Ok, I know I haven't been around lately, and my timing is particularly unexcusable because we are right in the throes of New York's Medrcede-Benz Fall Fashion Week!!

I wish I could update this blog multiple times a day to give you readers up-to-the-minute coverage of what's going on in New York, but I can't--balancing a full schedule of 18 hours of class, a job, an internship, an a cappella group, and various other committments this semester has been very very hectic. So emails have been piling up unanswered and this blog, which has really only been a beloved hobby for me (as opposed to an avenue for a potential career, I guess), has been put on the backburner...but I'm back! I wish I could truly enjoy fashion week full-time like all the fashion industry professionals out there...but instead fashion is what I indulge on during study breaks and free time (which, by the way, is actually nonexistent right now).

Anyways, here's some things I've liked about Fall Fashion week so far, when I've had the chance to look, and/or read those pesky daily emails from Style.com:

This gorgeous Luella Bartley drop-waist coat, which unfortunately can only be pulled off the by the extremely skinny, but looks nice all the same ans is everywhere for fall

This edgy Diane Von Furstenberg dress (paired with ankle boots, no less)

I loved this gorgeous gown (among other things) by Naeem Khan

For more obsessive fashion week coverage, I recommend some hotspots:
New York Magazine's Show&Talk Blog
New York Magazine's Fashion Show Index
Style.com, of course (if you have time, create your own lookbook)
Fashion Wire Daily (a personal favorite of mine)
Women's Wear Daily
Coutorture, newly revamped just for fashion week

That's it for now...I'm hoping I'll be able to update a bit more this week with more fashion week related-posts, but as I've got work and school and two exams tomorrow night and a performance wednesday, I can't be sure. In the meantime, indulge yourself in all the fashion week coverage you can find, and I'll be just a little bit jealous...

Labels: fashion week, links, news

Check out this fantastic article by Cathy Horyn of the NYT (who else? I love Cathy. And you all are probably aware that my favourite 'blog' is the NYT Fashion&Style section.)

This is the woman that TF and I both hope to overthrow at some point in our lives. Most of the time I just don't get her, but I kind of secretly have this enormous admiration for her. She's going to be a hard one to overthrow, that Anna.

Labels: links, news

I know couture is about as far away from the typical college wardrobe as one can possibly get, but this season's shows are so utterly beautiful they just about broke my heart. I am not kidding. It doesn't shame me to admit that the Dior show brought tears to my eyes. I am normally a stone-hearted person, but fashion manages to make a soft weepy woman of me.

I can't imagine what it must've been like actually sitting there and watching the shows. Seeing a couture show - and buying couture, of course - are among my Things To Do Before I Die.

Also, couture is the kind of clothing you preserve forever in beautiful boxes and never, ever throw away. So this is related to the link Nisha recently posted about "fast fashion" contributing to higher carbon emissions -
If only it were so simple.

Here's the latest greatest article from the NYT, Far From Hollywood: Haute couture is everything the red carpet is not.

Anddd of course what would a post about couture be without pictures?

John Galliano for Dior
In the words of Annie at Blogdorf Goodman, "Galliano gave me beauty and hope yesterday. He gave me a technicolor dream filled with china blossoms, origami and geishas."

The colours were delightful, like candy shop treats, but the frothy white confections were my favourites. The shapes, the sharp origami details (I've always loved origami), the extent of Galliano's imagination - breathtaking. And I loved how each piece was presented like a treasured work of art, just as fashion should always be. And unfortunately, all the other shows really just paled in comparison to this one.

Armani Privé
Japanese for Dior, Indian for Armani. I think Galliano did a better job bringing out the spectacle of geisha culture for the Dior show, but it would have been very un-Armani-like if he had actually brought the culture and loudness of true Indian culture into his show. Instead, he conveyed the influences subtly while maintaining the modern sleekness and poise that are his trademark. I loved how some the perfectly tailored suits have a sort of hoodie look about them, reminiscent of the way Indian women drape their saris over their heads. The dresses were cut beautifully, full of movement and life. Ohhhh to have a kurta by Armani.

Elie Saab
I didn't actually know that Elie Saab showed during couture week, so I was surprised. He's always seemed like the type who made some pretty dresses for the red carpet, but nothing quite so fantastic that it was worthy of the title 'haute couture'. This show didn't really disabuse me of those notions - it was definitely all stuff that I could imagine J Lo and Beyonce and Halle Berry wearing to a glamourous awards show. However, the dresses were definitely pretty, and they helped me get over the shock of that painfully gold Elie Saab number Beyonce wore to the Golden Globes! I liked the tight, controlled babydoll tops with voluminous bottoms, and the baby-blue-and-black colour combination on a couple of the dresses was bold enough to briefly be worthy of haute couture. Then there were lots of shimmering diaphanous pieces which were... pretty, I guess, but quite blah, really. Not my thing.

Jean Paul Gaultier
Dark religious kitsch. Not really my thing, but really quite fascinating. And he achieved the artist's purpose of making his work stick in your mind. Lots of Catholic iconography - halos, modernistic wimples (funny how a simple hood can recall an Indian sari or a nun's wimple), stained glass effects, dramatic make-up that resembled statues of the Virgin Mary. With a sort of ironic spin, like a pale blue dress with a shiny bleeding heart, and naturally the dresses reveal a lot more skin than the church would really approve of. Ironic but not, I think, patronising. I liked it the same way I liked one of John Galliano's shows a year or two ago which was inspired by the French Revolution. Haunting and hard to understand, but a great work of art in its own right. And some of the dresses, taken seperately from the elaborate headdresses, are really beautiful and wearable.

Valentino
This collection was unexpectedly young, innocent and flirtatious. Quite a departure from the signature red dresses. But I liked it - it was refreshing, light as spring, and some of the more modern pieces (polka-dots, a bold cut, etc) were really nice. The Jackie O-style coats were adorable, and pastel colours are so soothing. In fact, according to style.com the pastel pink coat (second from left, bottom row) has set the fashion world talking and left many frustrated that there wasn't more like that in this collection. There was one hideous flowered dress though. I'm not sure where that came from (bottom left corner). Ah well, apparently Valentino's preparing himself for a whopper of a show for the July couture season. Will look forward to that.

Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel
Was rather disappointing. Couture is supposed to show you something new, it's suppose to surprise, excite and inspire but there wasn't much that was particularly inspired about this collection, in my opinion. Some nice proportions going on, but the mod silhouette's been going on for a while already, the mainly black-and-white palette is getting old, and the occasions when Lagerfeld tried to inject colour in seemed quite contrived, frankly. And the dresses with the bits trailing down like shredded paper? I couldn't make sense of them. But there were some ensembles which hinted at the classic Chanel goodness that we've come to expect.
And then there was a grossly unflattering, frumpy, poofy gray dress which just made my jaw drop in horror. It's like a prom dress nightmare from two centuries ago, if that makes any sense to you.
Let's hope next season sees a Galliano-esque rediscovery of genius for Mr Lagerfeld.

Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy - "the metamorphosis of sailors into mermaids"
I saved this for last because I don't usually see great clothes from Givenchy, but this show was crazy, dramatic and outstanding in the way that only a couturier can pull off. Loved the moody atmosphere, the modern shapes and brilliant tailoring. And there was lots of navy blue. Am a sucker for detailed tailoring and navy blue. This collection had a poofy gray dress that was just as unflattering as the one at Chanel, but it was so misguidedly over-detailed that I found it in my heart to excuse it. Oh and the huge hats! What's a good couture show without something ridiculously unwearable playing a central role in the collection?

I am not bothering with Christian Lacroix because I never like his couture shows. They all look the same - weird shapes, excessive colours and glitter and makeup. And somehow they just seem to wholly lack originality.

Phew. Long post. Time to get back to writing a Humanities paper!

Labels: 2007, couture, links, news, spring/summer

I'm a news junkie, so part of my routine when I get up bright and early every morning (I have 8 ams 4 days a week!) is to check the New York Times online- the only news source worth reading, in my opinion (Kristof and Friedman: best columnists ever, I LOVE those guys). Anyways, point here is, I found this article about fashion pollution, Can Polyester Save The World?, both alarming and slightly hilarious. The idea is that low-budget, disposable clothes from such cheap-chic giants as Target, Old Navy, and H&M are contributing to a rise in carbon emissions and worsening the global warming crisis. Sad, but true.

The bad news? The more clothes you own--especially of the cheap, dispose-at-every-season variety-- the more you contribute to global warming.

But the good news? At least now we can justify solely buying Gucci and Chanel--it's better for the environment!

Labels: cheap chic, links, news

Sorry for the delay in posting. I just moved back to campus yesterday so the last few days have been extremely busy and my laptop was packed Saturday through Sunday. Now that I'm connected to the world wide web again, I've been meaning to post about the recent FWD article 5 Ways to Make 2007 Determinedly Chic. My take on their five things...

See the Nan Kempner exhibit: of course, I think Nan Kempner is fabulous and would LOVE to see the exhibit. She only possessed the best closet in the history of fashion and was a style icon to all who aspired to be chic, but not all of us can jet to NYC at the drop of a hat nor is it easy to get a copy of one of those elusive exhibition catalogues. However, I think most non-NYC based fashionistas should get points for even caring about Nan Kempner!

Look to non-traditional sources for valid information: well, if you're reading this, you're already doing it. The article suggests reading newspapers and blogs rather than just Vogue/W/Harper's Bazaar. I think most people who are really into fashion do this one anyways, including the people who even read FWD in the first place, so this is a pointless suggestion.

Acknowledge trends, don't become the trends: I totally agree. I think we need more style individualists and less trend-followers.

Shop online: Um, this is 2007. Don't we all?

Follow the shows: because you know we will! "You can learn about trends when they are printed in a magazine or thrown on the back of some red-carpet-walking star, months after designers actually present them on the runways, but why not get more involved and make a point to follow fashion more closely this year?" says FWD writer Erin Skrypek. Hectic schedules make it tough for people who aren't full-time fashion industry professionals to have the time to follow all the shows in all the cities (or at least the major cities), but it's definitely worth the effort! This week, men's lines are debuting in Milan :-)

Labels: links, news

I thought on this lazy morning I would share one of my favorite guilty pleasures: Mr. Blackwell's Annual Worst Dressed List. It's hilarious. And on it are some of our least favorite people, such as Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Enjoy!

http://www.cnn.com/interactive/entertainment/0701/gallery.worst.dressed/frameset.exclude.html

Labels: links, news

Okay first of all: who doesn't love H&M? The Swedish cheap-chic giant has been an overnight success since hitting the US a few years ago.

I know this is old news, but I'm thoroughly interested to see the M by Madonna line that Madonna will design for H&M, set to release this March. When Karl Lagerfeld's line for H&M premiered in 2004, all I remember was getting there the day after the line released and everything was sold out already. But then again, that was Karl Lagerfeld. When Stella McCartney's line for H&M premiered in 2005, it sold out equally as fast. When Madonna's little tracksuit experiment for H&M came out...it was not nearly as much of a success. But, H&M is giving Madonna another chance and I'm interested to see what new ideas she'll come up with this time!

Hopefully I'll be able to high-tail it to my nearest H&M this March to check it out in person. Unfortunately I don't have an H&M near my campus, but if the line is any good I might have to make a weekend trip home to Chicago to check it out!

In other really random news, a thought: do you guys read ever read Glamour? You know, the Glamour Do's and Dont's, where they take pictures of people on the street and black-bar them and display their good and bad style choices. Do you ever wish you could do that and take pictures of people you see on the street whose style inspires you...or horrifies you? Aparna and I, while shopping today, sort of...followed...this girl around Forever 21 so we could get a full glimpse of her outfit, which we both absolutely adored (she wore this coat and balanced out its girliness with black tights and flat black leather boots)!! We felt kind of crazy, but you have to admit, it's really interesting to watch people on the street and wish you could blog every wild and interesting outfit you see.... don't you agree?

Labels: cheap chic, news

I have two things to tell you.

1. I lovelovelove the New York Times Style section. They have the most fascinating articles.

2. Earlier this year, I took a vow of abstinence... from shopping. For approximately 4 weeks. It was long and painful and it was sort of penance for a lot of shopping that I did prior to that, plus it was sort of a sacrifice to all the gods and goddesses who could help me -- because the 4 weeks ended just before the release of my all-important A Level examination results and I was rather terrified of flunking or something, though in the end I did fine. I'm Indian, Indians do all sorts of weird penances and pilgrimages in order to believe that their wishes are more likely to come true. I took a vow of abstinence from shopping, okay?

Therefore, this article really struck a nerve. I cannot fathom how she managed to go a whole year without any clothes-shopping whatsoever. My own penance didn't really last long enough for me to start hating my clothes (or I guess the feeling of I-Have-No-Clothes happens to me regularly enough even when I've just been shopping, is it just me or does that happen to everyone?)

However, it did make me realise the pleasure of waiting for something until you know that you really must have it - which explains the spree at the end of my 4 weeks. Normally I'm too impatient to think about purchases, I just buy and often regret because in Singapore, stores don't tend to have the friendliest return policies. Most of the time they force you to exchange it for something even if there's really nothing else you want from the store, and some stores even have a no return/no exchange policy. It is quite rare that you can just return something, no questions asked. I love that American stores have lots of flexibility when it comes to accommodating the fluctuating fancies of frivolous fashionistas. Oh look at that alliteration, it breaks my heart.

So tell me, what's the longest time you've been without shopping?

Labels: news

Just read a rather exciting article about the future of Chicago's fashion scene - from the New York Times.

"In June, the mayor appointed a fashion czar — or, more precisely, a director of fashion arts and events — to upgrade his city’s sartorial sensibility. Daley’s choice for the position, a former corporate lawyer and fashion-marketing graduate named Melissa Turner, will not function as the apparel police; there will be no edicts against too-long hemlines or tacky ties. Rather, with the help of a 20-member advisory council, Turner will help nurture the design industry to the point at which it can potentially compete with the thriving design scenes in New York and Los Angeles."

Frankly, the Midwest has its fair share of people who are just BEGGING to be arrested by the fashion police, but even just a person whose job is to bring dynamism and flair to the fashion industry in Chicago, is a very exciting development indeed!

"For those questioning the value of a fashion czar, Mayor Daley can point to a position the city created a decade ago: culinary director. Since that time, Chicago has become known as a foodie paradise."

So true! Melissa Turner oversaw Fashion Focus Chicago this fall, but I am embarrassed to say I don't know if Chicago regularly has a week of runway shows by established designers. Whatever it is, I can't wait for the day when designers will be falling all over themselves to show in Chicago. (A girl can dream. Or she can head to New York.)

Labels: news

Tomorrow is the first day of December - leaving aside my amazement at just how fast this year has gone, I am excited because Roland Mouret's collection for Gap opens in NYC stores sometime soonish! I am honestly a little bit tired of Gap, but I am crossing my fingers that RM won't disappoint. I really like the red t-shirt dress, especially because I've been trying to think of some way to support the Inspi(red) campaign without having to plaster a slogan across my chest.



Items underlined in red on my itinerary for NYC trip next week (yeah I was just there for Thanksgiving but I was sitting at uncle's house eating and playing with adorable cousin, only ventured into Manhattan for a couple of hours the day I arrived, so This Is My Chance) --

Gap store
Uniqlo store
An Earnest Cut & Sew

I will add more things as I think of them. If any of you are reading from NYC kindly suggest more stores to visit (affordable, preferably, though I am equally wont to go into, say, Tiffany&Co to ogle baubles.)

Labels: Budget, cheap chic, news

I hate to toot my own horn (or like I said a few posts ago, I really don't but I have ot say it anyway) -- but I am really excited because The College Wardrobe has earned its first magazine mention! In a subsidiary of Newsweek called Current, no less! Lots more exclamation marks!

Check it out here.

Also, hope you girls had a FABULOUS Thanksgiving full of great food and even better shopping. I scored a very trendy long grey cardigan, black suede ankle boots, and grey suede ballet flats. Along with the gorgeous red toggle coat I bought on impulse pre-Thanksgiving, my wardrobe is grinning very widely right now!

Coming up soon: wishlists and gift guides!

Labels: blog, news

I want - no, I NEED - a copy of the UK Vogue 90th anniversary issue. However, my campus bookstore doesn't carry it. Do regular bookstores in the city carry UK Vogue or will I have to call my mother and implore that she pick me up a copy in Singapore and keep it waiting for me in December?

I miss living in a relatively more international city. I could get UK Vogue, Australian Voguem, French Vogue or Italian Vogue whenever I wanted and all pretty easily. Or maybe it's just that I knew where to get them. UK, US and Australian are all available quite widely at newstands in Singapore though. French and Italian are harder to find but I knew where.

I can't wait for December! Much as I love fall dressing, I'm excited to briefly be able to lounge around in skirts and cute little t-shirts or tank tops. And flip-flops! (Much as I love heels and boots and all that jazz.)

Labels: news

I am SO EXCITED about this. I don't think this collaboration has even been officially announced yet -- I found the pictures on the Jane Magazine Dress&Primp blog, Catherine scanned them in from the invitation to the launch. This looks like the most promising line I've seen so far from Target Go International. Behnaz Sarafpour was exciting but I was a little disappointed by the clothes. This line, however, looks wearable and cute and very very Proenza. I wish I could see the front view of the coat because it looks adorable.

Labels: Budget, cheap chic, news

The collection opened on Thursday in New York, as soon as I get the time I will be checking out H&M in Chicago to see what it's like. I hear that there's a lot of romantic embellishment - bows and hearts, which sounds a little... busy for my tastes, but I'll give it a chance.

From FashionWireDaily, "It was, in fact, hard to find a Viktor and Rolf's women's item that was not festooned with one or the other, from the heart buckle on a pouf-skirted trench coat to the white, quilted-heart puffer jacket to the delicate bow print that snaked across t-shirts and sweaters to the outsized chiffon bow that engulfed the torso of the V and R wedding dress - the first in H and M's 59-year history (and, at $349, a relative steal compared to the duo's usual couture-level bridal price tags)."

The outfit below is definitely worth further investigation. I love the Edwardian-style blouse, very romantic. The skirt's cute but not something I'd wear in the winter, most probably. Might look cute and slightly edgy with tights and high boots. Especially those gorgeous over-the-knee Ralph Laurens that are currently being sported by everyone who can afford them! But if you are fortunate enough to be wearing those boots with this skirt, streamline the top or else the whole outfit is going to be Trend Overload.


To check out more pictures of the collection, see this post at Fabsugar.

Sounds like it's worth taking a look at, at the very least! If any of you get the chance to check it out, please report back to let the rest of us know what you think!

Labels: Budget, cheap chic, news

SOCIAL FASHION NEWS SERVICE!

A new Coutorture feature being launched at:
http://www.coutorture.com/popular

In the spirit of social news sites like Digg, Reddit, and Lipstick, Coutorture has developed a site that will allow all users to submit and vote on the top fashion news stories of the day. Anyone who registers can submit a story and the entire user community will vote on the piece to determine its placement. The stories can come from any space in fashion whether traditional media, blogs, magazines, or forums. It is up to you the users to decide what gets top billing!

Please submit your own stories, vote on current stories, and post about the new service on your own blogs.

The new service will be as social and interactive as possible including user profiles, friend capabilities and much more!

Labels: blog, links, news

I am a huge fan of Roland Mouret's designs so this is exciting news indeed. My personal opinion is that the grey shapeless (caftan? shirtdress? nightshirt?) thing on the left is really not the most flattering dress you could go for, but the navy dress in the middle is Really Cute and the red on the right is great great burst of colour for a winter wardrobe, and it's tres chic when layered over a striped or printed top. Also loving the tights and cute mary-janes. Definitely try this look if you can get away with minidresses and tights this winter (in other words, if you're not already freezing your butt off in, say, Chicago!)



From Women's Wear Daily:

"The American retailer has linked with British designer Roland Mouret to launch a capsule collection of dresses, mainly in select stores in Europe but also at a handful of units in New York. The collection will arrive in 160 Gaps in the U.K., Ireland and France on Nov. 7 and should hit the New York stores a few weeks later, according to Stephen Sunnucks, president of Europe, Gap Inc. International.

"A very small selection will go into six or seven Manhattan stores by late November, early December," Sunnucks said Monday during a press breakfast to unveil the line, which will be on sale only until the end of December."

I will definitely put Gap on my to-go list when I'm in New York this December. I'd love to score that navy dress.

Labels: Budget, cheap chic, news

Lucky, the award winning magazine about shopping, will host its third annual LUCKY SHOPS event. Lucky’s team of experts have carefully edited and selected their favorite fashions, handbags, shoes, and jewelry, with most selling at up to 70% off retail! I wish I could go, but most tragically this huge event is a mere two weeks before I head to New York for Thanksgiving!

I'll definitely be logging onto www.shopluckyshops.com, though, just to make sure I get my fair share of shopalicious fun!

A portion of proceeds from tickets and select merchandise sales will benefit Baby Buggy®, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing New York City's families in need with essential equipment, clothing, and products for their infants and young children.

LUCKY SHOPS features two exciting new shopping opportunities not be missed:

Love Recycled® Boutique - a shop filled with one-of-a-kind, collectible pieces donated by some of the world’s most well-known and best-dressed women including Sarah Jessica Parker, Diane von Furstenberg and Lisa Rinna.
The Ultimate Closet - a chic boutique featuring extraordinary designers curated by KIRNA ZABÊTE and SCOOP NYC for Baby Buggy®. Designers featured in The Ultimate Closet will be: Allegra Hicks, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Chloé, Derek Lam, DKNY, Elizabeth Hurley, Jean Paul Gaultier, Kors Accessories, Louis Vuitton, Muriel Brandolini, Peter Som, Proenza Schouler, Stella McCartney, Thakoon, Tracy Reese, Tuleh, Vanessa Bruno, Zac Posen and more.



EVENT DETAILS:

Lucky Shops Consumer Pre-Sale Party

Thursday, November 9th from 4PM – 8PM

$65.00 in advance, $75.00 at the door.

Lucky Shops Consumer Shopping Day

Friday, November 10th from 11AM – 7PM

$40.00 in advance, $50.00 at the door.

An invitation-only fundraiser will kick-off LUCKY SHOPS on November 8th. The event will be hosted by Lucky’s Vice President and Publisher Sandy Golinkin, Editor in Chief Kim France and co-chaired by Jessica Seinfeld and Molly Sims.

Gotham Hall --1356 Broadway (at 36th Street) – New York City

TICKETS:

To purchase tickets please call 866-4LUCKYU (866-458-2598) or order online at www.luckyshops.com while supplies last. Phone orders will incur an additional service charge of $2.00 plus tax on every order. Online orders incur a service charge $4.00 per ticket plus tax on every order.

Labels: news

Just found the most amazing fashion blog -- Fashion is Spinach, by a Singapore-based writer. Lately I've been missing home a whole lot, so her pictures and posts about Singapore have caused Strong Pangs of Nostalgia.

Also!

UrbanOutfitters is having a pretty sweet sale right now -- just until 31 Oct midnight EST!

Labels: blog, links, news, Sale

Paper Lily had an article about Swati Argade featured recently on Coutorture. It mentioned that Swati is a South Indian dancer-turned-designer which really intrigued me, because until laziness took me over, I was also undergoing training in classical South Indian dance (bharathanatyam) - and even after I quit the dance classes, I continued with semi-classical performances at school. I actually plan to find a bharathanatyam teacher in Chicago and resume training if possible. Anyway, the point is that I went to check out her website and the designs just won me over absolutely.

These really aren't typical collegey styles, but even college girls need some pretty party clothes, right? I also have no idea how much of a dent these pieces would create in your bank account, but I promise to try my best to check them out physically in New York or Chicago and report back (hopefully with a couple of Swati Argade pieces to call my own!) In the meantime, I'm thrilled just looking at the pictures.

Her collections have beautiful names. S/S05 was called belle khadi - khadi's a type of cotton/silk/wool/mix fabric handspun and hand-woven in Indian villages. It's associated with India's independence struggle because Mahatma Gandhi's clothes were all khadi, and the spinning of khadi was an important source of self-employment in rural India. It also spread the message of not using foreign clothes. This heritage is so precious that the Indian flag is allowed to be made only from this material.

Her S/S 06 collection is called Bengali Girl - Bengal's a part of India with a rich cultural and literary history, and on the fashion front there are some really great up-and-coming designers emerging from Bengal. This collection's full of bright, happy colours.

Fall 06 - Novella, which means a short novel. According to her website this collection "explores Indian historical and Western literary traditions, combining structured tailoring and men’s suiting fabrics with the softness of velvet, corduroy, and naturally dyed cottons."

This seems to be Swati's signature shape, and she has a variation every season. The one on the left is from her Fall06 collection, while the one on the right is from the 2004 collection. It's a really nice streamlined, simple shape. And the strips of fabric do all sorts of incredibly flattering things for your body. I like that although the designer is ethnically Indian, she isn't doing blatantly Indo-Western styling because almost every Indian designer out there is doing Indo-Western alongside their traditional Indian designs. It's very subtle, like the strips of orange zari in the piece on the right, which gives it a special flair.

This is part of her Bengali Girl collection, but it appears to be made of the same khadi fabric which dominated the belle khadi collection. I think it's beautiful that a fabric with this much history behind it, and which is traditionally associated with rusticity and poverty and a hard struggle for independence is being transformed into such modern, empowered, optimistic silhouettes.
This somehow captures the essence of Bengali Girl for me. The shape of the dress - long, with a high collar - is strangely literary, like an educated Edwardian lady. And then there's the flourish of the tie waist, and the orange colour which is just really vibrant and so very Indian because Indians really love their bright colours :)

This, finally, is a college-fashion-worthy piece. Not that these pieces would need to be anything-worthy for me to feature them here; I'd love them regardless. I am in love with her use of colours and the meticulous construction. I only fear that clothes that are so detailed and to which so much thought has evidently been given will be absolutely out of my reach financially.

Nisha mentioned in her last post that a beautiful trench coat is a must in every wardrobe, and this is the most beautifully cut, most pristinely white trench I've ever laid eyes on. Especially worn casually like this with a pair of summery sandals, it's So Sexy.

This is my favourite piece of all. The cut and colour are very streamlined and sophisticated, but the thread-sewn pictures of buildings are so young and whimsical - who can resist? Every college girl ought to have one crazy, whimsical, beautiful coat in her wardrobe.

Labels: news