Kunang Helmi, The Jakarta Post, Paris
For Indian Manish Arora, showing fashion at the Paris summer collections certainly did not mean lessening the spice and color of the outfits.
Parisian audiences gasped at his exuberant sense of color and style, quite a contrast with the usually more subdued palette seen in Europe. Arora outdid even Galliano and Gaultier at their most outrageous.
Indian fever has begun to spread to Europe, and not only London, traditionally almost an outpost of this South Asian country.
Here in Paris, one only has to go to Passage Brady in the 10th arrondissement near Gare du Nord to be able to splurge on colorful saris and kurtas.
In fact on the other side of the station where one takes the Eurostar to London, visitors can also eat Indian food or buy clothes from the sub-continent.
Even the weather, the famous Indian summer after the wet French one, prevailed during the collection week.
Hermes is gearing up to open its novel branch in Delhi next summer. Jean-Paul Gaultier carried on the theme of Rajasthan introduced at the Hermes Prix Diana horse race in Chantilly in June. However his elegance was more than just a cut above the cheekiness of Arora.
Held in the suffocating tent outside of the Louvre in Paris, those invited were rewarded with cold champagne and juices before the show.
Then the amazing parade of sharply cut clothes worn by turbaned mannequins could begin, a mere hour after schedule. Even the fashion editors from DEWI and Harper's Bazaar Indonesia had trouble with the heat.
To the beat of Indian music, the splendid show began unraveling its wonders. Brilliant saris were used for kurtas (Indian long shirt tops) and trousers in elegant versions in all lengths and variations. Crocodile-skin jodhpurs were paired silk scarves cut to perfection. Trench-coats with horse motifs, all in pale tones came with boots to match.
There were hardly any dresses or skirts, but enough outfits to make onlookers gasp with envy and the feeling of ""I want to get that and that tiny crocodile Kelly bag!""
It is also the fiftieth anniversary of the famous Hermes silk scarf and a miniature version has just been launched to celebrate.
After last season's loud support of motorbikes, suddenly Hermes returned to its well-behaved roots in the world of horses.
Tradition in modernity was safe, and unlike the Louis Vuitton show, the bags were not the focus of the fashion show, despite being subtly ever-present.
Many fashionistas thought that Gaultier had presented a far better show for Hermes than that under his own label this season.
In fact it takes a lot of talent to produce two shows during each season. Gaultier is in the league of Galliano, who does this as well.
Far away from the frantic world of fashion shows, Danish Bess Nielsen presented her collection of Khadi cotton clothes and shawls and scarves at her new venue.
Gandhi was the founder of the khadi hand-spun cotton and silk movement in India. So it was a witty photo of Gandhi wearing a straw hat that adorned the invitation to the October 9th launch.
As a surprise, a duo flown in from Delhi performed on a sarode and tabla drums. Instead of wine, a delicious hibiscus and ginger drink was served. The Indian ambassador and his elegant wife also
Photos by Hamit Singh decorated the walls. The colors ranged from white, to off-white beige and black and white in all variations. Kurtas in white and black pashmina waist-coats are now on sale. The show will move onto London at the famous Egg gallery/shop in Kinnerton street.
Next season, even more young designers are rumored to try and stage a fashion show here in Paris. This season even a Thai princess turned up to show on the opening day. A special gala banquet was also held to celebrate this event. Who knows when an Indonesian designer may turn up again here in Paris!
