February 28, 2013
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Megha Garg SR13

At the fag-end of springs and the onset of fashion…….
Hilary for Montblanc + Unicef

With Montblanc already supporting UNICEF in its efforts…
LFW SR13 Preview

Lately, the Mumbai-based fashion event Lakme Fashion……
YSL’s Love Posters on Tees

The Canadian musician-cum-artist Claire Boucher, better…
From the Archives of Chloe

On the occasion of its 60th anniversary the French fashion…


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Let’s Design 5 Finalists


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With the most glamorous of the fashion events Milan Fashion Week having concluded recently what follows is a 
flurry of exquisite designs varying from futuristic to traditional ones. Enough has already been talked about silhouettes and structures of garments, so we move southwards, and accentuate on shoes.



For Autumn Winter 2013 there is a host of interesting designs offering myriad variations of shoes to cater different occasions and moods. All that said if by any chance sultriness takes you over then flip the look book of Prada’s
 




latest collection abound with paraphernalia of a seduction ceremony and there are glittering preppy hued shoes to facilitate your hunt. And in case the hunt goes in vain, walk eccentrically tall in Roberto Cavalli’s printed pointed-toe stilettoes.



For ladylike you there are flat stretched-out appliqued belles from the house of Alberta Ferretti, or the glitteringly gilded museum-worthy skyscrapers from Jimmy Choo. At times, when you are smitten by nothingness, just close your eyes and go for the furs, the omni-stylish season-appropriate element for Autumn Winter 2013. Fendi, Brian Atwood and Pollini are few of the brands offering their modish versions of furs. Or, simply go for mid-calf to knee to thigh high well detailed boots from Versace, Emilio Pucci and Casadei.  
 
 
 Trussardi collection showed an overlapping feeling between men’s wear and women’s wear. Umit Benan tried to show his masculine touch magic here with double-breasted brown coat he closed the show with turned to reveal a navy pony hair inset on the back above a white leather martingale. The brand showed some strong character in the leather good division as it is the brands prime note.

Few days back I was reading an article comparing minimalist and maximalist, but at today’s show Roberto Cavalli told Excess is my success; inspiration from tradition date back to the Renaissance, 16th century motifs & architecture. Fur jackets were woven with leather strips on traditional looms. And, where Roberto would once have used photo-prints to color his collection, here he actually picked up a brush and painted les fleurs du mal on his accessories.

The Navy, blue & purple magic continued from Jil who made an already come back. The set was made with a metallic polyhedron carved into the floor something which is rare and precious, Diamonds, fur, golden emblems of luxury.  "You buy gold when you don’t trust the future," Sander said backstage. "But we’re optimists. The skirts proportions to flaring just below the knee that was convincingly with timelessly elegant. Jackets were elongated, slightly suppressed at the waist. Coats were mannish, reassuringly oversize. Buckled shoes with a big heel had a solid Puritan quality. Feel of sober with a touch of timeless elegance was seen in the collection, with a deep sociological thought. This is what make Jil real special.

Ter et Bantine came with a clean and clear look, a coatdress was almost monkish, sweater to pants for a trompe l’oeil jumpsuit, the long patch worked suede skirt paired with a cropped sweater. Simple but substantial, it managed a difficult balancing act: drama without overt sex appeal. The model look very liquid pale with hair style of water mermaid all brushed back with clear naked eyes.


 A very unique atmosphere which is ‘Austere but romantic’ seems an autumn forest from which the models walk outward. The austerity already insinuated itself with last season’s monochrome, but here it was even more stripped to the bone. Masculine flannels and tweeds were cut into strict, angular silhouettes, diagonally zipped, and paired with riding boots, lavish stoles to gloves, bags, and boots, from a glossy band of beaver on a skirt hem to a capelet of the same on a maîtresse-stern coat-dress of charcoal flannel. Colors seen were black, gray, beige, sea green and natural furs along with brown and black boot.

Bally‘s Michael Herz and Graeme Fidler outfitted their presentation space like haute igloo. Those dogs ran away with the show, but when you managed to tear yourself from the Instagram opportunity, there were smart shoes and outerwear to be found here. As for the coats, the designers got inspired by Lee Miller, the World War II photographer turned Vogue portraitist.

 This time Dolce & Gabbana went to Sicily again but into the Cathedral of the place. As they say "the art of mosaic-making is a slow and precise one." There were dresses printed with Monreale’s famous Byzantine and Venetian mosaics, and just as many lacy frocks in cardinal red. There is a romanticized view of the Catholic Church, inspiration was depicted as prints in the dresses and tops, gold is seen used enormously in the jewels, bags and crowns as accessory. Towards the end came dresses with deep red color with embroidery.

This collection from Missoni is a tremendous change from their past, it wanted to take refuge under the covers and make the world go away. The clothes retreated into the sanctuary of the boudoir, with flowing, languid lines that echoed pajamas and bathrobes, or huge, blanket wraps that suggested consummate coziness, even in a shawl-collared, tuxedo-styled version. The two impulses—cocooning and confrontation—were tricky bedfellows. Missoni’s current challenge is clearly to reconcile them; no doubt the brand is going more modern.

 In the final day Gianfranco Ferre showed a very stylish and modern collection. Federico Piaggi and Stefano Citron did a wonderful job; popped lapels; big, looping obi-style belts; jackets tucked into pants, it was clear from the beginning that the designers were feeling confident; this being the first time that they’ve presented outside of Ferré’s headquarters. The collection has newness and something load to speak, we all hope that the brand find its way out to boom again.


Blogged by Amal Kiran Jana from Milan at 2.30 A.M


 The New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata regionals churned out the top eleven contestants from over two thousand entries submitted during Let’s Design 5. These finalists were then invited to New Delhi, where they faced multiple challenges to prove their aesthetic sense and technical skills by reinventing cotton like never seen before

 The first challenge given to the contestants was to re-invent the Little Black Dress. Ever since, Coco Chanel came up with a black cocktail dress to suit the jazziness of the 1920’s, LBD has been known as the most versatile classic of fashion industry. From Tiffany’s Audrey to Devil Wears Prada’s Hathaway, every star and in fact, every girl has sworn to the elegance of LBD. Therefore, to reinvent this classic silhouette in all time classic fabric- cotton and in their own unique aesthetic and style was indeed a real task for the designers. But they came up with some interesting ensembles, from asymmetrical hemlines to exaggerated shoulders to detailed necklines; the designers had a lot to offer. Based on this task, the jury chose the final eight contestants, who then moved to the next round.

 The second task involved designing a denim ensemble with a feminine and chic look. Most of us associate denim with comfort and toughness. The perception of denim is the perfect outdoor fabric. Denim can be rough, quirky, punk-y, but sexy and chic? Now, that’s a challenge. But again, the contestants came up with some amazing ideas. Patchwork, clinched waists, closed necks, pleated peplums, flared sleeves; the designer’s left no stone unturned and the result were outstanding. Based on this task, the jury selected the final five contestants who moved on to the grand finale round of Let’s Design 5, which was the real testing water from where only one designer would emerge as the winner of Let’s Design season 5 grabbing not just the grand prize money but a chance to showcase his/her collection at FDCI’s WIFW SS14 along with a four page spread in Verve magazine.

 

Witness the epic battle of final five designers fighting it out to be the next top designer in India on zoOm at 6pm on March 1, 2013

 

 

 With Montblanc already supporting UNICEF in its efforts to provide education to marginalized folks across Africa, Asia and Latin America, actress Hilary Swank joins in to strengthen the initiative.

The Million Dollar Baby star has teamed up with Montblanc which has further launched its special-edition Signature for Good collection featuring writing instruments, jewellery pieces and leather accessories with a prominent brick design to symbolize the joint effort to build a better future by improving access to education, including the brick-by-brick construction of schools.

To WWD, Hilary Swank said, “Every child deserves a fighting chance in life. Education is everything — if you have an education you have a better opportunity to overcome obstacles and have a fighting chance. There is no doubt that teaching is the most important job in the world.”      

The Canadian musician-cum-artist Claire Boucher, better known by her stage name Grimes has been roped in Saint Laurent Paris to create a capsule collection of T-shirts.

The high-end collaboration features artwork by Claire taking inspiration from Yves Saint Laurent’s “Love Poster” series from the 70s. The five piece collection of t-shirts is Claire’s second venture into fashion. Previously, she had created a line of vagina-shaped rings.

On the occasion of its 60th anniversary the French fashion house Chloe unveils its Chloe Edition Anniversaire – the collection featuring a set of select items from the archives of Chloe.

Though the festivities had started last year only when the brand held a retrospective at Palais de Tokyo in Paris but of late the crescendo hits the top notes with the launch of this exclusive collection, and the brand’s activity with Selfridges, seeing curator Judith Clark rendering the luxury department store’s Wonder’s Room a new look.

The Chloe Edition Anniversarie is a re-release of special creations chosen throughout brand’s history of 60 years. It features pieces like vintage Paddington bags, classic cocktail dresses and boots created under the aegis of brand’s creative directors like Karl Lagerfeld, Pheobe Philo and Gaby Aghian.

 

 At the fag-end of springs and the onset of fashion season, designer Megha Garg shows a preview of her Summer Resort 2013 collection to be presented at upcoming edition of Lakme Fashion Week.

The collection titled “Krishna” has a soulful inspiration from the epic stories of Lord Krishna combining it with the modern day silhouettes, to offer draped dresses, shirts, skirts, trousers and jackets. 

The look of the collection ranges from sophisticated to hippie focusing on enhancing the ‘Krishna’ in varied person’s individual personality. The colours chosen are a splash of bright hues layered with neutral blends. The fabrics chosen for this collection are a varied range of chiffons, satins, organza, georgette, jersey and silk with metallic details. 

On the occasion Megha will also launch a special range of accessories and shoes for this collection, exclusively designed by her.
 
Lately, the Mumbai-based fashion event Lakme Fashion Week announced the line-up of designers for its upcoming Summer Resort 2013 edition.
Scheduled from March 22 to 26, 2013 the event will witness 87 designers showcasing their ready-to-wear collections on the runway and exhibition area. The five-day long fashion extravaganza will be opened by designer Tarun Tahiliani while acclaimed fashion designer Namrata Joshipura will be the Grand Finale designer.

The international flavor of luxury fashion also makes its way to Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2013, with Naeem Khan debuting in India with his exquisite collection, including custom made pieces for the fashion week. Moreover, like every season, there will be Talent Box promoting young emerging talents. The concept of mini preview shows will feature 19 designers participating this season with fashion designer Anupama Dayal opening the Talent Box.

And once again the forthcoming edition of LFW will be seen paying tribute to Indian textiles by bringing together industry veterans for workshops and installations. The highlight of the day dedicated to indigenous textiles and crafts will be a show featuring textile designers, curated by Mayank Mansingh Kaul.

Additionally, there will be the Gen Next Program seeing renowned stylist and designer Aki Narula mentoring young designers. The platform will provide opportunity to 6 exceptional designers from across the country showcasing their debut collections.
 
The American actress, singer and model Zoe Kravitz adds another dazzling feather in her hat by collaborating with Swarovski Crystallized on a capsule collection inspired by India.

The nine-piece collection with tribal feel is comprised of bracelets, necklaces, rings and earrings featuring Zoe’s birthstones, turquoise and tanzanite and Swarovski elements. The collection will be available in Swarovski Crystallized stores in New York, London and Austria besides the website of the brand.

To WWD Zoe Kravitz said, “I wanted it to feel organic and fun. I was inspired by places I want to travel such as India and Morocco….Those countries have such vivid landscapes so I wanted to pull in color from there.”