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Lakme Fashion Week Trends

2007-04-05T17:34:00.000+05:30

The first day of the Lakme India Fashion Week had a mix bag of labels. From diamond jewellery dressed by a Bollywood couturier to a ready-to-wear label and a presentation by an Italian haute couture designer; the show also had an experienced designer showing his best selling line, while a popular label showed some basics and two designers were inspired by diverse themes.
TOP TRENDS OF THE DAY
1. Tribal prints from Orissa and geometric shapes as embellishments.
2. Inspirations ranged from Uzbekistan, Tibet, North America to the nomads of Australia & Central Asia
3. High slit wrap trousers, Tibetan Bakhu skirts, Honju Wraps, Japanese kimonos & zouave pants
4. Permanent pleated tissues, chiffon, georgette for minis togas, skirts and dresses

The second day of the Lakme Fashion Week had a foreign label being launched, a striking all male collection, a seasoned designer showing her ready-to-wear line and designers inspired by unusual themes.
TOP TRENDS OF THE DAY
1. Laser cut chiffon, pellet additions, reverse shadow embroidery.
2. Art deco and architecture as themes.
3. The kimono dress takes over from the bubble
4. Space age construction, square shoulders, rear lapels pleated sleeves, contemporary military look, doubles lapels, somber fabrics, and large patch pockets.
5. 1-3 button jackets for men’s wear and fabrics that range from Duchess satin, poplin, Bhagalpur wool silk and linen

The third day of the Lakme Fashion Week had an interesting mix of designers ranging from three who dared to be different, one who was a formal/bridal wear specialist, the debut of a Bollywood costumer and a minimalist from the sunny state of Goa.
TOP TRENDS OF THE DAY
1. Hand painted op art designs of the 20s
2. Suede as rear lace-ups for evening wear and trims on garments
3. Tonal floral embroidery and innovative quilting
4. Detailing with fabric loops, spool thread extensions, ribbon trails, tassels, fringes, pearl embroidery coarse Byzantine fabrics, wet look and metallic treated fabrics. Elongated side seams of garments.

The fourth day of the Lakme Fashion Week had designers inspired by comic book characters, men’s fabrics, literature, and just plain practical clothing.
TOP TRENDS OF THE DAY
1. Long peasant blouses worn with saris
2. Cap sleeves over long slim churi sleeves
3. The Obi in broad and narrow widths for dresses, skirts, blouses and even saris
4. Men’s suiting for women’s formal wear

The last day of the Lakme Fashion Week had four upcoming designers presenting unconventional themes while one of the top sellers in India created a show stopping finale collection
TOP TRENDS OF THE DAY
1. Warli painting woven into ikat weaves
2. Heavily embellished detachable ornate collars that resemble necklaces
3. The return of khadi for fusion wears
4. The A line makes a style statement
5. Skirt and churidar as a new bottom wear combination
6. Pleating, ruching, pin tucks and manipulating fabrics all in one garment

How Adidas and Puma were born ?

2006-07-03T10:40:00.000+05:30

The small Bavarian town of Herzogenaurach, near Nuremburg, is most famous in Germany as the home of the Dassler brothers. Were it not for an extreme case of sibling rivalry, it could have been the home to a sports uber-brand.

Adolf ("Adi") and his brother, Rudolf, started making sports shoes in the 1920s. After a falling out during World War II--the exact nature of which remains as mysterious as it was bitter--the brothers went their separate ways; Adi founding Adidas, and Rudolf establishing Puma in the late 1940s. The competitiveness between the companies was as intense as the antagonism between the brothers. Germany's 1954 World Cup victory helped establish Adidas as the foremost national sports brand, even though Puma was also building a reputation for innovation.

While the original rivalry remains strong, the rise of external competitors, most notably Nike in the US, has meant a certain arm's length rapprochement has emerged between the corporate cultures. Locals joke that it has now even become acceptable for employees of the two companies to date--almost.

Both brothers died in the 1970s. They are buried at opposite ends of the town's cemetery. Their companies and their descendants carried on the corporate feud, reaching out into sports other than athletics and soccer in search of high-profile endorsement deals; Adidas famously signing boxing great Muhammad Ali, while Puma scored notable success with tennis stars Boris Becker and Martina Navratilova.

In the US, although Nike had tied up the top two athlete endorsements in Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, Adidas currently has deals with both the NBA and the New York Yankees. Puma had Serena Williams (until she moved to Nike) and has a personal deal with Yankee outfielder Johnny Damon. Earlier this year, the "leaping cat" signed its first woman professional golfer, Erica Blasberg.

But it is Puma's long-standing relationship with Pelé, the greatest-ever soccer player and timeless icon for the sport, which has carried over into this year's advertising effort, aimed at connecting the stars of the present with fans' nostalgia for the game's storied history.
Both German companies are spending extensively on marketing during the World Cup. Puma's impressive profit margins show the company is skillful at getting the most out of its money.
Adidas is the tournament's "official" sportswear supplier, but 12 of the 32 teams in this year's finals will be wearing Puma--including all five qualifiers from Africa, a potential growth market, especially as the 2010 World Cup will be held in South Africa. Eight teams are wearing Nike and six Adidas. Adidas suffered the worst of the three in having teams it sponsors fail to qualify, with both Nigeria and Greece unexpectedly not advancing to the finals.

In the tournament's first "battle of the brands" between Adidas and Puma, Adidas-clad Argentina came out on top, beating the Ivory Coast 2-1 in an exciting game on Saturday night.
Adidas, meanwhile, is providing all the match balls, the design of which has already been criticized by goalkeepers. If that leads to more spectacular goals--like the one Torsten Frings scored for the hosts in the opening game--then most of the huge global TV audience probably won't mind too much.

But for the marketing teams at opposite ends of a small German town (to say nothing of some interested observers in Beaverton, Ore.), the focus will be on the logo on the shirts worn by the team that lifts the trophy--watched by more than one billion people--on the evening of Sunday, July 9.

Fashion Design is the applied art...

2006-06-30T12:12:00.000+05:30

Fashion design is the applied art dedicated to the design of clothing and lifestyle accessories which generally mirror the cultural and social influences of that time. This includes all designs worn to create a statement about the individual or group of individuals. Historians use fashion design as a means of determining social and cultural values particularly derived from paintings and ancient artifacts. Fashion design throughout history has had a direct correlation with status, position and religion. Such an example would be a Roman Toga, which was originally worn by all Romans and then became exclusive. Fashion design is not restricted to fads (often confused with fashion design), which is generally known as the "current look" or "street wear". It covers everything from uniforms to headwear and is not restricted to western culture. Technically all clothing created for a purpose where design to serve this purpose is taken into consideration is fashion design. For example, the Queen of England’s coronation costume is fashion design as is the continual restructuring and upgrading of an army uniform. A monks costume is also technically fashion design belonging to the monk’s culture. The most important aspect of fashion design, which delineates it from just a design, is that it continually modifies the garment. Men's clothing is a good example of this. A shirt for men is generally similar in structure but "re-inventing" it makes it fashion design. It is often and wrongly perceived that fashion design is restricted to high fashion and label names. Below is a history of 20th century fashion more or less because this is the period Fashion Design grew from serving a practical purpose to a recognized form of art.

The first fashion designer who was not merely a dressmaker was Charles Frederick Worth (1826–1895). Before the former draper set up his maison couture (fashion house) in Paris, clothing design and creation was handled by largely anonymous seamstresses, and high fashion descended from styles worn at royal courts. Worth's success was such that he was able to dictate to his customers what they should wear, instead of following their lead as earlier dressmakers had done. With his unprecedented success, his customers could attach a name and a label to his designs once they learned that they were from the House of Worth, thus starting the tradition of having the designer of a house be not only the creative head but the symbol of the brand as well. (Foreshadowing another contemporary trend, the House of Worth remained in business long after its founder's deathes in 1895, continuing until Worth's great-grandson closed the house in 1952.)

Worth's former apprentice Paul Poiret opened his own fashion house in 1904, melding the styles of Art Nouveau and aestheic dress with Paris fashion. His early Art Deco creations signalled the demise of the corset from female fashion.

Following in Worth's and Poiret's footsteps were: Patou, Vionnet, Fortuny, Molyneux ( who taught Dior, Balmain and Lanvin ), Lanvin, Chanel, Mainbocher, Schiaparelli, Balenciaga, and Dior. Hand in hand with clothing, haute couture accessories evolved internationally with such names as Guccio Gucci, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, Thierry Hermès, Judith Leiber, and others.

Versace Logo

2006-06-30T12:02:00.000+05:30

Many of the designer’s collection alluded to Greek mythological connection, and always almost included Greek goddess type dresses and Greek motifs. Gianni Versace’s clothing line has also taken its cue from the past.

Versace always wanted his designs to invoke some sort of goddess, or a very powerful woman, which Medusa was. His designs always were also meant to stop people dead in their tracks, another of Medusa’s qualities. In the end Versace knew his market and chose a logo which exemplified the kind of women he wished to design for. Versace’s designs were decadent, opulent, and alluded to a far more passionate past.

The Versace logo shows the representation of the head of Medusa: a woman who was transformed into a monster after offending the gods. She was punished for allowing the god Poseidon to seduce her in the temple of the goddess Aphrodite. Her hair, which had once been more glorified attribute, was turned into snakes. As the story goes, anyone who looked at her would be turned into stone. Perhaps this is not something which one would usually associate with a major fashion house; something being so ugly that it can turn into a stone. However Gianni Versace had a fascination with classical art and architecture, and it is with the later, beautiful representations of Medusa that the logo is associated with. During the Roman period, especially, Medusa was depicted as a beautiful woman with wild hair, and a few snakes twined here and there.

Versace was himself from southern Italy, which has still in many ways, a close association with Greece. One cannot walk down a street in Italy and not to be bombarded with trinkets and antiques which somehow allude to their ties with ancient Greece. Growing up, he would have been inundated with images such as this one, from the classical world. The Medusa insignia with the Greek key is an allusion to the classical world which all people understand. In the image being such an ancient one, it also gives a measure of class and wealth to the company. It is also an image which is instantly recognizable to almost anyone over the age of five. Greek mythology is something which most people are exposed to in their lifetime. As such, the key figures which wind throughout mythology become figures which will all recognize.

Fashion Fads, by the Decade

2006-06-30T12:01:00.000+05:30

As the decades pass, fashion fads are often characterized by politics, popular movies, music and famous celebrities. History shows that designers also dictate trends by changing styles often, allowing themselves and clothing manufacturers to keep making money off of our strong desire to be fashionable and trendy.

1950s Styles

The 50's marked the era of conservatism. After the end of WWII, families flourished, thus, the "baby boomers" children. Women's small waists were often the result of a corset or cinch belt, worn with dresses or knee-length skirts. High heels or saddle shoes were the popular choices for shoes.
Poodle skirts and pony tails dominated, with designer Bill Blass Jeans for a more casual, practical style. Accessories included the unique cat-eye glasses, sometimes worn with a chain.Men looked clean-cut, a-la Jimmy Dean, wearing flat top and crew cut styles that were very short and easy to care for. Gray flannel suits dominated the workplace and slacks were often worn for casual, everyday events.

1960s Fashion Fads

The 60's began the "groovy" time when the babies of post WWII were growing up and finding their own style. Youth took precedence as they became the largest population in the United States.
The beginning of the decade began with women wearing knee-length dresses leftover from the 1950s. Later on, mini-skirts, hot pants and go-go boots showed a generation breaking away from their conservative parents. Bouffant hairstyles ruled, with hair accessories for adornment and to hold a complicated style in place.
Men still enjoyed crew cuts but lost the bland, basic colors for brighter, eye-catching styles. Casual shirts were plaid, button down and polyester suits and pants were appropriate for the workplace.
"Flower Power" and "Free Love" were all the rage when the 1969 Woodstock "Summer of Love" concert took place. Bell-bottoms became a hot fad that emerged once again decades later. Beaded jewelry was the funnest, must-have accessory to show individuality.

1970s Decade

The 70's marked a freer, fun-loving society when the women's movement prompted them to burn their bras, sparking true liberation. Tube tops were comfortable and sexy whilst mini-skirts and hot pants allowed more show of leg.
Long, flowing dresses and skirts with feminine, floral prints were the style for those not yet ready to join the others. Colorful, tie-dyed t-shirts became popular fads for both women and men, none of them appearing identical.
Girls often wore culottes to school, not near as daring as their older sisters. Colorful, crocheted ponchos and satin jackets provided style and warmth on a cool, summer night.
Hairstyles were feathered, thanks to Farrah Fawcett who set the trend for long layers and lots of fluff. Not only did women cut their hair to be like her, they wanted to be blonde. Brunettes began adding highlights to give themselves just the right touch of blonde. Braver ones completely bleached out their hair.
Corduroy and denim fabrics were a popular choice for men, available in pants, suits and blazers. Along with disco music, the movie "Saturday Night Fever" brought high-waited suit pants and leisure suits.

1980s History

What can be said about the 80's fads? From hair to jewelry to shoulder pads, it's big everything. Along with the long, teased hairstyles, makeup became much bolder. Besides the somewhat "scary" factor, this decade sums up some fun music and styles that we'd rather forget.
1980's fashions for women were primarily long t-shirts and sweaters worn over leggings or tights. Influenced by the movie "Flashdance," off-the shoulder styles were seen on just about everyone who kept up with the latest styles. Legwarmers looked not only sporty, but stylish as well.
Mini-skirts never lost their appeal and the 80s were no different. Denim minis in various colors worn with colorful high-heeled shoes were popular with the younger crowd. Jelly shoes were cheap and provided a more casual look.
Spandex was introduced to the mainstream and was often mixed with other fabrics. Denim included stonewashed jeans, ripped and with holes for the hip crowd. Parachute pants were popular for men and boys and allowed comfort when hip-hop music required freedom of movement.

1990s Fashions

The 90's mark the end of the century with hope around the corner. Styles were not nearly as outrageous as the 80's and were toned down with classics as well as new styles. Waistlines were creeping down, leading to the hipsters becoming popular once again in the next century.
The younger generation who expressed their individuality enjoyed grunge, gothic or a classic, vintage look. On the other side, preppy styles were for the high school and college kids who wanted to show their clean-cut status.
Leather was popular for jackets, pants, purses and belts. Available in a variety of colors, wearing durable leather showed style, status and practicality.
Marrying later in life, women became dedicated to bettering themselves with higher education and good jobs. The demand for comfortable styles was undeniable. Many businesses allowed work attire to become more relaxed and some toned down their dress code to "business-casual." Some companies began allowing Fridays to be completely causal, resulting in fun and higher productivity.

Skindeep

2006-06-30T12:00:00.000+05:30

Scientists have been talking about "second skins" for a while now as the future of innerwear which people one day might even be able to spray on – perhaps for weeks at a time – under their regular clothes.

For one thing it would be far more multifunctional than what we've been wearing since fig leaves came into fashion. These thin "contact application coatings" as they are called would allow the body's natural skin to breathe and perspire freely while at the same time be germicidal on the external surface.

By secreting molecules of decontamination to selectively target disease-causing organisms they would be capable of neutralizing most infectious agents like bacteria and virus – especially at the body's main avenues of interaction such as the mouth, nose, ears and other vulnerable entry points. As a result, gastrointestinal, respiratory and urinary tract infections, along with sexually transmitted diseases, tooth decay and colds could be prevented before the respective germs could get into the body to start reproducing.

Also, thanks to a new class of "switchable" adhesives, such contact skins would be able to change their degree of stickiness depending on factors like heat and pressure. Grasping work tools as well as securing footholds would become much easier for older people, outdoor athletes and military and police personnel. Normally however, the skin would remain Teflon-like and be able to repel dirt, grime and moisture, ensuring automatic, inbuilt and lasting cleanliness as well as resistance to stain. Meaning the need for soap or showering would decrease considerably.

Researchers are looking at ways of incorporating other elements too which would render the skin opaque to harmful ultraviolet rays in order to provide sunscreen protection; insulate against moderate changes in ambient temperatures and build up of static electricity; and alter color according to personal preferences or need.

However, the best part about the whole development process is that while it's still in the experimental stage and human trials have not yet begun, the skin can be applied directly to regular clothing instead where it could work in the same way – albeit not so extensively.

Nike Logo

2006-06-30T11:59:00.000+05:30

There must be very few people who do not recognize the Nike Just Do it logo. With a big arsenal of superstars such as Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Andre Agassi, Shane Warne, Maria Sharapova, Venus and Serena Williams. This list is pretty long. The company takes its name from the Greek goddess of victory, Nike. The popular Swoosh logo is a graphic design created by Carolyn Davidson in 1971 for $35.

The logo represents the wing of the Greek Goddess. The Nike logo is a classic case of a company gradually simplifying its corporate identity as its frame increases. The company's first logo appeared in 1971, when the word "Nike," the Greek goddess of victory, was printed in orange over the outline of a checkmark, the sign of a positive mark. Used as a motif on sports shoes since the 1970s, this checkmark is now so recognizable that the company name itself has become superfluous.

The solid corporate logo design check was registered as a trademark in 1995. The Nike logo design is an abstract wing, designed by Carolyn Davidson, was an appropriate and meaningful symbol for a company that marketed running shoes. The "JUST DO IT" slogan and logo design campaign communicated such a strong point of view to their target market that the meaning for the logo design symbol evolved into a battle cry and the way of life for an entire generation. Isn't it amazing how a small symbol we call a logo design can make a company into a huge success

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