Monthly Archives: February 2010

Marc Jacobs Online

American fashion designer, Marc Jacobs, has a flair for making headlines, whether it’s about his trend-setting collections, his bizarre costume parties or his personal life.  You’ve probably guessed already, Jacobs makes headlines again after the designer announced to broadcast his F/W 2010 collection online.

Sitting front row at a fashion show for designers like Marc Jacobs is a feat few people can achieve without being an A-list celebrity or Anna Wintour herself.  To solve this problem, Jacobs’ collection will be unveiled live at 8pm EST on Monday, February 15th on the designer’s website, www.marcjacobs.com.

Robert Duffy, Jacobs’ business partner, has been tweeting for several days drawing in excitement for the show.  Duffy promises a great show but can’t promise if the show will start on time tweeting, “it could be 7:30, maybe 10:30.”  No doubt Jacobs has been slammed in the past for late starts, who could forget when he started two hours late for his S/S 2008 show.  Hopefully, his tardiness won’t make most of us go blind from staring at our computer screens waiting for the show to begin.

Joining Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, is the latest brand to announce it will be live streaming both its men and women’s F/W 2010 collections during New York Fashion Week.  The runway show will be streamed simultaneously on www.calvinkleincollection.com and on the brand’s official Facebook page.  Facebook users will be able to take advantage of a live chat function during the show, which is sure to be a conversation about favorites and must-haves.  The men’s collection will broadcast at 2pm EST on Sunday, February 14th and the women’s collection can be viewed at 3pm EST on Thursday, February 18th. 

Academy of Art Fall 2010

Since 2005, the School of Fashion at Academy of Art University in San Francisco has premiered the collections of recent graduates during Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week. This season, six womenswear collections including Sabah Mansoor (of India) from the Fashion, Knitwear, Technical, and Textile Design programs will be presented on Saturday, February 13th at 3:00 PM in The Tent at Bryant Park.

“These young designers have the opportunity to be part of New York Fashion Week; we view this as the University’s commitment to help launch the careers of our graduates,“ said Dr. Elisa Stephens, president of Academy of Art University.

Hyo Sun (Nicky) An
MFA Fashion Design
Birthplace: Busan, South Korea
Materials: wool, wool jersey, rayon jersey
Nicky set out to design clothes with fluid amorphous boundaries. She looked at non-orientable surfaces such as the Möbius strip (a ring with an indistinguishing interior and exterior) and the Klein bottle (mathematician Felix Klein’s vessel that cannot be filled) to create her collection of encircling strips.

Bethany Meuleners
MFA Fashion and Knitwear Design
Birthplace: US Army Base in West Point, New York
Materials: mohair wool yarn, metallic yarn, silk chiffon
Bethany layered knits and wovens while envisioning a young girl playing dress up, throwing on several
layers and letting them land off-kilter. Futurist photography and Duchamp’s painting Nude
Descending a Staircase also inspired her collection.

Steven Oo
MFA Fashion and Knitwear Design
Birthplace: Yangon, Myanmar
Materials: merino wool
The lines of Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas influenced Steven’s knitwear collection. Steven translated Fuksas’ curves into drapes and the buildings’ repetition into textures and cutout details. He combined several hand and hand-machine knitting techniques to create structure, weight, ribbing, and texture.

Marina Solomatnikova
MFA Fashion Design
Birthplace: Revda, Russia
Materials: silk and suede
Recipient of Russia’s Couturier of the Year Award in 2004 and the Russian Silhouette Award in 2003, Marina was inspired by Georgia O’Keefe’s paintings and interpreted the tough and fragile multi-layered landscapes by incorporating pleats and trapunto quilting throughout her collection.

Naomi Sutton
MFA Fashion and Textile Design
Birthplace: LeCenter, Minnesota
Materials: cotton, silk organza, wool, wool jersey, velvet In partnership with BFA Technical Design students: Lindsey Gong, Jackie Nguyen, Kendy Morton and I-Wen Chen who made the patterns and sewed the garments.

Drawing on her BFA in printmaking, Naomi used the raw quality of intaglio etchings as inspiration for her prints. Her prairie silhouette draws from ’70s Laura Ashley, 19th century undergarments, and her childhood growing up on a hobby farm.

Narcisco Rodriguez for eBay

A favorite for celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker, Claire Danes and first lady Michelle Obama, designer Narcisco Rodriguez joins forces with eBay to launch his first Spring 2010 capsule collection available on February 15th.  The 8-piece limited edition collection will be sold exclusively through the Narcisco Rodriquez for eBay page, http://stores.ebay.com/narcisorodriguez. Rodriguez, who first burst onto fashion’s radar with his sleek minimalist style when he designed a wedding dress for Carolyn Bessette Kennedy in 1996, sees the move as a chance to bring in a new customer.  The collection includes all the signature elements of the designer including garments in jersey and denim, in an elegant red, black, gray and white color palette. 



The prices range from $75 for a tee to $300 for a reversible coat.  “It’s… an intelligent group of pieces that work independently or as an all-in-one look,” said Rodriguez. “I’m as excited about my eBay collection as I am about the one that will be coming down the runway.” The designer will show his F/W 2010 collection at New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, February 16th at 8pm EST.

French Connection LadiesWearSS

Spring Summer 10 is full of colour, shine and all things fine. It’s a tale of two style tribes – 50’s teen rockabilly’s hop amongst punks from the 80’s, the clash is evident on proportions and tailoring both given a new 50’s slant with graphic florals creating a softer, vintage backdrop.
 
The collection sits like a back-to-school pencil case full of Caran d`Ache coloured hues – everything fresh and exciting ready for its first outing. The mix of casual to formal pieces is even, endorsing the freedom of creating an individual style, creating a juxtaposition of clean cut lines with softer silhouettes in fluid fabrics.
 
Trousers are a contrast of silhouettes – sharp cigarette pants are given gold zip detailing on the waist and ankle, in black, neon Hawaiian print or electric blue, wear with oversized shirts or bustier tops – Sandra Dee style. Pleated harem trousers feature throughout the range in muted tones of beige and black in soft to touch fabrics – contrast with striped or draped vests. 50’s rain Macs are updated in bold blue with gold branded buttons, for a more relaxed feel opt for the cropped version and wear oversized.
 
Their iconic embellished dresses and miniskirts have moved on to incorporate more intricate, eclectic designs in acid brights. Fluorescent vintage floral prints adorn high waited skirts, peplum detailed dresses, pinafores and bustiers – set against black, give them a rock’n’roll edge. Formal, muted pieces create a subtle backdrop to the brash range with colonial inspired pieces including silk all-in-one jumpsuits, cropped front pleat blazers and belted shirt dresses.
 
 Black silk dresses are given sheer shoulder and back cut out detailing; a full length black high shine maxi dress exudes Grecian chic, with a block colour dress with back zip detailing offering a stylish alternative to classic work wear. Shoulders are still exaggerated but given softer detailing with contrast colour ruffles on dresses, t-shirts and tops. As spring turns into summer the collection evolves into clean 90’s inspired lines mixed with 50’s beachwear and retro Hawaiian florals on hot pants and cut out detail dresses.

Jean Chic

7 For All Mankind hosted a lunch for stylish Delhi women, at Maqique, Garden of Five Senses. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, where a mix of fashionistas turned in Denims, showing their exclusive taste in Fashion.

7 For All Mankind was launched in Los Angeles, California- denims’ venerable center for research and development worldwide in the Fall of 2000, changing the landscape of denim forever. The brand, famously dubbed “Sevens” by fashion editors and stylists, is a huge favorite among Hollywood’s as well as has a devoted fan following throughout the world. Their offerings continue to expand through innovative collaborations with highly regarded designers such as The Great China Wall, Zac Posen, Azzedine Alaia, Evan Yurman and Pucci.

Seven’s Indian foray is undertaken by the company Maxxis Retail Pvt Ltd., which is the exclusive distributor of 7FAM in India, under the guidance of Mr. Ramit Shakdher.
 
Seen enjoying the luncheon with wine was Mugdha Godse, Preeti Chandra, Vidushi Mehra, Rima Mehra, Ranna Gill, Rekha Arora, Kalyani Chawla, Saumya Khurana , Nida Mehmood, Mandira Wirk, Shabnam Singhal, Namrata Joshipura, Tanisha Mohan amongst many others.

Svaastha

In addition to the smell of fresh coffee beans, pleasant climate and the right settings to spend a vacation, Coorg now emerges as a premier spa destination with the opening of Svaastha – the Harmony Spa. Set amidst the 32 acre Gold Crown award winning Club Mahindra Kodagu Valley Resort, Coorg, Svaastha was inaugurated by Mr. Anand Mahindra, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
Built over 9000 sq. ft., this spacious facility accommodates six indoor and two outdoor spa therapy rooms, a well-equipped gym, beauty salon, relaxation deck and Yoga & Meditation deck. Designed on traditional Kodava architectural style with strong Ayurveda influences, the spa is situated near the remains of an ancient healing center. The positive energy of yore is as much a part of the ambience as is the open courtyard with traditional lamps in granite, a tall ceiling with red tiled roofs & wooden rafters, water features and the herbal garden.
A Sanskrit word for Wellness – physical, mental and spiritual health, Svaastha – the Harmony Spa aims to bring into harmony the individual’s body, mind and spirit to enable a dynamic state of wellness and equilibrium. With Ayurveda at the core, it offers a range of little known therapies across Aromatherapy, Balinese and Swedish. The spa also offers comprehensive bouquet of Wellness treatments for the entire family, including the kids with colour and activity based mini therapies. Manned by well-trained and skilled staff.
Apart from its range of therapies Svaastha also has a Wellness Lounge, Wellness Activities, Wellness Retreats, Beauty Treatments, Yoga & Meditation, and Fitness programs.

Richfeel Trichology

Scientists claim that human beings will increasingly lose their hairs, resulting in a totally naked being. Whilst most of us do not subject out tresses to so much physical trauma, at least intentionally, stress dietary deficiency and bad hair care regimes have combined to spell disaster for our hair.
It was this trend that prompted India’s first certified Trichologists, to set up the Richfeel Trichology centre and invite Femina Miss India Ms. Pooja Chopra & offer scientific solutions to all hair and scalp problems.

Trichology, the science of hair and scalp disease, was established as early as 1904through the Institute of Trichology, London. Today there are 335 Trichologists in the world. Over the years, technology has progressed rapidly and Trichologists are well equipped to deal with almost any hair problem with the best the medicine has to offer.

Where:
A-10, Basement, Bharti Artiste Colony,
Preet Vihar, New Delhi -110092

The fable of fabulous Jewellery

Zoya, the chain of luxury diamond boutiques by Tanishq is both a product and a retail brand and is targeted at the discerning, design seeking woman who is international in her aspiration. Zoya communicates Intricacy coupled with the simplicity; the magnificence of history interwoven with linear contemporary; Secrets of the pharaohs masked with the mystery of the cosmos; oriental art embellished with occidental architecture; nature’s bounty matched with man’s ingenuity.
 
The epitome of outstanding luxury and style announces the latest collection which draws its inspiration from Spain’s ancient citadels, revives the age old concept of Zen from the land of rising sun, Japan and the third line of jewellery salutes the French finesse of sheer craftsmanship of French art.
 
The inspiration from Spain captured forever as glittering reminders of vivacious and passionate culture translates into an exotic rose with champagne and white diamond petals breathes life into the wrist its adorns while a pink tourmaline at the other end of the stem adds a dash of colour.
 
Inspired by the Flamenco dance of Spain here is a piece in drapes of rubies. It has brilliant micropave set diamonds and ruby cabochon drops the capture the sensual movements of dancers. And again here is a stunning black Tahitian pearl enveloped by gold and diamond twirl, capturing the airy volume of the swirling skirt of flamenco dancer. Inspired by the tassels and multi hued textured cape of the Toreador’s majestic costume is a pair of diamond baguettes with pave set diamonds, rubies and gold tassels. The Spanish way of life exemplifies with polka dots so Zoya taps into the natural exuberance of polka dots to create a dazzling ring with brilliant cut diamonds and gold polka dots.
 
Japan smoothly transcends the philosophy of balance and harmony or yin and yang and creates a piece where a pearl calmly looks forward to the end of a winding path of gold and diamonds.  This collection is also a celebration of the resilient lotus from where generates an elegant string of south sea pearls languidly follows drifting diamonds and ruby flowers. And again in the ear pieces south sea pearls perched atop pave set diamond and round cut ruby blooms salute the purity and beauty of the resilient water child.
 
From Paris the collection salutes centuries of finesse that transcends the whims of fashion and time. Each piece in the collection is a masterpiece painstakingly crafted from the finest gems, each an exquisite classic and dazzling reminder of French sophistication.