India is becoming the latest fashion hub for the fashionistas. Indian designers are no longer confined to the domestic fashion and apparel market, they are gaining recognition and fame from all over the world. The various government policies and a boom in fashion industry have made it possible. One of the major breakthrough provided to Indian designers to showcase their talents are through the medium of fashion shows. Lakme India Fashion Show is the most popular fashion show celebration of India where the talents of already established and upcoming designers are showcased.

This event is a fashion celebration laced with lots of glamour and national as well as international media coverage. This time lakme India fashion week was held at Mumbai from 31st Oct- 4th Nov. Many high profile designers as well as audience witnessed this fashion fiesta. Famous bollywood celebrities were part of it.

Eminent designers like Surily Goel, Narendra Kumar, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Nalandda Bhandari, Nandita Mahtani, Anand Kabra, Abhishek Dutta , Wendrell Rodericks, Anupama Dayal, Vikram Phadnis, Chaitanya Rao, Sanchita, Savio Jon, Payal Singhal, Sanjay Malhotra, James Ferriera, Priyadarshini Rao, etc presented their spring/summer 2007 collection. Also South African designer duo Sun Goddess and Clive Rundle presented their collection.

Brief descriptions of some designer’s creative work are as follows :-

Nalandda Bhandari

Nalandda Bhandari designs simple yet attractive and wearable collection under the brand name ‘Nasha’. She named her spring/summer 2007 collection ‘Free Spirit’. She covered all patterns and styles of contemporary women clothing, dress patterns like- tunics, kaftans, tube dress, skirts, shirts and burnt gold evening gown dominated her show. She played with glamour clad fabrics like chiffon, silk, georgette, voile, cotton and crepe. Her collection was largely ruled by animal prints and embroideries like African embroidery, sequin embroidery, etc. She also presented her men collection. She included her logo of rose embroidery in almost every outfit.

Narendra Kumar

The very famous designer Narendra Kumar presented his spring/summer collection 2007 at Lakme Fashion Week. The collection was named as ‘Love Touches You’. He presented a perfect blend of traditional and contemporary designing paired beautifully with each other. The women’s line of western collection had smocked & pleated skirts, balloon skirt with shirt dress, half collars, bloomers, chiffon with appliqué sleeves, etc which were created with the designer’s unique touch and detailing. The preferred fabrics by the designer were cotton, georgette, net, silk, mull and linen. The collection was unique but wearable in terms of design and pattern.

The men collection was very stylish and appealing in nature. Men models walked the ramp with elaborate embroidered batik styled shirts paired with stylish trousers completed with patch pockets and shiny zippers. Fun element of, feminity to male garments was provided by showcasing sophisticated floral printed baggy tops paired with tight fitting pants and capris. The choice of colors was dull jade, beige, blue, brown, saffron and white. Complicated embroidery, smocking, appliqué work and shadow work were part and parcel of his creative designing. The fun element was when the famous model turned actor John Abraham walked the ramp with white linen suit. Thus he complied every bit of creativity and entertainment aspects to his collection which gained him standing ovation by the audience and showering of red.

Surily Goel

Surily Goel is young and talented designer who even designs for film personalities. Her latest creation on big screen was for actress Preity Zinta for the film ‘Jaan-e-Mann’. Her collection presented the carefree and sensual side of women’s clothing. This year’s collection was marked by knee-length skirts of georgette, crochets, chiffon, light silks and organdy, highlighting pleats and waist gathering with satin belts. Also single piece bubble outfits created in wide range of colors and fabrics. In this time’s collection she used more of small colored stones.

The presence of film personalities like Dino Morea, Sonali Bendre, Neelam Kothari, Fardeen Khan, Sameera Reddy and Tara Sharma in the audience during her collection put the star element into the show.

Chaitanya Rao

Chaitanya Rao’s collection was like early morning breeze with booming petals of budding roses. The delicate fabrics like georgette and chiffon provided that sexy feminine look to her collection. As her signature, she included moth in the form of embroidery or appliqué in all of her garments. The models took over the ramp with her mesmerizing feminine collection comprising of hem blouses with theme embroideries, pleated mini skirts with batik prints, moth appliqué blouses, long frayed double hem dresses, pale grey chiffon tunic, cream color chiffon bubble dress, dolman sleeved hipster blouses, the list goes on. To accessorize her collection she used thin and broad belts.

Sanchita

Sanchita’s collection presented in Lakme Fashion Week was bold yet wearable. She divided her collection into three segments- Punk chic, Copacabana and Swinging deco. The stunning designer pieces of bikinis and pareos, Hawaiian inspired kaftans, small balloon skirts, floaty dresses and minis provided the feeling of the beaches of Copacabana, St. Tropez and Riviera to the audience. Her collection was quite glamorous consisting of outfit like grey T-shirts with silver leggings, lycra T-shirts having sleeve ornamentations, strapless dresses accompanied with necklaces, earrings and brooches.

The men collection was marked by casual wear T-shirts, poplin trousers with detailed embroideries and white tuxedo jackets.

The garments were decorated with semi precious stones or with attractive patch works. Her line of collection was dominated by colors like white, apatite, agate, jade, opal and black onyx. The garments were accessorized with intrinsically crafted jewelry and bags.

Savio Jon

This designer emphasized heavily on the comfort factor of the garments. Savio Jon is well known for his simple yet attractive clothing lines which are high on value and seductive quotient. Unlike other designers he preferred his garments to hang loose around the body instead of body hugging/tight fitting clothes. He used free flowing fabrics like fish net, mul, chiffon, georgette and crepe.

Pinafore silhouette, long lean maxis, oversized blouses, deep shoveled armholes, low back and front necklines, were some types of garments he presented. In evening wear he glamorized the tubular silhouettes with shimmers. The ranges of colors choosed by him for his collection were beige, grey, brown, black, pale yellow and white. Thus the colors were also sober and subtle.

Payal Singhal

Payal Singhal for the first time presented her collection in Lakme Fashion Week. Her designer collection for women were designed keeping in mind today’s working women’s needs and comfort level. Stylish yet affordable was the key element associated with her collection. She beautifully used cutwork, satin, georgette, jacquard, tulle, cotton, crepe, taffeta, brocade and seersucker in club and partywear for dresses and tunics. Her display of outfits on ramp descended gracefully from daywear to glamorous evening wear. She started her showcasing of designs in oyster white color then, tea rose, yellow, coffee, watermelon to grapefruit color. Display of tunics and blousons were coupled with melon, gold or silver tights. The signature outfit was the oyster white kaftan embellished with golden embroidery.
Sanjay Malhotra

Sanjay Malhotra named his spring/summer 2007 collection –‘Dejavu’. The key phrase which inspired him for this collection was –Life through my rose colored glasses. He instead of sticking only to free flowing usual feminine fabrics, even experimented with fabrics like fur, leather, voiles, denim, suede and laces which were highly appealing to today’s power packed independent women. The beautiful mix-n-match of these fabrics in sober as well as striking colors presented a collection that was bold enough yet stylish and wearable. Few of the many outfits displayed by him were- ivory colored mirror jacket with chiffon sleeves, colorful corset skirt accompanied with net petticoat, tunic with fur edge, etc. His collection was for the woman who likes to seek attention of the crowd and be different.

Clive Rundle and Sun Goddess

Clive Rundle and Sun Goddess were two international South African designers who presented their collection at Lakme Fashion Week. Fusion was the key style of their outfits. Extravagant layered dresses and skirts, jackets, evening wear, loosely fitted shirts and trousers, long coats and tops were part of their garment showcase. Their choices of colors were mainly creams, cherries, plums, peaches, sapphires, maroons and mauves. The free flowing pleated and layered outfits depicted the south African culture and fashion essence through them.

James Ferriera

James Ferriera made his debut at Lakme Fashion Week. He named his collection ‘Bombay Tokyo’. His collections were inspired by Maharashtra’s rich textile heritage.

The collections were divided into seven segments which were even named. The sari, an ode to devnagari, the hardy traditional towel, black magic, the sholapur story, warli and diwali were the seven names given to the segments.

Traditional warli paintings and paithani motifs were done on the clothes. Very uniquely he transformed the traditional forms of maharashtrian clothing into contemporary designs, like nine yard saris were intelligently converted into tunics. Marigold and leaf motifs were used on black shirts with cowl necks.

MARTHA SAWYER ALLEN isn’t here anymore. She’s off to new adventures.” That line ended Allen’s final column in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (September 4). Her predecessor, Willmar “Bill” Thorkelson, who left that paper a score of years ago, continued to cover religion news as a freelancer. I hope Allen does the same, given her excellent record as interviewer and reporter. Her last column was a round-up of her “furious two decades in religion,” written with a perspective we historians might well envy.Without using the academic term “postmodern” or lapsing into the jargon we academics sometimes favor, she discusses postmodernity in American religion with insight and finesse. She begins by describing a visit to a White Bear Lake megachurch, where she learns that the name Baptist, to say nothing of which sort of Baptist (in this case, General Conference), means nothing. Cedar Valley Church used to be Bloomington Assembly of God. Now it’s downplaying its denominational ties. It’s a market world, and entrepreneurial or do-it-yourself identifiers appeal most directly.

Minnesotans tell polltakers they believe in God, but most don’t think you need to go to church to be a good Christian. The Rev. Greg Boyd of Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul mentioned a member of one-year’s standing who learned the place was Baptist and demanded his money back. Boyd says that’s a symptom of “how our culture has lost a commitment to things bigger than the individual. There’s something sad about that.”

THERE WAS A TIME NOT SO LONG AGO WHEN GETTING THERE WAS HALF THE FUN OF HOLIDAYING. TRAVEL WAS GLAMOROUS, AS WAS DRESSING FOR IT. THIS SEASON MIUCCIA PRADA’S CLOTHES BROUGHT BACK THE SIMPLE PLEASURE OF LEAVING ONE’S OWN BACKYARD FOR THE BEAUTY OF ANOTHER’S, REROMANTICIZING THE NOTION OF SEEING THE WORLD AS WELL AS THE JOY OF THE JOURNEY. SUCH COSMOPOLITANISM AND ANTI-ISOLATIONISM ARE PERFECTLY TIMED FOR A WORLD THAT’S RECENTLY BEEN AFRAID TO LEAVE ITS OWN DOORSTEP. THESE CLOTHES SAY “PACK YOUR BAGS–THERE’S A WHOLE WIDE WORLD OUT THERE!”

ACCOMPANYING THE FASHION PICTURES ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES ARE PAINTINGS, CREATED ESPECIALLY FOR THIS ISSUE OF Interview BY ARTIST SOPHIE VON HELLERMANN, OF THE SAME LOCATIONS THAT INSPIRED PRADA.

In this story: Model: KSENIA/Take 2 Model Management. Hair: SEB BASCLE/Blunt Makeup: HOUDA REMITA/Blunt. Special thanks: DAYLIGHT STUDIO, PARIS. All images of von Hellermann’s paintings [C] the artist, courtesy of VILMA GOLD, LONDON. Cosmetics by LANCOME. Hair-styling products by REDKEN. Opposite: Dress and shoes inspired by Rome’s Trinita dei Monti by PRADA. Hat by PHILIP TREACY.

Above: Dress, shoes, and belt inspired by the city of Venice by PRADA. Gloves by LA CRASIA. Opposite: Ms. Hellermann’s interpretation of the city of Venice.

Typically the garment of choice for tourists, mall walkers, and anyone kicking back, shorts are getting a new lease on life this season. The new way to wear them, according to some of the spring/ summer looks at Burberry and Louis Vuitton, is to accessorize with socks and lace-up shoes in an homage to the Englishman abroad. Rather than offer the full Higgins-from-Magnum P.I. ensemble, Tommy Hilfiger is presenting shorts and blazers as a modern summer alternative to the suit in his new H Hilfiger line. Should you wish to wear your shorts like a true Brit–yet without the dress shoes and socks–try pairing them with a raging sunburn.

There’s been a lull in movie reviews resUlting from the space limitations of NCR’s summer schedule. The present column, therefore, is made up of shorter notices, including films you may have already seen that seem worthy of discussion. The Devil Wears Prada stars Meryl Streep, recently hailed for her portrayal of a loving partner in a folk-singing sister act in “Prairie Home Companion.” Here she’s Miranda Priestly, the imperious boss of Runway, a premier fashion magazine, who overwhelms her young assistant, Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), with endless tasks and impossible deadlines. The movie’s source, a novel by Lauren Weisberger, treats Miranda as a pure villain, but Ms. Streep makes her wonderfully entertaining, entering the office each day to spill her constantly changing high-style coats and bags onto Andy’s desk with complete indifference. You wouldn’t want to work for Miranda, but she is a fascinating emblem of power and professionalism.The plot spends too much time on Andy’s struggle with boyfriend Nate (Adrian Grenier), who wants her to quit the shallow world of fashion, but we are never brought to care much about their relationship. Apart from Miranda, what holds our interest is the knowledgeable advice on clothes and life in the fashion industry dispensed by Nigel (Stanley Tucci), who gives a fine performance as the sardonic top adviser at Runway, who takes a kindly interest in Andy. Nigel has boundless admiration if not affection for his boss, but longs to run his own fashion operation.

Escape the winter doldrums with active apparel that puts a new spin on old favorites. Funky prints and updated offerings from the ’70s and ’80s are comfortable and cool workout essentials for spring.

1. Hind’s “Element” nylon/spandex sport bra ($35; hind.com) offers more than an eye-catching print–it has great support for low- and high-intensity aerobic activities.

2. Tie-dye, always a statement maker, has dipped into active wear. Check out Ener~chi’s supersoft cotton/Lycra stretch “Chi~Splash” yoga pants ($62; enerchi.com).

3. Show off the result of all those crunches in Ellement 5’s nylon/Power Dry polyester “Skrunch” tank ($42; ellement5.com) featuring a comfy drawstring front that you can cinch up or pull down.Cover up in a modern take on a classic track-style jacket with FAL by Jeffrey Grubb’s jersey hoodie ($105; at select Equinox stores) with sporty wide stripes.

5. Searching for an ultra-versatile sporty tee? Look no further than adidas’ multifunctional ClimaCool two-layer top with a built-in support bra ($60; adidas.com), perfect for workouts indoors or out.

6. Keep your feet moving in Reebok’s ’80s-inspired “TNG Jet” leather and mesh-upper track shoes ($55; reebok.com). Also available in gray or black.

7. Time yourself with an affordable and reliable Timex water-resistant Performance Sports watch ($20-$45 depending on style; timex.com), with features like an Indiglo night light, countdown timer and alarm.
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8. Show off your Rocky-esque moves in Everlast’s supercute quick-dry nylon shorts ($24; everlast.com), with an elastic waistband and zippered front for an easy fit.

NEW YORK — Target debuted its fall fashion lineup July 27 in Rockefeller Plaza during two vertical fashion shows. Fifteen models wearing pieces from the collection kicked off the show by rappelling down three vertical runways attached to a nine-story building. The models danced and performed acrobatic stunts before landing. On the ground, fifty models strutted down a Target-logo runway and showcased new looks from Isaac Mizrahi, Mossimo, Liz Lange, Xhilaration and Merona. The lineup included back-to-school, business and maternity.Houndstooth prints were a common theme as was tweed. Outerwear was embellished with fur and came in everything from tan corduroy pea coats to Kelly-green vests. Men’s suits popped with brightly colored business shirts. Women’s shoes varied from multicolored sequined ballet flats to bronze peep-toe heels.

The looks that really stood out were the going-out pieces. Embellished silky camisoles paired with fitted black pants started the excitement and a Jackie O outfit stole the show. The ivory brocade dress with matching cropped jacket was paired with kitten heels and a tailored handbag.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.

With high-octane oomph and a face seemingly chiseled from stone, Joy Bryant has transformed her early dreams into opportunities that others can only imagine. Born in the Bronx to a teenage mother and raised by her grandmother, the actress has already cut her path through the Ivy League, the fashion world, and now Hollywood, dazzling audiences first in 2002’s Antwone Fisher and again in last year’s Honey. When she appears in this month’s Baadasssss!, Maria Van Peebles’s tribute to his father Melvin’s career as a trailblazing filmmaker, Bryant not only proves how fabulous she looks in a gigantic period Afro, but also pays tribute to the cinematic ancestors who made her career and those of countless others possible. Here she talks to hip-hop heavyweight and Honey producer, Andre Harrell. ANDRE HARRELL: Hey, Joy. How you doin’?

JOY BRYANT: I’m good. I’m getting ready to go to New York for a little modeling job.

AH: Ah! Fashion model-turned-character actress going on leading lady. [Bryant laughs] So let’s talk about the film you did about Melvin Van Peebles and all that maverick energy he created. Was it the ’70s when he put out Sweet Sweetback’s Baad Asssss Song?

JB: Yeah, it was 1971. It sort of kicked off the whole blaxploitation era because it showed Hollywood there was a market out there–

AH: For a black man fuckin’ in the movies?

JB: That’s right. [laughs] After Sweetback’s success, they were like, “Wait, black people equals money? Okay, cool.”
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AH: So it’s all about Melvin’s behind-the-scenes frustration of wanting to take the reins in his own hands. Was there a period when he tried to make the movie and couldn’t get it done through the system, or did he just start off saying “I’ve had enough”?

JB: Well, Melvin had made Watermelon Man [1970], which was a huge success, and success can sometimes be the kiss of death because then people expect you to either do the same thing or do stuff you don’t want to do. Then he had this idea for Sweetback and had problems raising money because the content was too hot.

AH: All that sexually explicit stuff that Hollywood wasn’t used to dealing with.

JB: Right, they weren’t used to that, so he had to go the independent route.

AH: I remember seeing Watermelon Man, where a white guy was subjected to all the racism that the black man had gone through, and what’s interesting is that it was a way for a white male to understand how America was treating black society. So Melvin went from a smart, eye-opening way of waking up American society straight to Sweetback–

JB: Where he kind of gave everyone in Hollywood the middle finger. He did what he had to do, spent what he had to spend, and made whatever deals he had to make to get his film made. He was revolutionary. So Sweetback’s a great movie in terms of its place in black-cinema history and also in terms of independent filmmaking. All the trials and tribulations of putting your heart and soul and probably all of your money into something when everybody’s telling you it’s going to fail. Ya dig?

AH: [laughs] So tell me the role you play in the story.

JB: I play Priscilla, who was Melvin’s secretary.

AH: You and him didn’t have no love affair–

JB: Oh, no, just business. Melvin was more like a role model for my character, who always wanted to be in his movies. So when he goes and puts Priscilla in Sweetback, it’s for a scene where she has to be naked. But my character was dating Maurice White from Earth, Wind & Fire, who ended up doing the soundtrack for Sweetback, and he didn’t want her doing it, so she backs out. She’s a funny character, but not because she’s trying to be a comedian; she’s funny because she’s a little bit of an airhead and naive. It’s a lot of fun. I get to wear an Afro and ’70s clothes.

AH: That’s a long way from Honey. Tell me about the films you’ve done since then. JB: Well, I did Baadasssss!, and I did a movie called Three Way Split, with this great Australian actor Dominic Purcell and Gina Gershon and Dwight Yoakam. And then I did Haven, with Orlando Bloom and Bill Paxton.

AH: And what are your characters like in those films?

JB: I go from playing this kind of ditzy secretary in Baadasssss! to a femme fatale in Three Way Split. And in Haven, I play a Caribbean secretary, so I have a little Cayman Islands accent. And then I was on E.R. for a few episodes.

AH: You blew up! You were paraplegic, right?

JB: [laughs] No, I had multiple sclerosis. I was on crutches, but–

AH: You was ghetto hot with them! People were typing “Did you see Joy on E.R.?” on the Negro Net–the two-way [pager]. It was two-way hot.

JB: [laughs] And now I start filming The Skeleton Key with Kate Hudson and Peter Sarsgaard and the legendary Gena Rowlands and John Hurt. That’s gonna be off the hook.

AH: So being black hasn’t seemed to hinder your ability to navigate through Hollywood.

JB: No. For instance, in Three Way Split, that role was written for a white girl. When I met the director and the producer, they were like, “That’s an easy change.” The thing is, being an actor is hard enough, whether you’re black, white, male, or female. And being a black person in America is hard whether you’re an actor, a model, you work on Wall Street or whatever, because whether people wanna admit it or not, we have to work way harder than everybody else

When fashion and technology merge, things like Gwen Stefani designing computer accessories happen. And, in Sony’s case, you get a Mini DV camcorder that’s a little larger than a deck of cards and comes in silver, black, white and red.

The DCR-P55 Handycam will debut in February for about $800. In addition to appealing to fashionable consumers, the camera sports a full package of feature that includes 10x optical zoom, image stabilization technology for smoother recording and a 3-inch rotating LCD screen.

So often cameras are stored in less-than-available locations, i.e. in a cabinet, behind a couch. Sony aims to change that by shipping a tabletop dock with this camcorder. Once someone is done with the camera, it can be placed in the Handycam Station for storage and recharging. Users will also be able to use the dock to play video directly from the camera to a PC or TV.

You can’t just be a dreamy designer and expect to succeed. I failed miserably not knowing how to run a business,” Wong recalled. “Being young and unrealistic, I thought I could get it back in two minutes, but it took 15 years. That was humbling.”

Since then, though, the 56-year-old Chinese immigrant has fully rebounded, and has become known as an L.A. fashion institution for her elaborately detailed evening wear.

She has three homes–in Hawaii, Malibu and Los Feliz–and her own company, Studio S Inc. that racked up over $40 million in sales last year, up from $1.5 million about seven years earlier.

Wong is now looking to expand her business in the next four years to reach $60 million to $70 million in sales. She’s also exploring ways to license the Sue Wong brand for such products as furniture, cosmetics, shoes and handbags; and she’s considering opening retail stores.
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“My whole strategy was to build it up to a high level of visibility. I feel my time has come finally,” Wong said.

Wong’s dresses are bought by mid- to high-end department stores such as Macy’s, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus and worn to bar mitzvahs, black-tie dinners and weddings across the U.S. and 24 other countries.

Sumiko Biller, owner of the store Sumiko in Santa Monica, said one customer wore a Sue Wong creation to meet the queen of England. “They are always fitted at the waist, they are flattering, glamorous,” she said. “Her stuff has a classic look.”

Wong realizes she can only go so far with evening wear. She’s added tops and has made her dresses more contemporary for daytime use as well. Still, opening retail stores and licensing is an exercise fraught with pitfalls.

Lifestyle brand

Wong’s dresses are moderately priced, usually between $200 and $600 in stores, and sell to a wide range of customers, ranging from prom-going teens to older women attending special events.

Wong is reaching out to licensees that can push items into parts of department stores and boutiques where she isn’t already available.

Wong also plans to open a flagship store, probably in West Hollywood, in about a year and about two or three stores after that. Those will be the only company-owned units, but she wants to franchise her concept.

But a past attempt to build her own label went awry.

In her 20s, Wong became the lead designer for now defunct fashion company Arpeja, where revenues soared to over $50 million from $3 million in three years. Buoyed by the sales, she left Arpeja to create her own label. But she couldn’t immediately repeat her early success.

Instead, Wong said she was swindled by “con artists” she blames for the downfall of her company. At the same time, she was embroiled in a divorce. Her homes were sold, and she ended up renting a house in Westlake Village, where she brought in her parents to help her raise two sons.

Wong didn’t abandon the idea of her own label, though. She worked as a designer at other companies and, eventually, in the mid-1980s, plowed $380,000 she had saved to start her own label again.

Before 1999, she made a hodgepodge of clothes, including dresses, jackets and tops. But with the millennium coming up, she designed a collection of 25 cocktail and evening dresses for women going to New Year’s parties. It took off and Wong carved out a niche.

“There has to be a consistency of product. Now, I am a bona fide evening resource,” she said. “I am a maximalist, not a minimalist. I have so much fun with all the details. The evening category fits my aesthetic sensibilities.”

With special occasion her staple, Wong’s designs became easy for stores to recognize. They could promise their customers, season after season, that her clothes would be suitable for parties and weddings. But she also keeps her dresses selling by making sure they don’t become stale and markets over 1,000 garments per year.