Last week, we talked about some of the high fashion and high street trends we spotted during our recent holiday in London, basically covering everything below the waistline. Continuing where we left off, this week we will concentrate on the glaring Eastern-inspired theme that penetrated everything from Cavalli to ZARA and will take a closer look at accessories.
‘Mirror Mirror on the Wall…’
Roberto Cavalli Resort 2014, Roberto Cavalli Resort 2014, Ethnic beaded and mirror work accessories at ZARA & Accessorize
The business reality of global high street labels, such as ZARA and H&M, moving their production processes to the subcontinent is, without doubt, leaving a marked impact on their designs. Tribal mirror works and ethnic gypsy beaded detailing showed up on everything, from jumpsuits to clutches and flats. The shiny vintage effect paired with colourful embroidery is well suited for summer and is doubly satisfying for us as we can get accessories that work just as well with Eastern and Western wear alike. Peasant tops floated around with the same village handcrafted embellishments. On closer inspection, we found the real runway source of the style in Roberto Cavalli’s Resort 2014 collection. The entire line was like an ode to India with its circular mirror encrusted dresses, pants, jackets, and even the traditional boho vest. It’s always wonderful to feel recognised and this style definitely fits right in.
Cut-Out Booties:
Giuseppe Zanotti booties, Alaia cut-out booties
Another obsession this summer seemed to be booties with an attitude. The cut-out bootie is really a genius solution that reinvents boots to include them into one’s summer wardrobe and is a creative style bomb. The cut lends itself naturally to geometric colour blocking that sets off a whole new dimension of trend fever on its own. Shoelaces, fringe, buckles, laser cutwork and print make the options endless. A definite must-have this season, cut-out booties look steaming with skinny pants and a tailored blazer. Of course surrendering to the towering heel factor is crucial as it doesn’t fly high with stout heels.
Innate Ikat:
Ikat tunic at ZARA, Ikat at Roberto Cavalli Resort 2014, Ikat at Roberto Cavalli Resort 2014
The Ikat print kurta we found at ZARA could have easily been from SanaSafinaz’s silk prêt collection. Fashion is truly merging as the lines between the East and West continue to blur. While the word originated in Indonesia, and the technique has thick historic linkages to India, Japan and many South East Asian countries, it is actually a universal form of textile art recognised in all parts of the world. Lately the Ikat craze has been creating waves everywhere. Cavalli called it a ‘Gujarati’ print as he explored it elaborately on cotton instead of the usual animal patterns, and in some cases, combining the two conflicting print genres. The effect was intriguingly charismatic to say the least. All in all, Ikat is here to stay.
Ahoy Sailor!:
Marc Jacobs Resort 2014, Valentino Resort 2014, Chloe Resort 2014
Sailor stripes stood proud in navy and white and we were amazed at how much could be done in terms of creativity with the simple nautical theme. Rectangular striped collars, metallic double buttons, and horizontal lines of varying widths all hinted at the seaside story. The thing with the mariniere theme is that it always looks very smart and confident – qualities hard to tire of in any fashion age. Echoes of sailor were spotted at Marc Jacobs, Chanel, Valentino and many others. However, our favourite was the all-out navy top to toe preppy looks seen at Chloe Resort 2014.
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Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2013.
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