Category Archives: Fashion Week Music

Kolkata Fashion Week

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Some of the worlds most beautiful fashion icons emerged in the 1960s, one of which was Audrey Hepburn. Her most iconic looks have inspired designer Leena Taneja for her SS’10 collection showcased yesterday at KFW. The audience couldn’t resist applauding when the show incepted with lovely music from ‘My Fair Lady’ unveiling beautiful elegant tunics and embellished dresses in acrylics, knitted cottons, metallic foilings of silver, copper and gold; all accompanied with various cloche hats and stilettos perfectly working to mimic Miss Hepburns iconic look.

Actor Paoli Dam in a copper metallic tunic, bouffant hairstyle with the long Hepburn style cigarette just stopped the show. Followed by Zubair Kirmani the next show witnessed his signature line, quite structured and geometric prints with simple cuts and silhouettes. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Banga shacted as shows toppers, carrying off sherwan is with churidaars. The evening came to an end with directional designs by Wendell Rodricksas accustomed. His simple, chic and light collection created out of purely cotton and shear cotton wooed the audience. Knitted cottons in pastels, beige, brown, grey and purple in various combinations were the palette of the season. Leading to a modern chic direction, the designer unveiled the geometric cuts converting into drapes inspired from sarees, and wrap arounds had truly international appeal. Sheath dresses, cowl neck poncho dress and long tunics with side cuts were few predominant silhouettes by Rod ricks this time.

Some French audience members said, “We were really expecting a good show and I am happy after witnessing the collections. From Ritu, Rocky to Wendell, all of them were at par.” Except the little lack in management which caused little delay in each show, first day of KFW SS’10went all well with fabulous collections showcases by leading designers of the industry. Log on tomorrow for more in Kolkata Fashion Week. Paying a tribute to Indian crafts, especially those from Kolkata, the legendry designer of Indian textiles ‘Ritu Kumar’ opened ‘Kolkata Fashion Week’ (KFW) on 9th of Sep at ITC Sonar Bangla. Ms. Kumar’s show commenced with a recital of morning raga, which magically set the mood.

There was not a single colour untouched by the designer for this couture line, including the non-colours, ‘white & black’. The assortment consisted of pastels, stark red, emerald green, coral red, maroon, and many more from the palette. Bringing out the exotic essence; gowns, lehengas, sarees, and kalidar suits well teamed up with flared trousers and zouaves set the ramp on fire. Zardozi, kantha, brocade work, mokaish work, precious stones and diamonds embedded in net, georgette, shear cotton and silk were used to achieve the royal Indian look. The surprise element of the show interprets the Indian aesthetic but this time in coats, trench and bomber jackets, all trimmed with leather and worn with tights and boots. You would be surprised to know designer Ritu Kumar has printed motifs from a few of her paintings on the silk that was used to construct these coats. The stream also consisted of peshwaz painstakingly printed in the hand block areas of sanganer, gararas and khara dupattas from the home of Nizams.

On the similar track, designer Rocky Scarried forward the soiree with his contemporary Indian collection. The range started from pastels, baby pinks, red, emerald green, orange, citrus yellow and beige. Fusion bridal wear including lehengas, kalidar suits and sarees in net, georgette and chiffon weaved a beautiful story of elegance and glamour together. Special brocade stole, embroidery, and sequined work added on to the look. Cotton sherwan is with crinkled stoles and embellishments stole everyone’s heart. Oozing panache cricketer Virendra Sehwag walked the runway carrying luxurious Sherwani which most likely lead hearts to skip a beat! By and large a good opening to the 2nd season of KFW.

Fashion Weeks

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Fashion Weeks are events held by designers or fashion houses to display their latest designs and creations to the world’s media and fashion buyers. Catwalk shows are the mainstays of these weeks which are held around the world and which attract mass attention globally. The primary fashion weeks are held in the style capitals, London, Milan, Paris and New York, but there are many others that take place in lesser known areas of the fashion world, and are designed to draw people’s attention to less prominent designers. These include Australian Fashion Week, Japan Fashion Week, South Africa Fashion Week, and Los Angeles Fashion week. In the main fashion cities, fashion weeks are held twice a year, displaying ‘autumn’ trends and their ‘spring’ collections. These are held a long time in advance of the actual season to allow adequate coverage and previews of the designs before the actual season. This is also done to give buyers a chace to purchase the designers’ creations, and so retail stores can use elements of the designers’ styles in their mass produced clothes for the High Street market.

Fashion Weeks are attended by buyers for major stores, the media, celebrities, and members of the entertainment industry. In years gone by, fashion weeks were predominantly used as commerical events, and only people in the industry attended them. Today, however they are lavish, exclusive events, attended by many celebrities and cause a media frenzy. The week is a 7-day extravaganza which often includes live music, lavish galas and charity events. Some shows are also open to selected members of the public, as well as some of the events that display the designer’s latest handbags, jewellery, shoes, hats and cosmetics. Many important fashion design schools now feature in contemporary Fashion Weeks as well.

Fashion Weeks have been around since 1943, when the first one was held in New York to divert attention away from French fashions during the Second Worl War, when fashion industry insiders were unable to travel to Paris to see French fashion shows. Fashion publicist Eleanor Lamber staged a “Press Week” for fashion journalists to present the creations of American designers, who were not usually paid any attention by the fashion media. The buyers were not invited to these shows but instead had to visit the designers’ showrooms. Press Week was an unprecedented success, and fashion magazines like Vogue, which were normally filled with French designs, beagn increasingly to focus on American fashion.

Some beauty products sponsor fashion weeks, such as the L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival and the L’Oreal Fashion Week held in Toronto, due to the inherent relationship between fashion and beauty. Other fashion weeks are held for one precise type of fashion, such as swimwear, lingerie, or bridal couture. Fashion weeks are viewed as the designer’s way of making their collections visible and broadcast throughout the world in a very short space of time. This shortens the time in which it will take for people to start recognising, buying and following the designer’s trends, which in the end is the designer’s ultimate aim.

Durban Travel Tips and Visitor Information

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Delightful Durban is the largest city of the vast and diverse KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. A coastal port with a more than equable sub-tropical climate and wide golden beaches washed by the warm Indian Ocean, Durban is a holidaymaker’s paradise and gateway to the dozens of seaside resort towns of the coast to the south and north of the city. More travel tips and visitor information is below.

 

Traveling in and around Durban

The best way to get around and explore Durban is by hiring a car. There are plenty of car rental companies available like Tempest Car Hire and CABS Car Hire. You could also consult the place you’re staying at for more options.

What to see in Durban

The Golden Mile is well known for its long line of beaches near the down-town city that stretch along the warm, Indian Ocean. These beaches are very popular for surfing and its white sandy beaches. There are also play pools and playgrounds for children along the waterfront as well as a wide variety of restaurants and hotels that overlook the beautiful ocean and beaches.

Florida Road is the road in Durban where everything that is worthwhile mentioning happens. You name it from restaurants, cafes, and bars to boutique shopping and a very interesting book shop that provides very interesting books on the Zulu, historical culture and origin of Durban, Kwazulu-Natal.

What to do in Durban

Swim, surf or canoe all year round or watch the local and professional surfers do their thing with the waves. Snorkel and scuba diving in the secluded, surrounding beaches of Durban. Visit Crocodile Creek to develop your education on these feared predators. For all your golf fans, Durban boasts with one of the world’s best golf courses: The 18 Hole Zimbali Golf Estate.