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What do you do when you’re on a book tour in India? Well, if you’re Padma Lakshmi, you walk the runway for designer Tarun Tahiliani during Lakme Fashion Week. “I think the heavens conspired to make this happen,” Tahiliani said. “She’s very spirited and cool. Lakshmi opened his show wearing an elegant white, embellished lehenga with a sheer dupatta, and closed with a pink paneled brocade lehenga.
A lehenga is a full ankle-length skirt worn by Indian women, usually on formal or ceremonial occasions. Tahiliani, among the top designers in India, is known for his draping.
“It’s been 15 years since I walked the runway, period,” Lakshmi said. She earlier modeled for designers like Giorgio Armani, Versace and Ralph Lauren. “I never really worked as a model here [in India], I lived in the West. So, I’ve done a couple of fashion shows, but never at the fashion week in Mumbai,” she said, adding “I love the fashion industry here. You have both Western and Indian clothes, and often many things in between — and I’ve really enjoyed getting to see these. I also went to see Ritu Kumar’s show — she’s someone I have admired for years and years,” she observed.
Lakshmi’s real purpose

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Anush Benliyan

More criticism is being levelled at garment factories in Myanmar supplying European brands and retailers such as New Look, H&M, C&A and Primark – with new research suggesting forced or unpaid overtime and child labour remain ongoing problems.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has developed due diligence guidance for garment and footwear supply chains designed to help companies identify and prevent potential negative impacts related to human rights, labour, the environment and corruption.

Ahead of plans to ramp up expansion at its Ethiopian manufacturing site, tailored clothing manufacturer Bagir Group has acquired full ownership of the facility in a deal worth US$1.9m.

The American Apparel & Footwear Association and yoga wear brand Lululemon Athletica are among new signatories to the Social & Labor Convergence Project (SLCP), bringing the total number of signatories to 100 in its first year, as the initiative prepares to launch its pilot standard. 

US retail sales are forecast to grow between 3.7% and 4.2% in 2017, as a stable economy is expected to build on the momentum it gained late last year.

It’s a new turn for R13, whose grunge-tinged repertoire took a decidedly modern approach to heritage dressing this season with streetwear influence. Dramatic in shape and boldly confident in design, statement pieces like men’s wear-inspired blazers and coats were cut with a gender-ambiguous hand that felt very of-the-moment. A little askew, a lot oversized, wholly lust-worthy. Call it the Vetements effect.
“This idea of timelessness and heritage, it just felt like no one’s ever taken these things and really brought it into a modern context,” designer Chris Leba said backstage following the show. “You know I also love grunge. I love that timelessness and sort of relevance all at the same time.”
Design elements could boil down to ultrahip statement shoulders, hefty, oversized outerwear and consuming sweaters set disproportionately against tight tailoring and slinky slips. Stylistically, Leba kept the drama up top with the occasional leather or plaid skinny cropped flares. More than that, the masculine-feminine push-pull straddled such a thin line that gender restrictions hardly came to mind. Though the concept was “borrowed from the boys,” the aftermath could easily be a reverse dynamic.
As for highlights, oversized leather jackets with shearling or fur accents were clear winners, as were suiting options.

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After a short hiatus, Kenneth Cole is relaunching his woman’s ready-to-wear collection for fall with David Witkewicz, vice president and creative director of women’s. Based on Cole’s ad campaign, the “Courageous Class,” the lineup focuses on courageous classics, modern-with-a-twist pieces such as the perfect washed leather biker jacket, the sexy skinny black jean, the tailored blazer and the great white shirt — all essential pieces of Cole’s urban uniform. Witkewicz also introduced a variety of terrific jackets, from a cool anorak bomber to a sleek tech blazer, all with “social storage” — specially designed pockets to hold your phone with a cord that connects to your headphones — perfect for the contemporary girl on the go. Cole has always been known for his cool leather pieces and for fall, he did not disappoint; case in point, a leather apron dress. There were plenty of neutral colors with touches of color. Key looks included an abstract cable-bridge-print shift dress, a velvet sweatshirt and elastic-waist trouser, an abstract floral skirt and plenty of cool sweatshirts and slogan tees. Overall, the collection was effortless and cool. Nice comeback, Kenneth.

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Marissa Webb took inspiration from her past and present for fall, reminiscing about her salad days working in fashion when her wardrobe consisted of vintage pieces she lovingly DIY’d, and the undone chic that comes so naturally to her husband’s French Moroccan family. “I was always hacking up my clothes and the proportions were always awkward, but it was fun,” she said, recalling a trench/corset top with a peplum. It could be layered over an oxford or worn alone over pants, and was emblematic of the kind of specialty pieces Webb does that add nuance and novelty to a wardrobe. Other examples included Army green cropped pants that laced up the legs and cropped leather moto pants with a paper bag waist. There was an array of outerwear prime for layering, such as a shrunken trench and a fur-trimmed vest. As for the influence of her effortlessly stylish in-laws, a saffron maxidress with ruffles traced around the shoulders and a generous skirt said it all.

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