regular collections, Nitin is working on his painting skills (and sketching). As you can tell by his painting titled 'Eat, Drink, Make merry' in the background, that he finished in a day at WIFW, he's going a looong way in either direction he chooses. Watch out for his painting exhibition soon.

 The absolutely charming <Prashant Verma> and the god of drapes <Gaurav Gupta> with someone very important in the middle.

So, Power to us, eh?

Much Love!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Observations at WIFW #1

Cool Kids wear Geek Glasses and Bow Ties. Yep, and they pull 'em off like nobody's business!




Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Rehane




Strawberries, Cherries and an angel's kiss in spring, Rehane's Summer line was really made from all these things. Fruity colors, floral prints, contrasts, sheers and fringing. Though it was off the season format, the collection was very young and wearable. The best part though was the styling - Contrast head scarves and flower/fruit accents with red mouths and fringed bags.











Neeru Kumar

With shows lined up one after the other and high expectations from a lot of designers, one tends to skip the newbies. Not that Neeru Kumar is technically a newbie. She has been creating collections over last 30 years and using her NID-acquired skills to generate very profitable international business. This being her first runway showing, one wasn't sure what to expect. It was a delightful show, to say the least. I'm always partial to textile designers. they really engineer the fabric and make the most out of the simplest silhouette. The earthy color palette, extensive layering, multiple textures and contemporary cuts were the strong points of the collection.











Thursday, April 14, 2011

Super Secret Stem Code

Yes, having the sherlock holmes skillset with a hyperactive Jason Bourne mental abilities, it comes as no surprise that I have cracked the Stem Code followed by the fashion insiders. Though I am still to find out who invented this code, hmmm. I must start with Zara headquarters.

Check out the 6 exhibits below following the Green Stem Code.








Pssst... What color are your stems?

Much love,

*Drumroll please*






The winner of the Giveaway, sponsored by  at Vero Moda and Only is:

A Lot Like Fashion


Enjoy your shopping spree and do send us the pics!  :)


Much Love,
Spardha

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Sabyasachi WIFW A/W 11

So when you hear the grand finale is by Sabyasachi, you are bound to brace yourself for a fantastic mindblowingly crazy show. Sabya is a genius and nobody can deny it. He's consistently been churning out collections that are not only a hit with the fashion critics but also with the buyers. His style is so developed and mature that some can argue that he's not experimental enough. Which is true to certain extent but Sabya continues to remain in his comfort zone and yet bring out a range that is exciting. A/W 11 wasn't only a fantastic collection but also an immensely entertaining show. Yes, it does look mildly inspired by Jil Sander and also reminds you of Prada but it would be unfair to write him off. If Jil and Sabya had a baby, this collection would be born. A very beautiful baby indeed.

The show started with a jazz singer singing 'I will survive' with a live band. the broadway-esque lights read Wills Lifestyle Sabyasachi with giant books on both sides. The runway was lit with bulbs on the sides. The strings of bulbs hanging on the top only added to the grand 40's drama.


Here are some pictures:








   



  





  







I know this is the first update of the fashion week, there's more coming. Some save best for the last, I don't I guess. So, is this collection a hit or a miss?

Much Love,