Friday, 30 September 2011

Sari gets makeover, new look lures Hollywood


That magical drape called sari is spotted not just in the Indian woman`s wardrobe, it has international connoisseurs too. From Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen to heiress Paris Hilton, they have all sported it, though like a dress.

One of the most talked about socialites, Hilton is known for sporting high-end Western wear. But she turned desi when she draped a sari for the cover shoot of an Indian fashion magazine and said that she adored the six-yard wonder by designer Malini Ramani.


Not only that. For her first formal appearance during her three-day visit to Mumbai, the 30-year-old wore a coral pink Grecian sari-inspired gown.

Bundchen too wore sari for a magazine cover.

Nicole Scherzinger, Carmit Bachar, Melody Thornton, Jessica Sutta, Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt from the American pop girl group Pussycat Dolls flaunted heavily embellished black sequin saris during the New York fashion week in 2008.

One wonders how these international stars manage to carry off a sari, originally a nine-yard cloth that takes some skill to pleat and drape!

Very simple. Stylists have found an easy way out for them by putting pleats in place and setting pallus -- one just has to slip into it.

Designer Anand Kabra, known for making a beautiful sari-inspired collection, was perhaps the first one to introduce Concept Saris on ramp.

"The Concept Sari is easy to wear, especially if you have never worn a sari before. It is ready to wear with just one wrap around and the pallu over your shoulder. I have used it in both Indian and contemporary ways," said Kabra.

"Fabrics like tulle, chiffon, silk and muslin are very much in vogue and can do wonders in bright hues like neon, crimson and purple," he added.

These days Concept Sari is being popularised by Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor -- she is seen sporting one in the ‘Chammak Challo’ song in her forthcoming sci-fi mega budget ‘RA.One’.

Another form is a well-fitted sari with pre-stitched pleats and pallu and designers Gaurav Gupta and Raakesh Agarvwal presented them at Delhi Couture Week this year.

"A Gaurav Gupta sari compliments the modern woman who is open to transformation and embraces the flow from one style of hers into another," said Gupta.

Young designer Nida Mehmood feels the sari "accentuates a woman`s hour-glass figure and that`s why most Hollywood celebrities try wearing it."

"Also, what can be the best way to add a touch of class and sensuality in a country like India where every girl wants to wear a sari at some point in her life?" Mehmood told reporters.

For years, the sari was worn in a traditional way but designer Bhanu Rajopadhye Athaiya, India`s first Oscar winner, was perhaps the first to experiment with the nine yards, doing away with pleats and giving it a skirt-like look - as sported by Mumtaz.

Mahmood, along with designers like Tarun Tahiliani, too gave a makeover to sari and made models sashay in it on the ramp at fashion shows. A sari, according to them, can be worn over a pair of jeans or jazzed up with a sexy slim belt for a trendy look.

"I used belts emphasising the waist, adding more sexiness, style and youthfulness to the entire personality. I think young girls really liked these innovative styles. This idea of wearing saris over jeans is the interpretation of wearing a sari in a trendy manner. This is a trend that youngsters can follow for any casual party," Mahmood said.

Designers like Anamika Khanna, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Wendell Rodricks and Meera and Muzaffar Ali have done their interpretations of the sari.

Khanna invented sari pyjamas where she used crushed muslin fabric combining the sari drape with casual pyjamas replacing petticoats. Next comes Mukherjee who created the "chhotu" or cropped sari that is worn just above the ankle.

Anupama Dayal says, "Today saris are given more prominence than blouses and people take that extra pain to make the look perfect. Colour blocking, long pallus or very short pallus, and handloom fabrics are making a great comeback."

International designers also take inspiration from the sari -- in the 1950s, Italian designer Valentino designed a sari dress for Jacqueline Kennedy, wife of John F. Kennedy.

About five decades later in 2008, French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier showed a line of sari dresses in his spring summer collection.

Friday, 23 September 2011

Women wearing skirts at workplace ‘more successful’


Women who wear skirts in the workplace are more likely to make a good impression and get a promotion, according to a new study.

Professor Karen Pine, who co-led the research at the University of Hertfordshire, said that the results contradicted previous studies that suggested women should dress more like men to succeed in business.
  
Scientists showed 300 people pictures of women dressed in navy blue skirt suits and pant suits. The clothing was identical in everyway except for the bottoms.

Within three seconds, the majority perceived that the women wearing skirts were more confident, successful and powerful than their trouser clad sisters.

The results concluded that the option women have to wear such attire creates a competitive advantage within the workplace.

“People are judged on their overall head-to-toe appearance and the fundamental role that a dress plays in creating a positive first impression cannot be underestimated,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Professor Pine as telling the Daily Mail.

“Women still have to maintain an identity that balances professionalism with attractiveness. The skirt suit may achieve that balance without appearing provocative,” he added

Thursday, 15 September 2011

Simply Outrageous!

Kansas City, Missouri-born, fashion designer Jeremy Scott, known for dressing Britney Spears and Rihanna, has a penchant for the outrageous. How else would one explain Wednesday's Spring 2012 collection that he debuted at New York City's Milk Studios in front of the likes of Michael Stipe, Ellie Goulding, Peaches Geldolf, Sky Ferreira, Patricia Field and Waris Ahluwalia? 






Set against the revving motorcycle engine background of Mötley Crüe's "Girls, Girls, Girls," Scott showcased a rocker-meets-western collection complete with cow prints, printed chain mail, bleached denim, bra tops and most importantly, barely-there chaps paired with thongs. All in all, it was a clever exercise in fun.

Thursday, 8 September 2011

New York Fashion Week Begins Today


Designers showing collections at New York Fashion Week, which starts on Thursday, will likely feature bright colors including neon pinks, greens and yellows and polished yet casual styles, say top US department store buyers.
"Dressing up is the new cool, dressing down is old school," said Neiman Marcus Fashion Director Ken Downing.
Almost 100 designers are due to show collections for spring/summer 2012 to retail buyers, media and celebrities during New York Fashion Week, with dozens more showing at other venues around the city to coincide with the semi-annual event.
Amid fears that the United States could slip back into recession, department stores want to see fashion for the warmer months that will excite and entice consumers to spend when the collections hit the shops early next year.
"Designers are thinking about what does the customer not have and what ultimately will do well at retail, and customers respond to color," Downing said of what he expected to see at New York Fashion Week.
"I'm loving that contrast of neon, fluorescent color on top of bold, bright color," Downing said. "I hope that we do see more of it ... this accent of neon has a real newness."
While the US economic recovery is wavering and consumer confidence wallows at a two-year low, people are still buying clothes. High-end department stores have earned the largest gains in sales and US retail sales posted the biggest increase in four months in July.
Buyers from Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom are also expecting to see a sportswear influence on the New York runways. But Gregg Andrews, a Nordstrom fashion director, said that sportswear doesn't mean sweat pants and T-shirts.
"It really just means separates. It means separates that can be mixed and matched together," Andrews said. "Women no longer have separate wardrobes. ... They want pieces that do multiple things in their lives."
"We definitely think the whole idea of minimalism is going to continue with very clean streamlined pieces," he said.
Saks Senior Fashion Director Colleen Sherin said she was calling the sportswear trend "urban sport."
"It's this idea of clothes that fit a woman's more casual lifestyle, more active lifestyle, but that are still appropriate in an urban environment for city wear," she said.
When it comes to lengths, Sherin said there does not appear to be one "right length" and she said collections could have everything from mini to maxi lengths.
Runway looks will be "clean, sleek and modern," said Fashion expert Jill Martin, author of "I Have Nothing to Wear!"
"Designers are concentrating on the details of their lines to show the importance of cut as well as color and print," she said. "You'll see subtle hues, neutrals, earthy tones, and monochromatic looks with accents of vibrant colors."
Fashion Week in New York is followed by events in London, Paris and Milan.
( Courtesy: Reuters)