Coming Soon:MET Gala 2015:Red Carpet Looks - May, 4

It’s almost time, people! One of the biggest and the most extravagant fashion red carpet event, also known as “Oscars of the East Coast,” MET Gala 2015 will be held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2015 in New York City. The dress code specific - fund raising event will witness the who’s who of the fashion industry and Hollywood hit the red carpet, marking the grand opening of the Costume Institute’s annual exhibit.

Titled, “China: Through the Looking Glass”, this year’s exhibition will be an examination of how China has fuelled the fashionable imagination for centuries, resulting in highly creative distortions of cultural realities and mythologies. High fashion will be juxtaposed with Chinese costumes, paintings, porcelains, and other art, as well as films, to reveal enchanting reflections of Chinese imagery."

Watch this space for all the red carpet updates on May, 4th, 2015.

(Image credit:Vogue.com,style.com)

"Love your curves", but where are the curves? Sonakshi Sinha as the cover girl for Vogue

It is good to see high fashion magazines celebrating and embracing diverse images of the female body, especially curves. In its May issue, Vogue India features Sonakshi, with a cover that screams “Love your curves”, thus sending a powerful message of accepting oneself, regardless of size. We all know, the girl loves her curves and flaunts and endorse it like no one else does. That definitely makes her a perfect ambassador for the cover story.

However, looking at the first two initial images of Sonakshi, released by the fashion glossy, i am not too convinced. I feel, instead of accentuating the curves of Ms. Sinha, the magazine is more focussed on hiding her curves - to make her look slim. The question is – has she slimmed down or is it the magic of photoshop? I don’t think the images truly communicate or justify the wonderful idea behind the cover story.  

For now i am just waiting to lay my hands on the print version of the magazine to see all the images.And, i hope i am proved wrong; as i would love see Sonakshi in her actual curvaceous self rather than in a photoshopped avatar.

(Image Credit:Vogue India)

Schiaparelli appoints Bertand Guyon as the new design director

After months of speculation and guessing games, the house of Schiaparelli, the Parisian Couture label has announced Bertand Guyon as the new design director, replacing Marco Zanini. Bertand will be responsible for both - haute couture and ready to wear collection. A graduate from renowned École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, Guyon has worked as a designer for Valentino, Givenchy and Christian Lacroix.

“Elsa Schiaparelli is an enchanting couture house. I have always been fascinated by its exceptional legacy, its luminous and intimate story, its quirky and poetic world, its ultimate chic and its endless creativity.” Guyon said. “I feel honored to be part of Schiaparelli today and develop it further, respecting its heritage and tradition while adding a contemporary and modern take, something Elsa Schiaparelli has always demonstrated.”

The fashion house expects the new creative director to develop the brand’s design where couture rhymes with art and innovation.

Marco will present his first collection for the house in the month of July this year during Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week.

(Image Credit: Schiaparelli)

World’s Hottest PhD Math Teacher & model, Pietro Boselli breaks the internet with his underwear ad

A PhD holder in chemical engineering and a math lecturer at University College London, Pietro Boselli shot to online sensation last month when one of his students posted his photo on facebook, and wrote "That moment when you realized your maths lecturer is one of the top designer models.” Quickly he was labelled as the 'world's hottest maths teacher by some of the leading news agencies, including BBC, The Daily Mail and The Times.

Pietro was first discovered by designer Giorgio Armani at the age of six and since then he has been modelling for various well known brands. And now Mr. Boselli turns into an underwear model for Charlie by Matthew Zink campaign. Titled ‘The Headmaster’, he poses for the racy images with a pair of white briefs, geeky glasses and white socks with garters and shoes.

With a first class honours, Boselli was even awarded the Undergraduate Faculty Excellence Scholarship for the most outstanding achievement at University College London. Pietro Boselli is a perfect example of someone who squashes the perception that a model can’t be intelligent. Don’t you think so?

It’s official: Style.com to become Condé Nast’s E-Commerce Business

In a message to its readers worldwide, style.com has revealed that by fall 2015 its website will be converted into Condé Nast’s global e-commerce business venture, replacing the site’s daily fashion show coverage, industry news, and more.The editorial content including the fashion and runway coverage will be moved to a new fashion show channel, Voguerunway.com, managed by Vogue USA.

The e-commerce platform will be headquartered in London’s Camden and will sell luxury merchandise, including beauty, gadgets, gifts and arts to consumers, including readers of its magazine and websites such as Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Glamour and Wired.

For a detailed report, please click the link here - Business of Fashion

(Image Credit:Style.com)

Fashion Designer Prabal Gurung is raising money for Nepal Earthquake Relief Funds

Measuring 7.9 magnitudes in the Richter scale, the picturesque Himalayan nation of Nepal was hit by one of the worst earthquake in more than 80 years on Saturday morning. With the death toll continuing to rise, the earthquake has already claimed 2,500 lives so far. The devastation is heartbreaking, a number of buildings, including heritage structures –temples & towers have collapsed with people trapped underneath.

Fashion Designer Prabal Gurung, who was raised in Nepal, and now based in New York City, has emerged as one of the most active fundraiser requesting donation from people worldwide for his organization, Shikshya Foundation Nepal, to help provide aid to those affected by the quake.

“The immediate need on the ground is for medical support, search and rescue, emergency shelters, and food and water, among many other things.” Prabal wrote. “As the days, weeks and months go by, and after the humanitarian needs are addressed, Nepal will need to begin the healing and rebuilding process. The magnitude of the damage is still being assessed, but hundreds of buildings have collapsed, including many homes and many of Nepal’s ancient and iconic temples and monuments.”

The donations will go through the designer’s organization, Shikshya Foundation Nepal (Shikshyafoundationnepal.org), and the funds will be distributed accordingly based on the latest needs on the ground.

Kudos and more power to Gurung and his team! Prabal is a perfect example of someone who represents the idea of “Fashion with a purpose”.

You can donate to the Shikshya Foundation Nepal's relief fund here.

(Image Credit:ABC News,BBC)

Save India’s precious Handloom heritage before it’s too late

Indian handloom have been known since time immemorial and is appreciated and celebrated worldwide for its richness, diversity and the story telling artistry of our traditional weavers. No matter how much we try, the priceless feeling of a traditional handloom textile can never be replaced by a machine. Handlooms are an integral identity of our country-India, the story of our diverse culture, a celebration of our traditions, craftsmanship and exquisite creativity of our artisans.

It is high time we stand up to preserve the heritage and uniqueness of our country. The beautiful legacy of our country’s craftsman and handloom tradition is in great danger. The repeal of the Handloom Reservation act would mean snatching away the true identity of our country’s history and culture and above all the traditional beauty of India’s own precious heritage. Please preserve it before it is too late by signing the petition here at change.org

(Image Credit:Pinterest)

“Wear Your Beliefs Where We Can See Them” by Richard Burbridge

Featuring Roberto Sipos, Abel van Oeveren, Melina Gesto, Jacob Morton, and Irina Liss, fashion photographer Richard Burbridge shot this intriguing story titled “Wear Your Beliefs Where We Can See Them” for the Spring 2015 “The Activist” issue of i-D Magazine.Each image depicts the challenges and conflicts faced by the contemporary world and also carries a strong message on, how can we make the world a better place to live in. I could instantly relate to “Webaccesforall.com”, especially at a time when the global community is engaged in a raging online debate to preserve #netneutrality.

When Fashion Meets Interior by Damien Blottiere

Damien Blottiere shot this mesmerising story, capturing the grandeur of Versace’s Roman-inspired home collection for the second edition of Philistine Magazine. The beauty of the brand’s signature patterns seamlessly merges with the aesthetics of the model’s chiselled naked body.

The myth is busted! Girls, the man in your life shops more than you ;)

Who says men don’t like shopping? The myth is busted. Men are likely to shop every week –but rather than going to a mall or a store, he would prefer shopping online. Yes, according to a new survey by Bronto Software, it states that 30 percent of men are more likely to shop online during the weekday, while only 18 percent of women claim to do so.

So, girls the next time the man in your life frowns over the idea of shopping, you know where he is going shopping. Click the link here(Racked.com) to read in details 

Marriage of Makeup and Millinery: MAC X Philip Treacy

For his latest collaboration, London based master milliner Philip Treacy partnered with cosmetic giant MAC to create a capsule collection inspired by his iconic hats.

Philip created three hats - a feathered fascinator, a crystal-adorned 3-D cage, and a beaded lace mask- that showcases the structure of the face. The feathered fascinator accentuates the lips; the crystal-adorned 3-D cage highlights the cheekbones and the beaded lace mask accentuates the beauty of the eyes.

The capsule makeup collection includes three lipsticks, two eye shadows, three eyeliners, two highlighter powders and mascara, accompanied by two brushes.

(Image Credit: MAC)

“The Game of Thrones” star Maisie Williams for Dazed May’15 Issue

English actress Maisie Williams, also known as the fierce and sword-wielding Arya Stark of HBO’s series “The Game of Thrones” covers the May 2015 issue of Dazed and Confused magazine.

Photographed by Ben Toms, the photo shoot also accompanies an interview, where the baby face, headstrong young actress spoke about the modern day teen challenges and how she intends to make her voice heard on the May 7th general election, “I picked up my voice at a young age and I wanna use it. People think we’re fucking stupid and we don’t know anything about anything,” she said. “It’s really degrading. I get a lot of adults who are like, ‘You don’t know shit,’ and its like, ‘You don’t know shit. You have no idea what it’s like to be 17 years old.”

For the photo-shoot, titled “Absolutely Lawless”, Maisie is seen in minimal makeup and wore an array of designer pieces such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gareth Pugh, J.W. Anderson, Vivienne Westwood and Dior.   

The season 5 of the HBO series, “The Game of Thrones” will debut on Sunday.

(Image Credit: Dazed Digital)

“China: Through the Looking Glass”: MET Museum: May 7 to August 16, 2015

On May 7, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, in association with the Department of Asian Art, will inaugurate this year's one of the most anticipated Costume Institute exhibit titled, “China: Through the Looking Glass”, an examination of how China has fuelled the fashionable imagination for centuries, resulting in highly creative distortions of cultural realities and mythologies. High fashion will be juxtaposed with Chinese costumes, paintings, porcelains, and other art, as well as films, to reveal enchanting reflections of Chinese imagery."

Featuring more than 130 examples of Haute Couture, avant-garde and ready to wear creations and traditional art work, the exhibit will explore the influence of Chinese art and films such as “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Farewell My Concubine” and “Raise the Red Lantern, “ just to name a few , and its influence on Western Fashion.

Showcasing fashion from the 1700s to today, the exhibition will feature works of Jean Paul Gaultier, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, Marc  Jacobs for Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Jason Wu, Giambattista Valli, Dries Van Noten, Coco Chanel and John Galliano’s Spring 2003 Christian Dior couture collection.

The exhibition will run from May 7 to August 16, 2015.

Evening Dress, Roberto Cavalli, Fall 2005

 Evening Dress, Valentino, Shanghai 2013

Christian Dior for House of Dior,Quiproquo" cocktail dress, 1951 

Evening Dress, Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent, Fall 2004

Dress, Vivienne Tam, Spring 1995

Jean Paul Gaultier ,Evening dress, fall/winter 2001–2 Haute couture

Evening coat, ca. 1925

Chinese Cheongsam, 1932

Detail of Court Robe (Chinese)

Ensemble, Yves Saint Laurent, Fall 1977

in the Mood for Love Film Still, 2000

John Galliano for House of Dior ,Dress, spring/summer 2003 haute couture

Ralph Lauren ,Evening dress, fall/winter 2011–12

Tom Ford  for Yves Saint Laurent, Paris , Evening dress, fall/winter 2004–5

(Image Credit : Metmuseum.org)