Wills India Fashion Week Round Up - ATSU, Alpana & Neeraj

Atsu SS15

ATSU - At Atsu, it was all about pastels, light embellishments, plumage and architectural silhouettes. The designer was having fun mixing textures and shapes. He was inspired by his travels to the far east which explains how some of the looks were reminiscent of traditional Japanese clothing. Case in point: a light purple zip dress with sleeves like that on a geisha's gown and a peach number featuring sculptural, rounded sleeves like that on a samurai's armour. The collection mainly comprised of dresses - some were romantic and full skirted, some were mid thigh with very sculptural sleeves and some that were in between with very lovely embroidery. On the whole, Atsu didn't use very heavy embroidery (minus the cape that closed the show)which gave the clothes an element of lightness. My most favourite look was a flowy gown (kind of like a night gown), held together with a bow tied on the waist, featuring beautiful ostrich feathers on one side paired with cropped pants.

Alpana & Neeraj - Top marks to the duo for being brave enough to experiment with such crazy clothes and doing a great job at it. This was yet another Japanese inspired collection but not based on the usual geisha and samurai style clothes. More like the country's obsession with stuff like Hello Kitty, Anime, Manja and Harajuku. Silhouettes were very sculptural here too with giant bows, scalloped hems and embroidered floral patches adding a dramatic flair. Although it was great to see such fun creativity on the runway, I couldn't help but wonder how many of them would actually make it into real life. The pants and the full skirted ball gown style dress - yes, I can see those but most of them had way too much going on and seemed a little restrictive for my liking. A massive bow right across the bust on one dress could hardly be functional and the part bronze, part white dress with a bow right above the knees made me feel the model will fall any minute. Designers do need to constantly experiment, but one shouldn't forget that a collection needs to also be commercially viable. Lets hope next time Alpana & Neeraj strike a good balance between the two.

Alpana & Neeraj SS15

 

Bag Review - Bvlgari Serpenti Forever Medium Flap Bag With Two Gussets

For the last few months I was determined. Determined NOT to buy anything but another Chanel 2.55 that I've been attempting to save up for since the summer. I was more than halfway with my savings till I walked into Harvey Nichols in Dubai a few days ago and there it was, the serpent's head, staring right at me. Remember Kaa the snake from jungle book who goes around hypnotising everyone? Well, that's exactly what this bag did to me! Okay I know I'm being a little dramatic, but the truth was that I had admired the Serpenti Forever bag for a few months now, but for some reason never checked it out at a Bulgari boutique.  This time we just happened to cross paths when strolling through the department store and I'm ever so thankful for that interaction. I played around with it a bit then spent the rest of the evening followed by a sleepless night contemplating emptying all my Chanel savings on this purse.

As a bag lover, I often fall in love with a lot of bags, but every now and then there's that one special piece, that takes your breath away and sweeps you off your feet. Almost like finding THE ONE (except in the bag world, there are multiple the one's). 4pm the next day, I was inside the Bvlgari boutique at Dubai Mall, husband and BFF in tow, paying for a classic black in a medium size. I couldn't have been happier. I was in love. I had after all found the one. Well, for the rest of this year at least!

Moving on to the actual review after all the incessant blabbing! Inspired by the iconic wraparound watch, the bag features a stunning serpent's head closure made from enamel (black & white in my case) with either malachite or jade eyes. The shoulder straps or chain handles are gold and made to resemble a snake's body. I love the purse's minimalist silhouette and the gorgeous detailing of the lines of top stitching on the body. Because of its formal nature, I chose to buy this in a medium size simply because if I'm spending 180,000 INR, I need it to have enough space for me to carry it around during the day as well. The dimensions are 12"width x8.7" height and it can comfortably fit my wallet, sunglasses along with other basic essentials. The double gussets on this model gives it a little more room to expand.

Various internal pockets make it easy to organise your things and the middle zip compartment also has a serpent's head closure. It comes with a cute Bvlgari mirror and even a raincoat that fits the bag like a glove. Honestly, the raincoat is such a smart accessory. I cant tell you how frustrating it is when it starts pouring on that expensive leather. Now the only thing missing is an external pocket for added convenience. Finally, the leather scratches really easily, so please avoid using it roughly (I need to tell myself that more often).

If you happen to be interested in buying this model, the closest country you can purchase it from is Dubai. Unless someone can order it from the states from the Bvlgari website itself. There is merely a 100 dollar difference between the price in Dubai and the US (the American price doesn't include taxes). Click here to check out various models, prices and availability and click here to check out the making.

And on that note, I shall go back to staring at my new love (see photos below). Till the next time..

XOXO
Crazy bag lady

My Baby!

The back of the bag

Double Gussets

Serpent's head on the zip closure

Raincoat and Mirror :)

 

Wills India Fashion Week Round Up - Tarun Tahiliani

There's a reason why Tarun Tahiliani has remained one of the greatest designers of our country. It's not only because he's extremely creative, but he's a great businessman and most importantly, evolves with the times. For SS 15, gone were the heavily embellished, crystal laden lehengas and saris. Instead, miniature paintings by the very talented Singh twins were digitally printed on light and airy clothes. Various versions of the sari were seen. A bright blue one of a midi length that Carol Gracias wore cinched at the waist with and Indianised version of an obi-belt, and a colourful, striped dhoti style sari paired with a massive turban for a bohemian feel stood out.

The designer created clothes that could be so easily incorporated into daily wear wardrobes. Lungis, dhotis, kaftans and skirts printed with the artists' works were made from light fabrics and were extremely wearable. Most of these will be flying off the shelves. There was also a lehenga towards the end where digitally printed scarves (they replaced the traditional chunni) decorated varying hemlines of tulle. Instead of a choli, it was paired with tight fitted top and a turban. What a fun outfit right? There were signature Tarun looks too, but I was too fascinated with everything else the designer offered to pay attention to those.

For me, Tarun's clothes have always been about weddings and special occasions. Not anymore though. Come 2015, I know where I'll be buying clothes for my summer wardrobe. All in all, a truly wonderful blend of India and contemporary fashion.

P.S - I am attaching photos of my favourite looks taken from my phone below because either I get like 10 photos from the show or they're such awful photos I don't want to use them!

 

Brands To Know - Mansur Gavriel

I've been wanting to talk about this super cool brand for a few months now, but somehow it just kept getting side lined with the reviews and the travelling and the god knows what! Anyways, Mansur Gavriel is a hip, new, New York city based label founded by two friends, Rachel Mansur & Floriana Gavriel who design handbags that are currently the biggest rage amongst the fashion flock. Everyone from Karlie Kloss to Sussie Bubble to Eva Chen have been spotted with a Mansur Gavriel.

The bags come in three main shapes - tote, bucket and backpack and are pretty much sold out everywhere especially the bucket bags. The silhouettes are relatively simple and minimalist with a teeny tiny logo in gold. The black models come with the contrast coloured interiors and are so just so beautiful to look at. What I also love is the price factor. It's very rare to find a bag made from superior quality Italian leather and made in Italy that too to have such an affordable price tag. No, it doesn't have to set you back over one lac rupees. Try a range of 40,000 - 80,000 INR depending on the model. 

Bags that are made in Italy, highly coveted and affordable; it's a no brainer why these babies are sold out! Oh by the way, there's a stunning white bucket bag still available on net-a-porter. That was just an FYI :) I've put myself on the wishlist for the red one and am really keeping my fingers crossed!

 

Paris Fashion Week Round Up - Loewe

 

Loewe SS15

Being a big J.W Anderson fan, I was quite looking forward to seeing his debut womenswear collection for Loewe. And I'm glad he didn't disappoint. Whilst referring back to past collections from the Spanish house to compare, I noticed that even though there were beautiful clothes, there was also some restraint. Not this time though. J.W. Anderson seems to have liberated Loewe by adding his signature to it. Staying true to the house's codes, the designer used a lot of leather throughout, but focussed on lightness and fluidity at the same time.

A caramel coloured suede dress opened the show with patches of leather appliqued onto it and a bunch of colourful tops that came in the middle featuring the same leather patchwork were edgy with somewhat of a primal feel. I also loved those tailored yet slightly slouchy judo pants in various colours. The house's archival scarf prints were transferred on to latex tops which was a bold move. Personally I'm not a latex clothing fan, but it's interesting to the note the various different textures Anderson played with. Other fabrics like silk and linen also made their way through to the collection. A knitted silk and gauze maxi dress,  a pleated linen skirt and a baby blue Merino wool jumper were so simple but beautiful.

I never paid much attention to Loewe bags before, but that has changed since seeing this collection. Not only has J.W. Anderson designed some lovely clothes, but some pretty cool bags too. The new shapes include a super soft hobo ish bag called the Bounce bag and also a gorgeous tote that comes in delicious colours called the Puzzle bag. But perhaps the most desirable purse was the one with patches of fabric stitched on to it just like on some of the clothes. I can't wait to see this collection in stores.

All in all, a fantastic debut for J.W Anderson as the new creative director at the Spanish label. He has beautifully reinvented the Loewe woman and I'm loving her.



Loewe SS15

Loewe SS15 Bounce Bag

Loewe SS15 Bag

Loewe SS15 Puzzle Bag

 

Paris Fashion Week Round Up - Dries Van Noten

Dries Van Noten SS15

Light and breezy does it with the Dries Van Noten SS15 collection. The DVN girl doesn't need to try hard. She sort of puts on her clothes with the greatest of ease and is good to go. And that is exactly what we saw. The ensembles were almost effortless, and crafted from the most luxurious fabrics some of which were actually created for the collection. There were jackets, bound to sell out like hot cakes - like the opening jacket in what looked like silk jacquard or a tribal-esque embroidered black zip front bomber or even a bi-colour sleeveless piece in raw silk and beautiful pink embroidered flowers.

There was an undeniable Indian feel all over especially with the use of printed silk, brocade and  those slouchy trousers that reminded me of jodhpurs/patialas. One look in particular that consisted of a round hemmed silk tunic worn over loosely fitted trousers almost looked it was a short kurti and a Patiala suit. Colourful, striped clothes like a wafty, tiered maxi, a see through shirt worn under a sleeveless vest or the cropped trousers were fun and extremely desirable. There was of course the designer's signature masculine touch seen in the knee length shorts. But one look that bowled me over was a semi-sheer tank maxi, featuring a rich brocade bust and a thigh high slit paired with a pair of jeans that had a gold cuff. Bohemian doesn't get chicer than that. Also, the jewellery, a simple branch, held together by the most delicate gold chain - I'll be damned if I don't buy that next year!

Dries Van Noten SS15

 

Paris Fashion Week Round Up - Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton SS15

There are some shows that linger on in your head for a while to come. This was one of them. Whilst I can't talk about the set which many deemed to be the best of the season, I can certainly say that the clothes most definitely were. Ghesquière played with texturing and used some phenomenal construction techniques as was seen in the knitwear throughout the show. Leather was cleverly intertwined in the necks of knit dresses and tops that opened the show. I especially loved the high necked ones where the leather hung like a shoe lace. In the middle of the show, there were a bunch of really edgy dresses with soft, curvy folds on the skirt made from either intricate, laser cut leather (at least it looked like that) or a combination knitwear and leather. The green, white and black number in particular was a favourite. Glitzy yet sporty (because of the zip front), heavily sequinned dresses worn over tights were perfect for the eveningwear category.

The designer has used skins extensively in this past two collections for Louis Vuitton and it was no different this time. From the series of looks made out of eel skin, a red, yellow and black sleeveless shift stood out. However, the most talked about pieces are no doubt going those printed ensembles with fun items like salt/pepper shakers, the petite malle bags, nail polish, rotary telephone and eyelash curlers amongst other things. The printed jeans are definitely going to grace the cover of almost every big shot magazine come next year.

Being a leather goods house, bags were naturally a crucial part of the show. Shoulder bags were either boxy & structured or were soft with a fold over design. There were new variations of the Petite Malle and also a very large version of the Alma. However, my personal favourite was one that looked similar to their Chantilly cross body bag. Except this had an extra strap to hold it as a shoulder bag (you can also hold is as a cross body) and a cool clasp closure.

Louis Vuitton SS15

Louis Vuitton SS15 Bags

Louis Vuitton SS15 Bags