Wednesday 29 October 2014

Fashion Rules You Should Break!

In the glamorous world of fashion, there are two kinds of people. Ones who follow absolute rules and then there are others who are breaking rules left, right and center. Breaking rules create fashion way more alluring that abiding with them.  We have compiled some rules that you most certainly will have fun breaking!


Print Mixing: 
This is the most religious followed rule be it in traditional or western. But the time has come to defy the rule. Mixing printing is very much the ‘in’ fashion. If you are not comfortable experimenting outright but are curious there are ways to work around the rule. 



You could try maintaining the same kind of print throughout like if you are opting for flora, maintain the flower print. 



If you are still hesitant pair polka dots with animal print, they are not over the top. 



But if you are a rule breaker go all print- bold, vibrant, stripes or something tamed and delicate, try them all!

Denim is the way: 



One of the oldest followed rules is that going all denim is a big no-no. Denim on denim can definitely rock your look. You can pair two different shades of denim, for instance, a light faded blue denim with a dark blue denim jeans or even vice-versa will do the trick.

Too tall, too short: 
This is an age-old notion, either you are too tall for heels or too short for long dresses. These are all myths; if you want to wear something just wear it. 



For people who think that long dress is not suited for shorter people have clearly not picked the right one. A nicely draped dress skimming your body can actually give you a taller appearance. 



And, every girl likes heels, so girls who are blessed with great height should not deny themselves either just because it might look intimidating. So, wear heels all you want and be tall and proud.        

       
Stripes On: 



Another myth that most deal on a daily basis is that horizontal stripes make you look wider. This is not the case, but still if you are not comfortable with the idea, then you can try wearing stripes that are closely spaced.

There are many such rules which we will familiarize you in the future that you need to defy, so you can wear whatever you like just, don it with confidence!


Wednesday 22 October 2014

Crackling Diwali Fashion

Diwali is a highly anticipated festival with bright light, joyous atmosphere and mithai to sweeten precious moments. Another major reason that people look forward to the festive season is clothes, of course. All the more reason to flaunt your most fashionable ethnic clothes this Diwali!


The Anarkali trend has been around for quite some time and refuses to fade away.  A beautiful Anarkali is fit for just about any occasion. Now, depending on your style and mood you can pick the kind of suit you want, there are plenty to choose from. If you prefer something simple and sober, you can opt for delicate work being done on solely on the neck and the border. Anarkalis bursting with vibrant colors suit the mood of the festival aptly. Colors like black, red, maroon and green or royal blue and gold are classic colors for an Anarkali dress.



There are more contemporary combinations that the youth prefers. There was a spell of neon colors that have been visible in the dress. Besides colors, you can play on the pattern and cut of the suit. There are different lengths, or if you don’t want something over the top you can simply tone down the flair of the Anarkali. Pairing a single colored suit with an ethnic jacket will look chic, and you can ditch the dupatta. Another option is donning an asymmetrical hemline since they are a perfect fusion of modern designs and tradition.




There is always the salwar kameez and churidar kurta, which again have been designed in a contemporary fashion with a traditional sensitivity. Leggings and tunic kurtis too have gained attention, though they are a little causal for a festive occasion with a little heavy work and a bright colored kurti you will be all set. A trend that is recently picking up speed is paring a long kurta with palazzo pants.



Saris and Lehengas cholis are the epitome of tradition and there is a lot to explore. You can wear a simple sari that allows the blouse to be more dramatic or you can take the classic way with a lovely bordered and vibrant one. Besides, the clothes pay attention to the accessories and remember you have to move a lot, so keep it light.   
Add caption


Ultimately, don’t just follow trends, but create your fashion. Moreover, enjoy Diwali surrounded with love. Have a joyous festival and Prosperous New Year. Have a Safe and Fashionable Diwail!                                 


Friday 17 October 2014

Hussein Chalayan – The genius you never knew about





Hussein Chalayan is a name that many are not familiar with, which is unfortunate as he is an integral part of the fashion world. A visionary in the contemporary fashion world, this British/Turkish designer has innovated the way fashion is viewed. The unique way in which he uses materials, meticulous pattern cutting and a refreshing attitude to technology advancement has earned him quite a reputation in the fashion circle. He has transformed a coffee table into a wooden skirt and envelopes opened up to make paper dresses. Aspirants keen on seeking fashion designing can draw inspiration from Hussein.   



Hüseyin Cağlayan (now Hussein Chalayan) was born in Nicosia, Turkey on 12th August, 1970. Due to ethnic conflicts between the Turkish and Greek communities the family moved to England in 1978. Here, young Hussein studied for a National Diploma in fashion and clothing at Warwickshire School of Arts. He studied Fashion Design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. His breakthrough was his graduation collection titled ‘The Tangent Flows’. The collection consisting of a host of silk outfits, but after the outfits were made he buried them in his backyard. The outfits were revived just before the show. Through the burial and resurrection he signified the ritual of life and death. The collection impressed Browns, a boutique in London, who borrowed the collection to feature in their window display.    



Over the years, Hussein has pioneered inspiring ideas and his creations are seamless blends between anthropology, history, science, philosophy, genetics and technology. With a flair for the dramatic, Hussein’s fashion shows have some assembly of suspense that incorporated contemporary interiors, urban architecture and geometric structures.



All these attributes are clearly visible in his collections. ‘Lands Without’ featured ‘Kite’ dresses in which he directed the relationship between his garments and the body and his love for architecture was used to show the interplay. ‘Inertia’, a collection from 2009, explored the connection our lives have with speed and technology. 



The ‘Before Minus Now’ collection was a coloration between architecture and technology that featured wire-frame architectural prints and the technology used allows prints to be formed on a white background. The images were then displayed on the silk and cotton outfits. The collection also displayed the ‘Remote Control’ dress, which became the first wireless and functionally fashion garment. 
   


His collection ‘Afterwords’ stressed on the sentiment of forced displacement in which furniture were transformed into garments. LED technology was used in ‘Airborne’, a collection that used an extravagant show of light to make its point.

        

 
These are just few of collections that give you an idea of the magnitude of talent possessed by Hussein Chalayanb. He had designed a jacket for avant-garde star Björk which featured on her cover 1995 album Post. 



His talent has been appreciated and he was awarded the British Designer of the Year twice (1999 and 2000) and in 2006 was awarded the MBE. He also established his own company, Cartesia Ltd., in 1994 along with Chalayan, a ready-to-wear clothing line. This is a man for whom a show is not necessarily about a "collection", for whom laser spectaculars and wind machine-generated sensationalism are more the centerpiece than dresses and seasonal trends. As much a showman as a designer, Chalayan is one fashion designer we should all follow for the trends he set and his stylistic leanings.





Wednesday 8 October 2014

Beauty with brains: Meet e-textiles

Science has come a long way and as long as there are curious innovators and various mysteries, science will keep on progressing. For now, let us talk about the technology advancements made. Impacting every possible field, technology has been welcomed in the fashion world too. Innovative designers have always looked for something new, clubbing science and technology with fashion to create something entirely out of this world. E-textiles are one such new invention that will revolutionize the world of fashion! The alluring aspect of e-textiles is the seamless integration between the fabric and diverse electronic elements. 


  
E-textiles is also known as Electronic textiles, smart/intelligent textiles/fabricsThese textiles are basically fabrics that enable computing, digital components and electronics to be embedded in them. Designers have converted these intelligent clothing into wearable technology. There are few features that are attributed to this innovation. The fabric is capable of changing colors along with displaying animating images. E-textiles are loaded with technological elements, yet surprisingly comfortable to wear. This branch of technology that deals with creating e-textiles is called Fibertronics.
. 



The elements required in creating this fabric has always been present in the nature, hence, the exploration and experiments have been conducted for a good century now. Ever since electricity came in, designers and engineers conducted experiments to achieve wearable technology. They were successful in creating illuminated necklace, hats; brooches etc. In fact, Electric Girl Lighting Company, a late 1800s company could provide light-studded evening gowns.



Museum of Contemporary Craft, New York City held a  pioneering exhibition during the 1968 called Body Covering which focused on the relationship between technology and apparel. The highlight of the show was the clothing that could inflate and deflate light up, and heat and cool itself. The collection was by Diana Dew, a designer who created a line of electronic fashion, including electroluminescent party dresses and belts that could sound alarm siren. Harry Wainwright created the first fully animated sweatshirt consisting of fiber optics, LEDs and a microprocessor that controlled the individual frames of animation resulting in a full color cartoon on the surface of apparel. In 1955, he invented the first machine that enabled fiber optics to be machine into fabrics. Wainwright continued and during an event 2012 demonstrate his inventive creation that changes color using any smartphone, indicate callers on mobile phones without a digital display and contains WIFI security features that protect purses and personal items from theft.

Lean Buechley's Creations


MIT researchers too began to develop merging the fabrics and electrons. They faced challenges when the explored integrating digital electronics with conductive fabrics and developed a method for embroidering electronic circuits. Lean Buechley from the MIT Media Lab created one of the first commercially available wearable Arduino based microcontrollers, called Lilypad Arduino

Lynne Bruning's Creations


Another innovator Lynne Bruning with her collection has got E-textiles more firmly in the wearable technology category. 

Many designers are experimenting with the fabrics fusing different elements, but E-textiles are by far the most fascinating fusion. With the progress in Fibertronics, that day is not far when we will make a call or listen to music by just touching the sleeve of our top!  







Wednesday 1 October 2014

A Fashionable Weekend by Myntra!




A few years when various online fashion stores were launched no one anticipated the heights it would reach. Now, the online stores have mushroomed left, right and center. There are some few names that stood apart on the online market and Myntra is one of them. Established in Bangalore in the year 2007, Myntra started with a vision to be India’s largest on-demand, personalized fashion portal. Now the online store, houses at least 500 leading domestic and international brands. Pioneering a one of a kind event, Mukesh Bansal, CEO of Myntra announced the first ever Myntra  Fashion Weekend Fashion Weekend. Lisa Haydon, the model-turned-actress was present for the formal announcement of the event. Myntrs.com and IMG Reliance are coming together to host this event which Myntra aims to combine fashion, beauty and lifestyle into a beautifully crafted exhibition and runway shows.



The event is slated to be held from 3rd to 5th October, 2014 and the venue for this event is the Palladium Hotel in Mumbai. The event is designed to reduce the distance and forge a connection between the brands and their loyal consumers. The fashion weekend boasts more than 100 talented designers and adored brands exhibiting their exclusive and trend setting creations. The extravagant event has promising and beneficial outcomes to the visitors.

The exciting three-day event commence with the opening show that exhibits the fall trend recommended by Lifestyle portal Myntra.com. The show will be lead by designer Rina Dhaka. Moreover, former Miss Universe and actress Sushmita Sen is going to be all geared up to walk the ramp as the showstopper for Rina Dhaka’s show. The fashion dose on day one continues with fabulous shows from Masaba+Monica, Dogra+ShivanThe exciting three-day event commence with the opening show that exhibits the fall trend recommended by Lifestyle portal Myntra.com. The show will be lead by designer Rina Dhaka. Moreover, former Miss Universe and actress Sushmita Sen is going to be all geared up to walk the ramp as the showstopper for Rina Dhaka’s show. The fashion dose on day one continues with fabulous shows from Masaba+Monica, Dogra+Shivan and Narresh.
Day two is all about The Future of Fashion. The event will feature the very talented Huemn, Ikai, Surendri, [Ka] [Sha] and Quirk Box that will be presented by Aki Narula. Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan will close the amazing three-day event by launching his lifestyle and casual wear brand HRX, [Ka] [Sha] and Quirk Box that will be presented by Aki Narula. Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan will close the amazing three-day event by launching his lifestyle and casual wear brand HRX and will walk the ramp for the same.



Besides the fashion shows, the other highlights of the event are Vogue Fest Pop-ups where the fashionable folks from all over India will showcase their best wares. All through the event there will be stores that will sell everything fashion from clothing to accessories to home décor. Myntra and Filpkart Popup Centre Popup Centre gives, you the chance to explore the various preferred brands that exclusively retail on Myntra.com. In Look Good Hub get styling tips from the experts and in Beauty Hub Popup Centre gives, you the chance to explore the various preferred brands that exclusively retail on Myntra.com. In Look Good Hub get styling tips from the experts and in Beauty Hub pamper yourself. As if that wasn’t enough, there will be live acts, gripping performances by renowned musicians and other lively actives.


Every fashion fanatic should definitely check this event out. Here you get a chance to rub shoulders with fashion’s who’s who!