January 2011 - Page 9 of 16

The Square Project is a study of shapes in relation to the human form – starting with the square. Tara St. James, former creative director of Covet, debut her first solo collection on at New York Fashion Week SS 2010 in September 2009. And now Women’s Wear Daily has announced that she is the recipient of the 2011 Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award for sustainable design.

‘The Square Project’, the first clothing line from the collective committed to eco-friendly, ethically sound, fair trade fashion. It aims to use recycled and organic materials as much as possible, while leaving as little a carbon footprint as is manageable. Understated and earthy, the black, brown, and off-white hues featured in her collection are refined and sophisticated. Although the details of these garments shouldn’t be undermined, it’s the simple color palette that allows the meticulous ruching, fringed necklines, and circular cord details to do most of the talking. Everything in St. James’ collection is organic, with most pieces consisting of silk and cotton. And each style is made from a different number of squares.

“My inspiration came from the idea of imprisonment and freedom,” St. James tells says talking about her collection, which she devised using zero-waste patterns. “This is literally represented by the cage-like silk top and not as literally by the transformative qualities of the garments.”

In addition to organic cotton, St. James also applied local NYC-based deadstock, silk, vintage wools and cottons, and recycled polyester Ultrasuede. Tara will be producing a small collection of sustainable clothing within the collective, which will also be producing jewelry, graphic design, photography, music, video and fine art, all with the ethos of sustainable production.

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Etro Milano displayed its brilliance on the runway with its Spring-Summer 2011 men and women’s collections for the very first time in India at Turf Club, Mahalaxmi. An elegant, fashionable evening that brought together luxurious fashion with a stylish presentation as leading moels sashayed down the green ramp making a statement in ETRO’s paisley motifs.

As Etro propagates Eco friendly living the runway show was based on The Tree of Life. The Paisley motif first appeared in the Etro collections back in 1981 and the masterpiece of production, has become somewhat of a symbol for the brand. With the Spring Summer 2011 collection “The Tree Of Life – Paisley” the brands love affair with the paisley continues. The men brought Kean Etro’s flamboyance to the stage sporting creations from his Spring-Summer 2011 collection. The clothes featured motifs, designs as well as patterns inspired by nature. Leading Indian models sashayed show the ramp in Veronica Etro’s finest to the tunes of the Jazz and Balearic lounge. Dresses and tops in lush fabrics set off the new season’s tribal prints.

Choreographed by Sharmila Khanna, the star studded show was closed by a dazzling Raveena Tandon with Randeep Hooda, Ira Dubey, Ramona Narang, Madhoo Shah and Farah Khan Ali leaving the guests awestruck as they walked down the vibrant green ramp dressed in breathtaking fashion from Etro. Sanjay Kapoor, MD, Genesis Luxury with Deepika Gehani, Creative Head, Genesis Luxury played the warm hosts to guests like Bhavana Pandey, Maheep Kapoor, Seema Khan, Nayana Singh, Zeba Kohli, Lata Patel, Kunika Singh, Mona Narang, Priya Kataria Puri, Krishika Lulla, Renu Mehra, Giampaolo & Elisabetta Cutillo amongst many others who enjoyed star cool star lit evening.

Vacheron Constantin has created an exceptional collection of 15 one-of-a-kind models in tribute to the greatest composers, the same artists who inspired Marc Chagall for his monumental fresco painting adorning the ceiling of the Garnier Opera House.

The first watch in the Métiers d’Art – Chagall & L’Opéra de Paris collection is entitled “Tribute to famous composers”. The timepiece features a faithful reproduction of the entire Chagall ceiling, using the time-honoured Geneva technique of grand feu enamelled miniature painting. The 14 other watches will be created over the next two years, and each will be dedicated to one of the composers appearing in Chagall’s monumental work.

When it became a patron of the Paris National Opera in 2007, the Manufacture Vacheron Constantin highlighted one of the values it has sought to perpetuate for over 250 years: the hand-made traditions of fine watchmaking Métiers d’Art, or artistic crafts. This delightful trilogy interweaves past, present and future in a manner that etches these works into eternity. It embodies perfect, vibrant and creative symbiosis that has consistently nurtured the Vacheron Constantin philosophy.

This one of a kind watch can be made available only on request at the Vacheron Constantin Boutique at DLF Emporio, Vasant Kunj New Delhi and DiA store in Taj Hotel & Palace, Nariman Point Mumbai

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Veda at a South Mumbai mall played host to a lavish birthday bash hosted for Ashmit Patel by his parents Amit & Asha Patel. Ashmit and his family had invited all their close friends, including Big Boss inmates as well as winner Shweta Tiwari.

As guests walked in they were greeted with a beautiful candlelit ambience highlighting the spectacular interiors of the space designed by Rohit Bal, with its mirrors, lotus motifs and baroque style chandeliers & furniture. While the Patel family played the gracious hosts, guests were seen relishing the never ending service of Veda’s signature appetizers like Crsipy Spinach Chaat, three flavoured chicken, Veg Seekh Kebabs etc and drinks like the Apple Basil Martini and Pink Champagne based cocktails.

The evening giggled and sparkled with the likes of Manyata Dutt, Amisha Patel, Pria Kataria Puri, Poonam Dhillon, Rahul Dev, Rahul Bhatt, Veena Malik, Meghna Naidu, Soni Razdan, Leena Mogre and many more.

MAC Introduces a new generation in Longwear technology. In the world of Prolongwear, Foundation and Concealer carry the show, with creamy, medium buildable coverage right through to a flawless, natural finish.

With medical-grade patch polymers, these formulas get you fifteen+ hours of high performance for epic transfer resistance, concealing flaws and correcting/diminishing under eye circles, spots and discolorations. 190 Foundation Brush A professional-class foundation brush designed to provide a smooth, even finish. 195 Concealer Brush A flexible synthetic fibre flat brush with slight pointed tip for precision application and blending of all concealer formulas and other emollient products.

M.A.C Prolongwear Lipcreme has shades like “Made to Last”, “Till Tomorrow” and “Goes & Goes” you get the idea and the full effect instantly. Hours later, lips look just the way you left them in the mirror that morning- luscious, lustrous and fresh, in frost or cream texture, with flexible film-former to provide transfer resistance for extended-play passion!

The iconic Italian fashion label Missoni’s latest Spring/Summer 2011 campaign features Leighton Meester, Joan Burstein, Jasmine Guinness and Jade Parfitt all staring alongside the Missoni family.

Beautifully captured by Juergen Teller the campaign was shot at London’s Museum of Everything – a display of art and artefacts created by "outside" artists such as farmers and labourers. The photographs show Jasmine Guinness cradling her newborn baby, Jade Parfitt standing over a vintage motorbike, while Leighton Meester rides a rocking horse.

Other top names to feature in the shot include Andrea Dellal and Jacquetta Wheeler.

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What is masculinity? – Spoiled toilet training, color blindness, cock a snooking at a football match as it sounds masculine or swearing to be a fratdaddy? I pity your idea of masculinity. I think such masculinity is an egoistic veil worn by men throwing in their towels every time a change strikes. If wearing what your neighbor thinks right and vice versa, believing what flies around and behaving what the social gospels fed, is what you hold in your subconscious, then undeniably you are a listless social slave dwelling in limbo of honor and shame. So if you are still holding the grudges for the counterculture of love of 60s, show epileptic streaks, its better you don’t read further to let your ideas of masculinity breathing.

Imagine a guy with glowering eyes, intellectual pursuits, rebelliousness and higher levels of insanity transgressing the social and moral mores, as he hates monotony and loves changes. You will justify him wearing skirts – short or long non-bifurcated garment for the lower half of the body. Wearing skirt doesn’t mean you are cross dressing but rather it stands for a vintage rawness with a modern twist. Actually, the style is not about feminine skirts but instead designers around the globe are making skirts specifically for male body shape. High on comfort and practicality this broad class of garment which was worn traditionally by the three quarters of the world population is loose and non restrictive alternative to conventional menswear with interesting patterns and functionality.

Different cultures around the world in one form or other had skirts as their consequential menswear. The Indian Lungi or Dhoti, Scottish Kilt, South East Asian Sarongs, Middle Eastern Caftans and Grecian Fustanella besides Sulu, kikoi, Pareos, Hahama and lava-lava in many cultures sparing North America and large part of Europe have been worn by men exposing the male leg for display of hyper masculinity, youth and virility.Various youth and counterculture movements such as punk, goth and grunge adopted skirts as a means of transgression and self expression. Worn by hippies, pop stars, designers and actors like Boy George, Russel Brands, Marc Jacobs, Sean Connery and Vin Diesel the style is meant for resistant and rebellious men breaking the social barriers.

From time to time many movements and voices railed for acceptance of this style into mainstream promoting this extremely comfortable style which men inhibit to adopt due to social pressure. Undoubtedly, skirts look good on men and the exhibitions like ‘Bravehearts: Men in skirts’ fueled by Jean Paul Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood and Dries Van Noten tried to re-appropriate the skirt for men but failed in achieving something as tipping point. It revealed in a survey of non bifurcated garments worn in Asia and Africa that there is no natural link between an item of clothing and masculinity and femininity but instead its an arbitary set of culturally specific associations. Gender flexibility or Unisexual dressing has always been preferred by fashion oriented people and Hommes En Juppe( Men In Skirts) movement in France led by Dominique Moreau who loves to be called himself a freedom fighter, a man battling for equality and recognition in world of prejudice and gender based stereotypes wear skirts to sanitize the application of the garment.

Over the time designers kept reinventing the skirts with modern functionality and sensibility. In India where Dhotis and Lungis are quite a part of ethnic attire are displayed on ramp frequently. Internationally, designers like Comme Des Grancos, Giorgio Armani, Givenchy, Raf Simons and Vivienne Westwood rekindled their affair with skirts lately by urging the men explore the androgyny while infusing novelty in menswear and redefining the old stinking ideas of masculinity. From Skorts( by Givenchy), lightweight cargo sarongs, hiking skirts, macabi skirts, club skirts, bondage skirts to fuller skirts with ruffles, the ideas defining sexuality and their roles seem blurring.

When laces, colorful floral shirts and velvet pants were embraced by the men in the 70s then this unisexual unbifurcated garment screaming the rebel in the wearer need another massive counterculture which seems hitting the stereotypes with meggings, cropped tees, one shouldered tops and murses slithering in the wardrobes of men who can dare.

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A collision between art and fashion, The Gentle of Men, just launched in New York is the brainchild of life long friends’ artist John Arsenault and Andy Sälzer (Creative Director, Yoko Devereaux). The subject matter speaks directly to the difficulties of identifying as gay, especially as a young adult.

This series of four t-shirts that is ‘The Gentle of Men’ is directly inspired by the work of John Arsenault that features in his recent exhibition. T-shirt graphics include the poetically titled ‘Your Ignorance Could Smother the World,’ ‘We Are All Your Kids,’ ‘Faggot’ and ‘A Ghost Is Occupying My Heart’. Across all of them, the subject matter is based on the difficulties of identifying and growing up as gay. All proceeds from the sale of these t-shirts will go directly to the Trevor Project, the leading American organization focused on crisis and suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth.

At a time when the debate about isolation and high suicide levels amongst LGBTQ youth is prominent the world over, the creative imagery derived from this collaboration and the profits generated towards a worthy cause such as the Trevor Project are very commendable.

Speaking on the project Andy Sälzer said, “T-Shirt graphics continue to be an influential form of visual communication for me and my work. In this context, the imagery is all about solidarity. We wanted reinforce the message that ‘you are not alone.” And John Arsenault says, “A large portion of my work is based around self portraits, which inherently includes my sexuality. If I can make the transition from gay youth to gay adult any easier for someone else, then I’ve succeeded.”

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Monthly Archives: January 2011

The Square Project

Etro Milano SS

Metiers d’Art

Ashmit

NEW ADDRESS AT GALLERY ON 13 M.G. ROAD NEW DELHI

Prolongwear

Missoni

Men Deserve Skirts

The Gentle of Men