Krassy Karl

I cant believe it has taken him this long to be 'inspired' by India...Karl's "Paris-Bombay" collection  has come a tad late, me thinks. I can't understand why every one is going crazy about it.
I have seen pictures of the show and I find it tacky. There I said it - tacky!
 
The collection look is midway between Aladdin and Princess Jasmine He has got it all going - jootis, jodhpuris, kurtas, long jackets, saris, drapes and not to mention maang tikkas, which were definitely the high light of the collection. In terms of fabrics, I see a lot of jhataak golds, chinese silks combined with pearl-work embroidery....save a couple of the pieces, the rest just seemed like costume wear. Perhaps my opinion is biased, as being an Indian woman, my idea of Indian clothing is very different and maybe even tradtional. But I am trying to comment as a global gal whose idea of clothing and fashion is beyond country borders....I can't imagine the normal Chanel (chic) lady going paagal for any of these pieces. Wait let me think about it again, perhaps this collection is meant for the huge Arab/Middle Eastern clientele for the fashion house that might like this Bedouin ( more than Bombay-inspired) look. In that case, it could work....

Being a pukka Bombay girl, I like the fact that the collection connects the two fabulous cities together! It will definitely work in our favour and will get us more global attention. Ca c'est sur...

That being said, if I were a foreigner ready to spend that kinda $$$ with some sense of style, I would just jump on to a plane, come straight to the land of marvelous textiles and jewels and splurge!Dil kholke!

The last few years have seen all the top luxury and fashion brands selecting India as their mood board or at least launching limited edition pieces to India. I still think Hermes has paid India the best homage...as has Louis Vuitton for that matter.

Speaking about Louis Vuitton - I am addicted to their newly done up website and have spent so much time on the "Travel to India" section ( http://www.louisvuitton.eu/front/#/eng_E1/Collections/Women/Travel/stories/Travel-to-India ). Also check out the Cirque section which is utterly whimsical and playful.

Here is a brand that continues to rebel and put its detractors in their place at every step of the way...LV has been on the forefront of embracing technology and enhancing the brand experience for its customers. The new Vuitton website is truly a pleasure because its unusual, quirky, original, useful and still convetable! At the end of the day, LV remains the unanimous leader (in volumes and values) for high-end leather goods around the world. It has created an enviable position for itself for many reasons:
1. Its incredible retail network of stores around the world. All of which LVMH directly owns
2. Marc Jacobs!
3. Association with the world of the Arts
4. Association with Humanity and Ecological consciousness
5. The mass-market, logo-driven items
6. The high-end, exotic leather items

I am still waiting for the day that our land of plenty showcases itself appropriately and exports world-class products to the rest of the world. A few important names come to mind who have started doing this already (Manish Arora, Amrapali and the Bollywood brigade, of course!) and I am sure there will be many others very soon as well.....until then.