The designers Jorge Vázquez and ManéMané, two of the essential names of the current panorama of Spanish fashion, will be on the general programme of the 63rd edition of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid (MBFWM), which will be organised by Ifema from 19 to 23 February at Feria de Madrid.

With their presence at MBFWM, both creators will form part of the already considerable group of Spanish designers who each season present their collections at this show, and will contribute to enhancing this platform’s leadership as the great showcase of Spanish fashion in the world and one of the large events of the universe of fashion and international design.

The idea is athleisure clothes are making their way out of the gym and becoming a larger part of people’s everyday wardrobes. By some accounts, the trend grew out of women wearing yoga pants whereas some says that the trend came about because people could wear them for multiple occasions without having to change, which meant greater convenience for health conscious freaks, since they did not have to carry an extra gym outfit on the way to the office.

The athleisure clothing has evolved past its original leggings-and-tee combo to its current stage: with accents of brightly-colored fabric against a dark background, and the fad is not going to slow down, it has become all around lifestyle. As the consumer desire for clothing to be comfortable, even when it’s supposed to be functional, like formal wear in professional situations.

While the trend was started by women, men are increasingly turning to athleisure wear as well. For men’s fashion, athleisure wear began with luxury sweatpants and then moved to the upper torso region with “dressy/sporty versions of men’s blazers, varsity jackets,pea coats and sweaters.

To present “Paris in Rome 2015/16”, the new CHANEL Métiers d’art collection inspired by French actresses and Italian cinema, it was in the Teatro N°5 – Federico Fellini’s favourite studio – where Karl Lagerfeld put together a Paris of yesteryear, an idea of Paris and its livelier quarters. In this black and white décor reminiscent of those by Alexandre Trauner, the famous production designer favoured by Marcel Carné, and to the piano sounds of artist Christophe Chassol, the models with their smoky gazes came out, one by one, from the Rome station of Paris’ metro line 5, wearing two-tone mules or pearled sandals.

The collection silhouettes combine tones of a late Roman autumn with the fetish colours of CHANEL: beige, cream, grey, black and navy blue are added to a palette of brown, ochre, oranges and cappuccino. Tweed, mohair and curly wool, cashmere, leather, jersey, velvet, lace, silk crepe, chiffon and georgette all compose an extensive wardrobe with typically Parisian elegance and a lingering dash of Italian glamour.

The iconic suit is trimmed with a “galon pellicule”*. It comes as a trompe-l’oeil dress or as a three-piece version with jacket, straight skirt and cigarette trousers. Dresses in tweed, cut on the knee, and midi skirts are warmed with small capes. The pleated silk and feathers that adorn dresses, skirts, blouses and coat linings are painted with motifs recalling Roman marble, while “farfalle” embroideries also make an appearance in this Franco-Italian wardrobe.

For evening, the silhouette is ultra-feminine and extraordinarily elegant. Lace negligees embroidered with tulle, sheath dresses in pleated velvet and “camicie da notte”in crêpe georgette and guipure lace, the dresses are extremely delicate.

At the end of the show, the boutiques, restaurants and cafés all came alive as the party began. The guests, the extras and the models became the protagonists of a black and white film with a soundscape of voices belonging to lyric singers and buskers.

Delhi-based designer Priyanka Batra is an experienced hand in the formal and fusion wear. Her brand “PREƎVIN” is an extension of her personality. An assistant to Ashish Soni, Priyanka is quiet versatile, and uses her creativity to maximum ,  from styling to designing the garments.

A graduate in fashion design and technology from Amity, her love for fashion started very early in life, making colorful bags out of waste jeans at school. Priyanka always wanted to be a designer and steadily scaled the ladder through sustained hardwork and devotion. Her technique of blending conventional classic to modern-day chic style is highly thought of; a frequent traveller, she works on two different lines at a time. One of them being glitzy, stylish and fancy which caters to fashion conscious women. The other is evening wear which offers traditional wear to fusion and western formal attires.

With an obsession for floral and statement pieces, her collection consists of  traditional suits to  kurtas, the semi formal way of wearing it over trousers or jeans, capris and the highly elegant and contemporary style gowns.

There is always a kind of excitement attached to Chanel’s shows, but one has to gasp a bit to see those impeccable designed looks. Henceforth, before the official show pictures are out, we bring a sneak peak into the show, giving some looks and the cinematic set designed at Cinecittà Studios in Rome.

As a prelude to the collection, guests were invited to a cocktail party on the film sets of Roma Antica before discovering Once and Forever, Karl Lagerfeld’s latest film starring Kristen Stewart and Geraldine Chaplin, projected onto a giant screen in the Piscina, one of the most important film studios at Cinecittà.