DESIGNERS TO COMPETE FOR LUXURY HOTEL FASHION PRIZE

Five innovative young designers have been shortlisted for the 2013 Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize, the annual award created three years ago by the eponymous luxury hotel company to discover emerging fashion talent.

Designing duo Fyodor Golan

The five, including a duo working under one name, come from various backgrounds and will compete for a prize of £25,000 which will help them to establish their brand, according to the Dorchester group.

The organizers said that the judging criterion is based on finding the designer “who best demonstrates original aesthetic flair, combined with capability for future critical distinction and commercial success”. The winner’s work must also “evoke the spirit of Dorchester Collection’s iconic hotels and, therefore, project a sense of individuality, luxury, style and craftsmanship”.

Designer Barbara Casasola

The final stage of this year’s competition will take place on 29 October at The Dorchester hotel in London, where the five shortlisted designers will stage a catwalk presentation.  Last year’s finale was held at the landmark Plaza Athénée hotel in Paris and attracted a large fashion crowd, with judges including the France-based Japanese designer Kenzo Takada.

The Dorchester group has hotels in London, Paris, Milan, Los Angeles and other cities, and designers who enter the competition have to be based in countries where there are Dorchester Collection hotels: the UK, France, Italy, Switzerland and the United States.

“We’re thrilled to continue to support upcoming designers and launch the 2013 Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize with a new international format,” said Christopher Cowdray, chief executive officer of Dorchester Collection. “Our aim is to continue to attract a high standard of talent; it’s been rewarding to follow the success of previous winners and finalists, knowing that the prize has helped them to make that next step to global success and recognition.”

Huishan Zhang

The 2013 finalists are Barbara Casasola, a Brazilian-born, Paris-based designer who studied at Central Saint Martins in London and later at Istituto Marangoni in Milan and has worked with Roberto Cavalli and others; the duo Fyodor Podgorny and Golan Frydman, whose brand is Fyodor Golan and whose ready-to-wear garments are inspired by artwork, with striking shapes and colours;  Emilia Wickstead, the  New Zealand-born designer who studied in both Milan and London, launching her own label in 2008; and Huishan Zhang, a Chinese-born designer and recent graduate of Central Saint Martins who was reportedly chosen by a leading fashion businesswoman to work at Christian Dior while he was still a student. 

The five will have their work cut out for them in the run-up to the grand finale in London. As the organizers state, the winner’s work must “evoke the spirit of Dorchester Collection’s iconic hotels and, therefore, project a sense of individuality, luxury, style and craftsmanship”.

Designer Emilia Wickstead

HAUTE COUTURE EXHIBITION SHOWS THE ART IN DESIGNING

Anyone remotely interested in design should visit “Paris Haute Couture”, the fascinating exhibition currently on at Paris’ Hotel de Ville (Town Hall).

Highlighting the artistic side of fashion design, the show features more than one hundred items that come from the leading fashion houses of the 20^th century and shows haute couture in all its splendor.

From rough sketches to elaborate gowns, the exhibition also provides insight into the creative and technical processes in designing, and takes visitors into the designers’ imaginative world.

One can follow the path from idea to finished product, meeting the artisans along the way who don’t get to be in the spotlight, but without whom the garments, shoes and other articles couldn't be made.

“Behind the scenes, it takes countless hours of painstakingly precise work by thousands of skilled artisans to make such grand visions a reality,” says Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë, in an introduction to the exhibition.

“It is these unsung heroes, as well as the world-famous designers they serve, who have contributed to the development of an industry which has become such an integral part of our city’s identity,” he adds.

Paris hosts more than a hundred catwalk shows every year and is home to 20 haute couture fashion houses. The city also has 7,600 companies working in the fashion sector, and the exhibition evokes this lucrative industry.

But it is the sumptuous and innovative garments that are the real stars of the show. Retracing more than 150 years of fashion, they conjure up both the past and the future with their timelessness.

From gowns by Charles Frederic Worth, considered the father of haute couture, to creations by the eccentric Martin Margiela, the outfits express undeniable artistry. Visitors will want to step into dresses by Channel, Christian Dior, Balenciaga, Balmain and of course Yves Saint Laurent.

Some of the items - such as a burnt topaz double satin dress by John Galliano for Christian Dior, and black suede gloves with gold metal false nails by Elsa Schiaparelli – will make one smile with their daring and playfulness.

“Successive generations of creators have made haute couture an art form in its own right, as rich in meaning and sheer beauty as any of the classical disciplines,” says Delanoë, and visitors will most definitely be inclined to agree.

The items come from the collection of the Musée Galliera, a museum dedicated to fashion but closed for renovation until Autumn of this year.  Entry to the exhibition, which runs until July 6, is free to the public but visitors should be prepared for long lines especially on Saturday. - J.M. DE CLERCQ and L. MCKENZIE

LIE SANG BONG SINGS A MODERN SONG

Ending Paris Fashion week on a youthful, trendy note, Lie Sang Bong showcased geometric designs, gleaming leather, and ultra-modern platform shoes for a memorable show that contrasted with those of his peers.

The Korean designer, who is gaining a following among young fashionistas, stood out from many other designers in that his ready-to-wear collection actually seemed ready to wear. You could go into a store, buy it off the rack, and step out looking casually original.

 

Lie’s Fall/Winter 2013-2014 collection also had a slightly retro aspect as some of the cuts seemed to recall the Sixties.

The pants were straight-legged and ankle-baring, and the platforms looked like they had come off the dance floor from back in the day.

On most of his models, Lie mixed a single, cheeky colour with black or white, all merged into a minimalistic pattern. He finished the look off with some refined Asian touches, and traces of pelt.

Each model wore similar sneaker-platforms, white or black, but with streaks of painted-on colour to match the main piece or to bring it all together. 

The lack of high heels made the models seem confident and comfortable in the outfits, appealing to those who want to look fashionable yet feel relaxed.

The models’ faces had single silver stripes alongside the eyes, corresponding to the hair, shoes and outfit, for an overall unconventional feel.  - J.M. DE CLERCQ and L. MCKENZIE

SHIATZY CHEN SCORES AGAIN WITH VIBRANT EAST-WEST MIX

A fiery red Chen design- 2013

Shiatzy Chen has done it again, setting the standard for colour, elegance and boldness all combined, during Paris Fashion Week.

The show started with cool, catchy French music about the Eiffel tower, but a few seconds later, a Chinese beat entered just as the models began their glide down the catwalk. From the first design of stunning Asian fabrics mixed with a Western cut, oohs and aahs escaped from the audience.

Bright colours such as orange, green, gold, and turquoise were incorporated onto leather, fur and silk, and finished with a lace edging or an ornate brooch.

An all-black piece with dazzling necklace

There was black too, but always with an eye-catching, dazzling accessory  or an audacious necklace. Other times,  the layered outfit was in one colour, such as red, and blended exuberance with grace.

In this Fall/Winter 2013-2014 ready-to-wear collection, designer Chen played with materials and tapestries inspired from the Tang Dynasty – a prosperous period for China lasting for over 300 years – and fitted in Western tailoring, accessories and shoes.

Each creation was always topped off (or bottomed off) with a variety of footwear, including patent-leather knee-high boots, high-heeled lace-up booties, pumps, or peep-toes.

Some of the designs were complemented by a jade and gold brooch in the shape of a stallion, diamond necklaces, or bejewelled clutches. - J.M. DE CLERCQ & L. MCKENZIE

Red Chen one-shoulder dress with bejeweled pin

TURBANS, SEQUINS AND TUNICS: THIS IS MANISH'S WORLD

Arora's 2013-2014 ready-to-wear collection

Along with the movie stars, the outlandishly dressed bloggers and the legions of buyers, Paris Fashion Week stands out increasingly for the number of Asian designers showing their collections.

The latest event, which began on Feb. 26 and ends March 6, features established Japanese designers and rising Korean and Chinese stars, but it is Indian stylist Manish Arora who has had people talking over the past days.

Arora brought his unique brand of effervescence to the runway, with his models strutting to Bollywood music, while wearing lively and playful designs that integrated traditional Indian sytles with a very modern look.. Turbans, scarves and tunics were turned into wearable art in his show.

Arora combines unlikely colours.

Arora, who made his debut here in 2007, was one of about 14 Asian designers showing Fall/Winter 2013-2014 ready-to-wear collections, in an extravaganza that  predictably starred the leading European names of fashion such as Christian Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Givenchy and Nina Ricci, as well as “newer” designers such as Stella McCartney and Paul & Joe.

The renowned Asian fashion houses, including Issey Miyake of Japan, have so far had well-received shows, but it is the younger designers that are now seizing the world stage.

A 2009 Arora creation 

“As a display of Indian craftsmanship, the effects were extraordinary,” veteran fashion reporter Suzy Menkes once wrote of Arora’s collection. “The compressions of bright color and explosion of nature’s butterflies and beasts brought the spirit of exotic India to Paris.”

Arora, 39 years old, spends months working with craftsmen in his studio in New Delhi, and he is determined to dazzle the sometimes bored-looking spectators who converge on these shows.

Back in 2009, he recruited the make-up artist Kabuki to decorate his model’s faces with sequins and symmetric bars of bright hues to add even more excitement to the costumes.

This year, he mixed improbable colours such as pink and yellow and threw in sequins and fur for a look that screamed: “try to top this”.

Arora told Tasshon that he believes that young Asian designers are attracting fans internationally because their work is “very genuine and very creative” in certain ways.

“They want to make a mark in Europe and that’s what makes them try harder,” he said. “At least that’s the situation in my case.” - J.M. DE CLERCQ and L. MCKENZIE