March 2012 - Page 7 of 19

Angela Missoni, a Designer with a mission, inaugurates the conference Fashion Beyond Borders hosted by Pearl Academy of Fashion in Jaipur.

An affinity for beautiful forms and a passion to nurture has led the doyenne of Italian fashion Angela Missoni to come to India & share the Missoni story and secrets of her success with aspiring designers and students seeking to make their mark in the fashion and design industry.

Fashion and design, which was once deemed frivolous by traditionalists, is today one of the fastest growing sectors in India; valued at 294 Thousand Crore per annum. The biggest growth drivers are Fashion Accessories, Home and Interior, Apparel, Jewellery and Footwear.

Fashion Beyond Borders

While Missoni has yet to establish retail presence in India, the bold and distinct designs the house of Missoni is renowned for is constantly present on the red carpet and other significant events across India. Angela Missoni’s presence at the conference has given a tremendous boost to the students and faculty of Pearl Academy of Fashion, as her spirit to share and nurture has been the source of inspiration to scores of designers in Europe and beyond.

Angela Missoni, who is returning to India after a hiatus of 20 years, is fascinated with the pace of growth and sophistication of the design sector, and says,“I am always very impressed when I see the potential of a creative talent and I like to support it by sharing my experience with young aspiring designers all over the world,” she said.

Fashion Beyond Borders

Missoni, who has been invited in India by the Pearl Academy of Fashion, is positive about the growing links in the world of fashion and design between India and Italy. Last year, PAF sent 44 students to the prestigious NABA Academy in Milan where Angela Missoni will serve as faculty from 2013. This year, more than 70 students from PAF will be part of NABA’s Summer School.

Celia Kritharioti, highly acclaimed couture designer from Greece showcased her Spring Summer ’12 collection in London for the very first time. The new collection is celebrating her signature touches, femininity, novelty in design and sensuous glamour in cocktail dresses, evening wear and wedding gowns.

Each design exudes Celia’s personality, namely confidence, seduction and power, with hints of romance and passion. The signature styles have become recognisable, with serious attention to perfection in the detail, extraordinary embellishing.

Celia became a firm fixture on the fashion scene in Athens, thanks to her extraordinary design prowess and couture know-how, making House Tsouhlou very much her own – the highly esteemed salon established in 1906. Her distinctive style of femininity and air of seduction has revamped the house, namely her savvy innovation with embellishing and fabulous fearless creativity.

Her dresses have been worn by top international names, including Gisele, Elle MacPherson, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell and Laeticia Casta, to name a few. With her very own ateliers to produce these incredible creations, Celia is a serious name to watch in the industry.

The reflection of typical Etro aesthetics oozing femininity and romanticism glints in its latest Spring Summer 2012 collection of accessories for women.

The bold yet chic collection of fairy tale bags is done in sorbet colors with floral incursions, turning out to be the cynosure. The use of fabrics like satin, crepe de chine and silk render fluidity to the bags. The bright colored paisley prints share an aesthetic space in prints with geometric effects giving screaming of eclecticism while the co-existing tribal hints render a sumptuous effect to the collection.

Fashion Joins Hands Against Breast Cancer to support the efforts for the cause of breast cancer through a carnival organized by Ogaan Cancer Foundation at The Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi of late.

Supporting the Women’s Cancer Initiative – Tata Memorial Hospital, the event saw the fashion industry coming together by donating creations to be retailed at the carnival. Designers like Abraham & Thakore, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Tarun Tahiliani, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Kavita Bhartia, JJ Valaya, Ashish Soni, Ritu Kumar, Rohit Gandhi & Rahul Khanna, Nida Mahmood, Gaurav Gupta, Atsu, Vijay Balhara and Pankaj & Nidhi came forward to lend their support.

Brands from fashion and beauty space like Guess, Espirit, Tommy Hilfiger, Estee Lauder, Body Shop and Swarovski amongst others played their social role by being a part of Elle Carnival for a Cause where every merchandise was priced under Rs. 5000 whereas luxury brands like Giorgio Armani, Christian Dior, Chanel, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and few more also made their contribution at the event through a silent auction.

The afternoon event witnessed the fashionistas of the city making it to the venue. Apart from the names mentioned above, the attendees included Yana Gupta, Hemant Sagar, Shabnam Singhal, Ramola Bachchan, Sanjay Sharma, Ambika Pillai, Sonam Dubal and AD Singh amongst others.

A one of a kind art event giving tribute to woman’s inherent mystique, Shakti and amazing talents and abilities of living women achievers, was hosted by the gracious Danish Ambassador, Mr.Freddy Svane, at Amrita Shergill Marg, Delhi.

The endeavour was to applaud and immortalise women from different walks of life, who have contributed to their lives as women, mothers, achievers and humanitarians. For their power of entertainment, Anjanna Kuthiala’s portrait was equal to the kind at Madame Tussaud.

Most importantly, “these are women whom I connect with at a creative and human level and am inspired to paint and immortalise. They are from diverse professions, and their expertise and amazing creativity in their chosen line of work, makes them extremely inspiring to the artist in me. A few among them are famous but they are all quite special in their own way’ says Anjanna Kuthiala.

One of Raza’s most significant works, Village With Church, once owned by Mr and Mrs John D Rockefeller III, one of America’s most well-known family names, will be sold at an auction today on 19th of March 2012 in Sotheby’s New York and is expected to fetch between $1.5-2.5million.

"Painted in oils on canvas in 1958, the work was purchased by the Rockefeller from the Graham Gallery in New York during the landmark 1958-59 exhibition Trends in Contemporary Painting In India and remained in their historic collection until 1994. Rockefeller and his wife befriended Raza in the early 1960s while he was at Berkeley as a visiting professor at the University of California, following which he was invited to NYC as a recipient of the Rockefeller Fellowship” said Maithili Parekh, Director of Sotheby’s India.

John D. and Blanchette Rockefeller were two of the most important early champions of modern Indian painting in the United States. Their patronage and support was key in introducing the work of the Progressive Artists’ Group in America, of which Village with Church is such a significant example” said Maithili Parekh, Director of Sotheby’s India.

Raza spent a considerable portion of his career in France, first arriving in 1950 and still today maintaining a studio in the south of France. He was deeply moved by the works of the European modernist masters, particularly Cézanne and van Gogh, and his works from this period echo the structure and formalism of both of these artists. Receipt of the prestigious Prix de la Critique (Critic’s award) in 1956 afforded Raza both international recognition and the freedom to leave Paris and travel throughout his beloved adopted homeland. Heavy with impasto and punctuated with staccato gestural strokes, Village with Church exudes a dynamic, tempestuous energy so characteristic of the artist; a hybrid of the lyrical abstraction redolent of the postwar École de Paris, and the vibrancy and direct color treatment of a Rajput miniature. Village With Church is one of the seminal paintings from this period and stands as an enduring legacy of one of the pioneers of Indian Modern Art.

The imbuing Gucci Museo in Florence with its dedicated space for art sees recently opened ‘Paul Fryer: Lo Spirito Vola’ contemporary art exhibition of works on loan from the Francois Pinault Collection being held till September 4, 2012.

Curated by Francesca Amfitheatrof, the exhibition presents three of Paul Fryer’s meditations on the transcendent, morality and religion; the major sculptural works Ophelia, Pietà and Ecce Homo. A documentary about Paul Fryer’s work titled ‘Ascent into the Maelstrom’ by Simon Hitchman accompanies the exhibition.

The iconoclastic art works of the artist which includes immaculate figurative sculptures reflects his vision of utter realism challenging the mythology of culture. And one of his works, Pieta, which is on display, is a waxwork of Jesus Christ sitting in the electric chair. Similarly, Fryer’s rendering of the Ophelia portrays her as a realistic girl floating in a rectangular glass tank whereas Ecce Homo is a black egg floating above a nest of thorns, a reflection of a perplexing and intriguing miracle.

The much appreciated Rodarte’s Autumn Winter 2012 line inspired by Australian Outback featuring the patterns and prints of Aboriginal culture attracts ire of puritan school of thought.

Designed by the sister duo Laura and Kate Mulleavy of Rodarte the line using Aboriginal art on garments which is considered highly venerable and spiritual in the region earned the controversy as it happened to irk the UN expert on indigenous issues, Megan Davis who found it offensive stating it is completely insensitive to Aboriginal art and its spirituality.

The designer sister duo who admittedly have never been to Australia took inspiration from books or other material available to portray the Aboriginal art, including 60,000 year old rock art and put their defense forth by claiming that the label licensed the Aboriginal work that pops up in the collection. They further stated that as a result, the artists will share in proceeds of the pieces inspired by their artwork.

The camaraderie between two iconic Italian brands sees the launch of Ducati Monster Diesel, an urban military chic interpretation of Ducati’s iconic naked motorcycle and a capsule collection dedicated to it.

Inspired by the technical wear and perfectly combining design with a strong biker style, the new ‘Diesel Together With Ducati’ collection is dedicated to addicts of life in the fast lane and devoted enthusiasts of these two great Italian brands. Composed of eleven different styles, the range includes essential slim-fitting biker jackets, sweats, tees, a unique five pocket in raw denim and a set of accessories.

All pieces of this collection are characterized by pure biker attitude, clean technical inspired details and bold Diesel graphics, such as the treated rubber prints recalling the burnt rubber of the motorcycle’s tyres. Colours for the collection are black, grey, white with pop up red inspired by logos from both brands, while the range of fabrics goes from treated nylon and cotton to denim and over dyed jersey mix with leather and metal applications.

Fashionfad

Fashion Conditioned

Monthly Archives: March 2012

Fashion Beyond Borders..

London welcomes Celia

Etro SS 12 Accessories

Carnival for a Cause

Maya – Shakti _ Maa

Village with Church by Raza

Lo Spirito Vola

Rodarte Ab-Original

Diesel together with Ducati