(From top): Rathi Vinay Jha, director general, FDCI (in the foreground) and Ute Schumacher at the Swarovski event; outfits from the new collections at Ogaan; Sheetal Gattani with her works at Gallery Chemould

Swarovski, the Austrian crystal giant, has always been far out in front when it comes to spotting the hottest trends in the world of fashion. So, when Ute Schumacher, the head of trend and design, Swarovski flew in to India for a seminar, the top names in Indian fashion turned up to hear her.

In the trend dialogue titled Trend Forecasting: Pulse & Power of Fashion, Schumacher mapped out the importance of research and forecasting trends. She said, “One of the most important tasks for trend research experts and designers is to observe and analyse what is going on around the world, particularly in one’s chosen target markets.” What’s more, she pointed out that fashion trends follow a cycle of some six to 12 months. “The future is serious business and if your client is faster than you, then you are sitting in the last row.” The message was probably picked up by the galaxy of Indian designers present like Rina Dhaka, J J Valaya, Manish Arora and Bobby Grover.

A glamorous presentation closed the talk. That was Swarovski’s take on the Fall-Winter 2006-2007 trends. It presented two rich and sparkling new crystals: Purple Velvet and Crystal Copper. According to the Swarovski trend books, the purple effect would be perfect for fine fabrics, lingerie, shoes and accessories. Crystal Copper will touch silken fabrics and jewellery giving them an antique look. Swarovski also introduced two new pearl colours ? Mystic Black and Deep Purple Crystal Pearl which designers say will be ideal for fashion accessories, shoes and textiles.

The bottomline is that Swarovski stones are indeed here to stay. And you can expect its crystals and pearls to stud eyewear, jewellery, shoes, handbags ? not to mention garments ? for a long time to come.

On a high note

Aptly titled The Musical Messiah, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt’s biography traces the musical journey of the Indian Slide Guitar maestro. Bhatt is credited with creating the Mohan Veena and Vishwa Veena, as well as bagging a Grammy Award. Written by Kanchan Mathur and published by DK Printworld, The Musical Messiah was recently released at Delhi’s Taj Palace Hotel. Present on the occasion was the musical master himself, son Salil Bhatt, publisher Sushil Mittal (of DK Printworld), Kanchan Mathur and tabla player Shri Ram Kumar Mishra.

“It is the first time that a book has been written on my father and it is a very emotional moment indeed,” said Salil. In fact, the author had a tough time getting hold of her subject because he had such crowded schedules. The book took about five years to complete.

Priced at Rs 695, there is a section in the book dedicated to some of the musician’s compatriots such as Bismillah Khan and Asha Bhonsle. Recently Bhatt performed in the US with legendary figures like Eric Clapton, B.B. King and Carlos Santana. Photographs from this event are printed in the book as well.

Styles for the season

With every upscale atelier in the country bringing out their new Fall-Winter collections, can Ogaan, one of the Capital’s best-known boutiques be far behind? A clutch of designers exhibited their work at the store recently to much praise from the city’s fashionistas. Showing off their latest designs were everyone from Shyam Narayan and Rina Dhaka to Kavita Bhartia, Pamela Singh and Jyoti Jain.

The last of these, Jain is known essentially for her high-fashion bags. But the designer who has done a certified course in handbag designing from Central Martins, London and has a masters degree in business management from Paris to boot, is looking to extend her repertoire. Her label, J:Square also showcased a range of clothing which is all about “minimalist embroidery on well-structured garments'”. The collection of structured jackets, tunics, bustiers, ruched pants, flowing tops, skirts and embellished T-shirts, celebrates the festive season with the fusion of the traditional and the contemporary. The palette involves a bold experimentation with colours including turquoise, coral and black.

The other designer who made her presence felt was Vibha Hooda, who had a line of special quilted jackets from Pakistan. Shyam Narayan had full skirts in bright colours like blues, pinks and reds while Kavita Bhartia brought out lovely lycra and georgette tops, ponchos and skirts. These ranged between Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000. “The emphasis is on colour and having fun,” said Bhartia.

The exhibition also took in a medley of quilted coats and jackets (Rs 5,500 to Rs 12,000) by Jaipur-based photographer-cum-designer Pamela Singh. Singh specialises in sanganeri block-prints that are integral to Rajasthan. Her fashion line, Trimata, has been an Ogaan staple for a year now, although her prime interest is in exporting her creations to the UK, the US, Singapore, Italy and South Africa. While the look is perfect for winter, the designer says that the colours that will rule this season include black, red, fuchsia and other pink tones. However she advised avoiding pastel hues.

Salil Bhatt and Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt at the launch of The Musical Messiah and (above) Gauhar and Nigar Khan with Shaheen Abbas (left to right) at the unveiling of Flower Child

Art talk

It was hardly surprising that abstractionist Sheetal Gattani’s recent show at Gallery Chemould drew the city’s serious art lovers. After all, Gattani who has done projects like the works depicting the solar system at Mumbai’s Hotel Grand Hyatt, was holding a show in the city after five years. There’s also been a shift in her work in this period in terms of colours and format. Gattani’s palette has brightened ? compared to the predominantly greys and dark blues she used earlier, she has favoured reds and ochres in this collection. Also, the paintings are considerably larger than her earlier works.

For Gattani, the painting process is a constant search for resonance in light, colour, lines and textures in which there is no beginning or end. Her starting point is black, after which she works with layers of watercolor, working with only one hue a day.

Seen at the opening were Amita Saraf of Hotel Grand Hyatt and artists like Mehli Gobai, a mentor to Gattani, Lalita Lajmi, and Krishnamachari Bose.

Silver lining

Think silver jewellery and it’s no longer traditional Indian stuff that comes to mind but trendy fashion jewellery studded with crystals, semi-precious stones and glass. It’s also a segment that’s bringing new designers to the fore. Like Shaheen Abbas, wife of actor and television show host, Roshan Abbas. Shaheen, who has been retailing silver jewellery with Aminder Mada at their store Cypress for over two years, turned designer and launched her own line, Flower Child recently.

Friends and long-time clients from the acting fraternity showed up for a dekko at Flower Child’s inaugural Goddess collection. Besides actors Shweta Salve and Tisca Chopra, former MTV veejays Mini Mathur and Maria Goretti attended the do. Also seen snapping up pieces were Mandira Bedi, sisters Gauhar and Nigar Khan, Suchitra Pillai, Nisha Jhamwal and Rakshanda Khan.

Photographs by Jagan Negi, Rupinder Sharma and Gajanan Dudhalkar