Back to Fashion

I keep hearing how thanda and lacklustre fashion week was for many who attended, but the truth about this fashion week – if you ask me – was that it was spot on. Normally, it feels more like wedding than a trade event. Not this time. On 27th October, the last day of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, I bumped into designer after designer, and each one commented on how sales were better than ever.

Fashion week is finally turning into a trade event. The venue, Paragti Maidan, needs a bit of a facelift, but gives the event a feel of business. The large space it provides meant the stalls (the main space for business; where designers display their clothes on racks for buyers) were given the due space they needed. And with shows starting at 2pm, there was plenty of time for buyers and designers to concentrate on placing and taking the orders.

The absence of senior names like Rajesh Pratap Singh, Rohit Bal, and Ranna Gill was a blessing in disguise to the young designers, and names like Anand Kabra, Prashant Verma, Arjun Saluja, Rahul Misra came to the forefront. It also meant that most of our page 3 regulars (women who normally only turn up for the big names) were missing from the event. The focus was on fashion. There were hardly any Bollywood showstoppers, so the dailies had no choice but to focus on the clothes. A refreshing and welcome change.

I have to admit that as one of the few journalists who have been attending fashion week since it began over ten years ago, this was first time I did not feel shattered after the week ended. I did not attend one fashion party, and am actually looking forward to the next fashion week in March!



PS This was also one of Tarun Tahilani's most focused and controlled shows to date, a fitting ending to this edition of Wills India Fashion Week. (Above is the lovely Chitranganda walking the ramp for him)

A Time for India

The October Issue hits the stands today. And while all over the world it’s about the September Issue, in India it is the October issue which really is the bumper edition. The month marks the start of the festive season, the wedding season is reaching its peak, and of course, it’s the time when many of us are just in the mood to shop.
And the new trend for October – it’s a return to India, a return to heritage albeit in a modern interpretation. At Lakme Fashion Week I noticed that nearly every designer showed a sari, though in their own style. And I feel that is what has kept the sari alive while other national costumes have died. As constant as the appeal of the sari is, there is also a freshness to it with designers interpreting it differently – be it Anand Kabra’s lehenga sari, Anamika Khanna’s trouser sari or Tarun Tahilani’s goddess sari.
Seeing the sari take centrestage at fashion week also made me realise that Indian designers might finally be getting it. For years at an Indian fashion week we have seen watered down versions of outfits from the catwalks of Milan, Paris, London, and New York. And my question has always been why would we try and do something that clearly the West does better than us? Why don’t we concentrate on what we can do better than anyone else? Our knowledge of drape, colour, fabric, and surface ornamentation is richer than any other. When you buy British fashion, you know it is going to be quirkier, American fashion tends be sportier, the Italians are the tsars of tailoring, and the Parisians know chic better than anyone else.
And while no Indian may be developing a handwriting in fashion; something there has richness, a feel of crafts and vibrancy that truly is unique. We should focus on that and not try and do something we can never be the best at!

(Pics Courtesy: Harper's bazaar India)

Fashion Weak

An appeal to fashion weeks!

September marks the beginning of the fashion season. It’s an exciting time as new collections enter stores and new fashion weeks herald a gamut of new trends. But this September, I am neither excited about fashion nor looking forward to any of the fashion weeks in India.

The reason? The word “Fashion Week” has been abused. There is Lakme, Wills, Kolkata, Van Heusen, HDIL , Pearl Infrastructure, and did someone mention a Jaipur Fashion Week? We probably have about half a dozen designers of note in India, so where is the content to fill these fashion weeks?

With Lakme starting this week, I am struggling to find one day where I actually want to see all the shows. Which is probably why designers resort to using Bollywood on the ramp—it is a pretty mask to cover the lack of actual fashion on the ramp and a short cut to media coverage.

Every season, the quality of fashion at these Indian weeks just seem to get more and more diluted as ever newer fashion weeks keep springing up. And as a member of the fashion press, I find it hard to divide quality coverage over all the new fashion weeks. As a magazine, the team needs to work its schedule around each fashion event, and we also need to allocate budgets, hire photographers, and spend time attending the event. The situation, after a while, will become impossible to handle.

So here is my small but earnest appeal to the fashion industry—if you want people to take the fashion seriously, come together and do ONE important fashion week. Focus on quality fashion rather than PR stunts. Basically, bring the fashion back to fashion week!

All Day (& All Night) Long

So it is time for the September issue! For fashion that’s the start of the year…

The Fall fashion issue tells you what the new statements for this season are, what the must buys are, and how to wear it. Many women I know may skip fashion magazines throughout the year, but they always buy the September Issue! It is the definitive guide for the months ahead.

And fashion seems a little confused this year: minimalism is back and we have to thank Phoebe Philo of Celine for this, as is lots of decadence ala Giorgio Armani & Max Mara. There is a beautiful femininity courtesy Valentino’s new duo (Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli), Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton and on the other hand Hermes goes androgynous ‘Avenger style’. Perhaps it is not surprising that fashion is confused because the world is confused: Are we still in recession? Who are the new superpowers? And closer to home, will the Commonwealth Games even happen?

Maybe due to this puzzled state of mind, the colour nude has made a comeback! It’s a shade which lends itself to every style. It looks great in the day and sensual in the evening. Confusion has lead fashion to one clear direction – there is nothing as soothing as a non – colour like nude. There is simplicity to it, and right now it’s time to get rid of the clutter & make things in life simpler.

If I had to single out another clear message that the Fall/Winter fashion weeks brought out (and I attended them in Paris and Delhi) it was return of Daytime Chic – which is what we celebrated in the September issue at Harper’s Bazaar India. After many seasons of seeing the emphasis of red carpet gowns on the ramp, it was so refreshing to see some beautiful daywear as this is more relevant for India than any other country. Personally I do not believe any gown can compete with the sensuality, elegance and beauty of the sari, so when it comes to formal wear this is always my number one choice!

More importantly the focus on daywear shows fashion is more confident, that things are looking up & women are ready to spend on more than evening wear. Its time to look like a lady all day (& all night) long!

With the above in mind, here is my wish list for fall:

- Abraham & Thakore’s beige and black sari worn with a wrap jacket (In pic)
- Valentino’s beige coat dress (in pic)
- Lanvin’s one shoulder beige drape dress (in pic)
- Hermes leather pants (if you can afford them)
- Chanel’s 2.55 bag in beige
- Stella’s nude Kitten heels
- Gucci’s over the knee beige boots (in pic)
- And the LBD of the season comes from the studio of Rajesh Pratap Singh (in pic)

What Should I wear today?

WHAT I SHOULD I WEAR TODAY?

New Year. New Decade. New start. New more positive thoughts. This what we are all thinking. Probably not the most original idea to start a blog with but since that was the inspiration for starting this blog, why not roll with it?
Having been a part of this mad fashion industry for 15 years now I felt it was about time to have my own space. There is something very cynical about fashion, we love to be critical about a collection, to point out where the loose threads are. And we are always striving to make this more fabulous. And of course we love to dress well. Which is why I often wake up thinking, “What should I wear today?” And my response is next to always, “Nothing”. Even though I have stacked cupboards full of clothes, which say otherwise.

This is why the start to my New Year’s was really about starting with a very fashionable new slate. This New Year’s I decided enough of the normal walking up on New Year’s Day (or should I say evening) with a heavy head and feeling very sorry for myself. Instead I packed off with my fiancée to Ananda in the Himalayas. This is a true break from the world; cut off from the rest of the world (and most importantly cellphones do not work) you have time to think. And what I found most restful was the fact I did not have to think about what to wear. Ananda is about total de-stress. Starting the day with Yoga class and then moving onto breakfast where you meal is determined by what dosha you are—so you don't have to make any of those hard, "What should I eat?” decisions. Breakfast flows happily into an informal and very chatty vedanta class and then it’s off for a truly indulgent treatment. Really quite idyllic but what made it extra special was a soft cotton white kutra pajama with simple embroidery around the neck - loose, comfortable, yet chic. A set of these is placed in every room and this is what you wear- so you never have to think, “What should I wear today?” And seeing everyone wearing the same thing had an almost comforting factor.

KEEP IT SIMPLE
It made me think that here we are, in the world of fashion, trying to reinvent all the time, when sometimes basic is really the way to go. It really is about the simple things in life. And often we get carried away, being extravagant just for the sake it. And actually finding that simplest of garment is often the most challenging--the right white shirt, the sari with the perfect blouse and the dress that always makes you feel fab. These are the pieces you can bank on.

THE BASIC FIVE

For me the white shirt can easily be replaced with a white kurta shirt. It is a silhouette that India has given the world and is a true gift to every woman. Easy to wear, it has a creative feel to it without it looking too pretentious. My favourite comes from Zara or from Rajesh Pratap Singh. Then comes a great pair of trousers to wear with this--you have to turn to Joseph or Theory. (Yes for those who live in India it involves traveling abroad, but I am yet to find a great brand available in India that makes those perfect pants or any Indian designer who has figured out how to make the healthy Indian hips look good in trousers). Then comes a fab dress, there is black of course, but if you like red or white these are just as good. The LBD gives way to the LD. My current favourite LD is from Phillipe Lim. And if I had to choose a colour, it's purple; it makes me feel eternally majestic and looks fab with our more tanned skins. Lim is a designer I discovered three years ago and someone I remain in love with—he just knows how to make a dress that camouflages those flaws and accentuates your assets. What more does a woman want? Then comes the coat or the jacket—if you can afford to, invest in a Chanel. It never goes out of style! But if not, look closer to home: Nachiket Barve does some great textures on his jackets. (Yes I know it's about being basic, but remember basic does not have to mean boring).And lastly comes the sari, a cocktail one a la Tarun Tahiliani or Gaurav Gupta. They have given the sari a young and modern feel by going with structured drapes and making the blouse the focal point. Or go traditional and check out Cinnamon’s organdy and jacquard saris. Just remember to team with an extra sexy blouse or maybe a tube top, so that it looks like you're wearing a sari all on its lonesome!

These are pieces that should make the foundation of your wardrobe, and a good foundation will ensure a very stylish start to the year. Here's wishing you a happy, healthy, wealth and fabulously chic 2010. Remember, keeping it simple is often the safer, easier and most flattering option.

PS: Incase this sounds too simple, I'm sure I will go back to my slightly dressier self in the next entry.