April 2005
Designers get full house on last day of
India Fashion Week
New Delhi:
Designer Arjun Khanna presented his Fall/Winter collection
"Rock Star Goes to Morocco" to a full house on the last day
of the sixth Lakme India Fashion Week here on Tuesday. Khanna,
known for his penchant for denims, did the obvious but with
a difference. He presented a collection with the Moroccan
influences with a lot of dori and ancient chord work, also
commonly used in India. Khanna's denims wore a heavily washed
look. Khanna, the only designer this year to have presented
an all-men collection, did not shy away from experimenting
in their clothing line. From low-waist jeans to hip-hop seventies'
look. Khanna's collection also included kurtas for men, which
he says are a must this summer. His designs were wild, wacky
and very much wearable. Another collection to have rocked
the ramp was by Ashima-Leena Singh, who stole the show by
its asymmetrical designs -- retaining modernity. Their line
was based on the Eternal Mystics, interpreted in five collections
spanning the globe and underlining the universal consciousness
of the human soul. An eccentric mixture of delightful colours
were seen revolving around the uncharacterstically refined
collection. The designer-duo used a vibrant of colours, embellished
with intricate embroidery, drawn from the very depths of sensuous
reds, magical olives and violets. Black stood out with intricate
embroidery. Ashima said the collection's inspiration came
from their hearts. "I think it just came out from inside.
It's nothing that one can track down from very beginning,"
she said. Visitors were thrilled by their line. "It was too
good. I think it was fabulous," said Sonal Modi, a visitor.
India Fashion Week, one-of-a-kind extravaganza, is passionately
devoted to the pret and couture lines exhibiting the Indian
heritage and embellishments, which are hot abroad. The week-long
show, running into its sixth year, showcases collections of
more than 60 designers, including 20 new ones, from all over
the country.
-April 26, 2005
Tahiliani presents "sheen" collection at
LIFW
New Delhi:
Famous fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani unveiled his latest
collection at the sixth day of Lakme India Fashion Week on
Monday here. Tahiliani used jewels and crystals to drape his
models - ranging from veterans like Ford models Sheetal Mallar,
Vidisha Pavate to new-comers like Tapur Chatterjee and Shivani
Kapur. "I am absolutely awestruck. There is absolutely no
words. It's beautiful.... I liked everything. It's one of
the most awesome shows I have seen. Everything is perfect,"
said Sathya Saran, editor of Femina magazine. Ramona Garware,
a socialite said: "It was fabulous. It's the nicest collection,
I think he has outdone himself." The second show of the evening
was presented by the "bad boy" of Indian fashion Rohit Bal,
who showcased his "Sheen Mubarak" collection. The Kashmiri
sheen reflected the beauty and vanity of the first snowfall
of the season in the pristine valley. The basic inspiration
of the collection was the age-old traditional work of "Wark
ke Kaam", the real Silver and Gold leaf painting. Bal's collection
was a revival of an art form that is more or less extinct.
Painstakingly, the artists who have helped revive this art
form of painting, use real silver and gold leaf on the textile
to form motifs and patterns. Bal used fabrics like Muslin
Silk Chiffon, Chanderi and Matka Silk in the collection. Bal's
contemporaries like Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla who were present
in the show gave him kudos for reviving the dying art. "Big
designers like Rohit Bal set a precedence that traditional
work and retailing is still going so strong," said Abu Jani.
Bal said: "Indian technique, craftsmanship is our strength,
and that's where I think India needs to market itself." Organised
by the Fashion Design Council of India, the mega event is
expected to generate a business of over 4.5 million rupees
as compared to 3.5 million rupees in Mumbai last year.
-April 25, 2005
Varma, Narula on the warpath as design
plagiarism hits LIFW 2005
New Delhi:
With just a day for the Lakme India Fashion Week (LIFW)
to end, a design copyright controversy has reportedly surfaced,
resulting in a war of words between top designers Suneet Varma
and Aki Narula. Television reports showed Varma taking potshots
at Narula on Monday, charging him with "copying" and plagiarising
his designs and using it in a song sequence featuring Rani
Mukherjee in a yet-to-be-released movie, Bunty aur Babli.
"The clothes used in that particular sequence (in the movie
`Bunty aur Babli') are a complete rip-off from my fall/ winter
2003 collection and I have no doubt about it," Varma was quoted
by the television channel, as saying Varma said that he is
seriously thinking of taking legal action against Narula as
well as Rani Mukherjee. "I have consulted my legal team and
will serve a notice on all the persons involved, including
the actress," Varma told reporters here. "I have not designed
those clothes for her, which I have used in my campaigns for
the collection," he added. Narula on the other hand claimed
that he had bought the clothes from a store called Options
and they didn't have any label on it. Varma countered by saying
that this was simply not possible. The Fashion Design Council
of India (FDCI) said that the matter didn't come under its
jurisdiction and the copyright law would deal with the matter.
Narula also said that the moment he knew about the dress being
Varma's creation, he had talked to him and clarified his point.
He also said that he had the receipt of the store and he would
show it in due course. He said that he is yet to receive a
legal notice from Varma.
-April 25, 2005
Valaya showcases 'Tintin' at LIFW
New Delhi:
The ongoing Lakme India Fashion Week, country's biggest
fashion extravaganza, saw fashion czar, JJ Valaya living up
to everybody's expectations presenting beautifully embellished
garments, a mix of glamour with bold designs. In this year's
collection, Valaya incorporated the sheer genius of Georges
Ramin, popularly known as Herge, the creator of the world's
most prolific cartoon series -- "Tintin". He got small boys,
dressed in blue, the unofficial fan club members of Tintin,
wearing a blond wig. In all, Valaya's collection was wearable.
"Target audience is really the modern woman or man who can
sort of relate to being contemporary, who is the woman or
man of today. But it's really important that he or she wants
to give a cutting edge through culture, through little influences
and details," Valaya said. Nandini Behl, a visitor to the
show said: "Very cute, I loved the little boys incorporated
in the show. Very nice." For women, Valaya presented fusion
silhouettes -- flared pants, straight pants and ponchos in
black and sizzling white. For men - - western shirts with
motifs ruled the ramp. Another show to enthrall the audience
was the inevitable Meera and Muzaffar Ali's "Kotwara" collection.
Meera and Muzaffar Ali's endeavour has been to look at style
in the broadest sense of the concept and create products with
a universal appeal and relevance. And that was visible on
the ethnic Indian collection presented by the husband-wife
duo. Using simple craft techniques of "chikan", "zardozi",
"tukdi" and "appliqui" with hand detailing, the Ali's created
dramatic effects on chiffons and cottons, evoking the blend
of historical and modern culture. The label of "Kotwara" acquired
a style of its own, both avant- garde and traditional, and
evoked an image, which is an interesting, blend of detailing
and innovation, modernity and old world charm. The Ali's collection
epitomised their inner grace, essence of nostalgia, fragrance
of the present and the dream of the future. The show was attended
by a host of celebs including film actress Sharmila Tagore.
"It was very good. Muzaffar is my favourite anyways. I loved
it. It was so varied and I liked lot of things," Tagore told
reporters. At least 60 designers showcased their "pret-a-porter"
or ready- to-wear collections at the event, which drew 15,000
spectators, including film stars, fashion critics, buyers
and upcoming fashion designers. Some of the big name potential
buyers including luxury conglomerate Moet, Hennessy-Louis
Vuitton and British clothing retail giants Marks and Spencer
and Selfridges are attending the weeklong fashion parade.
-April 25, 2005
Previous File
TOP Current
File
