In sync with its constant endeavor of promoting and recognizing new talents in the country Swarovski Elements  has announced a design initiative that issues the challenge to professional designers and all others involved with or fascinated by fashion jewellery design to explore their creativity using the world’s finest crystal elements.

The Swarovski Elements Jewellery Design Contest 2010 has been subdivided in categories of bridal-Indian or western, cocktail and avant-garde, and the designs are to be submitted from May 1, 2010 to June 15, 2010.

As we had already talked about a few months back that Swarovski has completed its designer portfolio in India with nearly every designer using Crystallized Swarovski in their creations. Now it’s heading towards newer avenues and channelized all its energy in the field of another budding industry of fashion jewellery. This as a concept itself is avante garde, as it breaks free from the traditional kundan polki jewellery or for that matter even gold or silver as the base metal for jewelery.

The contest, which is valid for India, aims to be a design inspiration catalyst for the jewellery industry and is open to professionals, manufacturers, exporters, master craftsman, karigars, students and any other creative individuals.

Their task will be to make Swarovski Elements the ‘Hero’ of their own inspired jewellery concepts. Design pieces may also incorporate other non-conflicting materials. A panel of judges will evaluate the entries according to how various types of Swarovski Elements are used, the unique & innovative techniques applied, the originality of designs and presentation. In deciding the winner, the practicality and wear-ability of the jewellery would also be considered.

The winner will receive a two-night, three-day trip to the Swarovski headquarters in Austria, along with a personal tour of Kristallwelten, Swarovski’s Crystal Worlds multimedia museum, one of the most popular tourist destinations of Austria.

There has not been even a glimmer of an Indian Summer here in London, but what has managed to shine here for a week is the Idea Weavers Indian Premier London Fashion Week, sponsored by some very big names in India  including ELLE as magazine partner and of course Fashionfad.in as online partner.  The IPLFW played stage to some 30 celebrated Indian designers including established ones such as Gayatri Khanna, Anjana Bhargava, Rocky S, Narendra Kumar and Lina Tipnis, great opportunity to see emerging designers such as Raman Vij, and Rahul Anand and Anushka Laul, and very refreshing creative upcoming talent and gen-next designers such as Timsy Kamboj.  There were also great stalls on exhibit such as French Curve, M.K. Handicrafts and Arav International.  M.K. Handicrafts in particular had some fab fashion jewellery on display, hence was not the least bit surprised when I learned that they supply to many of the International stores such as Accessorize and Next.  A real treat and one to genuinely appreciate some of the raw talent that India has to offer to the fashion world….

Narendra Kumar did the curtain raiser show on the 10th and the day’s finale was presented by Neeta Luella.  Unfortunately I wasn’t present on this day therefore missed Narendra Kumar’s show, but managed to see his latest ‘Alternate Mumbai’ collection exhibited on the 11th,  the day that I was present.  And what a collection it was, as the collection name indicates it was a far cry from all the bling and embellished messages Mumbai’s Bollywood sends out to the world, but instead focused on relaxed cuts, lots of intelligent draping and used lightweight wool and silk all of which result in a truly classy comfortable couture line, incredibly chic, very European, and classic timeless pieces that will survive through trends.  Unfortunately I didn’t manage to get a photo, but there was this one top of his that is still very clear in my mind…  What a beauty, charcoal grey lightweight beautifully tailored top with the most exquisite draping at the lower part and very elegant I think chiffon spaghetti straps, oh just so breathtaking!!!

On the 11th, the day that I was present the opening show was presented by the Gen Next designers and the finale was presented by Anjana Bhargav.  I managed to catch the Gen-Next, Puja Rajvanshi, and Raman Vij shows, each of which had their own unique charm.  As well as catching these shows I made a point of viewing many of the designer collections that were being exhibited and appreciating the ornaments and handcrafts at their individual stands.

The Gen-Next show kicked off with Bhanuni by Jyoti Sharma showcasing an exquisite Indian Western fusion collection of garments in nudes & reds which acted as canvases for some very rich and intricate embroidery.   The collection very intelligently portrayed traditional style with contemporary art.

Timsy Kamboj was the next of the Gen-next designers to showcase her Ardhnarishwar (the half-man and the half-woman form of Lord Shiva) collection and what a fun, empowering collection it was.  The line consisted of 80’s inspired coats and jackets, and dresses in an androgynous look.  The corporate blue, black and white tailoring was juxtaposed with feminine silhouettes and the form of a basic shirt was deformed in order to produce this collection which portrayed the strength of a man and the seductiveness of a woman.  I love the way the very masculine suits were femininised by cheeky cuts and elegant silhouettes.  This was indeed a very intelligent collection and made serious fashion look like fun.  After seeing her very creative collection I am not surprised to learn that for her breakthrough innovation in the field of designing, she has been awarded the Most Innovative Collection Award for her graduating collection in Portfolio ’09.

MapxencaRS by Riddhi & Siddhi of the Gen-next designers category showed a very futuristic collection of sharp & angular dresses, inspired by one of the world’s most renowned architect Daniel Libeskind.  My favourite was the electric blue dress as shown in the picture below.  I am loving the contrast of the different textures and how the sharp cut of the dress is softened by these textured details.

Aarti Vijay Gupta’s line consisted of sophisticated, long flowing evening gowns.  The beauty of this collection was that the dresses were kept very simple, hardly any embellishments and if so they were kept to a minimum and all focus was on the cut and the draping.  Simple sophistication which never dates….

Mohit Dochonia was the last of the Gen-next designers to show his Indian fusion collection for the new age woman…  His garments portrayed some very creative intricate details which gave his more traditional garments a real edge and made them fun.

The emerging designers Puja Rajvanshi and Raman Vij were next to showcase their collections. 

Puja Rajvanshi’s collection comprised of romantic, classic, embellished evening wear in shades of pearl.  It is true to say that this collection has drawn inspiration from the versatility of pearls.

Finally clothes that are perfect for the cold London weather, Raman Vij brought to us a beautiful collection of stunning knitwear and beautifully tailored men’s wear.  The knitwear collection was truly innovative and incredibly creative, when one thinks of knitwear one thinks of a boring woollen sweater but it has to be said that this collection was a far cry from that.  The garments were such that they can be worn into the evening as well as the day as they are beautifully cut, textured and have some exquisite detail on the knitwear itself.

 I had a bit of a wait  before the Puja Rajvanshi and Raman Vij show, and it was during this period of time that I managed to view many of the designer collections that were being exhibited.

The Gayatri Khanna collection comprised of some absolutely breathtaking pieces , I was very disappointed to learn that the her show had already taken place the day before.  The pieces that really stood out in the collection for me were the Grecian style draped dress, heavily Gold Embellished cocktail dress which weighed an absolute ton (not dissimilar to a wedding lehanga) and a gorgeous skater-styled skirt in lace and silk.  Beautifully made timeless pieces.  It is no wonder that Gayatri Khanna’s ‘Milaaya Embroideries’ is where a range of global couture houses like Christian Dior, Escada, Balenciaga, Armani, etc. get their precise cuts, embroideries and finishes done.

My favourite collection has to be that of Anjana Bhargav, as for me the collection was incredibly fashion savvy, understated elegant, high on trend, glamorous and with real European influence….  The collection even managed to have some real fun pieces like a super duper oversized ring matching a dress and a wacky charcoal grey handbag covered with oversized rosettes.   Everyone with whom I spoke to on the day seemed to be talking about her military jacket which had a real Balmain style to it.  One person actually commented that the jacket looked like it was made to be worn by Rihanna, and that alone can define the collection as being very on trend.  The beauty of this collection was that even though it was high on trend, it had sophistication, class and the silhouettes and detailing are such that it is not just meant for the fashionistas but also for the intelligent, creative woman who enjoys being a woman.

Photograph of me wearing the much talked about military jacket, oh so Balmain……

I was drawn to Lina Tipnis’s collection as for me it epitomizes elegant, stylish, easy wearing evening wear.  Her garments are cut beautifully, exquisitely draped for the female form, have subtle contrasting embellishments to give a real regal feel to the garment, and are made with romantic light weight fabrics hence giving the beautiful movement of the garment whilst in motion.  It is no wonder why I was drawn to this oh so exquisite regal collection, and in fact on speaking with Lina she informed me that Queen Rania of Jordan had put in a big order from the latest collection.  The collection was definitely perfect for a queen, and that too queen Rania of Jordan, a total beauty and a style icon…….

Emerging designers Rahul Anand & Aunshka Laul (RNA) exhibited a very eye catching, experimental and quirky ‘God made me funky’ collection.  This collection is an electric mix of things that are both modern as well as long forgotten.  On one hand it is largely inspired by the 70’s era, which brings flash backs of disco fashion and everything that comes with it, halter necks, jumpsuits, minis, maxis, bell bottoms, penny collars and at the same time it is largely influenced by the time machines, watches, from where it draws a large amount of inspiration.  ‘Life is a great big canvas and you should throw all the paint on it you can’, and it is with this mantra that RNA design their collections.  

It had been a long day, one that my niece who is a first year fashion student at Birmingham University and I thoroughly enjoyed and if it wasn’t for my 3 year old daughter waiting for me at home I would have stayed on for the later shows.  I was thoroughly disappointed that due to personal commitments I would not be able to make it for the last day, if for nothing else but to see the Grand Finale presented by Rocky S, a favourite amongst Bollywood.  It was definitely a great opportunity to appreciate the work of some very talented Indian designers…

A one-of-a kind diamond brooch hand set with more than 2,477 exceptionally rare Forevermark diamonds with a total weight of 40.68 carats, White Light is Shaun Leane’s largest diamond piece to date.

 This Diamond Brooch designed by Shaun Leane, crafted by Forevermark Diamantaire Steinmetz for the Forevermark Precious Collection™, sold successfully at the Christie’s auction.

Invited by Forevermark to design this masterpiece, Leane drew on the magical quote "The sun and moon shed one white light" from ‘Love’s First Fever to Her Plague’ by the legendary Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas. It features thirteen D-colour (the highest colour white diamonds can be), internally flawless pear-shaped Forevermark diamonds. Each are set in delicate icicle styled 18ct white gold with diamond collets surrounded by a mount of branches and flowing pavé set opalescent enameled leaves.

Shaun Leane, Designer, commented on the auction saying, “I am absolutely thrilled that ‘White Light’ has been acquired. I hope that it brings the owner endless enjoyment. ‘White Light’ encapsulates, “the first snow of winter (which) falls reducing everything to zero, man eclipsed by a quiet cover of pure white. Snow crystals settled on leaves, an ethereal light so pure and still that it cuts to the essence of what is natural, pure and precious. Only the brilliant purity of the most precious natural diamonds can equal that luminous wonder.”

“We are absolutely delighted with this successful sale.  It shows that interest in beautiful diamond jewellery has sustained, and peoples’ love affair with diamonds, even after a difficult time is enduring,” Stephen Lussier, CEO, Forevermark.

The newly restored version of Luchino Visconti’s Il Gattopardo debuted at the 63rd annual Cannes Film Festival.  Gucci Creative Director Frida Giannini was joined on the red carpet by the film’s original cast members Alain Delon  (Tancredi Falconeri) and Claudia Cardinale (Angelica Sedara), along with Martin Scorsese, Founder and Chair of The Film Foundation, who introduced the film.

On the glittering evening and red carpet walkway saw guests in Gucci. Camilla Belle chose a Gucci Première midnight blue silk sable one shoulder gown with degrade embroidered detail.

Jury member Kate Beckinsale wore a Gucci Première silk georgette antique white gown draped and embroidered with silver micro bugle beading with metallic silver thread embellished bust and waist detail.

Frida Giannini wore a Gucci Première floorlength strapless gown with draped back detail and embroidered with silver lace and micro palettes.

Lea Seydoux chose a Gucci Première champagne charmeause column gown with micro matt and shiny pale gold sequin degrade embroidery throughout. The gown features cut out sleeve and back detail with bodice encrusted in silver and gold metallic lozenge beading. 

Salma Hayek chose silk georgette Gucci Première scarlet one shoulder gown with sweeping drape across the waist and hip with red glass bugle beaded embroidered detail.

Aishwarya Rai wore a Gucci one of a kind magenta pleated chiffon twisted halter neck gown open back and full floorlength skirt. 

Ms. Giannini also wore one of a kind piece from Gucci’s fine jewelry collection: Horsebit full pave diamond and cognac topaz earrings.