Riyaz Gangji – Libas

This summer wedding collection by Riyas Gangji brings to Kochi bridal ensembles with voluminous lines and rich embroideries intricately woven over jewel toned bodies. For the men, the look ranges from western to indo-western with slim jackets and snazzy cuts. The designer has aimed to keep it subtle yet soothing. It captured the festive Indian wedding spirit, with the models breaking into a quick dance move while on the ramp. Fashion Choreographer Lovell Prabhu sure did bring some serious entertainment value to the platform.

Kochi International Fashion Week: Riyaz Gangi - Libas
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Archana Kochhar for Copperstone – Bar Code

First of its kind men’s clothing line for summer resort 2012, inspired by the simple yet precise moves of stripes & checks in ebony & ivory, keeping the feel relaxed and casual. The cold blacks were paired with ethereal whites with a splash of neon.

Kochi International Fashion Week: Archana Kochhar
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Vivek Karunakaran – Tres Chic

Inspired by the global traveller, Tres Chi is Vivek Karunakaran’s interpretation of a new age grunge chic. Celebrating the ancient art of Kalamkari, and juxtaposing this with the uberchic fashion quotient of today, the collection unfolds a range of dramatically layered silhouettes. Trimmed with metallic zippers and metal sequins, garments are interestingly fragmented through layering and paneling.  Vivek Karunakaran has indeed stayed true to his own unique style of tweaking the traditional and hence giving birth to what’s contemporary.

Kochi International Fashion Week: Vivek Karunakaran - Tres C
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Pria Kataria Puri – Persian Punk

Inspired by the Persian culture, the nature and goodness of the Persian lifestyle, Pria Kataria Puri brings to the stage the quintessential “high voltage glam look”.

The colours this season were mostly paired with gold. Tangy orange kaftans clinched at the waist with gold sequined bands, lime-green robes taking the form of an abaya adorned by women of the Middle East, flowy dresses in leopard prints perfect for resort wear; were some of the looks that the designer has worked on. Dresses were all defined at the waist, with sunny summery colours taking the forefront. They spoke of the contemporary Arabian woman who wouldn’t think twice of strutting down the high-fashion street in a fiery red chiffon something, with a slit that rides high to her thighs, sending the spectator to a tease frenzy.

Parvathy Omanakuttan did the final walk for Pria Kataria Puri, in what looked like the designer’s vision for the future. Space aged and futuristic with power shoulders and a short hemline, the former Miss India World was nothing short of a stunner.

Kochi International Fashion Week: Pria Kataria Puri- Persian
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Prabhat Samasooriya – Frozen Waters

Taking off from the Tibetan plateau, Prabhat Samasooriya brings forward native craft style from Sri Lanka with colorful sarees deconstructed into dye work and robes held together with a rope band. Mixing an Asian flavor to International fashion, flowy drapes mostly in blues, yellows and indigo were teemed with cloth turbans wound over the models’ delicate heads.

The sleeves were mostly off-shoulders or halters incorporated in jersey and pure cotton dresses. Color blocking and fusion played a huge role along with a bit of stripes and polka dots. The highlight of the evening was the intricate detail splayed on the sarees there were, with its pallus chosen to be a part of the 6 yards with the help of buttons and knotted in shoestring laces. The Tibetan spirit was noticeable in the browns and reds that were present- one could almost imagine the Budhist monks in meditation that could have inspired the designer.

On the hair and makeup front, the lips were always nude and the two sided plait seemed to have made a comeback. The closing model was ex-Miss Sri Lanka, Kristina Pereira, who wore a distinctive blue, red and white saree in laces and polka dots.

Kochi International Fashion Week: Prabhat Samasooriya
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Office, cocktail or weekend parties, weddings, and hang-outs, no matter what function is hitting next, you need to look best! And ladies, make-up are definitely an inevitable aspect in your lives. So here is something that can interest you. ‘House of Fashion’ is all about looking elegant and poise with lovely make-up. Reshma Seejo makes sure that you look ‘beautiful and stylish’ with her make-over’s!

“We do make-up for brides, and that section of ‘House of Fashion’ is called ‘Goddess’ where we literally turn the bride into an angel with our products”, says Reshma. So whether it is your engagement or marriage round the corner, you can drop in at HOF! This bridal make-up studio and boutique was started off by Reshma just to ‘style you up’.

And if you are bored of your usual look, you can always seek advice from Reshma for a stunning make-over. Right from the hair cut that shall look good on you, to what you have to wear, Reshma ensures that you look gorgeous. The rates start from 3500 rupees to 15, 000 and more. She also sells some pretty tiaras and crowns too!

So Kochi girls, whether you are you attending a family function this weekend, or if you are geared up to celebrate Saturday with a party bash, look stunning!

You can contact Reshma at 9747383838.

Kochi has taken quite a few turns and twists in the fashion scene, over the past couple of years. We have much to boast about now. When it comes to female fashion, Kochi is definitely in par (to a large extent) with her counterparts in South India. But again, we all know that Kochi has a long way to go. Here, style is ‘still’ all about being completely clad, than wearing what you are!

Kochi has been the host to events like Kochi Fashion Week and umpteen fashion shows. But have they really created a change in the mindset of the Malayali? We aren’t talking about men alone, women also needs to go a large way when it comes to accepting clothes. Tanya Thadikaran, a resident of Kochi feels that there has been a paradigm shift in our crowds’ mindset recently. “Malayali’s are now open to other styles and are accepting more of North Indian and western forms of clothes. The emergence of Kochi Fashion Week has made a huge difference. Many designer stores are have started in Kochi, including the latest Ritu Kumar store”, said Tanya. “This shows that Kochiites have become conscious about how they look, and also want to update on the latest trends”, added Tanya.

Geethesh Pillai, who lives Kochi, says that Women Fashion in Kochi is still lagging far behind in our city. “Women dressing in our city are still conservative, and they aren’t confident on what they wear. I think the coming of big malls like Lulu will make a difference. All we can do is wait and see”, said Geethesh.

So what do you think about the women fashion scene in our city? Tell us what your take is on this.

Kochi has been the favourite fashion hot-spot in the state. We have hosted the best of beauty pageants and fashion shows. But Kochi has never been able to boast of an exclusive fashion school that would help Kochi elate her status to a complete fashion hub. But this dream is not distant anymore. Thanks to the JD Institute of Fashion & Technology. Kochi will be soon hosting a fashion school!

JD Institute of Fashion Technology was setup in the year 1988 with a vision to produce highly talented and professional designers, to cater to the manpower required for the fashion explosion of the coming millennium. The vision has now materialised into a chain of 30 state-of-the-art Colleges all over India, imparting education and the much needed industry exposure to smitten fashion enthusiasts!

JD chose Panampilly Nagar in Kochi due to its reputation as the hub for fashion and lifestyle in Kerala. It has setup a sprawling 6000 sqft wi-fi campus with state-of-the-art facilities. An industrial machine lab, flawlessly equipped resource centre, multimedia lab, pattern lab, plasma screens and projectors are just a few of the world class facilities provided for at ‘JD Fashion Villa’. The faculty and fraternity are the best in the field and will facilitate in providing an in-depth mentoring through innovative teaching methods, field exposure and workshops.

JD Institute of Fashion Technology in collaboration with the KUVEMPU University of Shimoga, Karnataka is offering Degrees in Fashion Design and Interior Design, scheduled to commence from June 2012. The best part is, admissions are already open for the courses!! Here it goes: 1year Diploma in Fashion Design, 1year Diploma in Interior Design, Diploma in Jewellery Design (6 months), and Diploma in Fashion Photography (3 months).

JD is about to take the Kochi market by storm! Come 15th October 2011, and a grand Design Show will announce their arrival, where models from across the nation will sizzle the ramp carrying the JD Designers’ stunning collections at hotel Le Meridian, Kochi.
Thus the arrival of this National Brand will put Kochi in India’s fashion map as ‘the’ destination for the student fraternity down south, to take up and experience World class Fashion and Lifestyle Education.

For more details contact:
e-mail: cochinjd@gmail.com
phone: 0484-4038000
08129459966