Indian Fashion Week Top Picks

I've been a *little* disappointed at the Indian fashion week of late. While I find Indian fashion highly experimental and full of energy, it lacks evolution. In western fashion we have seasons that make sense for retailers while the fashion fraternity does a good job finding common themes and new trends to push fashion to mass consumers. It's something the Indian fashion industry lacks and it shows. Indian fashion should be evolving into strong fusion pieces for the modern Indian woman - especially the woman who doesn't wear a traditional saree- and instead of looking seamless, the fusion just looks messy. Ofcourse there are standouts which I'll showcase here. Some new designers making waves but veterans like Manish Malhotra aren't really pushing the envelope much. And Manish Arora's decision to showcase older pieces (and being allowed to do that) tells us the industry just isn't ready to be taken seriously on an international level. It would have been better for everyone, except Manish and the media, if he didn't show but clearly the buzz is what the folks behind Delhi Couture Week were after. Anyway, let's get into some of the highlights from both Delhi Couture Week and Lakme Fashion Week.

Red and Black were the stand out shades for Delhi Couture Week but JJ Valaya - the Karl Lagerfeld of India- went for Blue and ohhhh how did he nail that! What a stunning collection! This is the man - and only man other than Sabyasachi - who takes Indian traditional fashion to another level.

Sabayasachi went for geek chic with a Jane-Austen-Goes-To India collection. It's not entirely up my alley but he definitely owns the market for 'heritage' Indian fashion. Sridevi looked spectacular on the runway but I'm tired of seeing stars as showstoppers. I would have preferred his collection to be the talk of town.

Anamika Khanna presented one of this standout collections at Delhi Couture Week. Her collection was whimsical with a soft and dark color palette, and some interesting drapes. I liked how she incorporated the peplum look with Indian fashion. 

 

Switching gears from traditional to modern, my pick for Lakme Fashion Week Winter 2012 is Payal Khandwala. Now, this is a collection that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Clearly inspired by the more spiritual side of India, she took Indian fashion to a new place - a darker side - with her brilliantly crisp designs and color blocking technique. This belongs on the international stage. 

Finally, I have to make mention of Surendri by Yogesh Chaudhary for his 'Pac Man' collection. This was definitely an experimental collection and it paid off. It's pop fusion fashion that the Indian market is embracing. Sonam wore the saree well.

"Inspired By India" Sotheby's London

When I started this blog it was about the inspiration of India on fashion, lifestyle and art. So I'm excited to hear Sotheby's London will be doing an exhbition focusing on just that. The "Inspired By India", a selling exhibition of Contemprary Design, is on from May 8-15 and includes Sabyasachi saris (they are works of art!) and Pia Wustenberg's Stacking Vessels. More here.

BBA Fashion Wrap Up

Some of these looks are from earlier in March but because of my India trip I'm still catching up. BBA celebrates South Asian fashion from around the world so I wanted to show Prabal and Naeem, who have been getting some great red carpet moments lately. We love our brown designer boys! My fave is definitely the Sonam / Naeem look. I have loved that dress the moment I saw it on the runway. The pink satin is so chic and so Bollywood!

Emily Blunt in Prabal Gurung

Huo Siyan in Prabal Gurung

Sonam Kapoor in Prabal Gurung

Aishwarya Rai in Sabyasachi

Padma Lakshmi in Naeem Khan

Sonam Kapoor in Naeem Khan

BBA Fashion Wrap Up

Our fashion wrap is back after a 2 week hiatus. I don't have to-die-for but love all of these looks.  Tell us your favorite on our Facebook page (and you can get a better look at it there)!

Kalyani Chawla in Dior, Kangna Ranaut in DvF, Priyanka Chopra in Victoria Beckham, Sonam Kapoor in Anamika Khanna, Sonam in Prabal Gurung, Vidya Balan in Sabyasachi. 

Mumbai Meri Jaan!

Ahhh, so Mumbai... hmmm... where do I start? On average, I've been almost every year for the past 5 years. No, I don't have family there but now my friends are so close to me that I do feel like I have family (enter my stylish bestie Candice from Marry Me Weddings here). But my love affair with Mumbai is an unusual one. People often ask me how someone who grew up in an Australian Fiji-Indian household has such a love and passion for Indian culture to which I reply "HUH?"... because to me it feels strange NOT to be interested by one's motherland. But while I love my culture, I love Mumbai for what it is becoming - a bustling cosmopolitan city where urban culture meets modern luxury... it is, in my eyes, an Indian NYC! 

I have my regular to-do list: haircut at Toni & Guy, massage at Snip, Aurus, Olives, etc etc but I wanted to put together a top 5 list (as of March 2012) for those who are looking to go in the near future. Now, FIVE is a very SMALL list so don't hate me if I missed something. But here is something old, something new and all BBA-approved!

1) The Sabyasachi Store

To. Die. For. I could not believe my eyes and I felt as if I had been pulled back into time. Even if you don't plan on buying Indian gear from the couture designer, the interior of this store is as good as Louis Vuitton in Paris or any store on 5th Ave. He is one of the few designers who understand the importance of consistent branding which is vital for luxury fashion brands. I just love everything about it - the clocks, the old bollywood memorabilia, the dark lighting.. And like most couture houses, you might just end up with something you can't afford because it will suck you in...

2) Candies Restaurants / Cafes / Place-To-Be-Seen

So I'm biased on this one since I know the family who run it but every time I go to Mumbai I just can't get enough of the food, the artsy atmosphere, the young crowd and the upward maze of places to sit.. all the locals know about it and now you do too!

3) Mamta KG School, Worli

After hearing - and viewing snippets - of a documentary being produced by my friend Tina Thadani, I decided to go visit the school and the woman behind it. Swati is an amazing young woman who started a school, on her own, for 75 kids from Mumbai's poorest slums. She found a community center, paid for staff (along with rent, supplies etc) with her own savings and works hard to make her cause heard. If you are like me and want to give back, but never know where to start, then Swati is your answer.  It was a pure delight and I assure you there is nothing more rewarding!

4) Loose Ends

Welcome to kitsch in India. A fusion trend made global by the likes of Manish Arora, now the pop/art form can be seen in trendy new shops across Mumbai. It's a mash-up of old Bollywood, comedy, and warhol-esque colors across mugs, magnets, furniture, and more. You can't leave India without picking up something from Chumbuk or one of the other local brands. Candice suggested Loose Ends to me and I loved it! (she knows me well)

Design by Ketna Patel Studio

5) Cafe at LeMill

LeMill is a hot new lifestyle luxury store that has some familiar names - Alexandar Wang, 3.1 Phillip Lim- in a renovated warehouse located in downtown Mumbai. While I wouldn't recommend it for shopping (severely overpriced) I would suggest it's organic cafe located inside. It's a welcome change from the usual Indian food and if you don't get lost in the fresh delights presented in front of you, you'll definitely get lost in the decor. You may even forget you're in India and start believing your in Pottery Barn or Ikea...