Thom Browne Spring Summer 2014

Ensembles with a clinical vibe, rendered almost in an entirely snow-white palette best describes Thom Browne's SS 20014 collection. Browne also played the exaggerated shoulder to the hilt -- what I may declare as one of the biggest trends of the season. The styling of the models were reminiscent of embodying insanity, much like some of them reminded me of The Joker with their smeared red lips.

 Corsets, panelled skirts, and straight-jackets, with laced up shoes were cast against see-through textured materials. Victorian high collars were present too, alongside tousled and puffed graying wings. Ensembles shown below had graphic black peek-play. Don't you just love the socks?

I am also totally loving these backstage photos by Sonny Vandevelde!

 

And the whole time, I have the video Fighter playing in my head, Aguilera style. Do you think there is any resemblance? The models were also giving out 'medicines' -- white M&Ms -- to bring the asylum aura full circle. Talk about New York Fashion Week crazies! ;)

London Fashion Week SS 2014 - Trends We Love

As London Fashion Week came to an end on the 17th, it's time to take a closer look at the most prominent trends seen on the runway. If you all must know, it was a rainy rainy time during fashion week, I cant imagine how everyone lived through it! I was out shopping at Bond Street a few times during that week and I was so miserable. My bag was being rained on, my suede boots had been soiled by the puddles, my hair became all wavy after a fresh do. Oh dear, I can just go on and on, but I wont! Here are some of the most important trends.

1. Garden blooms. Florals are never too far behind when it comes to summer trends and hence were seen in abundance this year. This time though a lot of designers did three dimensional blooms which were embroidered onto the fabric .I have to say this touch definitely added a fresh twist to the usual floral prints. Of course that's not to say that there weren't any printed flowers. Printed over sized and micro blooms were also seen on many of the silhouettes. One of my favorites was a Burberry Prorsum trenchcoat made with floral lace (at least that's what it looks like). What a fabulous redo of one of their most iconic pieces.

L-R: Burberry Prorsum, Mary Katrantzou, Matthew Williamson, Temperley London, Holly Fulton

2. The bling factor. Paillettes, fractured mirror (in the case of Tom Ford), iridescent fabrics or glitzy embroidery; the presence of the bling factor is inevitable on the runways.

L-R: Christopher Kane, Julien Macdonald, L'Wren Scott, Tom Ford, Marques Almeida

3. Black. After seeing an abundance of bright colors on the runways, its refreshing to see designers do black silhouettes for next spring summer. Besides, whoever said that black was reserved for funerals and dark winter days?! Despite my very own colorful personality, I love nothing more than to dress head to toe in black, yes in the summer too. No, not because I want to expose my dark side or whatever, simply because I think black is the hottest color ever. Of course the fact that its slimming is an added bonus. A plethora of mullet dresses with ruffles, boxy tops, le smoking type pant suits, leather dresses all in black were seen on the runway implying that black is definitely one of the strongest colors for SS 14.

L-R: Erdem, Giles Decon, John Rocha, Simone Rocha, Tom Ford

4. Sheer. The sheer aesthetic is still going strong and will continue to do so next spring. Peek-a- boo or completely see through, this trend, albeit a bit risky, in my opinion is wildly feminine and seductive (with the entire opposite effect if not worn correctly!). So for next year, prepare to show some skin. Speaking of showing skin, I better get to the gym soon if I want to show any!

L-R: Christopher Kane, JW Anderson, Mulberry, Burberry Prorsum, L'Wren Scott

5. Boxy tops/shirts. This year, I've noticed an insane number of designers and high street brands retailing boxy style tops and shirts and it's going to be no different next year. Which is good for me as I have this adorable boxy top from Whistles (an impulsive buy) which I got on sale and later thought I might have to let it hang in my closet forever as it might be out of style next year, thankfully not the case. Hey, I even got a sexy pencil skirt to pair with it!

From Peter Pilotto to Mulberry and Roksanda Ilinic, everyone is doing these boxy/loose tops and shirts (they were pretty prevalent during New York fashion week). Hmmm, I wonder if silk blouses are still in or has this new sporty top taken over?

L-R: Roksanda Ilinic, Peter Pilotto, Mulberry, Emilia Wickstead, Eudon Choi

6. Minimalism. Season after season, we have seen more and more designers adopting the minimalist look in their silhouettes. Raf Simons did it for Dior, Alexander Wang did it for Balenciaga, Phoebe Philo is a genius in that area and the list goes on. Bold, clean cut, not to mention sleek and architectural silhouettes are recurringly dominating the runways. My favorite minimalist looks were the ones that incorporated the use of leather like Tom Ford, L'Wren Scott and David Koma. I love how this movement makes such a strong statement sans all the drama. After all the prints and embellishments we constantly see during fashion week, minimalism is almost like a breath of fresh air.

L-R: Tom Ford, Daks, David Koma, JW Anderson, L'Wren Scott, Tom Ford

Marc Jacobs SS 14 Handbags

Goth and Victorian influences, against a very 'dystopian' setting enveloped Marc Jacob's SS 14 collection. But what caught my eyes most were the arm-candies, that were so unlike what I have seen around this season -- not a hint of the sculptural trapeze or boxy graffiti.

The hobo bags had fringe details at the main seam, and the body was created out of knitted jacquard. Leather details and golden hardware finished off these very chic bags that are so so apt for stashing the never ending brigade of women's essentials this summer.

The first one out of the surfer bags shown above had appliqued leafs, the second one embroidered floral motifs -- both finished off with tassel details.

These surfer bags were crafted out of alligator leather and  mixed media, and I love how the juxtaposition of appliqued and sequinned floral patches work so well against the base of the bag. Marc's collection was inspired by The Burning Man and Paul McCarthy's White Snow.

Prabal Gurung: Sping-Summer 2014, New York Fashion Week

A "super stunner clothing cast" on the NFW runways, Prabal Gurung's show commenced in an empty warehouse on 33rd street. Indeed a bridge between "sporty-high fashion meets an explosion of colour", I am loving the below the knees style highlighting the ever classic pencil number.

Plunging necklines, dolman/ raglan sleeves, full-wasp-waists and cigarette pants were seen in the collection in an array of pastel shades, blacks, neons even, and the occasional bold digital print statement.

 Also seen was the use of transperant printed plastic without looking OTT which I thought was fabulous. And here's one collection guys that does evoke duchesse satin horrors in me!

"It was a celebration of women. I was thinking about preserving elegance, but making it modern and right for now - and with the right amount of danger," he told VOGUE UK backstage.

New York Fashion Week SS 14 - Trends We Love

Hello everyone! Once again, apologies for disappearing. The husband was on business in Belfast so I decided to join him there (my sister tagged along too!) after which we were driving around the Republic of Ireland exploring the Irish countryside. Between driving around in areas with almost no connectivity to trying to keep up to date with the New York fashion week shows (all thanks to the style.com application on my cool new Iphone) there's been literally no time. Tonight is my last night in Ireland and I am in Dublin where there's no connectivity issue thanks to wifi at the hotel so I thought I would do a quick run up on 4 of the most prominent trends (and my favorite too) on the New York runways.

1.The midriff baring tops. Too 90's you say? I doubt it. Almost every designer showcased at least one midriff baring/cropped tops so i say its time to get cracking on those crunches to show off a flat tummy by the time next summer is here.

L -R: Rodarte, Narciso Rodriguez, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Diane Von Furstenberg

2. Snow White and the .... This season, there was an abundance of white silhouettes throughout the shows showing that white (check out the Jason Wu show for head to toe white silhouettes, they are FABULOUS) is one of the strongest trends for SS 14. Some designers also reinterpreted the classic white shirt in numerous ways; with patches of sheer in between, laser cuts, shirt dresses, etc. I have always loved the simple white shirt and I am loving these cool new reinterpretations even more.

L-R: 10 Crosby Derek Lam, Alexander Wang, BCBG 

L-R: Diane Von Furstenberg, Jason Wu, Oscar De La Renta, Proenza Schouler

3. The sporty aesthetic. Spring 2012 saw a major sporty trend in high fashion and this is continuing well into SS 14. From sweatshirts to varsity style sweaters, the sporty look is definitely not for the tomboys anymore. Whoever says fashion can't be comfortable?!

L-R: Ralph Lauren, Alexander Wang, Prabal Gurung, Micheal Kors

4. Pastels always lighten up the SS runways every year and this year was no different. Minty green, powder pink and baby blues were seen in a lot of the silhouettes.

L-R: Tadashi Shoji, Pamella Roland, Prabal Gurung, Victoria Beckham

Of course these weren't the only trends but I do need to leave something for London, Milan and Paris fashion weeks! Bisous Bisous! 

Lakme Fashion Week Winter Festive 2013: Day 3 Trends We Love

While browsing through day three collections, I found some interesting trend angles that I decided to do -- in place of designer-wise collections. The first style that caught my eye was the exaggerated lapel, prominent in the collections of Drvv by Dhruv Kapur, Nupur Kanoi and Payal Khandwala.

Lapel trend, Lakme Fashion Week Winter Festive 2013

Zipped up, simple yet chic, lapels touched base to create some very sporty silhouettes. Kanoi's collection especially had a bunch of stylish collars on bold, statement colours.

Next up were the graphic prints. Abstract, stripped and scattered, prints embraced the collections of Priya Kataria Puri, Global Desi by Anita Dongre, Riddhi and Siddhi Mapxencar, and Richa Aggarwal. Neons, clubbed with androgynous silhouettes in Aggarwal's collection shone bright, and this has been one of the most fabulous shows till now in my opinion.

Prints, Lakme Fashion Week Winter Festive 2013

Post a lot of metallic shine in the previous shows, day three had it's fair share of the molten beauties in collections by Vikram Phadnis and Amit Aggarwal. Phadnis's collection has a mixed opinion from me; some of the ensembles were spectacular where as others were drab. I totally loved Amit Aggarwal's styles -- artsy with an overdose of super funk!

Metallic trend, Lakme Fashion Week Winter Festive 2013

This was Amit Aggarwal's  first foray into Indian wear away from his label Morphe, and his signature drape and sculpt touch was of course evident in most ensembles. With a palette where metallic tones overwhelmed deliciously, and touches of pop shades highlighted excitingly, I am just bowled over -- truly. A genre -- sculpture, futurism and drape -- where many attempt to execute complicated harmony, Aggarwal plays it up with perfection, and amazing flawlessness.

Here's some more Amit Aggarwal look variations to lust over:

Amit Aggarwal, Lakme Fashion Week Winter Festive 2013

Amit Aggarwal, Lakme Fashion Week Winter Festive 2013

Lakme Fashion Week Winter-Festive 2013: Day Two Highlights

Bring on the accessories!!! As an avid lover of everything that is chunky, I looked forward to day two of Lakme Fashion Week Winter-Festive 2013 with Little Shilpa, and Valliyan by Nitya showcasing on the ramps. And you guys should have seen how distressed I was seeing the state of things at LFW and I bitched with Hanadi for a good measure of time. I only like snippets of every collection and haven't come across anything that has left me going wow -- that has left me with shivers and brought me down to my knees in praise. Funny as I might sound, I consider fashion my religion. And those who think otherwise, I state the story of 'the sock and the salesman' (mail me if you would like to hear it too) to change their minds. Having said that, and looking at it all from a very non-biased point of view even though my professional work is related to a lot of international brands, where is the finesse at LFW? Little Shilpa has always been one of my favourite quirky accessory designers but her attempt at confluencing unconventional materials vs 'shabby-chic' falls flat on the ramp. It is one thing being whimsical, it is another being chaotic. Head gear overload indeed; one of course expects nothing short of exaggeration from the creator -- yet these left a lot to be desired. And saris were paired with men's shirts and the katori-choli was layered with bow-ties -- I do not even wish to comment anymore.

Little Shilpa, Lakme Fashion Week Winter-Festive 2013

Nitya Arora's pieces brought in influences of Art Deco crafted out of mixed media -- I liked the statement necklaces. Another accessory that caught my eye was this chain-mall kind of an all over body piece shown here on the third picture with the blue parasol -- would have loved some intricacy incorporated into the same.

Valliyan by Nitya Arora, Lakme Fashion Week Winter-Festive 2013

As for the clothing, Karishma Shahani's collection combined vibes of 'Mona Darling-style Bollywood glamour' where multiple fabrics, textures and prints came into play.

Karishma Shahani, Lakme Fashion Week Winter-Festive 2013

Ken Fern's collection titled Moon Rise played the peplum and corset to the hilt. Also on the ensembles were night-sky inspired prints. Aren't we a little done with the 'futuristic meets architectural splendour' bit already?

Ken Ferns, Lakme Fashion Week Winter-Festive 2013

Sneha Arora's collection called A Soldier Story brought together vintage silhouettes and reinterpreted funky camo prints. Simple as it might seem, this is one of my favourites so far, me being a huge fan of war-inspired fashions of WW I era. How funky it was to turn traditional camo into cute little motifs?

Sneha Arora, Lakme Fashion Week Winter-Festive 2013

Label Soup by Sougat Paul ensembles had a largely rustic, earth palette, interspersed with bright accents of mandarin and purple. From jackets to draped saris, Paul presented varied styles.

Soup by Sougat Paul, Lakme Fashion Week Winter-Festive 2013

I totally need to own of 'em' Anushka Khanna jersey dresses. Simple, chic and perfectly pret -- sophisticated Boheme ahem! Although nothing special you may say, simplicity always calls out to me.

Anushka Khanna, Lakme Fashion Week Winter-Festive 2013

I don't know; in Komal Sood's collection called Phoenix in Paradise, the flow seemed very detached to me. Could it be like casual style gives way to a glamour goddess (ashes to glory)? Zero finesse again. Outfits such as these deserve brilliant tailoring, which I don't think has been nailed here at all.

Komal Sood, Lakme Fashion Week Winter-Festive 2013

Rajat K Tangri's satin overload seemed ghastly to me. Silhouettes and cuts such as these are being done to death by everybody don't you think? 

Rajat K Tangri, Lakme Fashion Week Winter-Festive 2013

A gentle reprise and relief was Sailex's collection. The astute cuts with hints of sexiness, such as a peek-a-boo neckline or thigh-high slits were all created in monotone fabrics with a dose of florals.

Sailex, Lakme Fashion Week Winter-Festive 2013

Neither did label Shehlaa by Shehla Khan's feminine wispy numbers disappoint. Called Tale of the Unexpected bringing forth the designer's love for fairy tales, I think Khan has a knack for creating uber-delicate girlie silhouettes. I love the skirt on showstopper Jacqueline Fernandez (even though I could totally diss that neck-piece and bodice)

Shehlaa by Shehla Khan, Lakme Fashion Week Winter-Festive 2013

Another collection crafted entirely in black and gold, Shantanu Goenka's show titled Kruhun means black in Kashmiri. Inspired by India and the Middle-East, and with abundance of Kashmiri Tilla work, the ensembles were heavy on embellishments and texturing.

Shantanu Goenka, Lakme Fashion Week Winter-Festive 2013

Imma skip out on Troy Costa since ya'all know I don't do menswear and move straight onto the finale show of the day from Rocky Star by Rocky S. Metallics were a huge international trend this year trickling into 2014 shows as well and this is why I appreciated this collection. From textures to fabrics, metal sheen shone right and bright (nothing else to add lol).

Rocky S, Lakme Fashion Week Winter-Festive 2013