Gucci Brings Its Florentine Silk Artisans To Their Mumbai Boutique At The Palladium Mall

For a while now, I've posted beautiful images about how luxury goods are made and talked about the meticulous craftsmanship that goes into it which involves techniques that are passed down through generations. This time, you can see the magic happen in person.

Gucci will be holding a Silk Artisan Corner at their Palladium Mall boutique on the 12th and 13th April. The artists will present the drawing technique of the iconic Flora Foulard and will personalise scarves with the guests' initials. Is there anything more luxurious than Florentine artists hand painting your initials in front of you on a silk scarf?

When Grace Kelly or should I say Princess Grace of Monaco visited the Via Monte Naploene boutique in 1966, Rodolfo Gucci commissioned master illustrator Vittorio Accornero to create a floral pattern on an original silk scarf as a very special present to the Princess. What followed was a silk scarf printed with nine bouquets of flowers from all four seasons, with berries, butterflies, dragonflies resembling somewhat of a fairy-tale. How magical.

In addition, to celebrate this iconic motif, Gucci will unveil its latest perfume from the Flora series, Gucci Flora 1966. A sheer floral chypre, it features a blend of bourbon pepper, rose, patchouli and peonies. Its not only the perfume that's exquisite, so is the sophisticated bottle and the black silk pouch bearing the colourful flora motifs that houses it. The perfume will be available at the boutique for one month only.

Owning a Gucci Flora product means you hold a piece of fashion history. It continues to be reinvented and is also combined with other Gucci icons like the Bamboo or the Horsebit. I have been fortunate enough to own a beautiful silver bracelet and a pair of earrings both from the Flora series along with many pairs of their amazing footwear. Also, If you ever happen to be in Florence, be sure to visit the Gucci Museo and see all their icons up close like I did last summer. It is truly a wonderful experience.



Isn't the black silk pouch just lovely?



My little memento from the Gucci Museum in Florence. Love the Flora

Image courtesy: Gucci
 

Bag Review: Victoria Beckham QUINCY Bag

Before I indulged in my last big handbag purchase, it was down to two difficult options. The Givenchy Antigona or the Quincy by Victoria Beckham. However, even though I chose the Givenchy for now, Victoria Beckham's latest baby is still stuck in my head and its already been added to my wish list for later this year.

The Quincy is a smaller version of the Liberty bag, also a favorite (and a BEST seller) and comes in the prettiest colors. The one I tried at Bloomingdales in Dubai was a bright pink but they also come in a slick black color and a grey. Size wise, its the perfect size, not too big that it becomes a pain to carry but not too small either (width is 33 cm and height is 23 cm for the pink) so you can fit your basic daily essentials without a care in the world.The bag is structured but not too stiff and the looped tab fastening at the top means you can adjust the shape of the bag. What fun! The leather is beautiful buffalo skin with a nude calf leather trim and cotton-canvas lining. It comes with an optional shoulder strap which is adjustable. Hallelujah! In addition, I like that the hardware is minimal, it makes the bag lighter.

More than anything, being a big fan of the minimalist aesthetic and understated luxury, I love how Victoria's bags just refuse to shout out the brand's name. They're just so great looking as is. In fact, had I not been familiar with her bags and seen a random person with one of her designs, I would have no qualms in walking up to them and ask where the bag was from because they're just so beautiful and sophisticated. I own one of her two-toned leather clutches and the only place where you can see her name on the exterior is on the zip fastener and that too if you stick your face to the clutch (refer to the picture below)! Point being, the designer's bag have a way of making a statement.

Despite being a newbie in the bag industry, with Victoria Beckham, one never has to worry about quality or craftsmanship as she never compromises on either. All her bags are handmade in Italy with the finest materials and she is meticulous about the entire process. The woman designs bags that are truly luxurious, stylish and functional at the same time. The Quincy, my lovelies, is a real keeper.

Click here to purchase the pink and here for the black. Unfortunately the grey bag is only on the Victoria Beckham site and they don't ship to India. You can order it to a friend within the UK though. Click here for the grey Quincy. If you prefer to buy yours closer to home, I remember the Kitsch boutique in Defense Colony (011-46098212)  had the Liberty totes but you can always ring them to find out if the Quincy will be available and when.

 

WIFW AW 14 - Anand Bhushan

Most designers usually draw inspiration from art, culture, history, etc. Meanwhile, at Anand Bhushan it was all about studying shiny, happy people. Digging beneath the 'perfect' exterior of what people portray themselves to be and discovering the "cracks that have been filled and the fragments glued back". A very cool, intriguing, albeit an unusual inspiration. I guess its all about going down to the bottom of what defines each and every one of us as human beings. Our DNA.

The collection on the whole was not one that was easy to create and displayed the use of some interesting materials. The concept dress that opened the show, made out of steel and beads "was the first to start working on and the last to finish" says Anand when I asked him a few questions at the stall. Another interesting piece at the stall was a molecular structure inspired jacket crafted out of industrial copper and glass beads. Also, as I was browsing the clothes at the stall, I picked up a few pieces to examine the finishing underneath the embroidery, and it was impeccable. I was telling Anand how surprised I was because I have seen some shoddy finishing on clothes I have purchased from some of the biggest names in our country.

The show started with clothes featuring DNA and chromosome motifs out of which a favourite was a black and white embroidered top paired with wide legged trousers and another, a white, sheer floor length dress with 3-D DNA work on the bust. Moving on,  a black jacket with beads on the bust would sell out instantly for its everyday appeal. The black dresses in the last three looks got me all excited, especially the mini-dress with a flirty skirt and leather applique reflecting the whole cracked surfaces theme on the bodice. The closing dress (black leather and plastic pieces embroidered on a floor length net dress) lingered in my memory for a while. There was something extremely morbid, yet extremely sexy about it. Click here to see the entire show.

Cracked Surfaces

A closer look at the stalls. The concept dress is the first image from the left.

Image Courtesy: The Fashion Design Council of India, vogue.in

WIFW AW 14 - Vineet Bahl & Kiran Uttam Ghosh

Vineet Bahl - At Vineet Bahl, it was all about pretty pastels. Whilst pastels aren't really winter colours, however, off late, spring colours have made their way to the winter collections and to be honest, I don't really mind. Light blue, pink, pastel yellow and mint green; after all, one does need some cheering up in the cold and often dreary Delhi winter.

Overall, the clothes were more on the traditional side with the exception of a few pieces like a jacket or the cropped tights. Honestly, if you think about it, this is what sells. If I have to pick up an outfit for Eid, I don't think it'll be a some crazy creative type dress. It'll probably be on the lines of the beige kurta with dori and patti ka kaam (work that is seen throughout the collection) paired with shararas with Japanese blossom embroidery or even the magnificent blue embroidered shervani worn with cropped palazzos. I am a bit partial to kurtas paired with palazzo pants so I have a strong feeling mum and I are going to end up buying quite a few clothes from the collection. Click here to see the whole show.

The first two from the left are my favourite.

Kiran Uttam Ghosh - Metallic queen, Kiran Uttam Ghosh did wonders with her signature herringbone pleated fabric. Choli, wrap dress, jacket, cape all made out of the same material, all worn in various creative ways and all of them feather light. However, there was more than the pleated fabric. It was about layering and mixing of textures and contrasting colours and she did both of them well. Case in point: a white collared shirt worn under a silver pleated dress with a sheer teal jacket an sheer black embroidered pyjamas to complete the look. In addition, there were paisleys, a whole lot of them. My personal favourite was seen on Carol, a black paisley texture dress worn over a white pleated dress. Also on my lust list was an antique gold paisley embroidered jacket. Click here to see the whole show.

The many faces of Kiran's signature pleated fabric

Paisley loving!

 

WIFW AW 14 - Shantanu & Nikhil

When I started the reviews yesterday, I thought I'll do it in a very organised fashion. You know, follow the order of the shows bla bla. But as I started to type the Vineet Bahl review, I just got way too impatient to get down to talking about my absolute favourite first day show, which was Shantanu & Nikhil. So I decided, forget being all orderly and organised, just start writing about their show.

There was no drama or crazy sets at the show. Just really good clothes in ivory, dusty pink, and spicy red. The mood was conservative with high collars prevalent throughout. The duo kept their clothes extremely feminine (peplums et al) with leather adding a bit of a fierce touch. This isn't the first time they have worked with leather. In 2010, I bought a suit from them which had black and gold leather applique on the kurta. This time however, it was intricate, laser cut leather which came in the form of a dress, or the bodice for a sari gown. You can see closer images below the runway photos.

The western wear, a collection of smart dresses and jumpsuits, was relatively minimalist with the exception of the strapless ballgowns. Case in point being a red jumpsuit with only a slim waist belt to accessorise or the red maxi dress (currently on my wish list). Speaking of accessories, I was a big fan of the very boudoir style demi-gloves in lace. Funky gloves can change the look of an outfit drastically and I swear by my pair of fingerless gloves. If these accessories are going to be up for sale, its a MUST HAVE.

With the Indian wear, most of the silhouettes had very flouncy and flowy skirts making it very pretty, very girly. An ivory anarkali with a million layers one underneath the other was a favourite and so was a jacket with paisleys on them that was worn over a puffy skirt. As mentioned above, collars were kept high infusing a very Victorian touch. The clothes weren't just amazing to look at, they came with the highest level of craftsmanship. A bridal lehenga took over a month of work as everything was hand embroidered. Even a Victorian blouse which featured 3-D machine embroidery took nearly three weeks to complete. Click here to see the show or scroll down for the video.



The lehenga took one month to create

Victorian blouse with 3-D machine embroidery took almost three weeks to complete

Images via vogue.in

WIFW AW 14 - Anupamaa Dayal

At Anumapaa Dayal, the message was clear. It was all about seduction and believe me, if those teeny tiny cholis (provided you have the body to wear it) don't seduce, I don't know what will! Overall it was a very colourful collection with the colours remaining very traditional; bridal red, saffron, lime green, bright yellow and pyazi.

Silhouettes remained very Indian and very pretty. A yellow chiffon saree worn as a dhoti in particular caught my eye. Dhotis are so hot these days and one made in chiffon with an embroidered border is even better. It was paired with a pearl encrusted choli. So feminine and so sexy. Another favourite was a lungi skirt with gold gota embroidery paired with a pink bandau choli and a dark red dupatta. The sarees, mainly Banarasi or Chanderi came in bright colours with different types of embroidery on them; gota, zardozi or gold lace needlework. All very intricate. My favourite was melon coloured saree with brass roses paired with an orange and green brocade choli and a bright pink dupatta.

The first two looks from the left are my favourite

The highlight of the collection, however, were the extremely sexy cholis. Whilst most designers looked to cover up this season, Anumapaa was inspired by Mira Nair's Kamasutra. The cholis came with cap sleeves and plunging necklines or as bandeaus reminding me that I need to go for a run and do those intense abdominal exercises to be able to even think of wearing them! Click here to see the show or watch the video below.

Images via The Fashion Design Council of India and vogue.in

WIFW AW 14 - Tarun Tahiliani

A runway set lit up with chakras, thumping house music and an amazing addition of two folk artists that clapped their instruments throughout the show, Tarun Tahiliani opened WIFW with a bang. The artists eventually came on to the front of the stage as Tarun came to take a bow and started dancing. A very nice touch.

Moving on to the clothes, we saw Tarun Tahiliani's aesthetics transitioning into lighter modes at the Bridal Week last year -- beige, lights and even whites. This has now descended upon his silhouettes that have completely gotten rid of non-necessary largesse -- a benchmark shift we would like to term. The colour palette stayed customary to the FW theme. Black and white, reds, a bit of blue here and there and emerald green. There was an emphasis on layering with beautiful separates that can be worn individually. Kaftans, pashminas, palazzo pants, lungi skirts, dhotis and scarves that are likely to sell out as soon as they hit the boutiques. P.S. notice the menswear influence on the collection with the dhotis and lungis.

Prints and embellishments were key elements throughout the show. The designer used what he called Pleated Enamel, a slimming print, which creates the illusion of drape. More digital prints were seen on skirts, dresses, salwar pants and jackets rating it high on the day to day wearability factor. The clothes make a statement with just the prints especially the jacket paired with the dhoti draped skirt.

When it came to the embellishments, what I found most interesting was that most of the embroidery was usually on the upper half, with the bottom being much lighter and more fluid allowing for movement. A saree inspired long dress with an embellished neck, a peasant dress with zardozi accentuated shoulders and embellished neck line, an embellished tweed jacket paired with a dhoti sari or the jewelled neck corset with a red concept sari to point out a few. Even the outfit worn by Shilpa Shetty, a layered Kanjeevaram puffy draped skirt (or lehenga) worn with a draped corset blouse can be worn so easily by a bride who wants to be comfortable on her wedding day and walk around with ease. Its so much easier when the bottom part of a silhouette is lighter.

Overall, the collection had the perfect contemporary touch making it easy to incorporate the clothes into daily wear and with eveningwear being relatively light. I seriously can't wait for all these clothes to hit the stores. I'm going to be like a kid in candy land! The dhotis, lungi skirts and the opening look (ivory jacket with zardozi shoulders paired with black silk linen salwar pants), LOVE times a million! Click here to see the entire show or scroll down for the video (unfortunately the music isn't the same).

Images via The Fashion Design Council of India and vogue.in