fashion week

BIG NEWS: Amazon.in gets fashionable

Speaking ChicFebruary 24, 2015February 23, 2015Leave a comment

JUST IN: Amazon.in is the official title sponsor of the 25^thedition of India Fashion Week, to be held this March- it will be named Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW) this season.

Surprising? Not really.

This is a giant step for Amazon.in to make a mark on the Indian fashion scene. With the title sponsorship, the website will strike a chord for shoppers of premium and high-street fashion. And oh, Amazon.in will now be ready to face its rival Jabong.com head-on. (Jabong is the associate sponsor of the Lakme Fashion Week held in Mumbai).

Yay! More shopping!

Amazon.in has to compete with Jabong.com which has several brands and designers on board for exclusive collections, like G Star Raw, Dorothy Perkins, Vikram Phadnis, Rohit Bal for Jabong, Gaurav Gupta Tribe and Alia Bhatt.

To attract customers who are label-conscious rather than price-sensitive, Amazon.in will need to offer more exciting fashion choices on their website. The “exclusive” options are currently limited (Holii, Bulova and Imara, among others) as are the high street brands and designers already on the Indian website (Steve Madden, Hemant-Nandita).

All of this means one thing—more shopping choices for us!

My Amazon.in fashion wishlist

Internationally, Amazon retails several premium brands and designers on their website such as Kate Spade, Nanette Lepore and Calvin Klein. I would be delighted if Amazon.in could bring such brands for us. Now that would be exciting!

Also, I’m not a fan of Amazon.in’s interface for browsing clothes and accessories. They’ll need to make it slicker, cooler and more stylish if they want me to shop with them for my fashion needs.

End note

All this talk of shopping reminds me- bet you’ve already seen the Amazon.in Fashion ads on TV. It’s all part of their grand strategy to be taken seriously in fashion. Enjoy!

In Fashion, LFW SR 2013

LFW SR 2013: Best designer stalls!

Speaking ChicMarch 31, 2013March 31, 2013Leave a comment

Fashion week is not just about the fashion shows, trends and celeb showstoppers. It’s also about taking a closer look at my favourite or upcoming designers’ collections in the “stalls” area (it’s called The Source at Lakme Fashion Week). In this season of LFW, a few desginers chose to showcase their collection in creative ways that were in like with the theme of their collection. Here are the best stalls from Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2013 (in no particular order):

Pia Pauro’s Greek boathouse

Check out the wooden slats, sailoring equipment and the hat hung on the wheel.

Anushree Reddy’s charming salon

Cute picture-frames, vintage furniture and the very girly white-and-pink theme!

Arjun Khanna’s men’s tailoring boutique

It’s got the feel of a royal hunting lodge!

In LFW SR 2013

LFW SR 2013: Top picks from Aircel’s Save the Tiger show

Speaking ChicMarch 30, 2013March 30, 2013Leave a comment

It’s good to know that the tiger population in India has increased by roughly 300 since Aircel first began their “Save the Tiger” campaign. At Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2013, Aircel presented Fashion for a Cause that showcased the works of 40 designers. Each creation was inspired by the tiger and each ensemble was completely different from the rest. Some of the designs were ferocious like the majestic creature, some made a strong statement, and some took the theme very seriously. I liked several of them.

My favourite looks were from Nachiket Barve, Rimi Nayak, Shivan Narresh, Ragini Ahuja, Jatin Varma, Nupur Kanoi and Sidharth Aryan. Some of the best pictures from this list:

Which look do you like?

In Fashion, LFW SR 2013

LFW SR 2013: Pia Pauro’s Grecian Goddess is light, bright and right for the season

Speaking ChicMarch 28, 2013March 27, 2013Leave a comment

Designer Pia Pauro travelled to Greece, fell so deeply in love with the blue sea and white homes, that she made a collection inspired by the country. Pia Pauro’s collection at Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2013 was mostly blue and white with a touch of gold and bright colours. Her prints were “Mykonous” and “Olympia” with fish motifs and gold thread embroidery. The very long and short dresses and tunics had cute turquoise bikinis peeping through, making the ensembles perfect for vacation in Goa, Greece or St. Tropez. Resort wear is always fun, though this collection could have been more fun with a few more interesting pieces. Too bad I’m not going anywhere! I want to carry those large beach bags.

In Fashion, WIFW AW 2013

WIFW AW 2013: Masaba is more offbeat than ever with Satya Paul debut

Speaking ChicMarch 14, 2013March 13, 2013Leave a comment

Designer Masaba Gupta finally made her debut for Satya Paul on the first day of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Autumn Winter 2013.

Masaba’s creations were quirkier than ever with lipstick prints and paint splotches. Lipstick motifs were all over the clothes and accessories—saris, dresses, vanity cases and clutches.

Masaba clearly made Satya Paul appealing to her fans and beyond with her offbeat prints, neon trims, and contrast jackets with saris. I can already imagine copies of the lipstick prints everywhere. Maybe nail paint is not too far behind? 😉

Take a look at Masaba Gupta for Satya Paul (WIFW AW 2013) in this video:

In 2013, Fashion

Chic Recap: Sabyasachi is okay with fakes, wants to be more affordable

Speaking ChicFebruary 10, 2013February 10, 2013Leave a comment

It’s not often that a seemingly-reclusive fashion genius steps out of his workshop to share philosophy on work, design and life. Last night, Sabyasachi Mukherjee had a heart-to-heart conversation with Boman Irani on Teachers’ Achievers’ Club (Star World). Take a look:

The designer, in his trademark white kurta-churidar and black waistcoat amazed me with his bluntness, sharp wit and unconventional views. Some fun fashion-related tidbits from the show:

After Sabyasachi’s first collection, ace designer Rohit Bal complimented him, saying Sabyasachi was “the best designer ever”. Unfortunately, his second show got bad reviews and Sabyasachi made sure that didn’t happen again.
As we already know, Sabyasachi is a proponent of Indian textiles and handicrafts and has always said that Indian women look better in saris. He insists our traditions and past should be embraced, and more Indian women should wear traditional garments and weaves. I’m inspired, really. I’ve promised myself I will wear a sari on one day of Lakme Fashion Week.

During the interview Sabyasachi panned the West’s over-arching influence and approach to fashion. He said: “[I don’t like] the West’s patronising attitude just because they’ve mastered marketing and packaging.” That’s perhaps the most politically incorrect statement a designer could make.

Sabyasachi’s five-year plan is to make his label affordable for everyone in India. Can’t wait for that day!

He also hopes to direct a movie some day– and the costumes may not be designed by him.

The designer may be dressing Vidya Balan, Rani Mukherjee and Sridevi, but his mom doesn’t wear his saris. She says they’re unaffordable, especially “when there are other good saris available for Rs 800”.

Sabyasachi knows there are tonnes of fakes floating around, but he doesn’t mind that, as long as it “empowers karigars in some way.” Noble thought, no?

One word for this creative genius: R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

In Fashion, WIFW SS 2013

WIFW SS 13 Day 2 Recap

Speaking ChicOctober 20, 2012October 20, 2012Leave a comment

Manish Malhotra
Manish Malhotra’s been using a lot of Kashmiri embroidery and chikankari recently, and for this ramp collection, he continued with the latter, associating with the NGO Mijwan. And there were the usual suspects of colours like ivory, creme, burnt orange, dull shades of red, pink and the like. Some great stuff to look at, but not new.

AM:PM
Ankur and Priyanka Modi stuck to a simple colour palette, but with exotic imagery of god-birds, the Mayan maze, and birds of paradise. Exoticism was balanced with elegant fluid silhouettes, though the designer duo could have taken a few more risks.

Anaikka
The designer tried to capture the multiple facets of a woman through garments crafted for specific personalities, character traits and looks. This ranged from the simple feminine charm to the complex mysterious allure. Two key themes in the collection: attention to detail and strong use of monotones.

Dev R Nil
Clever print mixing in dresses and separates comprised this very wearable collection. The colour palette was restricted to mostly nude, taupe, pale lime, and navy blue with sparks of tangerine and fuchsia.

James Ferreira
Moving away from last year’s tie-and-dye, the designer’s new collection features hand painting by textile artist Bhamini Subramaniam and minimal embellishment. Chic and modern, the draped silhouettes were all seen before.

Kavita Bhartia
The “Romanian” influences is not quite apparent, and the headgear was quite disconcerting. The odd-coloured wigs distracted us from the garments, which were quite likable once you saw beyond the wool-hair.

Rajesh Pratap Singh
Rajesh Pratap Singh experimented with new materials (fabrics and otherwise), used tassellation and various drapes for a slightly futuristic look (big shoulders, surface textures).

SCHON by Sakshee Pradhan
Marking the journey of the sparrow, the rich fabrics and an outfit with some embroidery were the only interesting bits about the collection.

Samant Chauhan
Samant Chauhan attempted to create masterpieces worth royalty with Bhagalpuri silks, “assi kalis” and zardozi embroidery. Are all the garments worth royalty? Are they all masterpieces? The answer to both questions is “No”, though some of them are certainly arisotocratic, if not regal.

Surbhi Chawla
Lots of “influences” in the collection (nomadic, tribal, gypsy), but the common thread to bind them all together was missing.

Accessories of the Day
Nathnis (nose accessories) at Sakshee Pradhan.

Quirky statement earrings at Surbhi Chawla.

Customary Bollywood Appearances of the Day
Parineeti Chopra for Manish Malhotra. Maybe she could have tried to carry the outfit a bit more gracefully?

Diana Penty for Sakshee Pradhan- drab, just like her look in Cocktail.

Manoj Bajpai for Samant Chauhan. Can’t miss the royal weapon there!

WTFashion Outfit of the Day
Is it a bird? Is it a garbage can? No, it’s WTFashion! (Spotted at Khushiz).

In 2012, LFW W/F 2012

LFW W/F 2012: Embellishments on ethnic wear

Speaking ChicAugust 15, 2012August 15, 2012Leave a comment

Pallavi Jaikishan

Loved her trademark rosettes, flowers and crystal embellishments.

Bhairavi Jaikishan

Resham work done only on net!

Shyamal & Bhumika

Opulent zardosi embroidery for men gives a rich look.

Debarun

Blue and crimson thread embroidery on beige and black.

PS- Happy Independence Day!

In 2012, LFW W/F 2012

LFW W/F 2012 Trend: History lessons from the fashion ramp- decoded

Speaking ChicAugust 13, 2012August 13, 2012Leave a comment

We love the present, but we can’t help looking back into the past especially when it comes to fashion. Every fashion lover seems to have a favourite moment from the days gone by. But I’ve looked back into the past to figure out whether the designers’ claims about the era are historically accurate.

Pernia Qureshi

Drop waist dresses from the 1920s. Bead work on luxe fabrics from the Fifties.

Historical accuracy: High

Anita Dongre

Knee and calf-length pencil skirts, dresses with pleats and gathers (1950s)

Historical accuracy: Moderate

Ritu Beri

Glamour, beauty and indulgence. (1950s)

Historical accuracy: Low (Nothing Marilyn Monroe about the collection, as the designer claimed)

Archana Kochhar

Prints from the 1970-80s- like checkerboard, geometric, zig zag.

Historical accuracy: Low (Prints from the 1970s-80s include florals, animal prints and even ink splattered.)

In 2012, LFW W/F 2012

LFW W/F 2012 Trend: Peplums on the runway!

Speaking ChicAugust 13, 2012August 12, 2012Leave a comment

Internationally, peplums are not a new trend. The Duchess of Cambridge has been seen spotted in peplum dresses and skirts more than a few times, and some high street brands cleverly made it part of their summer collection. On the Indian fashion week ramps, peplums have grown up.

Take a look at the peplums at Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2012:

Soft peplums in light fabrics at Drashta

Belted peplums at Sailex

Elaborate 3D peplums at Rajat K Tangri

Peplum jackets at Nupur Kanoi

What’s your take on peplums?