ASIAN WOMAN, April 2007 issue, pg 136

(scanning is not my forte...)







Here's the article:

London Fashion Week’s Autumn/Winter 07 collections predicted another season of shimmering sparkles, with our desi designers Manish Arora and Ashish giving their peers a run for their money. Could a magpie be a metaphor for an Indian? Possibly so, as these designers certainly satisfied their indulgence for all things shiny.

Arora’s technicolour collections were fantastic, with each creation more creative than the last. Super-hero capes and futuristic frocks, embroidered with glitter, dominated the catwalk. Shiny PVC leggings were studded in gold. Arora’s make-up was as good as his clothes, painting the prints from his fabrics onto the faces of the models. Platinum blonde and cherry red Cleopatra wigs completed the look, however some models sported a Star Trek inspired bald head. Perhaps that was the point - this Delhi born designer was definitely light years ahead.

Central Saint Martins graduate Ashish, yet again, was loyal to his sequins. Choosing London’s famous gay club Heaven as the backdrop, the neon lights and dazzling outfits could have been better viewed with a pair of sunglasses. The party dresses were extremely wearable, as was most of Ashish’s collection. Oversized bows sat proudly at the waist of almost every look and were nothing short of cute.

Other designers favouring this luxurious trend on the catwalk included Julien MacDonald whose gilt dress was worn by Naomi Campbell. Designer duo Sinha-Stanic incorporated bronze panels into tailored jackets and skirts, as well as embellishing outfits with gold and silver threads. Additionally Basso & Brooke’s glowing fabrics were a delight.

This season the leaders of the pack were the Indian designers, outshining their contemporaries, literally.

Bijoux

Here are some pages from a magazine I created for a graphics project:

Bond vs Don

DON – The chase begins, 168 min, Dir: Farhan Akhtar

Bollywood’s most bankable star, Shah Rukh Khan, plays Don in Farhan Akthar’s recent remake. Originally starring the legendary Amitabh Bachan, Khan performs the devilish role with a flourish. He shoots bullets gracefully, leers at women in a somehow acceptable way, and makes the life of a drug peddler look enviously glamorous. However things get racy when Desilva (Boman Irani), head of the Indian police force, sets a mission to capture Don at any cost. Essentially the film is a cat and dog chase, but far more glossy, with more twists in the plot than three or four films put together. Just when you think the film is about to end, a dead character comes back to life. And, as with any true Bollywood film the option of a twin or double role is always favoured, thus the character of Vijay (played by Khan as well) is incorporated into the story line. Masterminded by the corrupt Desilva, a supposedly coincidental look-a-like of Don is used to help reel the original in.
With most of the film shot in exotic Kuala Lumpur and sexy former Miss World, Priyanka Chopra, playing the role of his bodyguard/love interest, the film is a visual delight. It’s easy to forget at times that this, in fact, is a Bollywood film. The updated version is more slick and stylish and it’s refreshing to see Khan in a less mushy, more deadly role.

Bond vs Don

Casino Royale, 144 min, Dir: Martin Campbell

Slightly too blonde to be a Bond, the blue-eyed Daniel Craig is the latest incarceration of the Ian Fleming’s legendry James Bond. From Madagascar to Montenegro, Bond is on a quest to reclaim his client’s money used to fund terrorism. This, as the title suggests, includes playing a high stake game of poker with the corrupt banker Le Chiffre. Help comes along the way of beautiful accountant Vesper Lynd (Eva Green). The intellectual match provides flirtatious banter and it is not long before Bond is head over heels in love. This soft side of the suave homicidal spy is perhaps a bit soppier than expected. Not only does the coochie-coo romance drag on a bit, but there are times when you feel like you are sitting in the wrong movie. Aside from the chick-flick sections, the gadgetry is impressive at times (Bond practically performs open heart surgery to himself, nipping out surgical tools from the dashboard of his car), however at other times the technology and stunts are nothing we haven’t seen before (for those that watch 24 or Alias you know exactly what I’m talking about). Jack Bauer could have been a better Bond. With a silly plot full of twists and turns, characters appearing and disappearing, the exotic locations and Craig’s bulked up frame are the two best things about the film. Oh and of course the fact that today’s Bond is braver than most – he drives a Ford Mondeo.