Manish Arora – Ready To Wear, Autum Winter Collection 2011.

The designer that I am looking at is Manish Arora. I am looking specifically at his Ready to Wear Autumn/Winter2011 show at Paris Fashion Week. It was clear that there were several influences in the show, including: Magic, Asia, insects, flora, animals, geometric shapes and printed patterns. Out of these I think the most prominent was the Asian and Islamic references due to the strong patterns on the garments, vivid colours and the sitar playing in some of the music. Arora’s signature style is bright and vibrant colour with accents of unconventional materials, such as plastics and metals.

Half way through the show the designer subverted from his signature style by sending a small collection of very dull coloured clothing down the catwalk. He signified this change by using the illusionist to deliver another trick, this then set the pace for the next part of the show.

First half of the show

After the illusionist had performed his second trick

The collection shows intense patterns and colours and the crafting of the garments is very good quality. There are significant areas of detail on the garments and it is clear that a lot of effort has been put into making these. ‘Each embellishment was a small feat in textile manipulation’ (Vogue website) Most of the garments were tight fitted and hugged the model’s silhouette.

The venue was an indoor car park. This area was unkempt and slightly dirty. I believe that the designer had chosen this venue to create a contrast and to make his clothing stand out (even though they do that on their own). This was backed up by a review that I read on the telegraph website, “The exuberant Indian designer, Manish Arora, turned a concrete garage into a fantasy jungle, inhabited by exotic hybrids and imaginary birds, animals and insects.” (Telegraph website). The runway was placed over car parking spaces and the audience were sat on fold out chairs. The models were slim, tall and immaculately presented. They were clean and fresh which contrasted with the surroundings of the car park. Their hair reminds me of a scene from Blade Runner featuring Sean Young, and this could possibly have been in Arora’s mind when thinking about the styling.

 
Sean Young – Blade Runner                   Model in Arora’s Show

His vibrant and intricate prints were created in collaboration with a Berlin based artist named Amrie Hoffstater. The artist’s magic dolls were the inspiration point for Arora and it is believed that this also lead to the hiring of the illusionist, “The hyper-colored prints were created in collaboration with the Berlin-based artist, Amrie Hoffstater, whose magic dolls inspired the collection, and presumably, the decision to hire a illusionist to dazzle the audience with his tricks.” (Vogue website)

I really enjoyed watching the show, I especially like the illusionist because he created an atmosphere and he was integral in changing the pace of the show. The audience were clearly intrigued by the illusionist and some were getting up out of their seats to take a closer look.

I feel that the show provided entertainment with the illusionist and the sporadic changes in music helped to liven up the atmosphere in some places. The show was very different and I really enjoyed looking at his collection. I was very interested in how the collection changed half way through the show and how it then reverted back. This was backed up by the choice of music that was used.

Links to reviews:
http://www.vogue.it/en/shows/show/fw-11-12-ready-to-wear/manish-arora/review

http://www.stylebistro.com/Fashion+Forum/articles/wtXrar9RGtC/Paris+Fashion+Week+Manish+Arora+Fall+Winter

http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/columns/hilary-alexander/TMG4967067/Paris-Fashion-Week-Manish-Arora.html

References

http://nickdrake.tumblr.com/post/418111673/sean-young-blade-runner -

http://www.vogue.it/en/shows/show/fw-11-12-ready-to-wear/manish-arora/review

http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/columns/hilary-alexander/TMG4967067/Paris-Fashion-Week-Manish-Arora.html