Printed Jackets : Trend mapping for 2014

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apparels, digital prints, Ermemgildo Zegna, fabric, fashion blog, fashion designers, fashion history, Fendi, freelance fashion designer, garments, jackets, London Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week, overcoats, Paris Fashion Week, printed jackets, trench coats, trends

Jackets need no introduction. They have been on and off the fashion ramp for years but this season has seen the trend of cropped jacket in its various guises from bomber to blouson till now. GQ magazine claims that “the designers in Milan and Paris realize that some countries like our own are not blessed with a dry, Mediterranean climate all season long; sometimes a coat is essential even on the hottest days.”

Image Courtesy: http://goo.gl/aeVN6R
Title: Colors all around

For the little summer and the little winter weather when one is not sure whether to put the sweaters on or not then jackets are really your life savers. For fluctuating barometers and transition temperature it’s really difficult to plan your wardrobe. So for a blend of fashion on this crazy summers check out the latest and variedly functional jackets that also have an element of surprise in them.

Image Courtesy: http://goo.gl/ksl1ry ~ It’s raining jackets this summer.

Printed Jackets are the one that makes sense this summer with their light weight and digital subtle prints. This season the designers of high end street collections have joined hands to create a light weight outfit that truly saves one from the brazing rays of sun as well as is a little versatile addition to the already existing jacket wardrobe.

Image Courtesy: http://goo.gl/b4dxZs
Title: Coats for mixed weathers

Image Courtesy: http://goo.gl/wUtPwP Title: More colors!

One of the biggest supporters of the long trend was Fendi who displayed their collection in Milan. Also on a lighter note, there were formal end of overcoat which when paired with cropped navy chinos does all the magic by itself. Also Fendi fell in love with the color Khaki and it showcased a varied range of casual knee length hooded jackets with a silver lining which is the contrasting lapels and linings.

Image Courtesy: http://goo.gl/lsRA4E
Title: Fendi Coats

Also the designer house Ermemgildo Zegna showcased more refined approach to the knee length boring over coats & trench coats.

Image Courtesy: http://goo.gl/JB5AVu
Title: Zegna coats

What do you think about the latest trend that will serve on the border of summers and winters? Start chirping in the comments section.

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Indian fashion industry – Part 2

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apparels, block print, colors, fabric, fashion, fashion blog, fashion history, fashion illustrations, Indian fashion, Indian Fashion Industry, Lakme fashion week, Manish Malhotra, natural fabrics, paisley print, Ritu Berry, Ritu Kumar, Sabyasachi Mukherji, Tie dye, weavers

Indian fashion industry owes a lot to the ethnic culture of the country. Hope you must have read about it in the previous blog of this series – Part 1. In the year 2000 Lakme and IMG joined hands to provide a platform to the designers to show their talent to the world. Designers are adding creativity to Silhouette – ethnic and traditional garments to give their customers fresh quality.

Suneet Verma collection 2005
Image courtesy:http://goo.gl/LFcrMi

Collection by Sabyasachi Mukherji. Image courtesy : http://www.sabyasachi.com/

Fashion soon became a coveted trade and big fashion houses like Ritu Kumar, Ritu Beri and Manish Malhotra came into being. Fashion industry started celebrating colors, fabrics and formal ethnic accessories and soon Indian fashion gained western interest. Indian fashion industry is also known for its experiments with different types of natural fabrics. These different types of natural fabrics and prints which took over became the hot center of ‘fresh’ variety of fashion. Designers then started digging inside the country for more and more traditional prints and because of which hand looms also started getting importance. Also these designs provided a diversity to its customers.

Manish Malhotra 2012 show
Image courtesy: http://goo.gl/0so8bi

Masaba at LFW 2011. Image courtesy: http://www.houseofmasaba.in/‎

Traditional prints are used big time to add more elements to the fashion industry. Folk prints like the Mandana painting of Rajasthan added variety to the fashion.

Paisley Prints
Image courtesy: http://goo.gl/CaSVtN

Mandana Prints of Rajasthan
Image courtesy:http://goo.gl/TclO6A

Pattern is being carved out of teak to which vegetable dyes are applied during the block printing process.
Image courtesy : http://goo.gl/8B8wHN

The rich use of colors and prints fearlessly has differentiated Indian fashion from the rest of the world. Designers have boldly shed the so-called ‘image’ factor they had in the 90’s which restricted them from experimenting.

What do you think is the best element of this industry? Is it the variety that we have or the way we club our modern instincts with the older times or is it something else? Do tell me in the comments section. Also stay tuned for the next and final part on Indian fashion industry.

Indian fashion industry – Part 1

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apparels, fashion blog, fashion designers, fashion industry, freelance fashion designer, India, pattern, Product design, product development, Ritu Kumar, surface embroideries, tech pack

India has always been the paradise for fabrics and woven cloths. Even the primitive Indus valley civilization in the 5^th millennium knew how to spun, woven fabrics. But with the awakening of fashion sense, the industry began as an exclusives enterprise of independent designers. In this era there have been modifications to the printing techniques and designers started including traditional prints like block printing and tie dye in a very traditional ways which suited only the local audiences then.

Traditional tie and die painting
Image Courtesy: http://goo.gl/I8Z6qJ

India’s fashion industry hits it’s all time high in 2012 with designers like Suneet Verma, Tarun Tahiliani, and Ritu Kumar becoming the interest center of the world. The National Institute of Fashion Technology celebrated its silver jubilee in 2011 and celebrated a time when it has produced its first batch of designers.

Indian Ethnic Block Print Skirt. Image courtesy : http://goo.gl/gDShqV

Batic print Hippie dress in pure cotton. Image courtesy : http://goo.gl/TjXSAe

Ritu Kumar design 1990
Image courtesy:http://goo.gl/xO5D9v

Designers after a while started using mixed concepts to give a retro appeal to their garments. Indian fashion world that we see today have expanded to new horizons with fashion designers using different types of embroideries in a fusion way. The way the traditional prints were incorporated with the modern designs, people became more and more interested in them than ever. While most of the traditional embroidery and prints have not been much favorite of the designers earlier, the Zardozi’s kept the mills running. Beautiful zari work on garments entered mainstream fashion industry but earlier they were considered to be rich and unaffordable. Also traditional dresses became a hit and the embroidery became the U.S.P of the industry.

Indian fashion Industry blooming
Image courtesy: http://goo.gl/E8PJz5

Traditional Bead work. Image courtesy : http://goo.gl/GpGyLQ

Mirror work. Image courtesy : http://goo.gl/FGGzC3

Mirror Work. Image courtesy :http://goo.gl/xYH8N4

Apart from Zardozi, India is also among the top exporter of fashion and its concepts. Big UK fashion houses and Federated Stores have been known to shop from Indian markets. Since India offers cost-effective manufacturing as well as low-cost labor, international fashion houses love to manufacture their fashion products here. A lot of laces, zippers, buttons that are seen sewed on the ‘branded’ garments are actually sourced from India.

Traditional Zardosi work. Image courtesy : goo.gl/IvZhhe

Long Coat with Kashmiri hand embroidery. Image courtesy: goo.gl/hnYpDr

India has always been a warehouse of beautiful prints and skilled workforce. Designers in the 21^st century are utilizing these resources in a more intelligent way to suit their global audiences.

Malini Ramani at Wills India Fashion week. Image Courtesy : http://www.maliniramani.com

To know more about the inclusion of east and west stay tuned for the next post on Indian fashion Industry which is to be followed soon. If you have any questions then sound off in the comments section.