Trend Alert! Corsages

Ever since I came across these extremely gorgeous and ridonkulously inexpensive (Rs 45 - 75, that's like $1 - 1.50) corsage pins at Globus, I've fallen in love with this trend. I bought not one, not two, but four corsages from Globus, the instant I spotted them. Two black flowery hairbands, one humongous, one small, and two corsage flower pins, black and green. I thought the corsage trend was a bit too whimsical and prom glam to be practical, but I've been wearing mine almost every other day. I've added to my collection too.

Conclusion - corsages = awesome.

The very chic First Lady Michelle Obama, who's quite fond of broaches, wore an abstract, corsage-esque pin with two flowers on her lapel when addressing the Interior Department early this year. Very authoritative yet feminine.

Michelle Obama

Anyway, here are a few corsages I wish I could get my hands on.

This one's very elegant. I love the gold edging.
Anna Sui, velvet rose corsage, $104

This is a fun skirt. Love how the polka dots seem to be gradating from small to large. Cute
ASOS, Yumi Spot Skirt, $33.99

Love the juxtaposition of the net fabric on the pearls. Also, it's beautifully layered.
Promod, Romantic 6 strand necklace, £12

This one's so very elegant.
Kate Spade, Gail corsage top, $245

These are very versatile. My favorite: pinning them on my leggings, right above my shoes, on the outside of my ankle. They end up looking a bit like an extension of my shoes.
Newport News, Oversized floral corsage, $6

Love the metallic sheen. Plus, it's purple!
Spiegl, Leather Wrap Jacket, $99

It's a satin corsage on a double layered strand of beads, and yet, it somehow manages to look simple.
Adele Marie Jewellery, 2 row pearl necklace with corsage $66

Very cutesy!
ASOS, Statement occasion resin flower on stretch beads bracelet, $25.50

Perfect everyday corsage top.
J. Crew, Merino rose corsage scoopneck sweater, $79.50

Lakme Fashion Week S/S 10: Button Masala by Anuj Sharma

I've always loved the concepts Anuj Sharma comes up with. The idea of wearing one garment in more than one way really appeals to me. Not to forget his catchy taglines. Remember 'Knot for you' and 'Eylet it be'?! Outfits from these collections are still doing the rounds in the celeb circuit. Priya Tanna, editor of Vogue India wore a dress from his Knot For You collection earlier this year. Also spotted in Anuj Sharma were Pratima Bhatia, Babita Malkhani and Antara Mali.

Button Masala is another collection along the same lines. As the name suggests, he's played around a lot with buttons, both as a surface embellishment and of course, his signature, as a way to provide for different options for fastening. Some of the silhouettes, like the strappy handkerchief style and blanket-draped-over-one-shoulder, are repeats from his last few collections. The entire collections gets an A for wearibility, but for me, it falls flat. You can only go so far with a great concept. Execution is pretty important. Red, black and white can get boring fast.

I did love the off white maxi dress with the oh-so-prim collar though (picture on the top right). Very cute. Only wish the rest of the collection was a s good.

Trend Alert! The Snood

It's a scarf sans the dangly bits. A bit like an oversize collar. Totally awesome for klutzy people, example moi, who tend to leave things behind if they aren't securely attached to their bodies. And oh. It's very fall chic.

Both Burberry Prorsum and Missoni featured the snood in their Fall '09 RTW collections. The slouchy cowled drape of the Missoni snood will work with most any wintry outfit.

Missoni RTW Fall '09

Burberry Prorsum RTW Fall '09

This totally cute snood from Promod is bargain compared to the pricier designer versions. I've seen this in rich teal, caramely brown and creamy white, at the store in Hyderabad. Love.

Promod Chunky Double Knit Collar, 24.95 €

This snood is slouchier and snugglier. Very cute.
ASOS Ribbed Knitted Snood, $30.59

Lakme Fashion Week A\W09: Walnut by Nidhi and Divya Gambhir

Shift dresses sure are popular this fall. Walnut by Nidhi and Divya Gambhir showcased a collection that seemed to feature shift dresses almost exclusively. I'm not complaining -- I'm loving this trend. And the Gambhirs have some really awesome shifts in their collection. Bright colours and totally fab quirky prints are featured extensively. I love love the shifts that look like paint was smeared on with a palette knife. Talk about visual texture! I also love the jewel toned dresses with the fabric manipulations that emulate the bandage-dress trend. And that yummy uber-minimal red trench! Bandana Tewari wore something very similar during the fashion week. And she looked awesome in it!

I heart this collection.

Lakme Fashion Week A\W09: Archana Kochhar

I liked the bright bright colours. I liked that Archana Kochhar experimented with fabric manipulation techniques. And that's about all that I liked about this collection. Going OTT can sometimes make a real fashion statement, or it can backfire miserably. For me, the outcome was clearly the later. The ruffles with the poofy fabric manipulations with the surface ornamentation and embroidery was just too much. Messy. Pretty much every gown in this collection looked like a pre-pubescent Indian teenage girly girl's idea of a ball gown.

BTW, is it just me, or does the showstopper (the gown covered with origami-like flowers in various shades of pink and white) remind you of Rohit Bal's Gulal collection?

Lakme Fashion Week A\W 09: Gaba by Aneeth Arora and Chinar Farooqi

Never have dull neutrals and dowdy darks looked better. I'm a total colour lover (Hey! That rhymes.), but OMG, Aneeth & Chinar sure had me at full attention with this collection.

Sometimes, I think that here in India, we have two fashion seasons just for the heck of it. Cause really, most of the country is pretty temprate and there's only so much of a market for really warm wintry clothes. And we're also a country that has a colour fixation. We're pretty much okay with every colour all the time. (Hah! I'm not the only one.) So most designers pretty much do as they please, with varying levels of regard to the forecasts. Not so in this case. Both the colours and the garments are very winter. Though I'm sure if some of the looks were de-layered a bit, they'd be perfectly comfy in temprate weather as well.

As for the collection, think very very fashionable tea pickers (like the one's those old TATA tea ads). Long puffed sleeves, loose gathered pinafores and artisty smocks coupled with almost-opaque stockings, mary-janes, head scarves worn tea-picker style and even cloaks! With a very minimalist ethnic feel. I particularly loved the cloaks. The black one, worn over the cute grey silk shift, is very Harry Potter. And I think I spotted a few Ikats in the collection, along with a bunch of other ethnic Indian fabrics. And I really like those uber baggy pants in grey. And everything else too. The whole collection = fabulosity.

Trend Alert! Jumpsuits

Love them or hate them, jumpsuits are the new fashion obsession. Dark and elegant or casually chic, jumpsuits rock. They've been spotted on several glamazons at red carpet events. Think Jenifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow, Keria Knightley, Fergie and Alicia Keys. And on my side of the ocean, there's Deepika Padhukone, Nina Manuel, Lara Dutta and Shilpa Shetty, to name a few. And they've been blazing down the ramps too, courtesy Stella McCartney, Missoni, Dolce & Gabbana, Diane Von Furstenberg, Chloé and Giorgio Armani.

But this can be a tricky trend to sport, especially if you've got the voluptuous Indian derriere. Then a fabric like linen is a better bet than jersey. And fit has never been more important. If it bags or sags anywhere, or if it's squeezing you tight, then it's not going to work.

Elizabeth and James Oasis Jumpsuit, $425.00
Effortlessly elegant.


Catherine Malandrino Draped Jumpsuit, $395.00
Short and dressy, love the bright popping colour!


Newport News, Bandini-print halter jumpsuit $49.00
Love the kitschy print. Perfect if you're going for a bohemian look.

7 For All Mankind, Henley Denim Romper, $189.00
Uber casual. And so comfy!


Missoni Enid Combo Jumpsuit, $2,545.00
Very Sophisticated. Very Brunch.


Robert Rodriguez Ruffled Jumpsuit, $385.00
Kinda makes think of the Zoot suit. Love the slouchy look.


Versace, Spring 08
Very edgy almost-formal.


VPL, Anatomic One Z Jumpsuit, $695
Very avant garde.



This gorgeous jumpsuit by Raakesh Agarvwal has sure been doing the rounds. It's been featured on several magazines, one being Vogue India. It's also been spotted on several celebs in the Mumbai party circuit.

Lakme Fashion Week A\W 09: Pria Kataaria Puri

I'm guessing this would be THE collection if you're a fashion dilettante from the Middle East. I've heard she's got quite a following there.

But I still hate this collection. And there are just so many things that I hate about it. Like the pseudo-oriental prints dulled down by an uninspiring colour palette, that reminded me of cheap curtains mostly. Take that and add hair that's reminiscent of classical Greek sculpture and you've got a major culture clash. And the fact that she's taken a trend I love -- wide belts -- and made them look like bawdy curtain rings. Or the OTT psychedelic raccoon eye make up.

Added to all the monstrosities that walked down the ramp, she threw in a few cliches too. Like the gold bikini with the sari and the handkerchief-style maxi dress. And why, God, why has she used fur in a collection that's supposed to be aimed at hot desert countries? Maybe I just don't get Middle Eastern aesthetics, but Fur? Really?

Trend Alert! Weird Pants

Ruched, ruffled, skinny, saggy, drop-crotch, harem style, ginormously wide legged and with bits missing, the weird pants are here. While some are, at best, dubious style statements (and I'm being really generous here), I still think there's hope for them. Some of the slouchier styles tend to look like pajamas, so a heavier fabric and a little structure is really important.

Sass & Bide, Black Rats leggings, $180
This one's pretty safe compared to some of what's coming. Love the mini-ruched look.


3.1 Phillip Lim, Silk karate pants, $325
Kinda reminds me of a tulip.

Aminaka Wilmont, Twisted wool pants, $670
Made me think of jodhpuris. Chic.


McQ, Wool-blend harem pants, $270
Major drop-crotch. And potential.


By Malene Birger, Jolie Shimmery sequin leggings, $320
I'm attracted to shiny objects. :D But you'll need some major chutzpah to pull these off.


Thayer, Wide Leg Pants, $360.00
My mom used to call these Elephant pants when she was little. Apt, methinks. And cute.


Y-3, Lux Low Rise Pants, $290.00
Very gangsta. Cute.


Kimchi Blue, Tie Front Knit Pant, $38.00
Love the bow-like front. Tres tres.


Silence & Noise, High Waisted Harem Pant, $58.00
Very well structured.


Aminaka Wilmont, Cropped cotton pants, $550.00
Pants with a collar and what look like cuffs (there's a small slits behind the 'cuffs'). What next!?

Lakme Fashion Week A\W 09: Rimzim Dadu

Bright popping acid colour. Check. Uber creative textures. Check. Chic silhouettes. Check. And that's why I really liked Rimzim Dadu's collection. You gotta love a girl who ain't sacred of using so much acid colour in an A\W collection. I particularly loved the oranges. And the magolicious textures!!! The cut-outs, the craggy woven houndstooth, the patchwork. Tres tres chic. She stuck to the oh-so-popular shift silhouette mostly, with a few variations -- a trapeze here, a sheath there. What I didn't get was the sari. It just seemed very out of place in this very young, funky collection. And there was this really blah shapeless green dress in chiffon. But I'm going to forgive those, cause the rest of the collection sure did make up for it!

Lakme Fashion Week A\W 09: Sabyasachi

I used to love Sabyasachi. So fresh, so quirky, so totally ethnic Indian! But, somehow, these days, his work is starting to feel kinda stale. Like he's already been there, done that.

His A\W 09 collection, as usual was classic Sabya -- Ethnic, quirky, organic and earthy, with current trends incorporated into the look, like the sheer overskirt and the sheer sharara, the semi-fitted shift silhouette, layering and the chic chunky ethnic jewellery. Some of the looks worked, some really didn't. Can't say I care too much for the sheer sharara. But I did love the earthy scoop neck shifts worn over blouses, etc. Very cute. And the chottu sari! Love the concept and the execution. And I absolutely LOVED all the accessories. The chunky, super-oversized kadah like bangles, the gorgeous neck pieces, all of it.

Trend Alert! Tribal

One of the fiercest trends to hit the ramps this season is the very African Tribal trend. And I'm talking designers like Anna Sui, Issey Miyake, Oscar de la Renta -- most of the creme de la creme of the fashion tribe. Think bold dramatic prints and bright earthy colours on simple soft shapes. And statement accessories (like the oh-so-drool-worthy Louis Vuitton Spicy Shoe!)

But this isn't exactly the easiest look to channel. Unless you've got major fashion chutzpah, going for one focal point is a good idea. Like if you're wearing a dress that has a lot happening, then tone down the accessories, of forgo them completely. Or if you're dying to put on that gorgeous but uber-intricate and humongous neck piece, skip the earrings and wear it with a plain top/dress.

Here are my top picks:

TIBI NY, Blue silk tribal dress, $694.00
Love how the rich blue body of the dress frames the gorgeous neck.

Kendra Scott Jewelry, Artemis Bangle $63.00

I don't usually like gold. But this bangle, with its simple leaf motif, was just too gorgeous to resist!

Bottega Veneta, $1,850.00
This is one of the uber awesome Bottega knot minaudieres. Nuff said.

Arden B, Enamel Tribal Earring, $18.00
Great if you're looking to make a subtle statement. I really like that shade of orange.

Forever 21, Tribal Silk Scarf, $5.80
This scarf would be the perfect way to turn any old plain-Jane look to tribal chic. And Forever 21 has some really awesome tribal inspired stuff, so head over to either the store or the website and check it out.

Nicole Miller, Aqua tribal jersey Dolman dress, $ 385.00
I LOVE this dress! The dramatic B&W print, the oh-so-casual anti-fit silhouette, the central motif -- all of it! Tres tres chic.

Bangle Brass Work By Isharya, $48.00
Now this is a simple statement piece. Quirky and gorge.

New Look, Metallic Trim Bag, £20.00
I really like the very organic looking cane handle. And the print, which I'm thinking is a type of Ikat.

Kitson Ettika, Tribal Bead Bracelet, $48.00
Love the dangly bits!

WeWe, Kimmy Sunflower dress $99.00
WeWe is a store I found online, which only makes Africa inspired garments. They've got more like this really cute yellow maxi dress.

Louis Vuitton, Spicy Sandal in Python Leather, $3,390
And finally! The drool-worthy (and unattainable if you're as broke as I am!) Spicy shoe I was talking about a bit earlier. It's been seen on glamazons like Alexa Chung, Chloe Sevigny, Heidi Klum, Victoria Beckham and Madonna. No wonder it's on the lust list of pretty much every fashionate out there.