Style this!

We are no strangers to the "mystery man of fashion" Maison Martin Margiela's futuristic, quirky designs expressed through the most unusual of materials ranging from wigs to sealing tapes! That the latest offering from Monsieur Margiela should be mono-lens sunglasses while coming as no surprise, still challenges us to find means of sporting it! The important question is how do you wear this? Like his Spring 2009 collection, should we cover our faces all over with hair(a novel way of protection from the sun) so that this mono-lens could offer an x-ray vision?Is it meant to cover the entire nose as well?

Would you wear this, if so how and which celeb do you think is most likely to sport the mono-lens? Any thoughts? Lady Gaga sure hits me as a likely candidate, anyone else?

Image Source:www.guardian.co.uk www.catwalking.com

Alexis Mabille, Minimalism in Fashion or Creativity?

Fall 2009 Haute Couture began on a damp note with Alexis Mabille showcasing his collection comprising of lacy gowns, pants, shapeless flowy dresses and his typical bows adorning the models' feet, hair and occasionally their dresses.Couture is "The What might have been", i.e unrestrained creativity augured by an almost limitless budget.Unfortunately Alexis Mabille, who a few seasons back had worked magic through his Spring 2008 collection of splendid origami dresses and ornate bows, had few tricks to pull out of his hat!!The dresses were too simple even by pret-a-porter standards, treaded on familiar ground and arrogated a "haute couture" claim!!

Image Source:www.catwalking.com

What's in your bag?

What seems to be an innocuous question, seemingly doesn't evoke a straight forward reply, at least not when subjected to the wild imagination of John Galliano!! John plays doubting Thomas and adds a naughty twist as to the contents of a women's bag to an extent that one almost believes the bag to be a holder of sinister secrets which her better half would certainly regret to chance upon!! He muses "It is part of their charm, their secret weapon. Who knows what’s in there — keys, wallet, phone. That is all to be expected. Who’s to say what door that spare key opens; why she has her passport tucked in when she’s only going up the road and whose phone number she has scrawled on the back of an envelope . . . I love the unknown — and the what might be.”

If John is to be believed, then its not just good manners that should hinder a man from opening a woman's, especially his woman's bag! Well as for the contents of my bag, all I can say is that if John did peep in he would be very disappointed, for spare keys he would certainly find that to his utter dismay opens only my closet, the passport tucked in, serving as a mere identity proof and as for the number scribbled on a decrepit paper and peeping out of the bag's inner pocket, well that just belongs to an old man who sells fruits in Bastille, whom I promised to call to ascertain whether the kiwis that I had so badly wanted for so long have finally arrived.

So whatever is in there, we have a convincing explanation for it all, and if men do put us through fire by their uncouth act of demanding an explanation for each of the precious possessions in our bag, we would emerge a saint, unscathed!! And John, just a word of advice, please look for your Hitchcokian mystery elsewhere!!

Image Source:www.style.com

Fringes, John Galliano or Alexander McQueen ?

Left:Alexander McQueen Spring 2009 Ready-To-Wear

Right:John Galliano Fall 2009 Ready-To-Wear

So whats your take? I'm too partial to John Galliano to make my choice but both the dresses are very pretty.While you have to wait for some more months for Galliano's fringed dress to hit the stores, if you are really besotted by fringes and have to do it NOW, then go the McQueen way.There is as much drama happening at the back as there is on the front in this Ombré fringed dress of McQueen's.Wondering what I'm saying? See for yourself...

Alexander McQueen Ombré fringed dress

Image Source:www.style.com www.coutorture.com www.net-a-porter.com

Cosette enters the Convent

Before we further dwell into the journey of Cosette from the hell of Thénardiers with her saviour Monsieur Madeleine, it makes sense to reflect a bit on Monsieur Madeleine's past.Monsieur Madeleine's real name is Jean Valjean, he is an ex-convict, imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread from a baker out of dire necessity, in order to feed his widowed sister's seven kids after hard times fall upon his during the economic depression his country is going through at that time.He is imprisoned for five years but he attempts to escape four times and hence ends up spending a total of nineteen years in prison.

On Valjean's release he is made to carry an yellow passport that labels him as an ex-convict.Where ever he goes people treat him unkindly, and not even one inn takes him in for the night.At last, Bishop Myriel, an old clergyman in that town of Digne, takes pity on him, feeds him and offers him a bed for the night.Valjean still bitter and unsure about the Bishop's intentions, steals the Bishop's silverware and bolts in the middle of the night, only to be caught and brought back to the Bishop by the police.The Bishop saves him by telling the police that its he who had gifted him those articles.Valjean repents and then on tries to lead a just life.

Jean Valjean lands up in the town of Montreuil-sur-Mer, takes the name of Monsieur Madeleine, enters into business, becomes immensely successful and builds numerous schools, hospitals and orphanages.Javert, a police inspector always suspects Monsieur Madeleine to be Jean Valjean.In the meantime Valjean saves Fantine from the police, nurses her(she is afflicted with TB) and on her death bed promises to take care of her daughter, Cosette.

As fate would have it, Javert informs Monsieur Madeleine that they have found Jean Valjean.Monsieur Madeleine battles with his conscience for a whole night and ends up in front of the judge confessing that he is Jean Valjean, in order to save the wrongly accused man.Javert tries to arrest Jean Valjean when he visits Fantine on her death bed.Valjean manages to escape, hides the money he had made so far in a forest and while on his way to redeem Cosette is arrested by Javert.

Eventually while being transported on a ship, Valjean saves a fellow convict from falling overboard and jumps into the sea making it appear as if he had died.He then reaches the inn of Montfermeil and saves Cosette from Thénardiers by paying them thousand five hundred francs.

Valjean takes Cosette to Paris where they live in an isolated house called "Gorbeau House" with an old woman who acts as their caretaker.Sometimes during the evening Valjean takes Cosette for a walk.

Javert soon sniff's Valjean's trail and follows him to the Gorbeau house and takes up residence there.Valjean becomes aware of Javert's presence and escapes during the night with Cosette.Javert pursues him with his police force and corners him in an alley.With no other means of escape possible, Valjean climbs a high wall and finds himself in a garden that's part of a convent.

There he meets Fauchelevent, whoam on an earlier occasion he had saved from under the wheels of a heavy cart and had found him a job in that same convent.Fauchelevent introduces Valjean as Ultime Fauchelevent, his brother to the nuns and gets him a job as a gardener in the convent.Cosette is admitted to the school in the convent.

During the evenings Valjean spends time with Cosette and takes her for a walk to the Jardin du Luxembourg, when they are spotted by Marius who thinks no more of Cosette than an ordinary teenager, accompanied by her father.

Image Source:www.coutorture.com

Much Mismatch!!

How many of us have faced the frustrating situation of finding only one of a pair of socks just when we have timed ourselves to get the 8 'o clock metro to work, with only few minutes to spare? If you have a regular corporate job to attend to, then after much cursing and ransacking of the closet, you either get lucky or you decide to find a totally new pair of socks.But those with a fashion job especially on their way to attend a fashion show when faced with the same situation, just put on whatever comes their way and declare to the world that they are the most fashion forward in starting a trend that was there to stay!! Don't believe me? See for yourself what happened during the fashion weeks on the streets of Paris...

Image Source:www.nytimes.com

Fall 2009 Trends : Play Peek-a-Boo

During Depression women stopped wearing under wear, those were the extremes they went to cut corners.With the economy in no great shape and a lot of designers toying around with transparent dresses, is the "no under wear" era making a comeback?Fret not for there could be other reasons why they are immensely popular with designers.Why would designers place so much importance on transparent sheath like dresses which they know would never be worn, the way its showcased on the runway?The primary reason is that these dresses are a subtle way of reminding people that in all the hullabaloo surrounding the tons of glorious dresses displayed during the fashion week, the body which these dresses are meant to adore shouldn't be forgotten and is there a better way to pay tribute to the beautiful bodies behind these dresses?The other reason for which I find them alluring is the ethereal fantastical element they add to the runway and subsequently to fashion, afterall what is fashion without fantasy?And the third most important reason that I would cotton on to, is that these dresses give the most flexibility to express your individuality, its almost like the designer just handed over a canvas to you and asked you to express yourself as it suits you, right from contrasting corsets to matching ones to layering, the options of carrying off these transparent beauties just seem endless.So what are you waiting for? Go ahead, and wear them the way you want, creating an unique look that would make even the designers rethink whether its their design that's so tastefully worn!!

Can you help me find the missing piece?

I'm the recessionista, who wears only the bare necessities.

Darn the crow that took off with my corset!!

Did I leave something at home?

I'm the Spartan bride.

Image Source:www.coutorture.com www.wwd.com

Two for one

Hail the new Muppet street hawker in town!!This reminds me of how they sell soft toys in India.On any busy road where cars are parked in serpentine lines, one would invariably find a car overflowing with soft toys and a vendor patiently waiting for some passer by whose eyes have been smitten by that sight to walk up and buy a cuddly for themselves. Jean-Charles de Castelbajac has taken it one step further by making the selling of soft toys more eco friendly by taking advantage of the very nature of soft toys, they are indeed a pleasure to carry around.Cool marketing ideas from the runway.Anyone up for the job?

Image Source:www.wwd.com

Bull / Bear

No, no, no I'm not talking about stock markets, share prices or even about the fashion industry's future in the current economic climate, I guess that's best left to nerds who call themselves economists or whatever.Fall 2009 Ready-To-Wear show witnessed two designers almost at the opposite ends of the spectrum, while Agatha Ruiz de la Prada's show was all cheery and bright radiating optimism, Alexander McQueen's was gloomy, dark, vampired and pessimistic. Whose side do you take?

Cosette Mourns...

Monsieur Madeleine accompanies Cosette to the inn of Montfermeil, where he witnesses Cosette being kicked by Madame Thénardier, Cosette having to do with rags as toys and a dingy place under the stairs serving as Cosette's bed.Monsieur Madeleine offers money to the Thénardiers in exchange for Cosette, which the Thénardiers are more than willing to accept.Monsieur Madeleine prepares Cosette for the journey that lies ahead of them, dressing her in clothes that he had brought along with him.Due to Fantine's death, Cosette is clothed in a black dress with matching black shoes and together they set out for what would be a new chapter in Cosette's life...

Image Source:www.coutorture.com

Cosette meets her Saviour

With the passage of time Fantine finds it harder and harder to meet Thénardiers' demands and forces herself into prostitution with the intent of providing a good life for her daughter.While refusing to oblige a man on the street she gets picked up by the police and as chance would have it, she bumps into her previous employer Monsieur Madeleine who not only delivers her from the police but also provides for her.(Till then he is unaware of how unjustly Fantine's supervisor had fired her.)However, Fantine due to her hard life thus far gets afflicted with tuberculosis and dies, with a promise from Monsieur Madeleine that her daughter would be cared for and brought up the way she had dreamed.

Things aren't any better at the inn of Montfermeil, as each day Cosette is treated worse than the previous day.One night it so happens that a traveller staying at the inn complained of insufficient water for his horse and Cosette is forced to go deep into the forest to fetch water.With great trepidation she enters the forest, trembling in her frail dress.On her way back, as she struggles to balance the weight of the bucket, she finds a hand lending her support.The person helping her is none other than Monsieur Madeleine and over the course of his conversation with Cosette he learns that she is Cosette and it really breaks his heart to see her in such misery and he resolves in his mind to undo all the injustice meted out to her so far.

Image Source:www.coutorture.com

Pom Pom Girls

Pom pom girls

Make many swirls

With their golden curls

Flashing sweet pearls

Seeing them, you unfurl

Your sorrows which you hurl

Down a deep whorl

Leaving them to twirl...

We all can do with some cheer in our life, and who else but fashion designers can dish that out to us in such a refreshing manner? Two designers, same pom pom inspiration, different expressions.Whose do you like more?The elaborate one of On Aura Tout's or the subtler one of Galliano's?

P.S:The left pic shows a dress from On Aura Tout's Spring Haute Couture 2009 collection whereas on the right is one from John Galliano's Fall 2009 Ready-To-Wear collection.

Image Source:www.coutorture.com

John Galliano Rides High on Fantasy

John Galliano's Fall 2009 Ready-To-Wear show was one grand Russian dream with Ukranian virgin brides being the central theme.The fantasy was constructed with faux snow, laser lights and of course, the star of the show, John Galliano, who emerged from a huge laser lit tunnel wearing riding boots, a swashbuckler coat and a tri-corner hat, looking every bit like a tough rider who had successfully negotiated a very rough terrain to his advantage!!

A closer look at the rider on the runway!! And aaayy he is not wearing black.

Image Source:www.fashionologie.com www.style.com

Cosette's Coat

The evil Thénardiers while on one hand torturing Cosette with hard household chores, on the other hand used to repeatedly make demands through letters to Fantine(Cosette's mom) asking her to send more money either for treatment of some malicious illness that had struck Cosette or for her good up keeping.Fantine, believing Thénardiers to the letter worked hard at a factory in her hometown of Montreuil-sur-Mer saving every sous she could, thinking that it would help her daughter's upbringing.The Thénardiers however continue to treat Cosette as bad as possible, while spoiling their own daughters with dolls and good clothes.

As luck would have it, Fantine's supervisor at the factory got to know of Fantine's motherhood, suspected her of poor character and consequently dismisses her from the factory.Fantine though jobless still gets persistent demands for money from Thénardiers.Driven by extreme need, she sells her beautiful long hair to pay the Thénardiers.After some time passes, the Thénardiers inform Fantine that Cosette is in desperate need of a coat to keep herself warm.And thats when Fantine sells her two front teeth, buys a coat with the money and sends it to the Thénardiers.The Thénardiers expecting money, are enraged on seeing the coat, they give the coat to their daughter while poor Cosette shivers as usual.

Image Source:www.coutorture.com

Cosette ill-treated

Cosette gets much abused in Thénardiers' hands, she is more of a little slave to them.She is made to get up as early as five in the morning(which begets her the name Lark from her neighbours) to sweep the floors while shivering in the cold, wearing nothing more than thin gossamer frocks.Poor Cosette, all of five years old, she suffers in silence, not knowing what it is to be loved.

Image Source:www.coutorture.com

Cosette meets Thénardiers

Cossette is left by her mother Fantine at the inn of Montfermeil, run by an unscrupulous couple, the Thénardiers.Since Fantine is an unwed mother(abandoned by her lover while pregnant), she wants to avoid the scandal that would be brought about by Cosette's presence at her hometown, Montreuil-sur-Mer.She is thus left by her mother, stylish and warm...

Image Source:www.coutorture.com

Cat Women?

Perhaps not!! These look more like some genetic experiment where in scientists in the remote Amazon forest, tired of all the hullabaloo around Women's day, empowerment of women etc decide to create the most powerful women on earth, by injecting their DNA with that of lions and the result is there for all to see!!

Image Source:www.coutorture.com

Jewelled Bestiary

Desperate times require desperate measures.How do companies selling high end luxury survive during a recession? One by upping their luxury quotient and second by expanding their customer base.While our economy is in recession, our friends of the forest don't seem to be doing so bad after all.And here's a new line of jewellery designed to entice them.So the next time around when you are shopping statement jewellery at Rue de Rivoli don't get petrified if a quadruped walks in, for, from now on they too are legitimate customers!!

P.S : This is Delfina Delettrez's Fall 2009 Accessories collection, presented in the famed taxidermist, Deyrolle's gallery.

Image Source:www.wwd.com

Bag it!!

From embellished satin clutches in rich colors to simple leather embossed totes, it was all there(at Christian Dior Fall 2009 Ready-To-Wear fashion show) waiting to be picked up.Whats your fashion pick?

Image Source:www.style.com

From Hats to Pins

The elaborate hats that are so customary of John Galliano's shows were missing this time around at the Christian Dior Fall 2009 Ready-To-Wear fashion show and were replaced by a multitude of colored bobby pins(to be precise 12,000 for the 44 models) maybe an indicator of how one can cut corners using creativity(not that the Dior clients need such indicators anyway). Also makeup was done to the geisha way with bold eyes achieved through fake eyelashes on both the eyelids, rainbow hued eye shadows and thin fake eyebrows much above the natural one.From Indian embroideries, to Persian ikat prints, to Geisha makeup, Galliano has the whole world in his hands!!

Image Source:www.wwd.com