There is never a dull moment when it comes to FDCI and its propensity to hog headlines for all the wrong reasons. Having gotten over a sulking ED and his shenanigans, and the high drama FDPC and its obtuse CEO, one might have thought all would be dull and smooth at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2010 in the tents at the NSIC grounds in Okhla. As luck would have it, the first day of the event was declared null and void by an antsy Fire Department, leading to heavy speculations and high decibel reactions all around. Eventually the event did roll out after having put all government departments at ease and permissions signed in triplicate. The second day became first day and the Grand Finale on the fourth day by Rajesh Pratap Singh did not bring the curtains down. With the first day being held on last day, by default JJ Valaya held the second grand finale. All else was business as usual. Most designers presented collections which were an assortment of summer wear, resort wear, evening wear and also some autumn/winter wear thrown in as token. Interestingly, the two developments observed were, firstly the reconciliation that the FDCI fashion week was really THE fashion week where all the buyer action took place, and secondly the clear absence of the film stars and celebrities as show stoppers. That was a relief.
Nikasha and Sabyasachi to open Shanghai Fashion Week
The organizers of Lakmé Fashion Week have a policy about integrating India into global fashion. As part of this policy, they have nominated fashion designers Nikasha Tawadey and Sabyasachi Mukherjee to open the Shanghai Fashion Week to be held from May 13-17, 2010. Speaking about the upcoming event, Tawadey reportedly said that this participation was essentially to showcase the beautiful and colourful traditional Indian creations and not so much to woo buyers in China. This is the first time that Indian designers will be participating in a Chinese event. However, no official press release has been issued by Lakmé Fashion Week as yet.
Two Couture Weeks by FDCI – not yet official
Reportedly, FDCI might just launch another Couture Week in the month of July in Delhi. The HDIL India Couture Week, which held its second edition last October in Mumbai and is supposedly organized by FDCI, is in reality controlled independently (and haphazardly) by HDIL with FDCI just lending its name for a price. So it is not surprising that the FDCI should want a show of its own for the Delhi designers. Since in India couture styles are all about wedding wear, and no one loves loud wedding wear more than the denizens of Delhi and its counterparts in Chandigarh etc, it is most relevant to hold such an event here. Perhaps the designers will have given vent to their passion for blingy, loud, over embellished lehnga etc, which have the potential for huge prize tags (all that zardozy and Swarovski), and keep such styles out of other seasonal fashion weeks.
Abraham & Thakore spotted on a fashion runway!
The WIFW A/W 2010 had the ubiquitous honor of having become the first fashion runway where the designer duo David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore presented their brilliant collection under their label Abraham & Thakore. Their creations are well known and much in demand desired for their simple elegance and clean lines and the line presented did not stray from this as stylish garments made of wool, cotton, shantung, silk, jamdani, georgette, velvet, khadi etc appeared on the ramp in shades of black and white. Discreet embellishments, patchwork and appliqués and quaint motifs across pants, kurtas, phirans, zouave pants, and even saris, were all lovely. The designers Abraham and Thakore are both graduates of NID Ahemdabad. Singapore born David Abraham is the creative director of the label. His first design collection was launched at the up market Bergdorf Goodman in New York. Rakesh Thakore, who involves himself with the design and development end of the business, has had his fabulous hand woven fabrics exhibited at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Musee des Arts Decoratifs n Paris. Another part of the label team is Kevin Nigli, a NIFT Delhi alumni, who is director of sales and is responsible for the menswear shirt collection.
FDCI rules out possibility of WIFW leaving Delhi
Post the fiasco at the last fashion week, the WIFW A/W 2010, due to an unforeseen glitch at the new venue, speculations were rife about where FDCI would hold its next fashion week, WIFW SS 2011, be held. It seems that while Pragati Maidan might have been a perfect option, the authorized have demurred in view of the upcoming Commonwealth Games due to be held in Delhi around the same time in October from (3rd to 14th). Such ideas were being tossed around as taking the fashion week to Goa or Mumbai. But yesterday Sunil Sethi, President of FDCI put all such notions to rest and has announced that WIFW would not leave Delhi. He also said that the WIFW SS-10 could not be held earlier in September since that would overlap or get too close to either Lakmé Fashion Week or the other major international fashion weeks like New York (Sept 8-10), London (Sept 17-21), Milan (Sept 22-28) and Paris (Sept 29 – Oct 7), the best option being to hold it after the Common Wealth Games were over. No dates have been finalized as yet and no thought has been given to the venue wither. But whenever and wherever it happens, Delhi it will be.
Phillip Mason and Courtney Mason, the duo that makes up Studio Jelly fish found a perfect canvas in heels, which they paint on to express themselves. Courtney Mason is a graphic designer/ illustrator from Detroit Michigan. She is also the founder of punkychicken.com. When asked about what she felt about her work, she said, "The idea came about when I was commissioned to do a job using paint markers. I loved the technique and fine art side to it so much that I wanted to find something that could be painted for women to wear. This way they could feel beautiful while expressing themselves.”
An ‘albino’ collection by Lislie Yeung
Here is footwear that is exquisitely designed with the right balance of creativity and commercial viability, matched with a terrific infusion of the elements of luxury. There is the hand dyed lace, electroplated silver onto molded lace and placement prints. Lislie Yeung graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York with a BA in women’s wear and a MA from Corwainers- London College of Fashion to specialise in footwear. Her label is due to be launched soon. The lady has got talent, as is clear from seeing some of her creations.
Celebrating Maison Martin Margiela – ‘20’ The Exhibition
A major exhibition is being held at the Somerset House in London this summer to celebrate the two decade long innings of one of the most influential and enigmatic fashion designers, Maison Martin Margiela, who had graduated from the Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Belgium. The designer shook up the fashion world with his ‘decontructed’ look, monochromatic palette, extra large garments, unusual fabrics, use of recycled materials – a radical and anti ‘power dressing’ twist. The exhibition, that is due to start from 3rd June and run through 5th September, 2010, will capture Margiela’s magic and vision over the past 20 years of his life as a designer and will involve installations, photography, video and film.
Do you want to be Macy’s Fashion Director?
Last month Macy’s launched a novel initiative to promote its brand and sale. Taking into account all such types who are fashion challenged, and as well as those who are not, Macy’s invited customers to its online site www.macys.com/fashiondirector. The site provided online tools to put together the perfect outfit for daily fashion challenges, guiding the consumers through the hottest Spring trends, where a participant could drag pieces to the virtual canvas until satisfied with the look created. Every day the completed entries were subjected to voting by general public and the winner was awarded a $500 Macy’s gift card prize. Martine Reardon, executive vice president of marketing for Macy’s said, “We know that fashion is an ever-evolving sport and that putting together an outfit whether for everyday or for a special occasion, can sometimes be a major challenge. With Macy’s Fashion Director, we are providing our customers with a fun, interactive tool that allows them to learn about and experiment with the season’s trends, engaging them in a unique way with a special reward for putting it all together.” The challenge was on from 8th March up until second week April.
New York contemplating full fledged Menswear Fashion Week
New York might just be the last one to get in on the act since Paris, Milan, London and even New Delhi have all got their own dedicated Menswear Fashion Week. While until now, each of the two fashion week held in New York in February and September has a small section dedicated to men’s clothes, there is a definite urgency that is picking up about adding on a special and separate week. As reported in WWD, designer John Varvators said, "I've been a member of the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) for 10 years and we've been trying to figure out how to do that for 10 years. If we're going to try it, we have a better shot today than ever before, because we have a bigger design contingent." Most designers feel that showing their menswear line three months after Milan and Paris did not make commercial sense, but there are others who think just demarcating the first two days of fashion week for menswear would be enough.
With a blazing summer here before its time, the cool autumn days seem so far away. But the business of fashion works two seasons ahead. And even as spring was ready to give way to warmer days, the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week presented the designer collections for the autumn-winter 2010 season. Fashion expert M Mistry attended the shows, visited the stalls and met up with designers to go on record about what she saw. We bring for you the trends that are going to appear on the shelves and on mannequins in a few months time.
Trend spotting on the fashion runway at the WIFW A-W 2010
by M.Mistry
Silhouettes
Making a fashion statement for Autumn/Winter 2010 are the different silhouettes which start from the long and fluid gowns to asymmetric tiers for dresses and skirts, lots of sari drapes and for added touches the hooded mini, jacket, or maxi. An impact was made by the boleros, gilets, bundies, bundgalas and jackets; while traditional shapes like the Bakhu and Honju as well as Zouave pants were favoured. Quilted pants, fibre filled quilted vests, poly laminated kurta cholis, deconstructed kurtas and laminated coats give the right winter feel. The overall dress silhouette moved from trapeze, shift, sheath, smock and A line to loose trousers with a lot of fluid effect. The short salwar takes over from the Capri and the smock works well with churidars. Elegant capes, pencil trousers and skirts and very lean shapes will also be seen during the next season.
Embellishments
The embellishment story started with military trims, with studs, safety pins, shells, tribal beads, ghungroos along with Shibori, tie dye, byzantine embroidery, dabu, chikankari, quilting and zardozi adding to the look of the garments. Mixing prints and embroidery to create new textures works very well while, leather for appliqués, stockings, leggings and trims is the right wintry addition. Acrylic ornamentation as strips on dresses is unconventional while patches for prints, tile patch work, velvet stripes, hand painting and appliqués added to the look. Quirky motifs like cycles, auto rickshaws, hand, marigold, spiral, fish, umbrellas and tree of life were new additions to floral and abstract ideas.
Fabrics
Fabrics that will make an impact for the next season are sheer over solid for prints and heavily beaded hemline borders, lots of velvet, georgette, chanderi, tussars, tribal shawls, knits, Lycra, jersey along with a mix of knit and woven for trousers. Modal jersey, wool, cotton, tulle, Lurex, faux leather, silk, chiffon, and satin were the other choices. Creating a new fabric with interlacing tape into wovens and adding on four leaf clover lazer cutwork along with fraying, fringing and shredding of fabrics will give a new look. Multiple mixes of prints for shrugs, dresses, maxis, capes, pants, will add an unconventional touch, while floral graphic patterns for prints and a mix of leather and fabrics as patches or panels was seen in many collections. Using wool and felt for 3D detailing like curls, rolls, chains and ruffles as well as a mix of leather and fabrics was a great idea.
Detailing
Detailing played a major roll for collections as drapes, folds and cowls were lavishly used. Chain mail for detailing on yoke, sleeves, side panels, neck and belts as well as Art Deco patterns and fabrics with satin strips woven in and ending in knots along with extreme construction with radial pleating for sleeves and dresses were striking looks. Oriental detailing like Japanese wide armholes, warrior prints, along with dragons and chevron weaves as well as samurai touches for tunic and pants made a great impact. Unconventional detailing using rocks quilted under fabrics, textured leather, tattered gauze, prints of marbled whirlpools and burnt crystals to look like ambers were show stoppers. The conventional Swarovski crystals, and thread detailing was seen on many garments.
Colours
The colour palette for Autumn/Winter 2010 obviously favoured black the leading colour but brown, beige, red, metallic gold were seen on the ramps. Dark somber colours like charcoal, with bits of ivory and bright tones appeared along with shades of grey, teal, aubergine and lots of white which broke the shade card.
In the current scenario eco-friendly fashion is a fad that is a lot more expensive that regular mainstream products and a lot less durable too. Like other things organic and eco-friendly, it is a niche segment and not essentially affordable. There is a debate raging across designers, manufacturers, environmentalists, consumers et al, on how to change this. Should one have to compromise on style, quality and cost to go eco-friendly? The industry needs to look at cost effective eco friendly methods to produce, and that could only be possible through mass production and innovations to make colours that don’t run, products that last longer, fabrics that are as fine. One school of thought is that there is the need to sensitise the masses and eventually awareness will lead to a willingness to pay more for saving the planet- as people accepted paying extra for cars with seat belts. Until such time as eco becomes mainstream, and all that is un-eco becomes more expensive, people are not really going to go for it in a big way.
So what really qualifies as ‘sustainable’?
Suddenly it is very ‘cool’ to talk about being sustainable, whether as a designer or buyer. But there is yet not much clarity as to what are the parameters of sustainability. Here we take a look at some of the most essential parameters of sustainability are -
Environmental Sustainability, which is the ability to maintain the valued qualities of the physical environment,for eg. the conservation of species and resource and avoidance of pollutants,
Social Sustainability is one of the most important aspect of sustainable development. Social sustainability encompasses human rights, no child labor, labor rights, and corporate governance. For a society to be functional & sustainable, the basic needs of the members must be met. In India we have to pay extra close attention if we do not want to lose out on our status as a cheap and goodproduction center.
Economic Sustainability - This is about achieving economic growth along with ensuring the improvement in quality of life and the environment. While it is positioned third in the list here, it is most essential for the entire exercise to be feasible. Yet, commerce should not be the only driving force. Profit margins might have to be allowed to dip for the time being while the world learns to live with sustainability
Eco Alphabet
Bad
F for Fast Fashion
Fast fashion is about clothing made quickly and sold cheaply in bulk. The outcome is that one is able to afford several new outfits which can be discarded soon and replaced quickly to keep a very up-to-date wardrobe and sport a new look at each social do. Like every other disposable item, this too puts a strain on the environment with increased pollution by virtue of cheap production processes and over-consumption of resource. Every stage – from processing fabric, cutting, manufacturing, marketing, transporting, packaging, handling and more - increase the carbon footprint. Keep that garbage heap from growing. Dump less - recycle – use longer – that is the need for a greener planet.
Indian entry for Montana World of Wearable Art 2010
Fashion designers showed off their creativity at the residence of the New Zealand High Commissioner and all of 12 outfits were shortlisted. The selected entry has to be sent in by 1st May if to Hong Kong or Shanghai or 3rd May if to Australia or 17th May if it is New Zealand. This is one show where creativity is sans boundary and the apparel is an art installation. FDCI has collaborated for the selection of the designs from India and at the recently held Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, the World of Wearable Art was unveiled by the WOW founder Suzie Moncrieff and FDCI President Sunil Sethi. We bring for you the 12 selected creations.
Le Cuir A Paris Colour Trends for Spring-Summer 2011
Le Cuir A Paris is an event that is much awaited by the fashion industry. The event showcases high quality leather raw materials and sets the trends in specific clours and material. The next Le Cuir A Paris is due to take place in Nord Villepinte in Paris on14th September, 2010, where the projections for summer season 2011 will be on show. We bring for you the theme and inspiration of their colour palate as sourced from Fashion Trendsetter.
The inspiration was the new dawn and the specter of uncertainties.
Archaic Garden where the primitive joins forces with antique – archaeologists decipher hieroglyphics that speak of Gods, of man and plants unknown – forbidden fruits and flowers with forgotten names like Kumquat, oponce, papyrus, tuberose, rosewood. Colours - whitened, stony, mineral or delicately fruity. The softness of faded, evanescent, light and serious colors.
Underwater Variation - ebbing and flowing with the tide – abysses and ocean depths to discover marine flora and fauna, submerged cities, buried amphora and pots - stormy summer's day, bright with magnetic lightening, the horizon plunging into the ocean. Colours – blue, extending to an aqua green, sea anemone pink enhanced by inky blues and purples, navy and brown, white soap bubbles.
Tropical Dramaturgy is about wild nature playing its cards, calling on Rousseau to lure us into a game of paradise lost with all its misleading tricks– pretty green vines and exuberant flowers, beaks of multicolored macaws. Colours – a solar range, incandescent, spicy, yellow, uninhibited parrot green, the orange of Tibetan monks, the entire spectrum of reds from purple to salmon pink, bushy brown, deep blue
Enchanted Picnic has exotic themes, follies in Versailles, rave party in Schönbrunn, murder in an English garden – Lewis Carroll, Fragonard gate-crashes the camp site, Hansel and Gretel’s cuisine, ecology show – glamour and fun, the dawn of artificial preciousness. Colours that set the teeth on edge – neon but whitened, transparent jelly fish, over-bright pastels, fiery brights tempered by grey and measured beige.
Shadowy Shores is a static place, metaphor of elsewhere- between Cyrene and Cartagena, between Libya and Syria - desert of sand, of sea, wreckers, pirates, warriors from another era - ambiguous shade alternating with dulled light -decks of ships run ashore, rusty anchors, ragged sails, driftwood, soft-shell crabs and tortoise shells. Colours are tinged with vegetal colours, red, dark navy, strong green, canvas, or lightened colours, bleached by salt, faded by the sun and the sea.
The fashion kingdom has gone global and the sundry Italian, French, Japanese, Chinese etc fashion brands and names of different origins are foxing us as to how to pronounce them correctly. NewsVision has it all simplified for you.
Phoebe Philo is an English fashion designer who was previously the designer of the fashion house Chloé where she worked as Stella McCartney’s assistant and was deeply influenced by her. Like her she is a vegetarian and abstains from fur and leather. Eventually becoming the creative director of Chloé, she is credited to have introduced the high-waisted jeans, baby doll dresses, wooden wedge shoes and stack heeled buckled boots. In October 2008 she was appointed as the new creative director of the LVMH fashion brand Celine.
Badgley Mischka - badge-lee meesh-ka
Two alumni of the Parsons School of Design, Mark Badgley and James Mischka, teamed up to launch the American fashion label Badgley Mischka in 1988. They made their mark with their bridal wear business and have since become the chosen one for ‘red carpet’ moments and evening wear. They have an impressive client list of celebrities from Hollywood and rock stars. The duo is partners in business and in life as well.
In the age of rapid mechanization and high tech advancements it is the artisan who holds the thread of a tradition of ancient skills. Cut away from the mainstream these artisan groups struggle to hold on to what they have inherited and many social groups have come forward to support them. Newsvision introduces its readers to various artisan groups and their crafts in this column.
‘Look out for the handloom mark’ ad blitz for the masses
Although the Ministry of Textiles had introduced the ‘Handloom Mark’ way back in June of 2006, as a measure to protect the rural and weak handloom sector from the onslaught of mass produced machine made fabrics, the effort was lost on the general population of shoppers, for want of awareness. Interestingly, the Ministry of Textiles has launched a consumer awareness advertising blitz on the FM radios asking the buyer of genuine handloom products to look out for the handloom mark. This mark not only ensures the genuineness of the product but is also an indicator of the quality.
Our ‘Black n White’ column has an interesting quote from Alexander McQueen which puts fashion into a whole new perspective. If it had been anyone else, the assertion would have been written off as the ranting of one ‘fashionably challenged’. No doubt, Fashion reflects social change. At its peak, Fashion created an exclusive group that could pontificate what was right and what was wrong. The official trends, most often carefully moulded by powerful interest groups, were unchallengeable. Counter cultures were just an aberration of the under-achievers! However, with globalisation and a growing tolerance of differences, the fashion dictate has come to an end. Fashion is now what one creates oneself. And if you are fashionably challenged, take a cue from Macy’s. The famous US department store has made an online facility called Macy’s Fashion Director that assists customers to place their own ‘looks’ together. At the end of it a jury gave a prize for the best designs. And guess who the jury is – the general public!
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“I think the idea of mixing luxury and mass-market fashion is very modern - wearing head-to-toe designer has become a bit passé. It's a new era in fashion - there are no rules. It's all about the individual and personal style, wearing high-end, low-end, classic labels, and up-and-coming designers all together.”
There is never a dull moment when it comes to FDCI and its propensity to hog headlines for all the wrong reasons. Having gotten over a sulking ED and his shenanigans, and the high drama FDPC and its obtuse CEO, one might have thought all would be dull and smooth at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2010 in the tents at the NSIC grounds in Okhla. As luck would have it, the first day of the event was declared null and void by an antsy Fire Department, leading to heavy speculations and high decibel reactions all around. Eventually the event did roll out after having put all government departments at ease and permissions signed in triplicate. The second day became first day and the Grand Finale on the fourth day by Rajesh Pratap Singh did not bring the curtains down. With the first day being held on last day, by default JJ Valaya held the second grand finale. All else was business as usual. Most designers presented collections which were an assortment of summer wear, resort wear, evening wear and also some autumn/winter wear thrown in as token. Interestingly, the two developments observed were, firstly the reconciliation that the FDCI fashion week was really THE fashion week where all the buyer action took place, and secondly the clear absence of the film stars and celebrities as show stoppers. That was a relief.
Nikasha and Sabyasachi to open Shanghai Fashion Week 
The WIFW A/W 2010 had the ubiquitous honor of having become the first fashion runway where the designer duo David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore presented their brilliant collection under their label Abraham & Thakore. Their creations are well known and much in demand desired for their simple elegance and clean lines and the line presented did not stray from this as stylish garments made of wool, cotton, shantung, silk, jamdani, georgette, velvet, khadi etc appeared on the ramp in shades of black and white. Discreet embellishments, patchwork and appliqués and quaint motifs across pants, kurtas, phirans, zouave pants, and even saris, were all lovely. The designers Abraham and Thakore are both graduates of NID Ahemdabad. Singapore born David Abraham is the creative director of the label. His first design collection was launched at the up market Bergdorf Goodman in New York. Rakesh Thakore, who involves himself with the design and development end of the business, has had his fabulous hand woven fabrics exhibited at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Musee des Arts Decoratifs n Paris. Another part of the label team is Kevin Nigli, a NIFT Delhi alumni, who is director of sales and is responsible for the menswear shirt collection.
Post the fiasco at the last fashion week, the WIFW A/W 2010, due to an unforeseen glitch at the new venue, speculations were rife about where FDCI would hold its next fashion week, WIFW SS 2011, be held. It seems that while Pragati Maidan might have been a perfect option, the authorized have demurred in view of the upcoming Commonwealth Games due to be held in Delhi around the same time in October from (3rd to 14th). Such ideas were being tossed around as taking the fashion week to Goa or Mumbai. But yesterday Sunil Sethi, President of FDCI put all such notions to rest and has announced that WIFW would not leave Delhi. He also said that the WIFW SS-10 could not be held earlier in September since that would overlap or get too close to either Lakmé Fashion Week or the other major international fashion weeks like New York (Sept 8-10), London (Sept 17-21), Milan (Sept 22-28) and Paris (Sept 29 – Oct 7), the best option being to hold it after the Common Wealth Games were over. No dates have been finalized as yet and no thought has been given to the venue wither. But whenever and wherever it happens, Delhi it will be.
Last month Macy’s launched a novel initiative to promote its brand and sale. Taking into account all such types who are fashion challenged, and as well as those who are not, Macy’s invited customers to its online site www.macys.com/fashiondirector. The site provided online tools to put together the perfect outfit for daily fashion challenges, guiding the consumers through the hottest Spring trends, where a participant could drag pieces to the virtual canvas until satisfied with the look created. Every day the completed entries were subjected to voting by general public and the winner was awarded a $500 Macy’s gift card prize. Martine Reardon, executive vice president of marketing for Macy’s said, “We know that fashion is an ever-evolving sport and that putting together an outfit whether for everyday or for a special occasion, can sometimes be a major challenge. With Macy’s Fashion Director, we are providing our customers with a fun, interactive tool that allows them to learn about and experiment with the season’s trends, engaging them in a unique way with a special reward for putting it all together.” The challenge was on from 8th March up until second week April.
New York might just be the last one to get in on the act since Paris, Milan, London and even New Delhi have all got their own dedicated Menswear Fashion Week. While until now, each of the two fashion week held in New York in February and September has a small section dedicated to men’s clothes, there is a definite urgency that is picking up about adding on a special and separate week. As reported in WWD, designer John Varvators said, "I've been a member of the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) for 10 years and we've been trying to figure out how to do that for 10 years. If we're going to try it, we have a better shot today than ever before, because we have a bigger design contingent." Most designers feel that showing their menswear line three months after Milan and Paris did not make commercial sense, but there are others who think just demarcating the first two days of fashion week for menswear would be enough.
Making a fashion statement for Autumn/Winter 2010 are the different silhouettes which start from the long and fluid gowns to asymmetric tiers for dresses and skirts, lots of sari drapes and for added touches the hooded mini, jacket, or maxi. An impact was made by the boleros, gilets, bundies, bundgalas and jackets; while traditional shapes like the Bakhu and Honju as well as Zouave pants were favoured. Quilted pants, fibre filled quilted vests, poly laminated kurta cholis, deconstructed kurtas and laminated coats give the right winter feel. The overall dress silhouette moved from trapeze, shift, sheath, smock and A line to loose trousers with a lot of fluid effect. The short salwar takes over from the Capri and the smock works well with churidars. Elegant capes, pencil trousers and skirts and very lean shapes will also be seen during the next season.
Fabrics that will make an impact for the next season are sheer over solid for prints and heavily beaded hemline borders, lots of velvet, georgette, chanderi, tussars, tribal shawls, knits, Lycra, jersey along with a mix of knit and woven for trousers. Modal jersey, wool, cotton, tulle, Lurex, faux leather, silk, chiffon, and satin were the other choices. Creating a new fabric with interlacing tape into wovens and adding on four leaf clover lazer cutwork along with fraying, fringing and shredding of fabrics will give a new look. Multiple mixes of prints for shrugs, dresses, maxis, capes, pants, will add an unconventional touch, while floral graphic patterns for prints and a mix of leather and fabrics as patches or panels was seen in many collections. Using wool and felt for 3D detailing like curls, rolls, chains and ruffles as well as a mix of leather and fabrics was a great idea.
Detailing played a major roll for collections as drapes, folds and cowls were lavishly used. Chain mail for detailing on yoke, sleeves, side panels, neck and belts as well as Art Deco patterns and fabrics with satin strips woven in and ending in knots along with extreme construction with radial pleating for sleeves and dresses were striking looks. Oriental detailing like Japanese wide armholes, warrior prints, along with dragons and chevron weaves as well as samurai touches for tunic and pants made a great impact. Unconventional detailing using rocks quilted under fabrics, textured leather, tattered gauze, prints of marbled whirlpools and burnt crystals to look like ambers were show stoppers. The conventional Swarovski crystals, and thread detailing was seen on many garments.
Suddenly it is very ‘cool’ to talk about being sustainable, whether as a designer or buyer. But there is yet not much clarity as to what are the parameters of sustainability. Here we take a look at some of the most essential parameters of sustainability are -
Phoebe Philo is an English fashion designer who was previously the designer of the fashion house Chloé where she worked as Stella McCartney’s assistant and was deeply influenced by her. Like her she is a vegetarian and abstains from fur and leather. Eventually becoming the creative director of Chloé, she is credited to have introduced the high-waisted jeans, baby doll dresses, wooden wedge shoes and stack heeled buckled boots. In October 2008 she was appointed as the new creative director of the LVMH fashion brand Celine.
‘Look out for the handloom mark’ ad blitz for the masses
