Mugdha Godse and Sucheta Sharma walked the ramp at the Wigan & Leigh College’s fashion show ‘Chimera’. The students designed some amazing couture for the summer of 2008; Mugdha looked stunning in white hot shots and a straw hat. Sucheta was wearing a red flowing dress while Alicia sizzled in blue. Rozza attended the show and she looked chic in a grey top and pair of black pants while Hard Kaur stepped out in a summery short dress.

Goa-based Wendell Rodricks was in Mumbai; the designer displayed his cool breeze for all fashion lovers as he launched his summer collection at Aza.

If you thought that Wendell can only create magic with white couture then, check his latest line as it has bright shades of breezy blue, gorgeous green and the very passionate red.

Attending a Lingerie show is every guyz fantasy and it did come true for the lucky few as Triumph brand organized a Fashion show at the F Bar at Hotel Ashoka in Delhi.

Models walked the ramp in hot lingerie; the charm was further accentuated with whips and crystal tattoos on their belly. They also announced the Indian Winner of the Triumph Inspiration Award (TIA).

The Indian winner will compete with finalists from over 25 countries at the World Finale to be held in Beijing; Divyanka Bedi was declared as the winner, who will represent India in Beijing.

She zoomed in her 7-series MW to Nisha Merchant’s store at Bandra; the actress-n-TV host Mandira was there to try out the new collection by designer Nisha Merchant.

Mandira started with a black velvet ‘kameez’ and then slipped in a beautiful pink design, but she looked her best in a fawn dress with a golden lace.

Item girl Sambhavana Seth looked gorgeous on Saturday evening adorned in a sari as she walked the ramp for designer Vanita J. Model Anchal Kumar lead the model brigade in a red sari; the show was organized by the Lokhandwala Punjabi Association.

Indian Fashion world is buzzing with new talents and it was quite evident at the BD Somani show at the Shanmukhananda Hall at Sion as the budding designers displayed their magnificent spring collection.

Blue dominated the ramp; super model Sania looked hot in a blue dress and her perfect pair of silver stilettos; Aanchal walked in next with a unique version of the same line.

Designer Anita Dongre gave away the award for the most promising designer of the show.

Rajasthan is well known for the fine Kota Doria Muslin saris. Transparent and light, kota saris are ideal for hot summers. Kota Doria, as the name suggests, is woven in the villages on the outskirts of the Kota city in Rajasthan.

The special weave: It is a type of cotton cloth that becomes special because of its weave. Cotton yarn of different thickness along with silk is used in the weaving. The silk gives the necessary transparency, while cotton provides strength to the fabric. The lack of uniformity in the thickness of the fibers creates geometric patterns in between, which are locally called as ‘khats.’

This is the most open weave fabric woven in India. The weave is a result of sufficient spacing between super fine warp and weft threads with slightly thick thread at regular counts to produce a very subtle check pattern. Also, the thicker threads make the cloth strong and more durable. The thin fibers maintain its softness, delicacy and give it a translucent and gossamer look.

Design and color: The traditional Kota Doria is white, but once dyed, these textiles come in bright hues like pomegranate red, purple, Bordeaux red, turquoise, lapis, turmeric yellow and saffron. Single color dying, a mixture of shades and bandhani are the most common patterns available in the reams of fabric. Kota Doria saris embellished with zari work is worn for festivals and weddings.

History: Kota Doria is also known as Masuria Malmal. Maruria means Mysore, the place where the weaving of this particular cloth originated.

Kota saris were first made when weavers were brought to Kota (between 1707 and 1720) from Mysore by Maharao Bhim Singh. The art of weaving cotton in the open khat or check structure has been passed down generations. The whole process of weaving is done in an age old manner - right from the setting of the patterns, to graph making, dyeing of the yarn and setting of the loom. Down South, this fabric is still known as Kota Masurias.

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Sensuous and beautiful, durable and strong, this golden yellow silk of Assam is used in saris and traditional Assamese attire, ‘mekhla chaddar’. Assam’s golden silk is from a caterpillar, Antheraea assama that feeds on the leaves of Som and Soalu trees.

Silkworms and silk: Silkworm eggs (popularly known as seeds) are laid out on the Som and Soalu leaves to hatch out into caterpillars about 2mm long. They grow rapidly, eat voraciously and end up about 30 mm long after four to five weeks. During this time, they change skins four times.

After the final skin change straw frames are provided in which silkworms make its cocoon. Cocoon making takes further eight days. Man interferes this life cycle at the cocoon stage to obtain the silk, a continuous filament of commercial importance, used in weaving silk, the dream fabric.

These silk worms yield a beautiful golden thread that is much sought after for its colour and sheen. It takes the silkworm another three to four days to transform into a pupa and another 15 days for the moth to emerge, but this is not allowed to take place for all.

Muga silk is named after Assamese word "Muga" which indicates the amber (brown) colour of cocoon. It is popular for its natural golden colour, glossy fine texture and durability. Muga silk is hardy in character. It endures for years and improves with each washing.

Design and Color: Trees, creepers, leaves, flowers, peacocks, birds and animals in stylized forms, as well as traditional tribal motifs are woven or embroidered onto the muga silk fabric.

The rich, golden fabric is resplendent in traditional colors like red, green and black and newer entrees such as yellow, blue, beige, silver, copper pink and brown. Wedding saris are adorned with gold and silver thread work. The looms are narrow; so, the borders are woven separately and then stitched on, which is another facet special to the Assamese Muga sari.

Legend: Muga was worn only by Ahom kings and noble families of Assam for six hundred years. It was unknown to the outer world until 1662 when Jean Joseph Tavernier, a French explorer, traveled through Assam.

Cost: A good Assamese Muga silk saree could cost anywhere between Rs 8,000-Rs 20,000 or above.

Reference:

tribuneindia.com

fabric-manufacturers.com

craftandartisans.com

Wikipedia describes Khadi as “Indian handspun and hand-woven cloth.” Traditionally the raw material used was cotton, though these days khadi is handspun with wool or silk as well, on a spinning wheel called a charkha.

Quality: Khâdî is a versatile fabric, cool in summers and warm in winters. Being a cruder form of material, it crumples much faster than other preparations of cotton. In order to improve the look, khâdî is often starched to have a stiffer shape. It is widely accepted in fashion circles these days.

History: Mahatma Gandhi began promoting the spinning of khâdî for rural self-employment in 1920s India. He also wanted to spread the message of not using foreign clothes. The freedom struggle revolved around the use of khâdî fabrics and the dumping of foreign-made clothes.

Revival of Khadi: But India's freedom fabric got stuck in a time warp and fell into bad days - as Indians embraced Lycra and polyester, khadi became something only politicians wore. A couple of years ago, a handful of fashion designers decided it was time to reinvent the spinning wheel and revive the magic of khadi. It was time for khadi couture.

Khadi fashion shows were held in five-star hotels, khadi boutiques were opened, and India's top designers were called in to make it hip.

"Khadi can easily become what linen is to the world today," says Rohit Bal, 41, one of India's most talked-about designers, who sells his khadi line in his store, Balance, in New Delhi. "No other fabric in the world can boast of being spun and woven solely by human hands. It falls well and becomes second skin after two washes. It breathes, it has a self-texture. It represents the soul of India, but we can also have fun with khadi."

Now the Indian government is promoting the buzz, as more than 800,000 weavers in the countryside work on khadi, a cottage industry run with generous subsidies.

Khadi is back in fashion and here to stay!

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