My Favourite Show from Lakme Fashion Week Winter Festive 2016

A lot of people are going to say that their favourite shows were the ones by the bigger designers like Tarun Tahiliani or Manish Malhotra or Sabyasachi. These shows were great and gorgeous as usual. They showcased beautiful clothes and on display was the vision of each of these legendary designers.

But none of these were my favourite. Why you ask? Let me tell you, but some highlights from these shows - only because they deserve respect.

Tarun Tahiliani

Sabyasachi Mukherjee

My favourite show? The All Plus Size show that was styled by Little Shilpa (you see the contradiction here already?!). The show itself was amazing because of the over the top vision of Little Shilpa.

After all, what is the point of a fashion show if not to delve into the mind of the designer. The clothes are part of the vision, but that is just one part. The theatre and drama are equally important.

Now, does this mean that plus size is now going to be the norm on Indian catwalks and in India? Far from it. I think this is a good first step. But it has to be clear that this is just that - a first step. It is going to take a long time for perceptions to change. And perhaps far longer for acceptance by the general public of the concept of plus size fashion.

Traditionally this segment has been ignored, shunned and even swept under the rug. But this is the first breaking out. And I loved the show for showing the courage to actually address this segment. May there be lots more shows and even more stylish looks to come!

London Fashion Week - Enjoy it even if you're not in the front-row!

These are the days - like each year the most famous designers and brands are going to present their Spring/Summer-Collections for 2016 at London Fashion Week. After six years at Somerset House, this year it is moved to Brewer Street in Soho: the perfect place for a city-wide fashion celebration.

"The brilliant thing about Brewer Street is that we'll be able to have natural light coming in through the roof" , said Caroline Rush, the CEO of the British Fashion Council.

The idea of this trade event? The £28 billion British fashion-industry wants to show what they created to global press, industry buyers, bloggers, photographers and chancers. So just take a look at all the beautiful models wearing clothes of the most famous designers of the world. But there will be as well some newcomers who will have their first show during the next five days. Edeline Lee, Toga and Hills & Friends are mentioned as Must-See.

When you have no possibility to go to London Fashion Week, why not checking out the London Fashion Weekend (24th - 27th September)? Host in the Saatchi Gallery you can find Trend Shows by TheOutnet.com and Designer Galleries of international and British Brands, framed by a dynamic events programme. It is the perfect alternative to get a taste of the Fashion Week including insider knowledge and style advice.

Source: London Fashion Weekend

For those of you who can't wait until next weekend or are too curious to know what is IN next year: Here is the link to the live stream of London Fashion Week:

http://www.londonfashionweek.co.uk/live.aspx

But if you don't want to watch alone, enjoy London Fashion Week at Carnaby. You can watch all the shows on a ginormous outdoor screen; and always keep your eyes open: there are a few shops giving discounts or small gifts. At least get yourself a London Fashion Week Cocktail at Riding House Cafe at the end of the day (each one is named after snappy quotes from the likes of Karl Lagerfeld and Anna Wintour) and discuss about the stunning collections.

You don't need to sit in the front row to experience London Fashion Week, you just need to know where to go else!

Overview of Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2015

We will start with The Grand Finale of Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2015 by renowned Indian designer Anamika Khanna, who is easy to recognise with her signature style of ivory and black. Two years ago, at Cannes Film Festival in 2013, Anamika styled Sonam Kapoor in an ivory net sari, that received a huge amount of attention.

Anamika Khanna's collection theme this year at Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2015 was “The Sculpt”. She created this line to play with fluidity and sculpting of contemporary silhouettes. The collection was eclectic, quirky and edgy.

Throughout her collections, she always uses black and ivory as a signature style, as she has done for her Lakme Fashion Week Grand Finale collection. But she has also incorporated subtle pink, gunmetal, and  deep blues into her outfits. She has kept a traditional design style throughout the collection, but had also added very modern and stylish silhouettes and styling. Due to many years of experimentation in fashion, Anamika always experiments with new styles, to make a woman feel both sexy and elegant.

Anamika Khanna understands that nowadays demands for Indian clothing is now international. The Indian designer wants to create clothing that has an Indian style but can be worn by international clients, and also because she has demands of her collections from all over the world.

Let’s have an overview of her Summer/Resort 2015's edition: Throguhout the last 15 years of this event, it has showcased India’s rich culture and given a platform for all new Indian designers. And again, this fashion show was a step forward for Indian Fashion. We can see that some new Indian designers were also present during the entire event, some of them showed unique creations and extravagant themes.

For this Summer/Resort 2015 edition, the Gen-Next show collections were a spectacular mix of innovation and creativity. Some of these designers include the likes of Ankit Carpenter, Kanika Goyal, Manish Bansal, Alan Alexander Kaleekal, Salita Nanda and Priyanka Ella Lorena Lama.

The overall event was extremely impressive and lead to a lot of success with buyers who attended the event: "The overall response from the buyers and international stores has been extremely positive for us. We have opened conversation with a number of them. We got enquires from Aza, Malgaadi, Ogaan, Creo, Minerali, Amaara, Vyoum, Solo Look, Sade and Iness" Karan Berry and Leon Vaz of the label Karleo, told IANS".

For this edition, they were 163 registered buyers, 120 Indian and 43 international. This is very difference from the beginning of Lakme Fashion Week. Purnima Lamba, head of innovation at Lakmé has stated that the event’s progression was immense.

At each Lakme Fashion Week, there is always a day for Indian textiles. This year, it was on the day 2 that the designers promoted Indian textiles. During this day, big names of Indian Fashion like Raghavendra Rathore, Anita Dongre and Sabyasachi Mukherjee contributed to showcase traditional Indian textiles.

83 designers participated at this edition of Lakme Fashion Week, all the new designers but also all the Kings and Queens of Indian Fashion that included Tarun Tahiliani, Krishna Mehta, Suneet Varma, Manish Malhotra, Raghavendra Rathore, Kiran Uttam Gosh and Shivan & Narresh. And we can’t forget the two international names; Natalie Jolliffe head of Miss Bennett London with her mix of outfits for young women and Tom Tailor with his casual line.

Besides all these big names of Indian designers showcased at Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2015, also saw a huge presence of Bollywood stars, such as Arjun Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur, Tamannah Bhatia and Shradda Kapoor, who all looked fabulous on the ramp.

Feminity Takes a New Turn - Milan Fashion Week

For Paglialunga, creative director at Jil Sander, a woman who now wears men’s clothing as everyday wear, is becoming completely normal.

“You need to know what to add on to make it more confident and elegant,” he adds.

Roberto Cavalli is a prime example of this; his amazing collection for next winter is extremely sexy and sensual, with mini-dresses under fur-lined overcoats embellished with diamonds accentuating the waist.

Few do striking red carpet gowns with more flare and femininity, and his newest stand out creation comes in either a stylish halter neck style top or with feminine floaty sleeves. The double-tone gown blends from soft blue to deep purple, and even blue into autumnal rust that creates a gorgeous array of sunset hues.

Roberto Cavilli and his wife Eva Dueringer, the two main forces behind the company gave a quick hand gesture to the crowd after the Fashion show instead of their usual finale catwalk strut. Soon, Cavalli will finish his final process of talks to sell a major part of the brand he founded into one of the world’s most popular brands, but for the moment, the role that he will have in this ownership isn’t very clear.

“We will make announcements as soon as we have news or something to communicate,” Daniele Corvasce, CEO, recently stated about Cavalli’s role in the company to The Associated Press, but also that she knows that he will stay the founding shareholder.

Ermanno Scervino is renowned for playing with gender identity throughout his sensual designs. Scervino showcased creations such as macro black and white hounds tooth prints for his dress and coat designs. He also showcased a stand out coat with an asymmetrical shawl collar, including a jacket and skirt outfit with a dainty sequined black top.

Until now, the use of hounds tooth print has never seemed so pretty!

Eva Herzigova is one of the breath-taking models that smiled for the cameras. She’s walking for Pucci designer Peter Dundas in a long black dress under a stunning velvet jacket with zodiac signs.

“In fashion we are so busy managing everything we do. We can’t always control things and sometimes wonderful things happen when you can’t control them,” Peter Dundas said. He really wanted to bring something new to his collection, which is where the idea came for a unique Zodiac-themed show.

Within his Milan Fashion Week show, Peter Dundas created a magical world with long legged models showcasing velvet pants teamed with bags with fringe detailing. His psychedelic collection also included mini-dresses with black and white optical patterns. An innovative collection not to be missed!

Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi's collection was more urban and somber than usual. One of the main creations was a deconstructed suit, aswell as jumpers and coats decorated by interesting areas of metallic eyelets and silver sequins.

Discover Celebrities' favourite styles!

India’s international jewellery Week 2014 Highlights and Top Picks

India’s international jewellery Week 2014 has recently taken place and it was certainly was not one to be missed. A huge array of models showcasing gorgeous Indian designer jewellery collections of all shapes and sized sashayed down the ramp at the fifth edition of the India International Jewellery Week.

A unique variety of jewelers, designers and design graduates from the Indian Institute of Gems and Jewellery presented their creations at the event hosted by the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council.

The Indian jewellery designers produced the most essential and inspirational jewellery to date, making a statement across the globe. India’s international Jewellery Week provided a perfect international platform for India's most talented designers and design houses to showcase their original and contemporary Indian designer jewellery collections.

 The shows took place over a spectacular four-day period, from July 14 to July 17, and featured from of Bollywood’s hottest stars.

Day 1: Our favourite show from day 1 had to be Sunny Leone’s collection, full of black magic and darker tones, the statement gold and silver pieces were beautifully designed, and perfect for dressing up a simple outfit and standing out from the crowd.

Day 2: Day two of event featured a stunning array of Indian designer jewellery collections, but Swarovski definitely stood out to us as being the number one show stopper. The ballroom of the Grand Hyatt was transformed into a marriage Mandap with masses of marigold streamers dangling from the ceiling. The runway ramp was edged with a gorgeous border of marigolds, setting the stage perfectly for a mega wedding style celebration, which featured a number of brides from all around the country.

The Swarovski “The Brides of India” collection was presented by Nazraana in association with P C Jeweller, and was a mind blowing combination and variety of genuine jewels and synthetic stones all beautifully crafted. The colour, detail, sheer beauty and cut of the stones were a breath-taking view on the catwalk as the models strutted their way down the runway.

Day 3: Sonam Kapoor, Sridevi and Parineeti Chopra took to the ramp on Day 3, making it a day to remember! Our favourite show had to be by Golecha Jewels. The collection consisted of stunning oversized and detailed traditional neckpieces, which were displayed with deep oranges and reds which made the richness of the gold stand out beautifully.

                                                   

And lastly, our favourite of all the shows took place on the last day of IIJW. It featured one desired and standout piece of Indian designer jewellery from each of the many stunning collections shown in the first three days of India International Jewellery Week 2014. There were 21 items altogether from the different brands and Indian jewellery designers that were there to make their mark in the global jewellery scene.

The Textile Minister at the 2nd day of the Lakme Fashion Week Winter-Festive 2014

To celebrate the Indian Handlooms and Textiles day, Santosh Gangwar - Textile Minister, inaugurated the 2nd day of Lakme Fashion Week's Winter Festive 2014 edition. The celebration of this particular day was first introduced in the fashion show in 2012.

Many thought that it will be just for once, like other projects in the past but 2 years, but this initiative has continued and its popularity has not ceased to grow. The spotlight was on handwoven fabrics like chanderi, tussar silk, khadi and honoured indigenous dyeing techniques and organic practices of the designers.

The beautiful actress Shriya Saran walked on the ramp wearing a floral print sari with a lightly embellished scoop-neck green blouse and a nathni explained, "I always support handloom designs because I feel it's an art of India that is gradually dying out. I personally associate with Sashikant's use of organic fashion."

Here are some pictures of the inauguration :

  

After the inauguration and the speech of the minister, the program was settled and the shows began : 

- Show 1 : Debashri Samanta, Divya Sheth, Sayantan Sarkar

- Show 2 : Anavila, Purvi Doshi, Sashikant Naidu

- Show 3 : Prama by Pratima Pandey, Pinnacle-Shruti Sancheti

- Show 4 : Rouka by Sreejith Jeevan, N&S Gaia by Sidharth Sinha

- Show 5 : Marg by Soumitra, Vaishali S.

- Show 6 : Anuj Sharma

- Show 7 : Krishna Metha

- Show 8 : Swati Vijaivargie Jain, Harshitaa Chatterjee Deshpande

- Show 9 : Sanjay Garg

All shows had their individual mood and their own personality. From traditional to more contemporary or neutral to colourful, the beautiful collections of the designers had captured audience’s attention and proudly represented the ancestral know-how of India.

You want to see beautiful pictures of the Lakme Fashion Week Winter Festive 2014 and have more information? Why don't you have a look at a presentation about the Lakme Fashion Week Winter Festive 2014 collections presented on Day 1?

See also Anita Dongre at LFW!

organic practices

organic practices

Masaba Gupta's Opening Show at Lakme Winter Festive Fashion Show 2014

Masaba Gupta pretty much started the trend of the printed styles, including printed saris, on the ramp and off-the ramp in India. The designer's prints are inspired by every-day objects and have loads of appeal for a younger generation.

The styles on the ramp for Masaba's Autumn Winter collection included an eclectic range. A lot of different silhouettes, but the common thread being the prints - from bold to delicate. Loved each one of the styles!

Shilpa Shetty also walked on the ramp for the designer as a showstopper.

Have you seen also Debashri Samanta?
Pics: Lakme Fashion Week