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Mumbai's Fashion Street demolished
Mumbai: Brihan
Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) authorities have demolished
the city's famous street-side fashion market, Fashion Street.
Shopkeepers claim that they posses licence, but the civic
authorities continue to harass them. "Whenever a new officer
comes, he would pass order to raze our shops. Are the poor
not allowed to live in peace? When we have licence to keep
our shops here; then why are we bothered again and again?
The situation now is even worse than what it was during the
British colonial days," said Mohanlal Vishwanath Sahu, a shopkeeper.
Shopkeepers further claimed that the market was demolished
without any prior notice. "They have demolished the shops
without prior notice. The Bombay High Court has given us the
licence to set up our shops here; even the Supreme Court has
given orders that till My 31, we should not be bothered. But
still these people harass us," said Rajesh a shopkeeper. "Fashion
Street" is a cluster of more than hundred shops selling the
same cloth available at leading US and European retail stores
for a fraction of their price.
-Mar 30, 2007
Opulent feminity dominates second day of
Lakme Fashion Week
Mumbai: Opulent
designs in rich fabrics and vivid colours celebrating a woman's
feminity dominated the ramp on the second day of the Lakme
India Fashion Week, in Mumbai, on Wednesday. Popular designers
Gayatri Khanna and Vineet Bahl displayed their Autumn/Winter
2007 collections at the fashion week. The collection by Gayatri
Khanna was influenced by the early 20's and 30's, weaving
a fashion story filled with rich tones of wine, black, ivory
and olive. She used lush fabrics like lami, velvet, satin,
chiffon, and silk knits. Building on the concept of art deco,
Khanna used magnificent embroidery enhanced with crystals
to create a look that was both regal and luxurious, just what
women generally look for. er showstopper, worn by model and
actor Yana Gupta, was a splendid black/gold embroidered butterfly
cape over a dull gold gown that created the desired flutter.
"The theme of
my collection today was Art Deco... and art deco is a form
of art of the 1920's and the 1930's. We used that as an inspiration
and created an evening wear collection for fall/winter 2007.
We used rich colours like burgundy, plum, black, grey, rusty
pink, ivory, and olive. It's an evening wear collection and
that's what it is," explained Gayatri at a press conference
after the show. I'm doing a show in the fashion after quite
a long time and I just love to say that it's great to wear
clothes designed by Gayatri's because it's really wonderful.
I think that her collection is very wearable and beautiful
which I myself would definitely pick up," said actress-model
Yana Gupta. Designer Vineet Bahl, known for his usually controlled
inspirations, created his most colourful work till now, aptly
called 'A Walk through Fall'. Soft dusky hues like ivory,
dusty pink, cafi latte beige, mustard olive, teal grey, and
royal purple brought autumn onto the ramp, livening the deep
colours with delicate appliqui work and textured thread embroidery,
gave the feminine silhouettes a distinctly sixties look. "So
every outfit in my collection is different with totally different
colours. We have also layered it with suede jackets and leather
as well. We have put leather boots on them so that the whole
styling is very winter," explained Bahl.
More than 40 designers
are displaying their Autumn/Winter 2007 collections at the
fashion week in the hope of wooing some 20 international buyers,
mostly with signature Indian fabrics like raw and hand woven
silks. Indian fashion design industry is worth 1.8 billion
dollars, growing at the rate of 20-30 percent in the 35 billion
dollar global fashion market.
-Mar 28, 2007
Focus on fashion shifts to Mumbai
Mumbai: After
a week long fashion fiesta in Delhi, the focus of fashion
connoisseurs has shifted to Mumbai with the opening of the
Lakme India Fashion Week (LIFW). It took off to a glitzy start
here on Tuesday. More than 40 India designers are showcasing
their Autumn/Winter 2007 collections with their signature
fabrics like raw and hand- woven silks to woo a score of international
buyers at the LIFW extravaganza. The opening day witnessed
a fusion of Victorian fashion with the fashion of the 1960s.
Setting the tone for the five-day long event, designer Vikram
Phadnis draped his models in clothes that moulded 1960s fashion
and Victorian sensibilities, mixing shimmering black velvet
with 'ethnic' motifs. Phadnis said his designs for the eves
-- using banded waists, pleated skirts with medium hem lengths
and oversized sleeves in candy hues -- was for "everyone from
a beauty queen to a girl next door". "I think it was a great
experience because jewellery is most important and I have
had a great blast at the opening of the fashion week. I have
kept the jewellery in mind. I have kept necklines more open
and wide. Black, grey, silver and white were the colours that
I used in my dresses. And they are the colours that would
look best on the jewellery show," said Phadnis. Bollywood
starlet Minisha Lamba, who walked the ramp sporting Phadnis'
creations said: "It was a great experience. It is always good
to be walking the ramp especially walking for Vikram who's
a great friend of mine. I think it's going to be a fantastic
show this year". "He can do fashion, he can do lots of glamorous
film clothing, he can do lots of prjt and lots of real clothes
as well. He has a lot of variety to offer. He understands
the needs of the clients and he designs accordingly," added
Perizaad Zorabian, another Bollywood actor who walked the
ramp in Phadnis' creations.
Designer duo Shyamlal
and Bhumika, who presented the second show, are among a growing
clan of mature designers who focus on bringing together different
elements of traditional India. The two said that by fusing
India's textile heritage with modern styling, they were balancing
'romanticism and futurism'. The collection, 'Metallics meet
romance' used bold, rich colours and raditional Indian detailing.
"We have used a lot of hand woven fabrics and tried to give
a futuristic look using the metallic details. So there's a
blend of futurism with the renaissance details. That's what
we have tried to do," said Bhumika. For the next four days,
the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in the 'Manhattan
of Mumbai' at Nariman Point will be the hub of activity with
models sashaying down the ramp wearing stylised creations
and sporting chic hair styles, make-up trends and accessories.
The fashion week is also being widely covered in the foreign
media. The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph, Vogue, Milan
Fashion Magazine and Asian Fashion Magazine UK are among a
host of media groups who have deputed their critics at the
event. The LIFW event will have an added international sparkle
this year with British brand French Connection UK (FCUK) and
Italian clothing company Sisley presenting their Indian collections.
Indian fashion design industry is estimated to be worth 1.8
billion dollars and growing at 20-30 percent in the 35 billion
dollars global fashion market.
-Mar 27, 2007
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