Acclaimed couturiers Shantanu & Nikhil brought the haute curtains down to unveil their couture Regiment for autumn/winter 17. The evening was devoted to the duo’s interpretation of a unique gallery which defined a profound grasp of bespoke influences with a pursuit to reignite the valor, virtues, passion and conviction of vintage India.

Ever so true to their strong sartorial statements, Shantanu & Nikhil unfolded “The Regiment” in a compelling narrative of fashion & fortitude. In their own words, “our fall/Winter 2017 line is a reiteration of our vision of belonging to something that is bigger than ourselves and its underlying modern India spirit that symbolizes progressivism and distinctiveness. The Regiment derives its inspiration from the 3 strong virtues of the Indian armed forces – Discipline, Pride & Togetherness, and is a crisp salute to everything Nehruvian. Dramatic and heroic re-appropriation of male presence through female form is the cornerstone of the collection, where feminine/masculine, hard/soft, defend/protect is the new dialog.

Structured trench coat inspired bandhgalas and long sherwanis were teamed with drapes for both men & women, represented a mentality of fighting the fight, for what they believe in. Convertible Nehru collars, vertical pockets, epaulets, handcrafted vintage coin buttons & rustic medallion like bejeweled brooches with Crystals designed by Chris Bangle for Swarovski preach equality connotations, whilst the roots are indeed authoritative yet transparent and not camouflage.”

Strength, fearlessness & determination is ushered in the lavishly sharp new look that is functional, chic & sophisticated without being over-the-top. Seriously sharp tailoring for women with feminine accents is the new intersection of élan and androgyny. The collection evokes an emotional connect of unity and order through a regiment of men & women that have imbibed the belief of the armed forces to defend against a stereotypical mind set symptomatic of gender inequality as it exists in society.

Remaining true to her roots, designer Reynu Taandon will present ‘CYAN ‘which is inspired from the mysticism of peacock blue hues, at the upcoming FDCI India Couture Week 2017.

The designer will showcase bold undertones of the Indian monsoon, intricate detailing and beautiful thread work that gently weave in the magic and mysticism of peacock blue hues. The underplay of carefully used patterns of stripe that break the monotony, use of bold whites, glittering gold’s, and the many shades of heavily embroidered silhouettes of aqua blue and green orchestrate a melodic symphony that is hard to miss.

Her collection is the perfect balance of traditional hand work, the captivation of the mirror work is made on screen printing regardless for the embellishments used with the creative and characteristics of the mirror. It lies with the framework of the decorative stitches that hold the embellishment in place, yet is progressive in its design, as each of her collection pieces are masterfully accessorised with traditional jewellery that has been re designed to bring out the ethereal tones of the garment.

The draping of the dupattas has been elegantly fashioned to subtly reveal the essence of her entire collection, which is centred around the celestial beauty of calming cyan.
Using handloom and millloomchanderi fabrics with the beautifully printed colour palettes invoke purity in their every shade and radiate vibrantly through every silhouette.

Lately, Diane von Furstenberg, Steven Kolb, Jeffrey Kalinsky, Mark Holgate and Andrew Rosen – gathered at CFDA’s Bleecker Street headquarters to choose the finalists for this year’s edition of CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund.

Announcing this year’s finalists as AhlemManai-Platt of AHLEM; Becca McCharen-Tran of CHROMAT; Christopher Bevans of DYNE; Victor Glemaud of VICTOR GLEMAUD; Jordan Askill of JORDAN ASKILL; Matthew Harris of MATEO NEW YORK; Eli Azran of RTA; Sandy Liang of SANDY LIANG; Telfar Clemens of TELFAR LLC, and Patric DiCaprio, Bryn Taubensee, David Moses and Claire Sully of VAQUERA.

Although there was a change in fashion fund Selection Committee welcomes four new judges: Joseph Altuzarra, Creative Director at Altuzarra; Eva Chen, Head of Fashion Partnerships at Instagram; Roopal Patel, Senior Vice President and Fashion Director at Saks Fifth Avenue, and Nicole Phelps, Director at Vogue Runway.