Technology has been used by fashion designers and fashion houses to reach the customers. They use online catalogues of their products. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data science is used to understand sizes, silhouettes and style. AI can recommend personalised style. Software collects the consumer data — preferences, likes, dislikes, colours , budget, body statistics, sleeve length, material and other such things. There are matchmaking algorithms to find relevant product for the customers. The stylist helps the computer to understand what is in trend. There is data on Indian body type to develop the sizing algorithm to give the best fit to the client. Most fashion houses have an omnichannel approach to bring together online and offline shopping experience. Fashion gets democratised on their platform.

There are image-search features on the web-site. Sites use 3D and augmented reality too. They are working on virtual trial rooms too.

Who in the world will wear clothes like that? Nobody does wear them anyway; because they are not clothes. These are a designer’s fantasy which expresses his vision of the world artistically. In other words, haute couture. We hear this word many a time to communicate high fashion. Its other connotations include the houses of fashion which are authorized to call them couturiers. These houses form the ‘Chambre Syndicate De La Haute Couture Pariesienne.’ A coutre line is an opportunity to show off the designer’s genius rather than an attempt to sell too many clothes. For all fashion houses, the big money lies in accessories and fragrances.

How clothes of normal wear emerge from all this? Twice a year, each House of Fashion presents Haute Courure collection for spring/summer and Autmn/Winter at the Louvre. With Haute Couture line, the designer has already done a lot of ground work. He has developed the concept, the mood, the feel, the fabrics and so on. Now all he has to do is to turn fantasies into realities — give them a practical form.

Boutique and Pret-A-Preter come into the picture to offer these controlled fantasies, which one can wear. At exclusive boutiques, we might be fitted by the designer himself/herself. The Pret-A-Preter, the ready-to-wear ones are available all over the world. Ready-to-wear lines draw inspiration from the couture. They, however, have their own identity.

• Wear your husband’s T-shirt
• Dress down
• Go out without jewellery
• Wear one colour
• Wear crocs
• Wear cropped linen trousers that are crushed
• Wear a watch for an evening out. It is inelegant.
• Save that expensive dress for fancy occasions. If you have spent a fortune, wear it.
• Highlight your upper eyes with a pencil.
• Get stuck in a style rut.
• Underplay your looks.
• Feel guilty about being glamorous.

He is 45-year old hair-stylist. At the salons, regulars spend upwards of Rs 20000. Ferretti has set up a salon at Gurgaon. The bill starts at Rs 50,000. The brand is known around the world for its method cutting. The principle is that each strand of hair has its own structure and movement. With sensibility and care, the designer treats each strand in its own way in order to achieve the most natural effect. the whole process is so smooth for the client that it would feel as if  ‘the scissors do not exist,’ But the scissors are there, of course, the hand-made ones costing $1500 a pair which come from Tokyo.

Daytime look is a fresh look. Pale Pink Eye-shadow from Lakme Desert Rose Quartet on the lid can be used. As a highlighter, one can use the Pearl White from the Silk Route Quartet. The look is fresh and the emphasis is on sockets. If there is little time on hand, a fresh day look can be converted into a softly galmourous sultry look with the addition of the Lakme Absolute Kohl pencil. The pencil is used to create a broad eye-liner on the top of the eyelid. It is smudged and smoothly blended upwards to create a soft, smoky effect. The pencil is the used on the inside of both the upper and lower eyelids very lightly to create a smoky and not very scary effect. The lip colour is intensified by adding the Lakme plump and Shine Lip Gloss. Lastly, Eye-conic mascara is used to bring emphasis to the eyes. This is how one gets from day to night look.

Using Mascara Effectively

Perhaps coloured mascara is a little too daring. One can try pairing black and brown for starters. Black can be used up to three quarters of the length. The tips are then coated with brown mascara. The lashes then look dense and luscious and length is added to them.

Mascara adds length or enhances volume. Full brushes are used for length. Thinner brushes are used to work on the corners of the eyes and the lower lashes. A comb wand is used to separate and define lashes.

Prabuddha Dasgupta passed away on August 12, 2012. He was a fashion photographer who got his first assignment from Enterprise of Mohammad Khan. He did exceptional work from French fashion designer Pierre Cardin’s launch in India. He wrote a book Women, a classic collection of nudes, and Ladakh. He stayed in Goa. Over the last three decades, Dasgupta worked with models like Lara Dutta and Lakshami Menon.

The front row in a fashion show has the coveted seats.The important guests expect to be seated appropriately. To some, it is a sign of arrival. These seats allow you to see the details. These are occupied by powerful editors, celebrities, diplomats and political persons. There are fashion industry magnates too. Some have the policy of seating the biggest buyers there, taking precedence over all others. In some shows, socialites who never buy the clothes occupy the front seats. These could be replaced by buyers and media people. The front row seats are limited. These should not be linked to the status. No one takes away your status wherever you are seated.

For decades, the world’s clothing trends stemmed from seasonal spectacles in just four cities — New York, London, Milan and Paris. But in recent years, many other cities have launched alternatives to hype local models and retailers. New York Fashion Week generates $865 million for the US. Others too would like to secure a fraction of their revenue. Fashion buyers do go to New York or Europe. But they should now start getting their inventories from elsewhere too.

Christian Louboutin, the shoe designer, explains why women wear heels, though balancing her is a torture. There are so many reasons. She wants to look good and feel confident. The key reason is that she wants to bridge the gap between her and men. Previously, men wore heels, especially aristocrats and royals. It raised their stature. They looked taller. Generally, women are shorter than men. One of the reasons why there is a desire to be on heels is to have the same type of height as men.