Ethnic-chic allure for clothes - Fall/Winter 2004-2005

Sylvie Interactive Model

WORLDWEAR COUTURE

Sylvie Interactive Model

Mammoth ivory and wood for jewelry. Ethnic-chic allure for clothes. Precious details, flowing shapes and elegant mixes for summer 2004 all marked by refinement and natural style

Ethnic Chic photo Sweet Potato Martini Mash with ginger scented Pecans, Mini Arepas with Pulled Beef and Onion-Cherry Jam, and Tostones with Jerk Chicken and Mango Chutney, are just some of the sumptuous, succulent and delicious possibilities that can add an Ethnic Chic touch to any meal. Imaginative and innovative displays of bamboo, burlap, exotic flowers and fabrics and serving pieces that are an eclectic mix of hand carved, lacquered and woven vessels with modern china are the exciting Ethnic Chic Decor touches that can turn any table or room into a whole new world.

Ethnic Chic is all about thinking outside of the traditional, the tried-and-true, the typical. In a world that is evolving every day, where all our lives overlap in some way, and each of us has become more open and accepting of all cultures, seeing the beauty and dynamic difference in other ethnicities, whether it is food, decor, both or other enriches all our lives. As a child of Cuban, Indian and West African ancestors in the culturally vibrant metropolis of Kingston, Jamaica where the island's motto is "Out of Many, One People" I have always understood this. Creating Ethnic Chic Food and Decor was my dream, my way of bringing my philosophy, my history to others.

Welcome to Ethnic Chic Food and Decor. It is a world you may have seen before, but never experienced. But it is one you won't forget. We promise.

From ethnic chic and elegance... (courtesy of hindu.com)

Ein Traumstiefel des einstmals spanischen Labels Ibinka in braunem Wildleder mit beige farbenen Schlangenleder Applikationen sowie Nieten und Fransen mit 11 cm Metallabsatz. Dazu trägt Alexandra eine passende Kurzlederjacke und enge weisse Jeans...

These brown suede (with tan snake applique and studs & fringes) dreamboots are made by Ibinka in spain - but as mentioned before - they don`t produce anymore. Aleaxandra demonstrate these boots with a matching short leather jacket and thight white jeans...

"Ethnic Chic"

The look of the traditional kasavu has been reinvented with a lot of mix 'n match, this Onam. Read on to know more...

JUST WHEN you thought that the Kerala kasavu saris and mundu veshtis that take pride of place in a Malayali's wardrobe were in danger of being dislodged from their position by georgette and chiffon saris and salwar kamee, the traditional clothes are back with a bang.

The saris look much different from the usual kasavu karas. The ubiquitous salwar kameez too has been reinvented, complete with kasavu embroidery. So, someone who does not want to let go of age-old tradition and yet wants to don something trendy can invest in an Onakodi that's sure to make heads turn.

Karalkada has on offer kasavu saris that range from a couple of thousands right up to Rs. 15,000. While a sari with a plain kasavu border and kasavu stripes on the body costs Rs. 2,250, one with a temple design on the border with green and red stripes on the pallu costs Rs. 5,950.

The plain kasavu borders have given way to those with attractive designs of checks and diamonds. These saris are priced between Rs. 6,500 and 7,500. Saris with intricate designs on the pallus (Rs. 8,750), be it that of a peacock or a Kathakali dancer, are the in-thing.

Saris in a combination of coloured borders apart from kasavu thread are hot favourites. These cost around Rs. 7,780. Saris in tissue are elegant and cost between Rs. 12,000 and Rs. 15,000.

Set mundus have fewer designs on them as compared to saris. Those with coloured borders in two hues and interwoven with the kasavu border are selling fast. The film border set mundu resembles a film reel and has a border in kasavu and coloured thread with square motifs in a different coloured thread. Sets with multi-coloured borders costs Rs. 1,750.

At Czarina near General Hospital, the attempt is to give kasavu saris a look that's cool and trendy. Kasavu saris in red and green block-prints cost Rs. 1,200, while fabric-painted saris cost Rs. 1,500. You can match the traditional kasavu with the north Indian style of embroidery. Kasavu saris embellished with embroidery work such as zardozi and aari cost between Rs. 2,000 and 4,000. These can be customised to suit one's specifications.

Salwar kameez with zardozi and aari work done along the neckline and sleeve cost around Rs. 2,400. Czarina helps you match your mundu veshti with silk blouses that either have motifs on them or rich zardozi and aari work.

Suryakala at Killipalam too tries to give the traditional kasavu a new look -- Get your salwar kameez, sari or set mundu block printed for Rs. 150. For an elegant look, try getting it embroidered. It costs only between Rs. 250 and Rs. 450. Kadi printing can also be done on the neckline and the sleeves.

Maanasi, near the Overbridge, has salwar kameez with kasavu in various patterns. Those with cutwork on them are priced between Rs. 635 and Rs. 1,500. Salwars with kasavu around the neckline and on the sleeves with multi-coloured kara (on the sleeves) are also available. But for a change, try the ones with kasavu panels running down the front, with traditional motifs such as peacocks on them. Kasavu buttons add to the beauty.

Kameez with kasavu side panels and with temple designs on the bottom half can also be picked up. You could also opt for dress materials with motifs of peacocks on the front and coloured butis, which cost between Rs. 360 and Rs. 1700. Aiyappas has salwar kameez with gold thread embroidery done on the neckline and near the slits of the kameez (Rs. 1,180).

Salwars with full kasavu Magyar sleeves and embroidery on the neckline cost Rs. 1,350.

Those who love the feel of silk can pick up a gold thread embroidered salwar kameez that has kasavu motifs all over it. For those who would rather not see their purses become lighter by such huge amounts, there's a range available at around Rs. 700.

At V-Star Galaxy, salwar kameez with kasavu sleeves and multi-coloured thread woven into it costs Rs. 1,695. Short kurtas with gold thread embroidered necklines and side slits (Rs. 1,695) can be teamed up with jeans or trousers for a casual yet fashionable look.

The look of the traditional kasavu has been reinvented with a lot of mix 'n match, this Onam. There's a lot to choose from, be it saris or salwar kameez. So, why not go that extra mile to look different?

R. K. ROSHNI

courtesy of www.hindu.com

Ila Arun may rubbish "gutter-pitter Englis" but she seems to belong too easily in the world of "ethnic chic"

Haule Haule is what Ila Arun calls a 'folk-pop' album. The Music Magazine had reported, on the basis of a television interview, that the album was called Fresh. Ila Arun apparently changed her mind, and called it Haule Haule. As reported, Karthik Raja does figure here; he is one of the three music composers, the other two being Ila Arun and Jawahar Wattal.

The title track Haule haule is also called Brides from Mars, which explains the space sounds. Ila Arun writes the words herself, and sings in her throaty style. It is a simple tune embellished by Karthik Raja's interludes, in one of which you will discern a couple of Karnatak music phrases.

O mere bairaagi is again embellished by Karthik Raja's unusual chord arrangement.

The beat in Raivaade is faster, and the arrangement, by Jawahar Wattal, sets a frenetic pace. The song is enjoyable for the contrast it brings out between the warm male chorus, expressing love in the trendy 'I love you bay-be", and Ila Arun rubbishing their 'gutter-pitter Englis" in a robust rustic dialect.

The tune and rhythm of Maiya main laung show a strong Punjabi accent. Lalwa lalwa is noteworthy for its almost wild singing, although the orchestra is in the cliched style of what is called bhangra pop.

The attractive inlay card says the first two songs are connected by the "overarching theme of dreams and fantasies in a world where women express themselves, their feelings and emotions in a manner more uninhibited than the real world will permit". Thanks to the excellently sung Choli ke peeche, and other numbers that followed, Ila Aru has the reputation of being the "rani of raunch". Her voice, stiff and far from fluent, commands attention with its timbre, and is seen by filmmakers as ideal for seduction numbers.

Ila Arun writes poetry that shows keen observation and draws from Indian sights and sounds. She talks about holi, diwali and qawwali, and many other things that bring colour into our lives. Yet Haule Haule sounds kitschy when compared to the better thought-out and ideologically sharper feminist expression of the five-singer album Mann ke Manjeere . Ila Arun, one feels, co-opts herself too easily into the world of "ethnic chic".

S R Ramakrishna (courtesy of themusicmagazine.com)

Adaptability—a common thread for APA designers

By Fiona Ma and Heather Harlan

Rich, exotic Eastern fabrics crafted into Western silhouettes. Boldly cut clothes that seemingly drape around the body. Seemingly fragile outfits that resist virtually all affronts of weather and modern life.

Dress from Vivienne Tam

Even as China woos New York’s top designers through the China Millenium expo, replete with ceremonial robes styled thousands of years ago, qi pao dresses from the 1930s and ‘40s, and seven dynasties’ worth of rich fabric and designs, a fast-rising cadre of Asian American designers on the East and West coast have woven such influences into their own innovative approach.

Last month’s Seventh-on-Sixth shows—New York City’s premier showcase for fall collections—featured the works of up-and-coming designers like Indian American Anand Jon and Korean American Corey Pak, as well as well-known Chinese American designers like Vivienne Tam, Anna Sui and Vera Wang. (Wang’s creations were sported on Kate Capshaw, Eve Weinstein, Holly Hunter, Grace Hightower and other stars at the Oscars on Sunday.)

As products of both the East and the West, most APA designers feel comfortable working with leather, silk and cashmere and with coated wools and ribbed polyamide. Cultural mindsets serve as inspirations rather than inhibitions, yielding creations like Malaysian-born Yeohlee Teng’s Teflon-coated kimono-style jacket with holster pockets, Taiwanese American Karla Hour’s wedding robes resplendent with heavy silk and detailed embroidery, and Jesse Khong’s wide-legged Vietnamese-style pants paired with a tight leather camisole. And while their heritage often provides inspiration, designers need not be confined to it, as seen in Zang Toi’s take on aristocratic France and Anna Sui’s inspiration from 1960s folk singers.

Here’s a look at each designer in detail:

Cashmere dress and chinchilla lined coat

Where did hip-hop star Lauryn Hill get the white dress with the front cut-out panel—the one she wore to the Grammys this month? Straight from Barbara Bui’s fall collection, which virtually defines the “urban modernist” concept.

The Paris-based Bui designs for a 24/7 world, as seen in her Seventh on Sixth collection: skirts with back flares, pants slit up the front, hoop skirts, and leather skirts with back drapes that reveal nude-colored petticoats. She works with high-tech materials—Teflon-coated wools, waterproof cottons, ribbed polyamide—as well as with pure cashmere, silk and leather.

The duality of Eastern and Western cultures inspires the French-Vietnamese designer to create fashions that reflect the yin-yang principle of combining strength and fragility. Working mostly with solid, minimalist colors like black, white and dark khaki, she emphasizes asymmetrical seams and strategic slits and cutouts. Yet despite the clean lines, severe angles and stark colors, the clothing on view at Seventh-on-Sixth seemed almost to float around the body.

The only Asian American menswear designer to show at Seventh-on-Sixth, Taiwan-born David Chu serves up a collection of comfort-inspired sportswear this fall through his Nautica line. Ranging from preppy to futuristic, his pairings at the show included tweed jackets and suits paired with crewneck or hooded sweaters, or with cotton dress shirts or cozy turtleneck sweaters. He topped denim jeans with a denim jacket—but steered far from preppiness by putting an orange cotton shirt and a petrol-blue tie underneath. To ward off next fall’s chill, he offers up a gray wool “cyber jacket,” a Kevlar nylon bomber, a tweed topcoat. And lots of parkas: quilted, leather and rubberized canvas ones.

“The longer you look at something classic, the better it becomes,” Chu said. “I want my design at Nautica to be contemporary, but I want there to be something familiar about it, too.”

Han Feng aims “for the mature, modern woman who wants to wear something with personality that is also feminine—something that gives her confidence.” She began her career as a scarf designer—a fact that may explain the focus on the neckline in her Seventh-on-Sixth collection: A Chairman Mao-style jacket was topped with a high neck wrapped in a chinchilla scarf, and gabardine jackets with round, iridescent taffeta double collars were layered over contrasting taffeta blouses to give the impression of an opening rose. Roses also bloomed in a gray print on a long chiffon skirt and a pleated ruffle on the edge of a wool jersey vest. The theme carried over into the eveningwear collection, which featured velvet pants, skirts and coats smocked in a rosette pattern and matched with taffeta blouses.

Drawing on a melange of cultures, Taiwanese American Karla Hour creates individualistic interpretations of the dress many women cherish for a lifetime: the wedding gown.

Capitalizing on a trend toward individualistic weddings, the designer’s; Karla Hour Couture bridal salon provides custom-made gowns that exude an Eastern elegance. Educated in Japan, Hour draws much of her inspiration from Japanese designs, particularly the uchikekei, a Japanese wedding robe made with heavy silk and detailed embroidery.

Before turning to bridal wear, Hour had for 18 years been regarded as one of the top freelance ready-to-wear designers for a number of Asian and European fashion houses. In fact, she moved to San Francisco 12 years ago to head up manufacturing for her AM-PM Sportswear Collection, a line carried by many large department stores. Eventually, though, she grew tired of mass marketing and turned her focus to fine couture.

In 1992, she decided to specialize in wedding gowns. Today, her custom creations sell for $2,000 to $9,000, depending on the intricacy of the design. Given the detail that may be required, a dress can take up to a year to make. For those on a tighter budget, Hour offers an extensive collection of rental gowns.

For 24-year old Seventh on Sixth newcomer Anand Jon, the vibrant colors of his native South India—emerald green, fuchsia and violet—are as essential as black is to other designers. His full ballroom skirts, paired with a simple leotard or cashmere top, are made from material traditionally used in saris: silk woven with real gold threads and intricately embroidered and beaded. Trained as a jewelry designer, Jon has carried his knowledge into his new vocation, adding uncut diamonds and rubies to some creations.

Fascinated with the mysteries enveloped in voodoo, yoga and the Kaballah, Jon strives to create a bridge between that spirituality and a modern society. “I meditate every night, and when I wake up, I check my e-mail every morning.”

From an embroidered leather camisole paired with a spider-web lace skirt to a prehistoric suede minidress, there’s nothing subtle in Vietnamese American Jesse Khong’s hard-soft juxtaposition. Inspired by avant-garde master Thierry Mugler, Khong’s somewhat daring creations are aimed for women 25 to 45 who love glamour. Like Mugler, Khong loves leather, saying “it makes a woman look stronger, powerful, authoritative”—and his juxtaposition of the material with lacy frills serves not to tone down that message, but to play it up.

The 27-year-old was literally born into fashion: His mother was a custom tailor well known in Saigon. By age 13, he had designed his first jacket, and three years later, he was selected to design costumes for a teen pop-rock group.

A recent immigrant, Khong is studying clothing and textiles at San Francisco State University and hopes to launch his Jesse Khong fashion line next year.

ANTHONY CRUZ LEGARDA

The classic pleated skirt pairs up with a intricately floral jacket in a signature Anthony Cruz Legarda design—one that incorporates exotic Eastern fabrics with modern Western silhouettes to exude Amerasian and Eurasian flair.

The 35-year-old Filipino American sees fashion as not only clothing but also social commentary. These days, he juggles his time between producing one-of-a kind designs for clients, volunteering on projects to further Filipino American heritage and culture; and working toward his next theater fashion show, which since 1995 has served not only as a showcase for his creations but also as a vehicle for his statements on the San Francisco lifestyle. Born in Manila on May 10, 1963, Legarda immigrated to the United States with his family at age 12. He earned a fashion merchandising degree with honors at San Francisco City College and went on to the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, graduating with a degree in fashion design.

Many a superstar sports Tom Mark’s form-fitting creations, which bring to mind the classic, body-hugging Chinese chong-sam gowns.

“My clothes must perfectly caress a woman’s body. Anything less and I lose sleep worrying,” says the California designer, whose label sports his Thai birth name, Mark Wong Nark.

With personalities like Drew Barrymore, Courtney Cox and Tori Spelling wearing his signature line, Mark has come a long way from the Thai village of Lampang, where he shared a small, dirt-floor hut with his father, his seamstress mother and three older siblings. One day, he criticized a woman’s outfit, and his brother challenged him to do better.

Mark did. After coming to the United States, he enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles and began making knit dresses. In 1986, four years down the road, he was grossing $100,000 in clothing sales to boutiques, but then the 1990 recession forced him to close up and to sell his Hollywood home.

Some savvy investors in 1995 provided Mark with the money to rebuild his label. Today, Mark Wong Nark is a small but successful design house, known for presenting skin without sleaze. It employs 30 people and grossed some $1 million last year.

On the horizon now: menswear and a lingerie series. No lace, no fur. Just beautiful, simple designs in fine fabrics.

Corey Pak and Anke Crispen—who together create the P.A.K. collection—made their Seventh-on-Sixth debut as part of the Moet and Chandon showcase for five upcoming young designers.

Their kimono-inspired wrap dresses, created from laser-cut fabric, allow for roominess and sexiness. A green long-sleeved dress, wrapped at the waist, tightly envelops the body, stopping asymmetrically around the knee. A wide-rose tube top cinches a bias-cut gabardine sleeveless dress. Matching pouches, attached in back, accentuate the elaborate waist wraps.

Trained as an industrial designer, the South Korea-born Pak, 25, explained that her designs are inspired “by everything from Parmalat Milk cartons to building architecture.” As she put it: “I design simple, functional clothing—stuff you can wear going grocery shopping, or for evening just by changing your shoes.”

Drawing inspiration from a documentary film about the Newport Folk Festival during the mid-1960s, Anna Sui reinvents the style of folk icons such as Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, incorporating the Eastern influence of mohair into a funky spin on patchwork skirts, ponchos, woolly fringe, and shearling in wild prints and color combinations in her Seventh-on-Sixth offerings.

Mohair, a Sui trademark, appears this fall in tweeds and ombre red and blue hues. Her wool dresses, separates and coats are livened up with black and white chain-link and domino patterns, and for evening, Sui focuses on black and white circle and windowpane patterns. To wrap it up, she presents wool ponchos in an orange and white waffle weave and skunk-patterned furs and paint-drip print polar fleece.

The Canton-born designer brought to Seventh-on-Sixth a fall collection that literally shimmers with silvery, metallic fabrics, embroideries and sequins. Mirror-centered bagwas, the symbol of the eight enrichments, decorate T-shirts and skirts. A gray net sleeveless dress covered with hanging square flaps of fabric recalls the armor of the Eastern Han dynasties.

“Silver plays a key role because silver has always been used in Chinese culture for avoiding, dispelling demons and ensuring safety,” Tam explains. “Silver has provided both beauty and protection. I wanted to translate that feeling into my collection and help provide my customer with safe and beautiful passage into the year 2000.”

Tam’s line draws from classic Chinese designs: Dragon and crane patches used as badges of rank in ancient dynasties show up as embroidery on net shirts. The shui jiao (water foundation) pattern that first distinguished Qing dynasty robes soften a coat made of Neoprine, a high-tech rubberized fabric. Her evening line draws from the ornate costumes of the Chinese opera.

If you like to wear white and other pale colors but worry about getting them dirty, then Yeohlee Teng’s Teflon-coated ensembles at Seventh-on-Sixth may be for you. Her white angora wool coat can withstand whatever might be sat on in a grimy subway car; likewise, her pale gray jersey top and skirt will deflect any unfortunate cocktail-party spill.

The Malaysian-born designer, known for her architectural shapes and functional, high-tech fabrics for what she describes as the “urban nomad,” offers for the fall a high-neck kimono coat with holster tie pockets, retailing for $1,040. The laminated black and navy wool fabric is both waterproof and breathable-thanks to an innovative “air-conditioned” structure. For evening, she offers bronze and pewter strapless and trapeze-neck dresses.

On how China influences her own designs, she said: “It effects how I think from the inside out. Part of Asian design has to do with simplicity and proportion. It’s like those landscape paintings you see of a man and the mountains in the background. It’s that sense of proportion that carries over to the designs. Nothing that I design really shouts out at you.”

Malaysian native Zang Toi brought to Seventh-on-Sixth a series of evening and daytime looks using his trademark vivid colors and sensuous fabrics, dominated by burgundies and browns.

“I design for women who want the best in life—a woman who is very confident and has a sense of style,” says the designer.

Truffle-colored turtleneck sweaters paired with matching cotton trousers and cocoa cashmere suits and dresses seemed positively sedate compared with Toi’s evening line, which exuded a decadence that recalls 17th century France before the revolution: Burgundy silk velvet museum gowns with pansy appliqués, full ballgown skirts in silk taffeta with a “Marie Antoinette” floral print, sleeveless wool dresses with lace backs.

VERA WANG

Famous for her sexy bridal designs and her recent forays into evening wear, Wang ventures into new territory this fall, as her Seventh-on-Sixth selections show.

For day, she offers earth-toned outfits like cashmere tube-tops and wool gauze pants under a leather coat, or a merino-ribbed knit dress with a shearling jacket. East-West interpretations come out in evening with her floral jacquard mandarin dress in brown, or a silk slip dress that serves as a canvas for a Chinese-painted landscape.