Fashion and style pretty much dictate our lives these days; if it’s not one occasion or the other, we end up finding reasons to shop. It just makes us feel better, which is why it is both addictive and therapeutic at the same time. While social media offers a lot of insight into almost everything out there (including the unwanted) here’s what stood out for me this week…
Blocked
Social media celebrated Eid collections through the week, most of them a commercially viable concoction of texture, print and (confused) ethos. Hopefully we saw the last leg of tulip shalwars and also a whittling down of the stifling display of prints that attack women every summer; it’s almost a virus. Amidst this ocean of print and pattern, one brand emerged different and dignified. BLOCKED. No, I’m not blocking anything but I am referring to the brand of hand printed fabric called Blocked Textiles (picture above). The images that surfaced through out the week were sophisticated, organic and sincere to the designer’s vision of what she thinks women should wear instead of the market dictating what she should create. I don’t own a Blocked tunic yet but I am going to change that status this week.
Indian Textiles at Lakme Fashion Week
Weavers Studio
Talking of block prints, handlooms and organic fabrics, Day 2 at the ongoing Lakme Fashion Week (Aug 20-26) in Mumbai celebrated the magnificence of Indian textiles. I just love how designers like the Weavers Studio, Kallol Dutta, Three and Kaleekal made out-of-proportion silhouettes that focused on the beauty of the fabric rather than the female body and the embellishment powering it. Clothes like these give a very Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto feel and we all know that not many people know design better than the Japanese.
Meesha Shafi and Mehwish Hayat
Style comes naturally to Meesha Shafi and she was quite the vision on Episode 2 of Coke Studio when she turned up in dangerously spiked Kurt Geiger boots, a Wardha Saleem jumpsuit from her personal collection and a killer attitude enhanced by that facial shimmer. Also styled by Ehtasham Ansari, Mehwish Hayat on Episode 3 definitely looked hotter than she sounded. Mehwish is quite a daredevil and I personally prefer it when she’s behaving bad-ass as opposed to sweet Sue (which isn’t often, actually. Mehwish totally nailed the rock-chick look and while we don’t have the exact details of her outfit, we can see that she appeared totally in control of her look.
There were some low style moments too.
They say that jorian are made in heaven but weddings certainly take place on Instagram because a highly publicized social wedding inundated my news feed throughout the week. My objection began with the vulgar display of wealth and ended with the conundrum of why anyone would a) show off on a public platform and b) subject themselves to the kind of humiliation and derogation that ensued in the comments. I guess common sense and style both can’t be bought.
