Nalini Aubeeluck's fashion show and Milan+Paris Fashion Week

Small note (as always) before reading:
1.This is going to be a WHOPPER article, so get your pillows out and make yourself comfortable.
2.Thanks to everyone who contributed making the CTI Fashion Show article the most read article on the blog ever!3,000+views in a week!
3.As the article did stir up some controversy, my next article will be on the Modelling industry in Mauritius. This will clear your minds up on some things, I hope.
4. This article will be devoted to Nalini Aubeeluck's fashion show plus an interview with the designer, and on the Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks, which needless to say I adored and feel very inspired by.

Interview with Nalini Aubeeluck
I caught up with Nalini two days before her fashion show at the Link Hotel, in Ebene. I wasn't going to ask her all that other journalists have asked her before time and time again, so I turned my attention to other details (Note that AI refers to me, Alexandra Webber Isaacs and NA Nalini Aubeeluck)

AI:  "Summer Glam" is what you have named your new collection. What is its signification?
NA: It's my signature-glamour-represented in summer wear. Colourful,light dresses in chiffon,silk, a style which always stays current. I focused particular attention on cocktail dresses, as they seem to be very popular with Mauritian women.
AI: What is your inspiration?
NA: It has always been glamour.
AI: Do you have a muse or a person that inspires you? I noted that you have used the models Giovanna de Lucerno and Om Lombard quite often...
NA: I don't believe I have a model as a muse, but you could say that the designer Zuhair Murad is my muse in a way because he is my source of inspiration. His clothes are the very embodiment of glamour.
AI: Does the fashion show serve any particular purpose apart from showcasing your new collection? I have heard that after the show there is an after show sales where people can directly buy the clothes seen on the catwalk.
NA: That is correct. The fashion show is also going to help me develop my clothing line, to develop branding given that I am quite new on the market. It's one of the processes of branding, to show people my talent and build up a clientele.It's pure marketing. I also want to present the work that my students have done at the school (she has a Dance school incorporated in the shop and atelier, as well as a fitness and wellness studio). There will be a photo station where guests can have their photo taken, a show with 14 models and 30 dancers,and an after party. There will also be a small contest where I will elect the most glamorous lady of the night and she will be rewarded.
AI: What are your future projects?
NA: I want to really cement Nalini Aubeeluck as a one stop shop for fitness,beauty and fashion. I want to incorporate a health bar, gym with sauna and plenty of other facilities.There is definitely a lot more to come!

Here are some photos of the fashion boutique,salon and dance studio.

On Wednesday the 30th of September 2011 at 20h30, the show started.

Click on the photo once to open a new window where you can see the dresses in detail.

The two dresses on either side would have been ok had the material and colours been chosen differently-they had a corseted detail bust and the dress flowed down from them, creating a statue like stance. The lace at the back seemed a little over the top.The first dress in the centre seemed like it had way too much going on-metallic fabrics, lace, train and excess fabric tied up with a sash.

In contrast, the dresses shown afterwards seemed to be slightly more minimal and definitely more wearable, as is the case with the pink satin gown on the far left with an embellished neck.

From then on, the pieces shown went from strength to strength, such as the sequinned white gown that had a simple cut. The only thing was the small adjustments that could have been made so as to render the look perfect.For example in the middle photo you can see a white and black dress that has a swirl print.If she had just nipped the dangling piece of black fabric there which was pinned by some sort of broche, it would have been much better, and the last dress in the third picture (left to right) seems a little frumpy simply because of the positioning of the cinched elastic.

Then it was all  cocktail dresses, my favourite being the coral one Rachelle Lacharmante wore in the second photo (left to right) with the spaghetti straps.

The pretty cocktail dresses continue, except that for this dress in the first picture(left to right) it doesn't seem appropriate for evening wear somehow.A pair of wedges or leather sandals, a tote and a straw hat make it a cute nautical chic look for daytime.

There were some major styling mistakes. For example, when you have a really bright, sequinned top or very short dress, do not pair it with leggings that seek attention!And when wearing a very short dress or top, fishnet tights turn the look trashy.

A couple of military inspired pieces were next.

The show finished with beachwear and summer dresses, which was in almost total contrast to the whole collection.

And that marked the end of the show. It had just too much going on and a little all over the place.

Milan Fashion Week

Prada: 50s Sweetness



Versace: Timeless glamour



Moschino: Modernised Spanish antiquity.

Etro: Modern 20s.


Jil Sander: Traditional heritage from upper class elegance.

Emporio Armani: Clinical technology with an athletic appeal.


Bottega Veneta: Fusion of craftsmanship and technology, with a sub-tropical twist.

Emilio Pucci: Sexed up Gypsy.

Marni: Pure, clean sophistication.To quote from the Aviator, it's almost like the collection was whispering "The way of the future."


Missoni: The animal that moves and pounces.

Salvatore Ferregamo: Birds of a tropical paradise.

Dolce and Gabbana: Festive Italian Summer.


Roberto Cavalli: Sensual lightness and optimism for the future.


Giorgio Armani: Light of the ocean.


Trends noted:
50s and 20s are the decades to be inspired by this season. Take your pick.
Be inspired by European and African cultures.

Paris Fashion Week

Rue du Mail: Romantic nomad.

Rochas: Time travel through cinema, its ages and genres.

Dries Van Noten: Balance and opposites.

Gareth Pugh: Seductively armed alien women.

Balenciaga: Cristobal Balenciaga's fusion with the urban woman's closet.

Carven: Modern folklore.

Ann Demeulemeester: Practicality, androgynous and a fusion of European and African culture.

Balmain: Sex takes on a secondary role to classic sophistication.

Yohji Yamamoto: Sporty couture.


Vivienne Westwood: A timeless banshee, perhaps in an apocalyptic age where the earth is being destroyed (kind of the case now).There is optimism, however.

Vionnet: Return to the 30s and the golden age of Madeleine Vionnet.

Roland Mouret: Classic, lady-like elegance.

Maison Martin Margiela: Deconstruction construction seduction.

Lanvin: Athletic construction, divine creation.

Hussein Chalayan: No-fuss,clean, lady like simplicity.

Christian Dior: Going back to the roots of Dior.The classic lady.

Junya Watanabe: Romantic, slightly dark doll.

Jean Paul Gaultier: The sexy woman of the 1950s.

Haider Ackermann:Rock romantic poetry.

Comme des Garcons: Japanese tradition yet avant garde.

Celine:50s and 60s, with proportion play.


Givenchy: Tailoring was the main focus, with underwater creatures as inspiration for Tisci.

Hermes: The sensual,minimalist nomad.

Kenzo: Rich colour, print, texture and technology.

Chloe: La garconne, yet feminine.

Stella McCartney:Athleticism.

Giambattista Valli: Kooky sweetness.

Yves St Laurent: Unsettling, slightly fetish, quite dark.

Chanel: For someone who loves fantasy, this was one of the absolute best collections this year. The idyllic underwater creatures, dressed in the most beautiful, delicate way!


Valentino: Dreamy,precious lady-like elegance.

Paco Rabanne: The alien warrior-seductress.

Hakaan: Futurist,with African touches and loaded with sex appeal.

Alexander McQueen: The Ocean Goddess.


Miu Miu: Dark folk.

Louis Vuitton: As a complete contrast to fall, the Spring looks shown were very,very sweet and innocently revealing.

Elie Saab: Divine draping, fluid cuts.


Trends to note:
The continuation of the Lady trend. As reported back some weeks now, the lady is here to stay.Short hems and platforms begone!It's all about classic tailoring, with a 21st century,perhaps even futuristic touch.
Athleticism:Everybody is geared up for the Olympics.
The Ocean. Whether it's the light in the water or the creatures (real and imagined), water was the source for many of the best collections this summer.
Folk, but with an edgy, dark twist.

This marks the end of all the Spring/Summer 2012 collections. Some of the collections shown were of such magnificence they could easily compete with the couturiers of old, and will have their place in history.
My favourite collection? Alexander McQueen. It stirred up feelings I didn't know I even had, but at the same time they were familiar. I can only describe it as such:
Remember the times you were a child and the world seemed really huge to you? I was (and still am) very curious, and wanted to know everything. In my quest to become the world's greatest know it all, I often stumbled onto things which a child does not understand, but makes a lasting imprint forever.And as a child, you sense that-you sense that you can't understand it,but something in your soul has,in a way, and it makes you feel queer. I know I am rambling, but that's what the collection did to me. It made me feel as if there was this much greater thing I could not understand yet I had already understood. And yes, clothes,simple clothes-have that effect on us. Isn't it magical?

Have a great week and awesome weekend!
xoxoxo
Alex
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/StyleMauritius

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