For newer readers,please check the FAQ and Notes I made in Part 1 of the tour(my previous article),right at the beginning which will end all confusion.
Additional note:In some of the photos you may see spurts of water.This was because there are water fountains surrounding the catwalk and they burst into action every three seconds.
The first collection to be presented was from Tendances. In recent years they have really progressed,selling much more beautiful dresses.In fact,(here I go,digressing again) I only bought my first dress there two years ago-It's chinoiserie inspired,with a fuchsia satin top half that closes around the neck in a mandarin collar fashion and adorned with two rose buds made of satin,and the other half of the dress which started on the waist was black.After seeing this collection I'm going to be buying many more pieces-they really have upgraded.Almost all the dresses were perfect.
The next dress was an ultramarine(it could have been purple though-the lighting wasn't the best) Grecian inspired maxi dress.It was gorgeous,although it seemed to be ill fitting on the model's bust-but it could have been a wardrobe malfunction.Whatever the reason,if you are not 100%sure your dress will hold on top,buy tape!Not sticky tape,fabric double sided tape,also called lingerie tape,which sticks the dress on your skin.
Only thing I didn't like was the black sash.The dress is dark enough without having to add more dark tones to it.Neither white nor yellow would do the trick,and silver would throw the whole dress off balance.I'm thinking of a lighter shade of blue,or perhaps a tone lighter than lavender to keep with the colour range.
I didn't like the third bright pink dress.The bust was ill fitting (my opinion is based on it worn on the model,perhaps it looks different when it is on the right sized woman),the sash seemed too thin (and in the same colour!I would have gone for beige) yet the ruffle design on the hem was quite pretty.I would have preferred something more fitted on the top and looser on the bottom.And a thicker sash!It would add new flavour to the dress if the sash were in a different fabric altogether.
Now the sixth dress would be equally as gorgeous if it weren't for the pleats.It's horrible how some finishing touches can ruin a dress and unfortunately this is what happened here.I loved everything on top,and then the pleats came in with the weird bunching.It should have been much simpler-remove the horrible pleats,and the bunching before the ruffles at the hem,and you have a perfect dress.
If there was a dress I really didn't like it was the last one.The fabric(although I can't give you the exact name,it is a man made blend of some sort) was horrible and does nothing for the woman.It's super tight at the bust-and draped horizontally (why?!)-and then it all came crashing down with no form whatsoever.I don't want to be mean but in perfect honesty I felt like the material was a giant bog that was slowly engulfing the girl.
Next was the Heat Icon contest,of which I have explained in my previous article(check it out if you haven't already).The clothes were from Tendances.
The first dress was purple and had a sequined Indian print running through from the shoulder to the waist.For me it was just OTT.I would have preferred the sequins to have been in gold,for the design to be on the side of the dress so the ruffle would finish just at the waist,and for it to be less tucked in places.
Now for the sequined combishort.I don't like the proportion-a tighter top with the shorts would have been better,with a belt dividing the top and bottom.I prefer a sequined jumpsuit to a sequined combishort-if you are going to go the Studio 54 route I prefer it full on,like the jumpsuit that Gwen Stefani wore at Cannes and the one that Iman wore to the MET gala-it's the same jumpsuit just in different colours.Very 70s,very on trend.
The third item was another combishort,which got it right-the top was more fitted than the shorts and it had straps.I would have preferred a belt though-a belt is always essential for dividing jumpsuits,combishorts,and even dresses.It makes for better proportion.
The fourth piece was a dress which was really quite beautiful and reminded me of some Spanish influences,as well of being three quarters in length which is on trend for Spring/Summer 2011.It had too much going on at the back though-if the dress was simply tied at the neck with the cross detail taking centre stage it would have been better.,because the back is just cut too many times.Thankfully,perfection is attained a few trims away-and this is how you do it:
Sorry for the fuzzy quality-it's the only image I had of the dress at the back.See the circles at the ends of the straps?Cut them off,taking care not to rip the fabric in the process.Then simply tie the straps at the neck (I put the stars there-I know its obvious as to where the straps should be tied but some people may think otherwise).Voila-a perfect dress that shows off the back without cutting it.
The pink Grecian inspired dress was also quite pretty-the draping was very well done,but it begs for accessorising.Add serpent like gold jewellery:
Of course don't add more than one bracelet of this kind.Add a gold ring,preferably with semi-precious stone accents,and you are good to go.
The final dress was OK-I think it was made out of velours.Only thing I didn't like was the white and red sash.Black would be much better here.
The second collection was from L'IN.
The first three outfits were tracksuits.These are reserved for exercising at the gym/park ONLY-I hate seeing people walking around in tracksuits in shops and on the road with flip flops.Make an effort people!Live everyday as if its your last and make the effort to dress properly!Plus,you never know who you may meet out of the house.First impressions count,and there is no other medium of expression as powerful as clothing (you can't exactly showcase who you are whilst writing/drawing when meeting someone for the first time,can you?It's clothes first,conversation second).The tracksuits were definitely really pretty-you want to look good when exercising too.
I like the minimalist approach of L'IN.The first outfit-a dress with matching cardigan-was casual,elegant and powerful combined.Tone on tone,with a some detail on the neck,strict minimalist cut,but the fabric which carefully moulded the body added sexy elegance.As the outfit was chartreuse,red accessories perfectly complemented the look.
The second outfit was a black and chartreuse striped dress-the stripes were thick and vertical,which added an edgy modernist twist.The key piece was the trench coat which was transformed to match Mauritian criteria-it was made out of a much lighter fabric-anything too heavy won't be used as soon as the "colder"months are over.
The fourth outfit was a pair of trousers with a top,or it could have been a jumpsuit.Whatever the case,there should have been a good leather belt to separate the two pieces.When wearing an all black outfit like this,be careful of your accessories.If you go for red,be sure that it's for night:it would look to vampire-ish for day.Do not pair black with pumpkin orange-its too reminiscent of Halloween.Light blue/green should do the trick.
The fifth outfit surprisingly went on a totally different route-60s psychedelic tie-dye top with embroidered neck,paired with a pair of purple trousers(fabric wise,everything seemed to be made out of cotton or linen or a mix of the two).
Please note that coloured trousers/jeans might be having a moment right now,but it's a trend that disappears and reappears every 4-5 years or so.Not everybody can wear them,and they can make the leg look slightly bigger.So stick to the classics.
I wouldn't have paired the look with white platforms,it destroys the vibe.Go for wedges instead. I like the simple design on the long sleeved shirt shown in the sixth outfit but I don't like shorts that finish above the knee.
The white dress in the first photo was also cute but beware:white dresses made out of light fabric can be transparent-so make sure you have appropriate underwear,preferably black,or just line the dress underneath with satin or extra fabric.The black dress in the second photo is beautiful but you need a belt just below the bust.I wouldn't go for the necklace though because of the cut of the dress on the neck-a pair of earrings,bracelet and ring should be enough.
The last piece of the collection was a simple white shirt,black trousers and a fedora.I would prefer the fedora on the had,not tilted-it reminds me too much of the 'guido' style.
Next was the second part of Heat Icon,sponsored by Bella Donna.All the girls wore the same white dress-again,underwear is super important-with different accessories.The dress is probably from L'IN,who was one of the sponsors of the event but I could be wrong.
The dress can be accessorised in a variety of ways to express different moods-its a perfect blank canvas.
Below are all the accessories that were shown,in a massive collage.
The bag on the bottom right,beige with ruffles and tassels,is the best way to work the Western inspired trend seen on the Summer and Fall 2011 runways,as is the case with the denim heels,far right,and the platforms with metal(it could be fabric but it looks like metal from where I was sitting) tassels on the far left,in the middle of the picture.My favourite bag was the leopard print tote (animal prints were HUGE for summer),seen on the upper right corner in the photo.The third collection were clothes from the sponsors.
The second dress was gorgeous,although a little short.It was black satin with injections of semi-opaque mesh,with sequins.The third dress had a bubble bottom and had volume-you need to cinch it with a belt,but black on black with this kind of fabric is too much for day time.Add a pop of colour (the most beautiful belt I've seen so far is at ESPRIT:it's blue-green,quite minimalist and very chic) to be on trend for Summer and Fall 2011.
The fourth dress would have been perfect had it not been super short.It should be at least mid thigh.It was off the shoulder with pleats at the top,quite gypsy like,but I think that the patent black belt overpowers the rest of the dress-a thinner belt in a bright colour would have been so much more appropriate.
The top with the shorts and ankle boots would have been perfect if the shorts were a little longer and not skin tight,and if there was a long cardigan to match.There was an incredible lack of coats and jackets on display which is a pity.What would it have cost to complete the outfit here in this case?A long woolly cardigan.So why were there no cover ups seen at the shows when its supposedly the Winter collection?!
Now on the third outfit in this picture.NO,NO,NO.
NO number 1:Never wear thigh high boots.The longest boots you can afford are those hitting just below the knee.
NO number 2:Never ever pair a strapless mini dress with thigh high boots.
NO number 3:No,tights do not replace actual fabric covering the skin.
I think that super tight,super mini(super mini is just below the bum,so if you sit down and get up part of the butt cheek is exposed) dresses are in all honesty,trashy.It would have been so much better if this dress hit the knee!Of course,you can always buy it and wear underneath a pair of loose tailored black trousers.
I haven't seen any riding boots in the collection,which is a pity.But they make up for it with beautiful bags-my favourite here is the one with the studded tassels.So on trend,so beautiful!
The last outfit was by Samuel Yeung who presents his collection tomorrow.It's a gorgeous bronze mini dress with a huge glittery ribbon on the shoulder.The photo isn't from the runway,it's from the after show courtesy of Brian Dean.
The fourth collection also showed clothes from the sponsors,the main focus being on the ICE watch by Mikado.
I do not like the tight printed satin top in the first picture with tight shorts.There is no proportion here and the top is too plunging for my taste.The print is cute though-what I would do is wear the top with a bandeau top underneath so that the bust is covered-preventing any wardrobe malfunction-and team it with a loose pair of jeans.The second outfit is boho chic,though I would have preferred a tank to a bandeau top.The skirt is beautiful though.Wear a tank underneath the skirt with wooden shoes/wedges/flats,a big tote and chunky jewelery.The third outfit is a combi short with asymmetric ruffle shoulder detail,paired with a brown belt with gold detail on the buckle.I love the small floral prints!I would not wear it with platforms as was the case here-wedges or a flat sandal are better.
On prints:Remember that if you are wearing something that has volume,make sure that the prints are not big too.It looks catastrophic otherwise.
The white dress would have been cuter if it was longer-because of the draping,if you have a wardrobe malfunction in this dress,say it rose just an inch above your leg because you adjusted it wrongly-bam!You would not only be exposing your entire thighs,catch my drift?
The asymmetric yellow dress was also quite pretty though it needs to be accented by gold jewelery and worn with correct underwear:every little bump will be seen,so go for something like Spanx which smoothens everything out.
Finally there is a simple dark brown shirt with jeans.I still can't get over the fact that there really aren't many menswear boutiques here compared to women.I'm talking about pure menswear-that is,shops that cater to all men's clothing needs:underwear,trousers,jeans,shirts,jumpers,trench coats,jackets,cuff links,suits and so on.It's a pity.
The fifth collection to be shown was from Beachwear.The name says it all.
The first piece shown was a bikini with a printed pink pareo (also called sarong) with the cutest cork wedges.The second was a cut out swimsuit which was gorgeous and beautifully cut.Just remember that you need excellent posture when wearing swimwear-look at http://stylemauritius.blogspot.com/2011/03/summer-haze-on-beach.html if you want to know more.The third piece was an orange and white dress with printed pink flowers that is a great cover up.I also like the turquoise one piece-don't think that bikinis are sexier because they show more skin.
Note on Men's swimwear:
Europeans in general tend to like the skimpy briefs,whereas Americans and American inspired cultures like board shorts.I would opt for the latter-they are much more forgiving-a slight bulge in the stomach for example would still look OK in boardshorts but the minute they are put in briefs or Speedos,the bulge seems magnified.
My key piece?The animal print pareo.Of course you are not going to wear it with anything other than a flat sandal or flipflops,but this really is beautiful and on trend.
Beware of nude coloured bikinis.Noone wants to look naked.
The sixth collection was from Ashiana Fashion but I was disappointed-it was exactly the same dresses as the last show.Look at my last article if you haven't seen them before.
Then came the all important Designer's Creativity Contest.
The first collection came from Sanjeet Boolell,who worked on the theme "Metallic Fun".
He wanted to evoke a darker,edgier mood-a little reminiscent of Gareth Pugh Fall 2008 and the 2008 epoch,where designers were facing terrible financial turmoil because of the great recession.
I loved the slight volume in the first dress,with the patent working its way all around as if imprisoning it.It reminds me of what Dita Von Teese once said on why she liked corsets so much and corset type dresses when she wore a beautiful black Dior dress(if I'm not mistaken)-she said that when you are in those sort of dresses,it's the dress that dominates you,it's in control.I get that vibe from the dress.It's like its alive and trying to dominate its owner.I also love the two toned cropped jacket.The second was an amazing all in one number,two toned with two materials-cotton/linen and satin which definitely screamed 'sex'-the materials used perfectly moulded the body and the satin was used to focus on the centre of the woman's body,from the stomach to the inner thighs.Erotically charged,that's for sure.Next was my favourite piece-the amazing satin skin tight trousers with the winding,almost serpent like black design.I also loved the jacket with the pleat details in the front-resembling a Jabot collar echoing the Victorian era,which adds the perfect darker tone to the outfit.Finally,there was an incredibly detailed all in one piece,composed of three different materials-the darker metal coloured one forming a sort of jacket and pair of shorts with ruffle detail,the lighter slithering across the body in an inverse Y,and the black adding a separate dimension to the pair of shorts integrated with the rest of the outfit.A minute on the runway isn't enough to appreciate this kind of skill,unfortunately-I bet there are plenty of other touches in there that need to be felt and seen up close.
Nima Rawah presented her collection next.She chose 'Ruched and Draped" as her theme,and was inspired by the underwater world-which is very representative of Mauritius in my opinion as we are found in an area of great marine biodiversity.
I was incredibly impressed by the amount of work done to each of the pieces,particularly the weaved basket top and the ruffled skirt-each ruffle in a different tone,repeating itself throughout the dress,like waves rippling through rocks and finally crashing to shore.She took "marine inspiration"to new heights-the light flutters of transparent fabric present in the man's shirt,the woman's shoulder cape and the ruffles in the dress (from left to right in the pictures) were reminiscent of algae or even jellyfish.I also liked how she incorporated the 'Sherwani"-a garment traditionally worn in Southern Asia-into her collection,adding a more cultural flavour.It goes without saying here that the colours all represented the different tones of the ocean.
I feel the need to digress here (AGAIN!).It truly is beautiful to see a collection expressing the wonders of marine life,but I would also have liked to see something shown on the 21st century-for example,a long black sinewy dress with beaks and feathers and fishtails and the like all over it,as a representation of the oil spills that have forever altered the sea and caused innumerable loss of life,or to be more Mauritian focused,a dress littered with dead coral (we have a huge problem with our reefs these days).But its just an idea.
I also liked the dress with the pleats at the top and patterns representing the corals at the bottom,and the rippling algae/jellyfish snaking its way around the hip in the last dress.Overall,very well thought of and
beautifully executed.
The third collection was from Bhavna Shibchurn,who worked on the theme "Ruched and Draped"as well as her own personal theme "Dreamy Winter",which was inspired by the changing climatic conditions here.
I personally thought of "Shepherdess in the Apocalyptic Sahara".In the third photo you can see what I mean-like the woman was in an apocalyptic sandstorm,the sand blasted away some of her clothes and tattered the remaining pieces,with only her shepherdess inspired skirt (the cut resembles Balmain Fall/Winter 2009/2010) and her corset top with long thin fabric draped from the neck remaining, like the model was the ultimate survivor.The same feel can be seen in the cocktail dress in silver with the black fabric trailing around it,accented by the fact that the dress is cut in half so its actually a skirt and a top.The two other pieces reminded me of the harsh winter following the apocalypse-comfy wool knits,suede trousers (last photo),and satin ones(first photo).For me the outstanding piece though was the skirt-a tremendous amount of work must have gone into ruching the fabric like that.
The final collection was presented by Veenasha Jilloo,who chose to work with the theme "Metallic Fun".
This was an extremely wearable collection and what I especially liked was that she focused on great cover ups-my favourite being the poncho,which I would wear with a crisp white shirt,shorts and riding boots.Ponchos are also a great way to work the "Western"trend sweeping the Summer and Winter 2011 runways.She decided to go subtle with metallics-a few studs,golden hoops,sequins running along the length of the poncho and on the Eastern inspired coat.She also worked a lot of plaid in to her collection which is so on trend for Fall/Winter 2011.It was quite urban focused yet still blending the cultural Eastern influences.
Thus ended Part 2 of the tour-will be there next week in Trianon Shopping Park and as usual I hope to see you guys there.
Additional piece:
The Cannes film festival kicked off the 11th of May and is one of the most celebrated fashion (OK,its to celebrate film but Cannes=fashion) events of them all:You can see the stunning clothes in natural light in the uber glamorous environment of the South of France.
Here are some of the photos of the event so far (It finishes on the 22nd of May)
Fan Bing Bing working stunning chinoiserie Uma Thurman in Versace
Angelina Jolie in Atelier Versace Brad Pitt in Tom Ford Diane Kruger in Calvin Klein
Aishwarya Rai in Armani Prive Karolina Kurkova in Armani Prive
In addition the Cruise Collections have started-after I cover Heat,this will be my next article.
Also check out the trailer of Karl Lagerfeld's latest film Tale of a Fairy:
Have a great week and amazing weekend
xoxo
Alex
