Lady Gaga’s Versace Ads Without Photoshop, Revealed
2014 April 17. | Szerző: shannon
The war on Photoshop is officially… not over. Even the leader of Little Monsters everywhere and pop culture queen herself Lady Gaga is subject to being airbrushed into perfection: leaked, unretouched photos from Gaga’s ad campaign for Versace for Spring 2014 have surfaced online. And there’s a big difference between the ad campaign — which was praised when first released a few months ago — and the images that have cropped up.
As Jezebel points out, there are several differences between the final images and the unretouched originals, including color correction and increased contrast. But that’s the least of Versace’s problems. What’s more shocking is Gaga’s slimmer arms, lighter hair, and more perfectly glossed skin (we’ll forgive the removal of the bruises on her knees, even though leaving them really would have upped the Versace edge factor). The brand also appears to have digitally added makeup, and a few Jezebel commenters suggest that Gaga’s raw, natural appearance pre-Photoshop made it easier for this to happen.
This is not the first time Gaga has been in the middle of photo-retouching controversy. Back in 2012, there was speculation over her Vogue cover after the release of a sneak-peek video from the September photo shoot. She has also previously spoken out against Photoshop in one of the most bold ways possible: in her acceptance speech at the Glamour Woman of the Year awards, she used the opportunity to blast the glossy for over-airbrushing her cover. She said, “I felt my skin looked too perfect. I felt my hair looked too soft … I do not look like this when I wake up in the morning.” Later, she added “When the covers change, that’s when the culture changes.”
Although the Versace ads may not be cover photos, they are certainly further examples of the modern misrepresentation of women’s bodies. From Old Navy and Target’s thigh gap disasters to movie poster mishaps, the controversy surrounding digitally altering images is becoming all too ubiquitous.
Pakistani fashion gala finale pays ode to women empowerment
2014 April 14. | Szerző: shannon
In a country where women are still finding it tough to enjoy full freedom in the way they dress up, showcasing at PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week 2014 a collection that pays an ode to “women empowerment” was a bold step. Designer Hassan Sheheryar Yasin feels that it is a step to give back to the country that has nurtured him and given him so much.
In the spirit of his 20th year motto, Hassan Sheheryar Yasin showcased a collection titled “Sher” under his label HSY which was in homage to and in support of, women empowerment.
As part of the initiative, Team HSY collaborated with the Anjuman-e-Khuddam-e-Rasul Allah (AKRA), a renowned voluntary organisation in Shergarh, Okara district, which is working towards improving education and poverty alleviation.
There are nearly 4,000 students in AKRA’s 30 schools in and around Shergarh, more than half of whom are girls. AKRA also runs a teacher training centre in Shergarh and employs most of the graduates in its schools.
HSY draws from the strength of AKRA, with a project called “Sher”, named in homage to the village Shergarh itself.
“The initiative looks at giving back to the country that nurtured me. It also seeks to empower specifically the women of the village Shergarh, through employment opportunities and highlighting the work of their female artisans through the embroideries, embellishments and detailing found on HSY’s collection at the fashion gala,” said the designer.
“The initiative’s focus is not on charitable donations alone but on giving long term and sustainable working and educational opportunities to underprivileged women by empowering them with the skill and resources to earn independently,” he added.
HSY is best known for combining contemporary silhouettes with the traditional techniques of old and this is what one witnessed at the show’s finale. The designs were not only wearable but also very modern and elegant in approach.
The collection featured both men’s wear and women’s wear in luxurious fabrics including pure chiffons, silks, and georgettes paired with indigenous embroideries fashioned by the female artisans of the village Shergarh.
Diverse colour palette inspired by earthy colours naturally observed in the rural environment, particularly in Shergarh, dominated the line. The colour of wood, water, pure indigo, beige, chilli red and turmeric yellow were prominently featured in the collection.
Some of the key trends that were highlighted with the brand’s collection included looser silhouettes, varying options of short and long hemlines, indigenous embroideries and summer jackets.
All in all it was a finale that was the mix of contemporary meets class with some cause involved in it.
7 Style Lessons to Learn from Doris Day
2014 April 4. | Szerző: shannon
Happy Birthday, Doris Day! The timeless Hollywood icon turns 90 today — and according to People, she’s still going strong. Perhaps its her chipper outlook on life or her supreme love of animals that has kept her young at heart. When asked what she’s learned over the years, Day answered: “Live life to the fullest … It’s not coming back again.” Whatever her secret may be, one thing’s for sure: we’ve got a lot to learn from the celebrated superstar. Here are 7 lessons to learn from Ms. Day herself.
Go Bright and Bold
No matter the era, Day was never afraid to wear something bright and bold, like this super mod polka dot dress and matching head scarf. The next time you reach for your all black ensemble, consider adding a pop of color to brighten your (Doris) day.
Channel Your Inner Parisian Girl
If ever in a style conundrum, it’s always a good idea to ask yourself: what would a French girl do? Even Doris Day knows the importance of capturing that enviable je ne sais quoi those French girls just ooze from their Riviera-sun-soaked bodies.
Wrap Dresses Never Go Out of Style
Especially in sweater dress form. With a killer cowlneck.
Accentuate Your Eyes with a Matching Ensemble
Even if your eyes aren’t brilliantly blue, learn how to dress to highlight your pretty peepers. Blue, green and hazel-eyed-gals, consider wearing green, blue and teal tones. Brown-eyed-girls — you don’t have to stick to brown sweaters and shirts. Opt for gold tones or accessories to help accentuate your eyes.
Menswear is Always a Good Idea
Borrowing from the boys will always be in fashion, but that doesn’t mean you can’t add your feminine touch to it, like this pink bow tie.
Don’t Be Afraid of Sequins and Sparkle
Sequins and sparkle embellishments aren’t just for grandmas. They’re perfectly stylish as long as you keep it tasteful.
Diamonds Will Always Be a Girl’s Best Friend
No matter what they say about diamonds, do not be ashamed to admit that they’re your favorite accessory of choice.
Vidya Balan Dazzles At Padma Shri Awards 2014
2014 April 1. | Szerző: shannon
Vidya Balan is one of the few women in Bollywood who can carry herself well in a saree. The Indian beauty who received the Padma Shri Awards 2014 along with South Indian actor, Kamal Haasan, looked dazzling in the cheery yellow saree, the gold jewellery, the red lips and severe hair to go along with the South Indian look. At the ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan, Vidya Balan was honoured with the prestigious Padma Shri award 2014, which is India’s fourth highest civilian award. Actress Vidya Balan carried herself to perfection in this heavily decked up saree. The bright colour of the saree and the makeup she wore along with the look was perfect. In the recent past, Vidya Balan has stepped out into the limelight wearing a series of Westernised attires which caught a lot of negative attention.
However, when the actress adorns herself in a saree, she looks breathtaking. At the ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan, Vidya’s smile on her face was all the more beautiful as she received the Padma Shri award from President of India, Pranab Mukherjee. On receiving the Padma Shri award 2014, Vidya Balan said that she never imagined to receive such an honour, “With a film award, there is a nomination process, so you know there’s a possibility. Here, there was nothing of that sort. It was a wonderful surprise.” Here are some of the most stunning moments of Vidya Balan when she received the Padma Shri award 2014:
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In Yellow
At the ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan, the beautiful Vidya Balan looked amazing in a bright yellow saree. The saree which she wore for the ceremony to receive the Padma Shri was just about perfect. The border of the saree which had a touch of pink and bottle green caught our attention the most.
Her Makeup
Vidya is one actress in tinsel town who does not like heavy makeup. The actress applied a slight pink blush and cherry lips which made her look outstanding. The red bindi and the mark of marriage made her look just perfect.
Indian Style Earrings
The golden jhumkas which she wore along with the saree was a perfect choice. The entire set of her jewellery is from Jaipur Gems.
Golden Necklace
We loved the golden necklace wrapped around her neck. Though it was a bit too glitzy, it went well with her South Indian look.
Simple Hairstyle
The simple hairstyle she wore to the the ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan to receive her Padma Shri award 2014 was traditional. The bun hairstyle was wrapped up with fresh sweet smelling flowers adding to her Indian look.
Nail Art
The actress Vidya Balan applied a simple nail polish to her clean manicured nails. Opting for transparent nail polish was just the right pick.
Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan was the other South Indian actor who received the Padma Shri award 2014 along with Vidya Balan from the president, Pranab Mukherjee. The actor looked dapper in a black formal suit.
For Celebrities, It’s All About the Pop of Color This Spring
2014 March 26. | Szerző: shannon
If someone asked us to name all of the many reasons we love spring, we couldn’t even list them if we tried, simply because there are so many things to love: beautiful blooms; gorgeous weather; flawless floral prints; doses of bright, bold color in our wardrobes. After all, spring style is the best thing about the season, right?
And we’re not the only ones who love playful floral patterns and pretty, pastel shades. Celebrities love them, too (we’re looking at you, Jennifer Connelly, in your to-die-for, mint green Giambattista Valli mini). But not every big style star is ready to jump headfirst into spring’s splash of color. Instead, some stars are taking a more subtle approach to spring shades, opting for just a pop of color here and there in a way that still makes a maximum impact.
Game of Thrones actress Nathalie Emmanuel was just one of many stars to kick off the spring season with a bold splash of color, showing up to the HBO series’ season four premiere in New York City wearing a stunning Georges Chakra Couture jumpsuit. But it wasn’t the sexy sheer paneling, gorgeous hair and makeup, or perfect fit that caught our eye; it was the color-soaked orange lining on the jumpsuit’s cape that gave it a dramatic and totally-spring-ready effect.
Just a few days later, Mad Men actress Jessica Paré followed suit with the same shade of brilliant orange when she donned a strapless Roksanda Ilincic gown featuring a brightly lined fold along the side. And Paré wasn’t the only star who loved this design, as actress Anne Hathaway sported a similar dress from the same designer, though her version featured a pop of bright red against a cobalt blue background.
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But colorful linings aren’t the only way celebs have managed to incorporate small doses of color into their spring looks. Masters of Sex actress Lizzy Caplan showed up to PaleyFest 2014 on Monday wearing a chic, all-white, lacy number, which she punctuated with just the right amount of color with her bright red, suede pumps.
We can think of nearly a million more ways to incorporate splashes of spring color into our seasonal wardrobe — whether it’s with a bright pink clutch against a neutral dress or a color-lined jacket over an all-black ensemble — and we’re almost certain our favorite style stars will keep the inspiration coming on the red carpet and beyond.
Graphic designer Peter Saville still rocks the fashion world
2014 March 22. | Szerző: shannon
Fashion finds it difficult to get over Peter Saville. References abound to his work, past and present. His aesthetic stamp chimes constantly with fashion’s offerings. That’s because Saville isn’t just fashionable. His work is a style unto itself. He’s the original. In Factory cataloguing lingo, Saville would be FAC-0.
Maybe that’s because Saville’s aesthetic imprint is vast. His Factory work seismically shifted popular culture, the graphics he devised have been ripped off on every level – especially in fashion.
Saville doesn’t mind that, though. He’s been involved in fashion for years, working with Nick Knight on ground-breaking catalogues for Yohji Yamamoto which, like his album covers, became design fetish objects. The Yamamoto catalogues were supposed, ostensibly, to show clothing to sell clothing. It did the latter often by eschewing the former.
Even before Saville began working with fashion, he was fascinated with it. “From back when I was at college, I was always more interested in the other disciplines that were going on at art school than the one I was doing,” he says. “Graphic design was a way of communicating something about the things I did find more interesting. I always found architecture, fashion, product design and furniture more interesting.”
That fluidity of medium has become a way of working for many – fashion designers direct films, architects create clothes. Saville pioneered it. “Over the past 25 years, we’ve moved closer and closer to a common ground between these disciplines,” he comments. “There is very much a converged aesthetic now, and a converged audience.” Does Saville realise the fundamental role he played, by creating product design that became a product in itself? You can’t really chart the influence and dispersion of Saville’s ideas, because they’re everywhere. Ubiquitous. Saville changed the lot.
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Arguably, the designer who chimes the loudest with Saville’s work is the Belgian, Raf Simons. In 2003, Simons delved into the archive of Factory Records, selecting works from Saville’s back-catalogue to integrate into his winter collection. That show was called ‘Closer’ – after a Joy Division track, but also underlining that Simons was closer than ever before to Saville’s universe. The collection was dedicated to Saville. Simons’s work has been obsessed with youth culture, with the graphic details and decals of logo-ed band T-shirts, and with underground music scenes. In short, with Saville.
Ten years later, in summer 2013, Saville sat front-row at Raf Simons’s spring 2014 show. It was an ode to youth, and music, and rave. The rave culture Saville’s work so marked with its bright, two-dimensional colour and reappropriated imagery. Simons’s models bounced out on hefty rubber-soled rave trainers, like chopped-up chunks of the Haçienda’s interior. Saville seemed keen.
“Clothing is perhaps our most instant personal expression of individuality and sense of place. It can be an indicator of zeitgeist. I object to the commodification of spirit in the business of fashion.” That’s more Saville-ism. He evidently doesn’t mean Simons. The spirit of Saville, and Simons, raves on.
‘The Face’ Recap: Dinner & A Runway Competition Brings Out The Tears
2014 March 20. | Szerző: shannon
The Face opened with Naomi calling out Lydia and Anne V, saying, “How dare you put up two women of color for elimination?” as she speaks of the emotional results of the last round — and it doesn’t look the tensions between the mentors are getting any better. As we look forward to the next competition, this time it is all about the runway.
‘The Face’ Recap — Season 2, Episode 3 Runway Competition:
The models are tasked with walking a difficult runway, (hello, steps!), in restrictive clothing — and it really shows which girls have gotten more comfortable and developed their model walk! Famed model Tyson Beckford sat in to help judge, and it was interesting to see how the latex clothing and the sky-high pumps interfered with their walk. Some girls with an amazing walk faltered, while others had just the right amount of confidence to totally own it! “Kira’s painful to watch….this is the worst walk so far,” Naomi explained as she came down the runway.
Tyson named Tiana from Team Anne the winner, and she couldn’t be happier — and we’re sure it will come in handy come campaign day! Kira admits she is so nervous and doesn’t think Naomi likes her — but after seeing her try to rock the runway, we kinda understand where all her doubt is coming from…(no offense, Kira!).
Campaign Day:
Fashion designer Pamella Roland, (who is gearing up to launch her Pamella line), is present on campaign day and the models must model a cocktail dress and a glam red carpet gown on a dinner table — and that’s not all! The gals will also have to walk as seated guests are present. Team Anne V has an advantage, as they will get to select their dresses first — and the wrong dress can definitely do a gal in!
Naomi gives her team advice, and tells them practice makes perfect — and she’s definitely right! Kira is not happy when her model mentor tries to give her constructive criticism — and you do not want to snap back to Naomi! Kira definitely needs to tone down her attitude, especially cause her walk can use all the help it can get.
In the end, it is Team Anne V who takes home the big win — and it is a total game changer as it is their first win! Naomi and Lydia both have to put someone up for elimination, and Lydia’s team is looking like the weakest link.
Elimination Round:
Lydia sends Ray back into the elimination room, and it is because Lydia thinks she really needs a push to get focused — if she doesn’t find her voice she won’t make the cut. Kira is sent in by Naomi, and she says she wants her to fight, (not beg!), to come back. Unfortunately, Kira gets in front of Anne and starts crying and blaming Naomi for not giving her proper directions — ouch. Kira’s bad attitude sends her packing, but not before Naomi breaks the rules and comes after Kira after she hears her crying. She calms her down and tries to comfort her, and you can tell seeing her go is breaking Naomi’s heart. Ray somehow makes it past her second elimination round and sent back to Lydia’s team.
Fashion forward
2014 March 17. | Szerző: shannon
Recently, Alannah Hill likened the end of her partnership with her eponymous brand to “a death”. Kit Willow, who was ousted from the label she began, said “my heart was broken”. Collette Dinnigan and Ksubi have shut their shops. Lisa Ho’s company collapsed spectacularly (although it is set to revive in a different incarnation). Is this any climate in which to hold the rebranded Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival?
Well, yes. Behold, Melbourne’s new fashion saviours, a group of up-and-coming designers, models and innovators who offer the promise of change and new invention. VAMFF’s Graeme Lewsey, the chief executive of the festival, recognises the challenges facing the fashion industry, but has responded by shaking things up. A breakfast called “I will survive: the challenges in establishing and protecting your business” is a sign of the times. There is still the usual fabulous glitz afoot: Eva Longoria is the hostess of a Vue de Monde cocktail party, wearing her L’Oreal Paris Global Ambassador hat, and Cara Delevingne is rumoured to be flitting around events as an unofficial guest following her girlfriend Michelle Rodriguez’s visit to the Grand Prix. But what should get fashion-watchers really excited is the range of new blood that will be seen on the runway.
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This year’s VAMFF will introduce previously unheard-of fashion figures. Adele Varcoe is an artist who creates faux fashion performances to explore the psychology behind fashion. Thea Baumann is an inventor who has created ”appcessories” – fashion accessories that work with social mobile apps. And then there are the initiatives designed to showcase new talent. Future Runway presents the work of year 11 and 12 students, while tertiary students strut their stuff at the National Graduate Showcase. The Tiffany & Co National Designer Award is the most prestigious of the bunch, presenting a new designer with a kick-start that includes a $10,000 cheque and pop-up store at Westfield Doncaster. Past winners include Dion Lee, Josh Goot, Toni Maticevski and Yeojin Bae.
One of this year’s entrants, Christina Exie, is an RMIT graduate who won reality TV show Project Runway. What she does differently with her “luxury avant-garde” brand is to host a global store from Melbourne. Via the internet, she sells her garments to Kuwait and Russia. She hasn’t restricted her brand’s sales to Australia because, “I use heavier fabrics, and also the price point of my clothes – $80 for a basic top to $3000 for a customised jacket – means that there’s a very small amount of Australians who are willing to invest in the garments I make”. She represents the new breed of designer who prefers to make investment pieces for a greater good. “A lot of people want to produce, cut and sew garments whose only use is to make women feel better, but the garments are ultimately useless – they go into landfill. We need to be smarter, and ask if these garments have another use. Can they be recycled or re-used? There are a few designers who’ll produce things that will never be thrown away.” Exie plans to be one of them.
Another of the Tiffany & Co award finalists is Strateas. Carlucci. Mario-Luca Carlucci and Peter Strateas started their Australian label unconventionally – by debuting their collection in Paris. “We’ve been focusing on the international market,” says Carlucci. So far, that includes selling to stores in Russia, Ukraine, Finland, Italy and China. “We wanted to give it a red-hot shot, and thought, ‘Why build it locally and slowly? Let’s go straight overseas and see how it fares.'” To do so, they “steered away from what was known as the Australian ‘look’ – people think of Australia as being a surf culture, and relaxed, easy and lighter”. ”We use Australian merino wool, a lot of leatherwear, a lot of suiting.”
They attribute their success to the internet, because “back in the day, people had to be in the front row of a fashion show or see it printed in a magazine six months later [to know what was in fashion]”. ”Now you can watch a show in New York on your iPhone at the same time. A brand like us in Melbourne can be seen as an international brand, even though it just happens to be based out of a Brunswick studio.”
That said, there are still up-and-coming designers who prefer their wares to look Australian. Pageant (also Tiffany & Co award finalists), a men and women’s sports luxe label, is the brainchild of Amanda Cumming and Kate Reynolds who display their nationalist pride through using local factories and also teaching fashion design classes at RMIT. “In the Australian fashion industry, everybody’s trying not to reference where they’re from, but celebrating that is really important to us,” says Reynolds. Their innovative approach sees them collaborating with unexpected partners, such as local filmmakers and videomakers, and referencing art through their designs. Art and fashion seem to be closer bedfellows than ever: even the well-established designer Megan Park, whose label has been going for 18 years, collaborated with photographic artist Nairn Scott and illustrative artist Dylan Martorell in 2013 to develop her prints.
But all these designers recognise that their audience has changed. And expanded, no pun intended, according to plus-size designer Kate Millett, whose Bombshell Vintage label will be showcased in VAMFF’s Curvy Couture Roadshow. At that event, customers can meet designers who focus on size 14 upwards. Millett’s retro-looking label began when “my plus-size friends said that they couldn’t find vintage anywhere for their size”. She realised that vintage lines – promoting hourglass shapes – often suited plus-size customers. But it’s her inclusion in VAMFF that makes her realise that times really are changing. “There are so many beautiful women out there of all sizes. On the catwalk, there’s a resurgence of body diversity that I’m glad to see,” she says, adding that runways still need to embrace women who might be larger and shorter than the traditional model. “If the majority [of current plus-size fashion] is in dark colours and act as a hiding mechanism, people draw the conclusion that those women want to hide and be concealed. But I’ve met so many women who want to wear bright colours and glitter and spandex and be noticed. I want to change the perception of what plus-size fashion means, and what a plus-size woman is. It’s about loving your body and not reflecting what other people think your body should look like.”
The modelling world is changing, too. Melbourne high school student, Shanali Martin, 17, was the runner-up of the most recent Australia’s Next Top Model TV show. With an Australian father and Fijian-Indian mother, her looks are exotic. “I’m not as diverse as a brunette who can go for a few more things for me, but when I get a job, it’s because they want me for my look,” Martin says.
Even that, though, is no longer enough. “A model isn’t just a coat hanger any more. With the advancement of technology and Instagram, people are personalities now.”
That’s a sentiment shared by Georgia Geminder, 20, a student of criminology at university. She is the official ambassador of the 2014 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix, and will also be walking in VAMFF. “The internet has changed the face of modelling worldwide. I know a lot of girls at the agency who get booked weekly because of Instagram.” She says that it’s hard to strike a balance between being a public face and a private person, especially as she’s the granddaughter of the late billionaire businessman, Richard Pratt. “You want to put yourself out there and promote what you’re doing, but … as I’m getting more exposure, I have to be careful with things I post and how I present myself to the world, because people can manipulate [those images].”
Melbourne-raised and New York-based model Paris Roberts, 20, will appear exclusively on the Mimco runway during VAMFF as its campaign’s new face, and says that social media doesn’t just keep people being interested in you; it almost supersedes the way you look. “It’s not just about being physically attractive; you have to have something that other people can connect to. If you can connect with people, you may not be the most amazingly beautiful person, but you can still attract [consumers], and clients will find that attractive.”
The key to success in fashion, it seems, is to not let others define you. Take Stef and Jess Dadon, sisters in their 20s whose blog, How Two Live, has defied expectations. What began as a clothes diary has translated to 93,000 followers on Instagram, landing them prestigious advertising campaigns with the likes of Mimco.
Stef and Jess will talk about blogging at a VAMFF workshop. And this, perhaps, is how the future of fashion will evolve. Industry insiders are no longer content to play particular, confined roles. They see themselves as change-makers, rather than trend-setters.
Porsche Polo Diaries: where fashion meets sports
2014 March 13. | Szerző: shannon
With the Porsche National Polo Open for the Quaid-e-Azam Gold Cup underway at the Lahore Polo Club, Porsche Centre Lahore presented the Porsche Polo Diaries Fashion Show featuring 17 of Pakistan’s leading design houses.
HSY opened the night with structured black, sequined jackets over long dresses. He brought a rugged sensibility to his outfits and paired riding boots under his maxi dresses. Cropped jackets and riding pants were all the rage for men throughout the night. Wish HSY had added more colour to his collection to make it pop for a daytime sporting event though.
Tony & Guy kept up with international make-up trends and gave the models popping bright orange lips. Ladies, orange lipstick is a must have this spring, be it daytime or night time; there is a shade out there for everyone. It was also interesting to see Shamaal Qureshi take inspiration from the Polo pony tail for the hair dos. Flattened out, rolled up braids gave the styling a truly sporty feel.
Maheen Karim went retro chic with her capsule collection and psychedelic prints on silk. She used greens, whites, blues and the occasional pop of red in her prints. From classic Parisian dresses to rompers and harem pant jumpsuits, Maheen Karim brought her own sensibility to the sport.
The House of Kamiar Rokni made preppy sexy with his capsule collection. His silhouette, based collection had a very dominatrix feel to it with sheer net and organza backs, paired with bustiers peeking out.
Sonya Battla missed the memo on what Polo fashion is all about and her collection failed to show anything even remotely close to preppy chic aura around the sport.
Nida Azwer was a breath of fresh air as she reinvented herself and brought to us sports day chic. Embellished hats added the oomph factor while the best piece of the collection would have to be her white belted jacket.
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Munib Nawaz is a costume designer at heart and his entire collection focused on the riding pants he had designed. While the velvet jackets were a bit much, they added a bit of drama to the evening.
Fahad Hussayn showed structured pleated dresses styled with fur baleros. The highlight of his collection would have to be the Carrie Bradshaw-inspired feathered head dresses.
Faraz Manan upped the game with sheer embellished capes that are perfect for the Lahori spring. Sania Maskatiya, however, sadly missed the mark. The collection seemed too haphazard and not well put together. The collection lacked the design house’s sport signature sensibility.
Trust Ali Xeeshan to add some much needed drama to the evening. While his Faberge prints that have been a bit overdone around the globe, his creative head gear is what made his capsule stand out.
Wardha Saleem’s 1970s-inspired polka dotted collection had one or two fun elements and a whole lot of problems. While her motif of a bird carrying a polo stick was cute, the ill-fitted outfits just did not hit the spot.
Zara Shahjahan’s decision to pair floppy beach hats with blinging evening gowns was a creative choice that we just did not understand. Deepak Perwani’s capsule exuded his natural style and sensibility. The beautiful prints took the runway by a storm, and with actual polo players walking down the ramp in sleek tailored velvet jackets, this collection was very Deepak and extremely Polo-centric.
When Bravo Comes to Charleston
2014 April 19. | Szerző: shannon
For the last few years Charleston has been getting the sort of high praise it has not seen since before Reconstruction.
Travel & Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler have named it the best city in the United States. Bon Appétit has declared Husk, the pride of its trailblazing food scene, the third-most important restaurant in the country. Its Spoleto music festival has been called by The Wall Street Journal “a world-class event in a first-class setting.”
Finally, it seemed, Charleston was getting its long-deserved due as an international capital of refined culture and distinctive taste after shaking the degradations of the Civil War, Hurricane Hugo and Borat — the “Da Ali G Show” character who blew through the society circuit here with an indelible display of lasciviousness several years ago.
Then, Bravo came to town.
More specifically, its reality show “Southern Charm.” The network billed it as a peek into the “notoriously closed society of Charleston” starring “a group of the city’s most charismatic gentlemen and their Southern belle equals.”
The actual show, which made its debut in March and has its finale Monday night, with an average audience of roughly 1.1 million viewers, has drawn a different description locally.
“A pop culture smear on the Holy City,” Charles W. Waring III, the publisher of the small and civic-minded newspaper The Charleston Mercury, called it in an interview, channeling the prevailing view of many longtime Charlestonians.
The series, a showcase for a higher-end display of “Jersey Shore”-style debauchery, is so reviled in certain quarters that it has spawned Hate Watch sessions here and wherever displaced Charlestonians gather. Some, including Charleston’s longtime mayor, Joseph P. Riley Jr., refuse to watch it altogether, though he says he receives reports. Friends and relatives of would-be cast members have virtually threatened to disown them — that is, when not haranguing them with that most basic question, “Why?”
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Bravo does not get what all the fuss is about. “Everyone in this cast loves Charleston,” said Kathleen French, the Bravo senior vice president for current production. “They love their town.” But it is not their love of the city that is being questioned; it is what they do on national television in their beloved city that is.
Try: The 51-year-old former state treasurer Thomas Ravenel (who was forced from office in 2007 after a cocaine-related felony conviction) drunkenly beds a woman 29 years his junior in a one-night stand that turns into something more only after a pregnancy scare (the 21-year-old — a Calhoun, no less — proceeds to sleep with another cast member and have an apparent intimate encounter with yet a third); a 45-year-old bachelor, Whitney Sudler-Smith, informs his mother he may soon depart the large, historic house he shares with her for his own “stabbin’ cabin,” better suited to his amorous adventures. This happens only after mom mildly complains about the late night “trail of women” he brings through (“Just as long as they walk upright I’d be happy,” she explains). In one precious moment, the cast member Jenna King likens a string hanging from a pair of jeans shorts she is trying on to that of a certain feminine hygiene product.
Throughout, the cast members relay that this is just how people are in this town. At times they curse so much that the television bleeps like a car alarm.
“It is not at all what we expect of our children,” said Martha Whaley Adams Cornwell, a local artist and civic leader whose Charleston roots date to well before the Revolutionary War. She was sitting in the garden her mother made famous in the memoir “Mrs. Whaley and her Charleston Garden.” Her mother, now deceased, also started the junior Cotillion dancing school, a social fixture where even now “girls wear gloves” and “are taught to look into an adult’s eyes” along with their male dance partners, she said.
Whatever behavior the “Southern Charm” cast members may advertise, “the schools here are developing character as well as teaching,” Ms. Cornwell said. She agreed to an interview at the request of Mayor Riley, who correctly predicted she would second his testimony that Charleston’s reputation for gentility will survive even this perceived affront by Bravo.
The carefully polished images of many great American cities have had to endure the muddy footprints of reality-show exhibitionistas (“The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” “The Real Housewives of Miami” and the Kardashians, wherever they may clack about in their strappy black heels). But not every metropolis has the reputation to uphold that Charleston does. It has held the “Most Mannerly City in America,” designation for nearly two decades.
Mr. Riley said his primary concern was that the program was showcasing “the polar opposite” of the civic spirit driving the renaissance here. “Decadence didn’t build Rome; it destroyed it,” Mr. Riley declared during an interview in his grand City Hall office. “You build a great city and a robust economy by having people who wake up early in the morning with a clear head and a clear conscience and get to work and try to help each other.”
The show was the conception of Mr. Sudler-Smith, 45. A Virginia native living in Los Angeles, he came to know Charleston after his mother, Patricia Altschul, bought an estate here. Fresh off his ambivalently received 2010 documentary “Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston,” about the fashion designer, he immediately saw his opening for a show that would “deconstruct the myths of the old South but do it in a very funny assertive way.” His inspiration was Mr. Ravenel — an outrageous sort who says one should have the right to do cocaine in the privacy of his own home even as he professes to be running for the Senate. Mr. Ravenel is precisely the kind of unrestrained character a reality show needs to thrive.
Negative local buzz began building long before the show made its premier, starting when Mr. Ravenel and Mr. Sudler-Smith invaded the sanctity of the Carolina Yacht Club with a camera last year. Mr. Ravenel, a member, said they were there only for a drink. Nonetheless, an argument ensued and, Mr. Ravenel confirmed in an interview, he was briefly suspended.
“It is particularly egregious the idea that some believe it might be somehow acceptable to expose your friends and neighbors to potential global ridicule,” Mr. Waring wrote at the time in The Mercury. “The Borat sting still smarts from several years ago.”
(“Borat,” the lewd Kazak journalist played by the comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, came to Charleston in 2002, ostensibly to learn Southern etiquette. Upon securing an invitation to the exclusive St. Andrew’s Society, he proceeded to scandalize his unwitting hosts with talk of his sex life and his sister’s talents as a prostitute.)
Casting “Southern Charm” became a challenge. When a test reel of the show leaked on the website FitsNews, the family of at least one potential participant of true Charleston provenance, Thomas R. Bennett, successfully pressured him to drop out.
“My sister screamed at me,” said Mr. Bennett, a real estate agent whose family has been here since the 1690s. “She just said, ‘You’d have to leave town.’ ”
In an interview by phone —Bravo would not have it otherwise — Mr. Ravenel said his family also pressured him to drop out. The Ravenels are one of the city’s oldest families. His father, the former congressman Arthur Ravenel Jr., is so beloved that a major bridge here is named after him. “There are those mostly from old families — of which I’m a part — that, you know, the whole idea that someone would air their dirty laundry in public is unacceptable,” he said. “There will always be those types of people.”
He compared his critics with the “Gone With the Wind” character Ashley Wilkes, an equivocating Confederate officer whose Old World sense of etiquette becomes a broken compass after the war. “I’m not going to sit around and listen to what Ashley and his ilk are saying about me.”
The show has produced at least one positive outcome — a baby, from the coupling of Mr. Ravenel and his now 22-year-old paramour, Kathryn Calhoun Dennis. No wedding date has been announced.
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