Five Memorable Fashion Trends Inspired by Movies

Movies have played a very important role in setting fashion trends for generations. Here some unforgettable fashion trends that have inspired designers till date:

The Seven Year Itch: 

This movie, which ruled the trends of 1950s, showcased the whimsical fashion sense of Marilyn Monroe. Her iconic dresses, especially the white halter that that was blown up over a street vent, has now become a legendary symbol of sensuality.

Funny Face: 

Audrey Hepburn set a trend through her movie ‘Funny Face’. In the movie, Audrey plays the girl-next-door who goes on to becoming a fashion model. In Funny Face, she introduced the all-black look with her black turtleneck, black cigarette pants, and black pair of flats. And, this trend was followed for generations.

Cat on the Hot Tin Roof: 

In this 1958 movie, Elizabeth Taylor created quite a sensation with her white cocktail dress. Still popular in the fashion circuit, this white chiffon keen-length halter neck dress is considered as an embodiment of elegance.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s: 

The ‘Little Black Dress’, which was designed by Coco Channel in the 1920s, gained popularity when Audrey Hepburn wore it in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ in the 1960s. The dress created such a huge trend that even till date the ‘Little Black Dress’ or ‘LBD’ is a staple in most wardrobes.

Annie Hall:

The 1977 ‘Annie Hall’ created yet another popular trend, when Diane Keaton wore all men’s suit with style. This fearless experimentation in fashion quickly caught on, and women all over the world were seen following this trend.

The Rise of E-commerce in Fashion

World’s biggest national and international fashion brands are venturing into e-commerce. In 2014, about 40 million consumers shopped online in India. This number is anticipated to go up to 65 million in 2015.

A decade ago no one anticipated that e-commerce would rise to such an extent. Today, e-commerce has not only evolved, but has also opened up many doors -- from creating new ways of shopping to providing an established platform for young designers to showcase their talent.

Flipkart

 The other trend that is seen recently, is the rise in e-commerce mobile apps. In fact, it is reported that leading portals like Myntra and Flipkart will eventually become mobile app-only stores.

Myntra

This trend of mobile apps in e-commerce is just the beginning. Both Myntra and Flipkart have witnessed that customers have started to prefer mobile apps than shopping through laptops and computers. In fact, this trend is said to be followed by over 70% of the customers in India in the coming years.

Fashion Inspirations from Wendell Rodricks and Anjana Sharma

The students of Whistling Woods- Neeta Lulla School of Fashion are mentored by acclaimed designers and professional from the fashion industry. Furthermore, our ‘Masterclasses’ expose the aspiring designers to the ever dynamic world of fashion. Our latest Masterclass held on 17^th April, 2015 was all about drawing inspirations from the works of leading Designer Wendell Rodricks and, Anjana Sharma, COO and Fashion Director of Stylista.

 

At the Masterclass, Wendell and Anjana discussed various aspects of fashion design with the students. Wendell started off by sharing his journey and experiences as a designer. He also spoke about how he draws inspiration from the the colours, serenity and beauty of  nature, sea, flowers and trees, which he demonstrated through a beautiful presentation and showed how he translates his inspiration into breathtaking designs.

Wendell was also inspired by his birthplace, Goa and its natural beauty. It inspired him to create some brilliant designs, which he shared and presented with stories of Goa and how it translate into his designs.

He believes that creativity and practicality should be given equal importance in the field of fashion. He also encouraged the aspirants, not to limit themselves to just one aspect of fashion, but to enjoy and explore as much as they can. Along with exploring, designers need to be well-aware about the different fabrics and textiles while creating new designs and his one golden advice to the students was that, “a designer should never be afraid of scissors.”

Anjana Sharma, on the other hand, shared great insights on fashion and market trends. Her discussion helped the students to better understand why the balance between commercial knowledge and creative brilliance is of importance, in the fashion industry.

This insightful Masterclass culminated with the two honorary guests conducting a one-on-one mentoring session with the graduating batch, where they shared their design ideas for their ‘Graduation Day’ collection. 

Overall, the Masterclass and post-Masterclass session gave our students some great insight regarding the aesthetics of fashion designing alongwith inspiring the aspirants to put their soul into their art.

Fabrics in fashion- Basics of Handloom and Jacquard

Fabrics used in fashion and textile design are broadly of two major categories. Hand woven fabrics that are manually woven in looms or popularly called Handloom fabrics. The other kinds, woven in power loom or technically called Jacquards. The major difference between Handloom and Jacquard is that handloom fabrics are woven with clear warps and wefts, whereas, Jacquard fabrics are complex to weave as they are woven with repetitive patterns. 

There are 3 major Handloom fabrics which are widely used in textile design:

Cotton: The most common, widely used fabric with usage ranging from apparels to home décor. The fabric is skin friendly and has infinite scope in fashion designing.

Silk: This is one of the strongest natural fabric that is hand woven. Silk is known for its luster and elegance. Because of its exclusivity, and subtlety, yet rich in feel, silk is widely used for exclusive fashion.

Jute: A highly durable, strong fabric, Jute traditionally was used for making bags. But with evolution in fashion, Jute, as a fabric has joined the mainstream fashion as designers are experimenting with jute.

Jacquard woven fabrics are:

Damask- This is a reversible kind of fabric that comes mostly in floral, geometrical, scrolls foliage, and ornamental motifs. The Damask fabric has a subtle sheen that becomes noticeable in light.

Brocade- Brocade is a favorite with designers because of the multicolored silk threads used to weave the fabric. They are richly decorative fabrics and suitable for heavy apparel and outerwear. There is an addition of a supplementary weft that gives the illusion of ‘embossing’ on the cloth.

Dobby- Dobby is a patterned fabric and characterized by unique geometric patterns and extra texture on the cloth. It is often considered a tad fancy and comes is all patterns, colors, weights, and textures.

Checks & Stripes- Checks and stripes are created with alternating warps and wefts in contrast color threads. Woven in any natural fabric with blends like polyester, twill Stripes range from tiny pinstripes to 6-inch stripes while checks can be of any sizes.

Knowing about the different kinds of fabrics is very important for fashion aspirants. This helps in understanding which fabric is best suited for what kinds of designs. Whistling Woods-Neeta Lulla School of Fashion ensures that aspirants are aware about such finer details of designing.  

Rediscovering the Fashion of Cliched Crinoline

Fashion heavily draws inspiration from the bygone eras and for the students of Whistling Woods- NeetaLulla School of Fashion, historic fashion holds high significance.

Fashion students, Amrita Banarjee, Yashmita Bane, and Nivedidha Koliyot have taken a chapter from the Victorian era to create something marvelous. They chose to create a modern adaptation of the Crinoline skirt dating back to the Victorian times. This choice stemmed out of the intriguing history of the skirt.

    

Crinoline originated in the early 1800s and was originally a stiff fabric made from the weft of horse-hair and warp of cotton or linen thread. But by 1850s it became to be the stiffened petticoat or the rigid skirt-shaped structure of steel designed to support the shape of the skirt of a woman’s dress. As the silhouettes of the skirts grew wider and heavier, the styles of the petticoat kept changing to support the skirt.

Initially called the hoop skirt, open cage or frame style, Crinolines were bulky and uncomfortable. But later, they were made light and it reduced the amount of petticoat to one or two. These petticoats prevented the steel bands from showing like ridges in the skirt. It also provided freedom from massive amount of petticoats and the cost of maintaining so many. 

Fashion publications popularized this new fashion of the time and Crinoline was an overnight success it was widely accepted by the middle class Victorian society and slowly adopted by the affluent.

Within a decade, the Crinoline skirt underwent a change when the dome-shape skirt gave way to a flattened front and side, leaving volume only at the back. And then as time passed, the style of the crinoline kept varying till there was no need anymore.

Now the Crinoline skirts exist to be an important element of fashion. The students of Whistling Woods- Neeta Lulla School of Fashion explored Boho Chic, Bohemian, Gothic, and eight other looks using the crinolines. While one created a modern chic, summery look by layering it with a floral printed skirt and one shoulder top, another student, Nivedidha, created a gothic chic look, with a bandana, a skirt with quirky prints and a black top! In all, it was a great experience exploring the bygone Victorian fashion element and incorporating the same in contemporary looks!

Trends for Wedding Season 2015

The wedding season is just around the corner and the recent fashion weeks (Lakme and Amazon Fashion Week) have given enough inspiration this time round. The wedding attire during the warm weather usually calls for bright colours and light fabrics. But this year’s collections have redefined the expected giving fashion a whole new level. Here are some of the trends that will be seen in the coming wedding season.

Black and White: Breaking from traditional colours like red and maroon, designers are going for the classical neutral colours- black and white. In weddings where most people go for bright colors, designers like Anamika Khanna have shown a newfound appreciation for the black and white combination. 

Mix-match Fabrics: The other aspect that designers are playing with is the fabrics. They are playfully blending fabrics like jute and silk and sheers that are being draped over linens. Designers like Payal Singhal have used soft materials to complement sturdy fabrics. 

Simplicity: Wedding wear generally has heavy work done on it. But this season designers are adopting simplicity by using minimal patterns. They are also going for deep colours like blue to bring out the effortless beauty. 

Bold Prints: The other side of simplicity was also explored by fashion designers this season. Be it geometric, floral or animal motif prints are a huge part of bridal wear. 

Neon attack: Neon is here to stay for a long time and now they are also entering the bridal wear. As a colour neon captures attention, therefore, will suit a bride perfectly. Fashion Designer Anushree Reddy showed the power of neon beautifully in her collection. 

These are just few trends that are prominent this wedding season that brides will don for various occasions. So, explore your own style and enjoy this wedding season!

Inspiring Fashion Illustrations From Around the World

Illustration is the key element to fashion design and is celebrated more in today’s time and rightly so! Fashion schools worldwide are encouraging aspirants to indulge in their fashion fantasies, through elaborate illustrations, based on which their dream designs take shape. To be able to bring out the best, one needs inspirations not from the past but also from the present. Here are some of the best fashion illustrator from around the world and their works.

David Downton:

David Downton has a reputation for being one of the leading fashion artists today. His contribution to fashion illustration is considered noteworthy for reviving the art. With dark ink outlines, David’s signature style is classically elegant that blends with the contemporary sensibility.

David Downton (Image Source: Google)

Arturo Elena:

A fashion illustrator from Terule, Spain, Arturo Elenais one of the most sought after artists. His work has a caricature element to them that is charismatic. The men and women in his illustrations have a flair of extravagance and are drawn in an elongated and exaggerated manner. The backdrop of the artwork is lavish and the overall work is an incredible composition of textures and colors.  

Arturo Elena (Image Source: Google)

Laura Laine:

A marvelous fashion illustrator from Finland, Laura Laine has been known to express herself through her art. She claims to be not conscious about her drawing style because her portrayal depends on her mood. Her illustrations exude a prominent sense of melancholy.

Laura Laine (Image Source: Google)

Tanya Ling:

Born in Calcutta, India, Tanya Ling’s fashion illustrations have been exhibited internationally along with being featured in various leading news dailies and publications. She is also an amazing fashion designer and in 2003, she was named the most significant trendsetter by British ‘Vogue’. 

Tanya Ling (Image Source: Google)

Danny Roberts:

Danny Roberts is known to portray high-end fashion scene with an air of wit and eccentricity. His portraits illustrate a fresh perspective to fashion. Danny’s works have been featured in leading magazines like Elle and Vogue, apart from being associated with names like Tiffany & Company, Forever 21 and Gwen Stephani’s ‘Harajuku Lovers’.

Danny Roberts (Image Source: Google)

Such great talents can definitely prompt aspirants to sketch their own fashion dreams. But along with inspiration, one requires knowledge and right mentoring. At Whistling Woods - Neeta Lulla School of Fashion, the various courses can refine and hone your skills as a fashion illustrator and help you sketch your dreams!